Monstermash

Well.... not exactly old. I sold my 2014 Sirrus carbon because I wanted something a little more versatile. Enter the Salsa Vaya. Most of you are asking yourself.... What's a Salsa Vaya? Lol!

It's ok, it isn't normally what would be considered a hybrid. Salsa calls it a touring and road adventure bike and it comes with road style drop bars. It's not exactly what most people think of when thinking of a hybrid. But, I'm not most people.

I sold the Sirrus because I wanted something that would allow me to use wider tires and was a little more "do it all". I wanted something that I could take on a smooth off road trail or gravel road and still be comfortable riding it all day on the street. The Sirrus was limited to 28mm tires and I wouldn't even consider taking it on a gravel road.

The list of wants/needs for the new bike was pretty specific. This time around I wanted steel. It have to have relaxed geometry. It had to have disc brakes. After doing some research I landed on the Salsa Vaya. It checked every box but I didn't want the drop bars or any of the included components so I found a frameset on ebay and transferred most of the components from the Sirrus on it.

Sorry I don't have any detailed photos of her yet but here she is out on the Cape Cod canal on the initial shake down run yesterday. I'll be doing a more in depth post with better photos and a review of the bike because I feel that this may be a very viable solution for hybrid riders.

2702

You are a man of many surprises. That Sirrus was beautifully done with so many nice parts put in.
Do you intend to ride the new bike stock?

Grey.

With beautiful country like that to ride in I can see why you switched. The upper end of the Sirrus range is nice for sure but they're basically road bikes with flat bars, not very useful on trails.

Monstermash

The bike is not exactly stock. Lol! Here is what I started with.



I used some of the parts from the Sirrus to use on this bike such as the Mavic Crossmax SL wheels, FSA Team Issue carbon crankset, and an S-Works CG-R seatpost. The rest of the build is....

Ritchey WCS carbon 10D handlebar
Ritchey WCS carbon stem
XT disc brakes
XT shifter
XT Shadow derailleur with clutch
XT 11-34t cassette
XT chain
Specialized Romin Gel saddle
Specialized Contour grips
Schwalbe Kojak 35c tires

Here are a few quick and dirty photos.

Sonmi451

Want to sell me those wheels?

NormanF

I like it.

I don't care for the bars. Nitto Albatross bars would really make it stand out.

Monstermash

No offense, but I will never use those bars. You have posted the same suggestion in almost every build thread I have started and I have stated I'm not interested in them. Do you own stock in that company or something?

NormanF

I just like the look of old fashioned three speed bars. I understand we have a difference of opinion. I have strong views on how I like a bike should look - with a traditional vibe to it.

Monstermash

No worries. I certainly respect your opinion I just thought it wasn't necessary to mention them more than a few times.

NormanF

Ok. To me, swept bars bring a feeling of elegance to a bicycle. That said, I really like the build. How do you feel though about Schwalbe Kojaks off-road given they're slicks? For pavement riding, they would be fast.

Monstermash

They are very fast on pavement. I was only on the gravel for a little bit yesterday to get to where I took that photo. They do not fare well off of pavement. Lol!

NormanF

Just what I thought. Get some Schwalbe Dureme tires from PlanetX. They've been discontinued by Schwalbe but the price for a pair of high quality folding expedition tires is way cheaper than the original MSRP of $90 for one tire! I'm considering them myself to replace Schwalbe Kojaks on my GT Eightball. I want a good all-around tire for the road and the back country fire roads.

Monstermash

So I had a few minutes today to take a few better photos...

Monstermash

And here are a few more of the components...

Monstermash

And the last few...

Grey.

Those welds are really clean.

2702

So now you prefer steel over carbon? Why? More durable ??

Monstermash

I wouldn't say I prefer it but.....

Steel is MUCH more comfortable. Carbon is great for light weight/go fast but it's very stiff and although it does dampen the road vibrations, steel does so much more.

If I could have used larger tires on my carbon Sirrus I would have kept it.

NormanF

For lightness to weight ratio, modern hydroformed alloy is as comfortable as steel and offers a great ride.

Not as light as titanium or carbon but its hard to beat at a mass market price point.

NormanF

I think OP likes the feel of steel. As someone who has a steel bike, I'm in agreement. The Vaya is bike that offers a lot of value for the money.

And its far more comfortable than a road bike with skinny tires since I subscribe to Schwalbe's theory that a balloon tire bike can be both fast AND comfortable.

When you ride fresh and don't feel fatigued, you know you've the right bike.

Plus the Vaya is a classic do-it-all bike.

ColonelSanders

That is a beautiful looking frame and great colour.

Did you by any chance weigh any of your frames of the bikes that you have been doing up?

Would love to be able to do comparisons on this.

Monstermash

I don't find that to be the case at all. Aluminum is very stiff and the ride is quite harsh unless you have large volume tires or add a carbon fork and bars to dampen the vibration.



Thank you! The blue is awesome! I wasn't sure at first but it's really growing on me.

I did not weight them however......

The Vaya weighs in at 20 lbs 7 oz and the Globe I recently built (with these components but a different saddle and tires) weighed in at 20 lbs 3 oz. Some of that is the saddle. I had a Romin Evo Expert with Ti rails on the Globe and this bike has a Romin Evo Gel with steel rails. I went with the gel because I thought it may be more comfortable but the Expert actually was. I plan on ordering another Expert in this color.

NormanF

[QUOTE=Monstermash;18100858]I don't find that to be the case at all. Aluminum is very stiff and the ride is quite harsh unless you have large volume tires or add a carbon fork and bars to dampen the vibration.

I have an alloy bike with a carbon fork. It has 35 c tires. The alloy is compliant and the ride is pleasant. Bike manufacturers mix aluminum with other metals to get a stronger and more compliant material. Early aluminum bikes were built with oversized tubing tended to be quite stiff that contributed to a washboard ride that felt harsh. Later alloy bikes were built with more normal-sized tubing and the frame construction was crafted to provide more desired ride characteristics. Alloy bikes definitely have come of age.

Monstermash

[QUOTE=NormanF;18100892]I think your bike exhibits the pleasant ride characteristics because of the carbon fork and the larger volume tires. Have you ridden a "modern" aluminum road bike? They are stiff, harsh, and not much fun. Even the one's with carbon forks I haven't much use for. My first flatbar conversion was a Felt F85 and it was aluminum with a carbon fork but the frame was such that it would only accept 25mm tires. The ride was very harsh and I rode it for about a month before I sold it and bought a carbon bike.

NormanF

[QUOTE=Monstermash;18100904]I have more of an adventure bike like your Vaya. All I can say is the N'Lightened alloy tubing used on my Schwinn Super Sport DBX feels fantastic. It compares favorably to my cromoly steel 29er. That said, I understand not every one may react the same way to alloy. Its a matter of personal preference and people should ride a bike that feels comfortable to them.