Weather here in Northern Ireland has been fantastic today after several weeks of rain and snow. So today was the first real ride out of any distance (32 miles) on my new Salsa Vaya. Not sure of the weight but felt very sprightly and comfortable with the 650b byways, faster than I thought they would be. The bike handled fantastically well from B roads to gravel farm tracks, I’m very impressed but based on other people’s experiences I suppose I shouldn’t be.
Here’s a few pics
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
Nice looking bike.
Whereabouts is that?
It’s the Newry Canal towpath running from Portadown to Newry
Neat!
Fun! Yes - it's time to get out again. Fantastic.
Cheers!
How easy is it to get the bottles out?
I'd go with side entry cages there for slightly easier access (Spesh Zee maybe) but otherwise, that looks great! A proper "out of the door and go explore" sort of bike!
I wouldnt be concerned about what other people say about them, if you're diggin' it, that's all that matters.
Cool pics.
The bottles were relatively easy to remove but mind you the Wildcat frame bag wasn’t fully packed, I’ve ordered some Salsa side entry ones from Germany but haven’t arrived yet.
Bonzodog as you say I’m “diggin’ it”!
I think I’ve done a reasonable job at my first attempt to build a Gravel/Road/Adventure bike, and I’ve wanted a Vaya for a few years now.
And it’s ORANGE!!!