I built up my Salsa Vaya before Christmas but have never had the chance to get out on a proper ride on it. With Ton’s touring weekend a month away, I thought it about time I did. I had an easy spin over to Edinburgh, the frame feels great and compliant. Perfect for long laden days.

The high bar position took no time to adjust to. I seldom ride on the drops on my other touring bike, the drops on the Cowbells feel about roughly where the hoods would be on my Roberts so it gives me some extra useable hand positions.

It rides a lot more lightly than it weighs. I fitted a more sensible touring triple so when laden it should be much better on longer climbs. When I’ve toured in the States, I’ve spent days climbing fifty miles or more in a single hit. With a road triple (52-39-30) I found myself looking for lower gearing.

I swapped the Schmidt Edelux headlamp for a Busch and Muller Luxos, it has a USB port which should be handy for charging my Garmin, phone or iPad on tour.

Looking forward to Ton’s Galloway weekend and a jaunt up North with CynicAl.

Looks great, I’ve lusted after a green one for ages. I’ve just about settled for a Spesh AWOL (c2w scheme), but it was the Vaya that set me down that path.

I really like that !

😀

Great looking bike! I’ve got the orange one too and absolutely love it

I bought the frame from the classifieds on here and have scavenged around for parts. It using old school 9 speed stuff which is fine by me. I noticed on the newer stock models the gearing is ten speed and ridiculously tall for laden touring. I can switch the wheels over to my 29er too which is bonus.

With a road triple (52-39-30) I found myself looking for lower gearing.

So what gearing did you end up with?

nice that moonter…….i like the vaya and the fargo.

With a road triple (52-39-30) I found myself looking for lower gearing.
So what gearing did you end up with?

I think it’s a 46-36-26. I could happily spin the 39 on the flats, on some of the steeper extended climbs a 30 is still too big. The 52 I only ever used on big downhill or with a hurricane for a tailwind.

I look forward to seeing it at Minigaff. Where are you off to with Al and what cassette are you using?

I look forward to seeing it at Minigaff. Where are you off to with Al and what cassette are you using?

Cassette? 34T 9 speed, no idea what the smallest sprocket it, I’ll never use it. Al’s tour? It’s a 300 mile loop heading northwest from Ardgay to Durness, across the top to Thurso and Wick, it looks like a loop in the far north east, then back toward Reay and down to Helmsdale and back to Ardgay. Mid May.

Mid-may in the far North? You’ll not be needing that dynamo 😉

Gotta love the Vaya.

Just wish I could’ve made the Touring Weekend. 🙁

Teetosugars said; squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak

🙂

Teetosugars said; squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak

Nope, you’ve lost me there Colin? 😳

I’m struggling to get any miles in on my Cannondale Synapse at the moment as I just find the Vaya so much nicer to ride, I have to assume that it’s slower than the Cannondale but it doesn’t feel slower…

I’m now debating punting the Synapse (well, after a trip to the Alps anyway) and using the money to try and lighten up the Vaya, however pointless the exercise might seem on a basic steel touring frame! Definitely deserves a Ti post and some nice wheels at least.

I agree about the gears though, I’m regretting sticking to a 2×10 setup even after the shop offered to swap it for a triple set up. Have spotted some triple Ultegra cranksets knocking about online, could be start of something…

As I said on the other thread Nick “Get her tellt” 🙂

I run an Ultegra triple with XT cassette on my Amazon. Not as low as McM’s triple but has been OK for the UK

I’m not planning anything seriously laden in the near future, so I think just the triple with my existing 11-28 would be enough, save me money on new derailleurs and cassettes anyway..

I fitted a Stronglight triple from Spa Cycles. Good choice of ring sizes and crank lengths. Shimano square taper bb. Cheap and cheerful.

Just found an Ultegra triple for £140 new, now debating whether the existing chain and cassette are too worn for a new chainset, hmm…

I’ve a road Tripple on at the minute, could I swap that with an MTB Tripple, or wouldn’t that work with 105 mechs, and shifters?

Oh, and Colin, there may be time yet!
Are there still spaces?

on mine i run a 9speed set up – middleburn mtb cranks with ATB/compact triple spider, 29/39/50t triple road rings, ultegra front mech, Tiagra shifters, XT rear mech and a 11-32t mtb cassette. all works perfectly and ideal ratios for pulling the laden trailer up hill round here & high enough top gear to keep up on the road. before the middleburns i had stronglights which were cheap and worked great. square taper bb for commuting/touring duties is ideal imo, current one has 3000miles + not a sign of any play

I’ve got a Stronglight 28/38/48 and 11-32 cassette on my Kaffenback 2. I’m thinking of putting it onto my CdF.

I found mine (formerly 13FM’s) rode really light, cf the Disc Equilibrium it replaced. The only significant difference I could spot was slightly smaller tubes – the weight was nearly identical.

Will see how it fares with a full load soon…

scotroutes – Member

Mid-may in the far North? You’ll not be needing that dynamo

We’ll be spending every evening on here 😛

13thfloormonk – Member

I’m struggling to get any miles in on my Cannondale Synapse at the moment as I just find the Vaya so much nicer to ride, I have to assume that it’s slower than the Cannondale but it doesn’t feel slower..

It won’t be much slower, unless the tyres/position are significantly different!

Oops, chainset ordered! Will be nice to save weight whilst also increasing the range of gears 8)

BTW Ian do ask me for that favour we’d agreed….

Hadn’t forgotten, was going to pull a Godfather moment on you one day when you were least expecting.

except for ‘justice’ substitute ‘broken frame’ 8)

love mine. haven’t been out for a while. also need to finish building the new wheels for it which will save a kilo with new tyres.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/pSUdeB]IMG_0545[/url] by thom1984, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/pBCojF]photo 1(2)[/url] by thom1984, on Flickr

Wow, how are you going to save a kilo on the wheels??

I thought there were a lot of weight savings possible in mine but the Sun Inferno 23 rims are apparently 500 grams each and the rear hub somewhere between 300 and 400g, front between 200 and 300g.

If I went Pacenti SL25 with Ultegra CX hubs, DT competition spokes, brass nipples, I doubt I could save more than 300g… I already have pretty light tyres though.

He’s including tyres I think…

Love my Vaya! Got it soon after they first came out. Not used much recently but hoping to change that this year. Would be nice to save some weight from it, but with 10kgs of camping stuff etc, saving 0.5-1kg off the bike for ~£200 probably won’t be worthwhile.

Careful now! I hope the fire extinguisher was just out of shot! 😀

including tyres.

340 in front wheel, 400 in rear, 443 g in tyres.

big weight saving!

also got plans to save a few grams here and there in rear mech, saddle, shifters etc.

Nice, I’d assumed looking at your pics that your tyres were already quite light (Schwalbe Smart Sams?).

My ‘worthwhile’ weight savings would be

Ultegra chainset (upgrading to a triple from my double tiagra)
Ti post (prob less than 50g saving but I want one anyway 8) )
Saddle (wouldn’t spend the money but have a nice lightweight jobby on my road bike which might end up on the Vaya)
Wheels (as above, unlikely to be much in it but I want to build some nice wheels anyway)