Touring - Salsa La Cruz replacement is announced

I've been watching since I heard they were discontinuing the La Cruz. If I wasn't having a custom mixed-surface light touring frame done as we speak, this is the way I'd go.

http://salsacycles.com/amigos/

Just looking quickly at the photo, it looks like they fixed the two things that kept me from buying the La Cruz as a commuter/light tourer last summer -- they moved the rear disc mount to the chainstay, which should make it easy to mount racks, and added a braze-on on the seat stay for better rack mounting.

Looks like another great Salsa/Surly bike; can't see a link to geometry but hopefully the chainstay is a bit longer, too.

Hmm it isn't orange though...

Think "A&W" and not "Fanta"

A&w?

It is nice to see innovation in the trekking/touring bike market.

Speedo

Yeah, always liked the salsa - was on my wish list at one point. I think bicycle touring is having a bit of a boom, there have been quite a few articles in the travel section of papers in the UK on it.

A&w?

Yes.

http://www.rootbeer.com/images/home_product.jpg

Ah, I see don't get that in the UK! We do get root beer though - love that stuff

I'm sorry, but this bike looks like a pretty direct copy of the Kona Sutra (http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=sutra) if you ask me. Same frame design, same geo, same brakes, and even suspiciously similar colours.

Why should I by the Vaya, when the Sutra is $300 cheaper, has DuraAce bar ends and an XT rear derailleur instead of Tiagra STI's and a Tiagra derailleur, and comes with racks and fenders? Not to mention the Sutra is set up properly for touring with bar end shifters and 36-spoke wheels (not 32 like the Vaya)!

I know Salsa is QBP's 'premium brand' (http://www.qbp.com/brands.html), so maybe it will have DuraAce hubs or something to account for the high price.

I can't really even believe it. All I can say is Vaya... con dios.

I see two pretty different bikes.

Looks a lot like the Fargo, just with more roadish geometry. I like it.

Why should I by the Vaya, when the Sutra is $300 cheaper, has DuraAce bar ends and an XT rear derailleur instead of Tiagra STI's and a Tiagra derailleur, and comes with racks and fenders? Not to mention the Sutra is set up properly for touring with bar end shifters and 36-spoke wheels (not 32 like the Vaya)!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... I'll never again own a bike with bar-end shifters and am quite happy with my bomb-proof 32-spoke wheels. I like the fact that the Vaya is available in a frame-only configuration; I've got better parts than either Kona or Salsa spec installed on my Nashbar touring frame. The Sutra is a bit better looking than the Vaya, though both bikes are pretty ugly. Still, it's nice to know you can now build a disc-equipped touring bike from a reasonably priced frame!

The La Cruz would have been the perfect commuter bike to me if it had canti brakes and mounts for a rear rack. Looks like they fixed the rack mount but are sticking with disc brakes. I think it's great that they offer disc brake frames for those who need them, but wish Salsa would offer an alternative canti-brake version of the La Cruz. What is absurd to me is that disc brakes aren't even allowed for cyclo-cross racing, are they? Discs just add unnecessary weight and expense for cyclists who don't need them, which is about 90% of us.

The La Cruz would have been the perfect commuter bike to me if it had canti brakes and mounts for a rear rack. Looks like they fixed the rack mount but are sticking with disc brakes. I think it's great that they offer disc brake frames for those who need them, but wish Salsa would offer an alternative canti-brake version of the La Cruz. What is absurd to me is that disc brakes aren't even allowed for cyclo-cross racing, are they? Discs just add unnecessary weight and expense for cyclists who don't need them, which is about 90% of us.

There are plenty of choices if you want rim brakes. I love my Salsa La Cruz and the disc brakes are a big part of that attraction. If you run STI shifters, then discs rule - they are lightyears better than cantilevers. They are easier to adjust and work better in wet conditions. They also work just fine if the rim gets bent after hitting a pothole. They aren't all that expensive either (about $50-75 per wheel for Avid BB7).

Why did they put a double on there? If it had a triple crankset and 36 spoke wheels I think it would be a more exciting addition to the touring bike market.

I like the more aggressive/traditional road design of the La Cruz. I'm sure this bike is more useful but the La Cruz is one cool looking ride.