Touring - Salsa Casserole

i'm looking into purchasing either the new casserole complete, or the surly lht olive green complete. i love the asthetics of the casserole i just dont know if its worth the proce difference. any opinions out there?

If you will be doing any touring I would go with the LHT. That is a more purpose built touring bike. The Salsa is more like a sport tourer, and better for commuting or long daily rides.

Me personally I was looking at both bikes, and even though I probably ride about 99% of my rides where the casseroll would be fine I got the LHT because I could fit much larger tires and also I liked the curved fork and color a lot better.

http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/500/medium/Casseroll_Side_2.jpg

I love my Casseroll, but agree the LHT would be better suited for fully loaded touring. It has all the right braze ons and canti brakes.

http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/500/medium/Casseroll_Side_2.jpg

I love my Casseroll, but agree the LHT would be better suited for fully loaded touring. It has all the right braze ons and canti brakes.

What bars are those? Looks like they work great with your scr-5 levers.

What bars are those? Looks like they work great with your scr-5 levers.

Nitto Noodle. Yes they do work great with the SCR-5s. I love the flat tops...

Dirt Rag review of Salsa Casseroll. maybe it will help you.

Salsa Casseroll (http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=933&category=stuff_reviews)

Quotes from review:

"Salsa is only specific about what it's not—it's not a touring bike."

"A light load can be hung on the Casseroll no problem; grocery run panniers, a rack for your change of work clothes or a couple of sixers to your sister's BBQ are fine, but don't try to load up and tackle the Great Divide."

I helped build and test ride a Casseroll this weekend and it's one heck of a nice bike-- smooth, stable, a little more responsive than a loaded touring bike, although it's no performance road bike, that's for sure. It's a heavy bike--not the kind of bike you race, but the kind you ride around for the sure joy of riding around. This is a classic century bike-- a true Randonee light touring type bike.

As far as touring on it, well I wouldn't use it for loaded touring with the full range of camping gear, but it would be really great outfitted with a big saddle bag and handlebar bag. The compact frame and high seat post collar make fitting a saddle bag a snap and I doubt it would have any real negitive effects on handling.

So back to the question of *is the Casseroll a touring bike?* Heck yes! It's just not a loaded touring bike. If you have the money to get this bike, and the time and money to do an inn to inn tour (no camping), this is your bike. As a guy who pretty much see's every bike that comes out, I'd say the Casseroll is pretty much the best new bike in a few years.

These frames are on sale for $289 right now on JensonUSA (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/FR310C00-Salsa+Casseroll+Frame+And+Fork+Set+07.aspx).

Nitto Noodle. Yes they do work great with the SCR-5s. I love the flat tops...

That's funny, I was never able to get such a nice flat line with my noodles and tektros. The best i could do was to jam the levers way up high like so:

http://www.sfu.ca/~ahartlin/bike.jpg

How wide are your noodles? mine are 44 cm.

Thread resurrection!

So, has anyone attempted loading up their casseroll? How did the bike ride and how much weight is too much weight?

Salsa has redesigned the Casseroll, and in some ways the new model is more suitable for touring. That is, it has canti brakes and clearance for larger tires (up to 38 mm w/ fenders). It also has a taller head tube. However, Salsa still describes the Casseroll as a sporter tourer suitable for light touring and commuting but not intended for heavy, loaded touring. Better choices for loaded touring in the same price range would include the LHT, Soma Saga, Bruce Gordon BLT or Bob Jackson World Tour.

I have a Casseroll that was built up in 2009. I took it for an overnight trip with ~30lbs on a rear rack with ~5lbs in a front rack bag. What I found was that any time I stood up, there was significant shimmying sideways (rigid body). I should qualify this by saying that it might be the rear rack that contributed the most to this, as it was an inexpensive aluminium rack and not something like a Tubus Cargo, which is pretty stiff and sturdy.

I have a Casseroll that was built up in 2009. I took it for an overnight trip with ~30lbs on a rear rack with ~5lbs in a front rack bag. What I found was that any time I stood up, there was significant shimmying sideways (rigid body). I should qualify this by saying that it might be the rear rack that contributed the most to this, as it was an inexpensive aluminium rack and not something like a Tubus Cargo, which is pretty stiff and sturdy.

Bummer, thanks for the info. I was hoping to manage 30 lbs, looks like I'll have to aim for less.
Was it okay when seated and on downhills?


@ tarwheel- The geo on both models is basically the same with relatively short stays etc. I've already got a Casseroll that I love for all day rides, and I was hoping to do a bit of light touring on it this summer. When I was shopping I did test ride the Salsa Vaya, but its handling and build wasn't quite what I was looking for (it was a ton of fun in the dirt though). I'm not much of a fan of the LHT's unloaded handling either.

I'm not sure of the correct way to measure chainstays, but when I measure my Casseroll from the center of the crank bolts to the center of my skewer rammed all the way back in the dropouts, it measures 45cm. I would say it carries a load pretty well on the rear as far as handling goes. It makes the front end feel light, of course, but it doesn't feel unstable. If you put a load on the front, though, that's a little scary. But even with a load only on the rear, the frame flexes a good amount. It's a springy, fairly agile frame.

I think you could manage 30lbs. I've carried a similar weight on it and I didn't experience the shimmy described above. The flex was in the bottom bracket for me, but the load was stable. All in all it's a great light-medium bike.

Bummer, thanks for the info. I was hoping to manage 30 lbs, looks like I'll have to aim for less.
Was it okay when seated and on downhills?


I had one of these 20L dry bags (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442618731&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302700593) strapped on to the rack with nylon cinch straps, which is probably not the ideal way to load the bike. If you have a decent rack on the bike and a well balanced load, I think you might be okay with 30lbs.

When seated, I didn't really feel any instability.

Silly me, I thought this was a one pot recipe! lol

I am looking at the new one as my main bike (replace the CrossCheck) and as a possible credit card tourer. I like the changes to the new model.

I so do not need another bike. but the new casseroll is so nice. its a beautiful randonuse bike.

i wish it did not have horizontal dropouts.

I'm not sure of the correct way to measure chainstays, but when I measure my Casseroll from the center of the crank bolts to the center of my skewer rammed all the way back in the dropouts, it measures 45cm. I would say it carries a load pretty well on the rear as far as handling goes. It makes the front end feel light, of course, but it doesn't feel unstable. If you put a load on the front, though, that's a little scary. But even with a load only on the rear, the frame flexes a good amount. It's a springy, fairly agile frame.

I think you could manage 30lbs. I've carried a similar weight on it and I didn't experience the shimmy described above. The flex was in the bottom bracket for me, but the load was stable. All in all it's a great light-medium bike.

Thanks for the info.

I've just bought one of the new Casserolls and it should be ready this weekend. I will use it for commuting and supported tours. If I do any loaded touring, I've got a Bob Jackson World Tour that will suffice. I really like the design of the new Casseroll - it has a level top tube, curved front fork, tall head tube, canti brakes and room for tires up to 38 mm with fenders. I had considered ordering one and decided to buy it on the spot after examining the frame first-hand at a local bike shop.

I really like the versatility of this frame. I plan to sell my mountain bike (which I rarely ever ride) after I get it built because the Casseroll will handle dirt roads, gravel, unpaved paths just fine with some larger tires.

Congrats! I'm sure you'll love it, it's such a well thought out bike.

Here are some photos of my new Salsa Casseroll. I haven't had a chance to ride it yet except for a spin around the bike shop parking lot because it rained all weekend here, plus I haven't installed fenders yet. I'm even more impressed with the frame after seeing it in person. Mine weighed 22 lbs. with pedals, bottle cages and computer -- not bad for steel bike in that size (56).

Nice,

I pick mine up tonight, 54 complete. I did a nice 2 mile test ride before buying it, sweet.

Tonight I'll mount pedals and bottle cages, then tomorrow I have it out for a full on after work ride :-)

Post some photos of the new bike. You're gonna love it.