Originally Posted by kartoffel
The Salsa frame is really really light scandium. Since it has the same modulus as regular aluminum, I would worry that it might be too flexy.
The Van Dessel (I keep wanting to say "Vin Diesel", wtf)... ermm... anyway it looks to be a little more suited for multiple seasons and/or clyde use. However, those carbon seatstays are getting about as faddish as purple anodized **** was a decade ago. Some manufacturers just bulk order pre-fab CF stays and throw them into frames without regard for whether it really makes the resulting frankenframe any better. In other words, overbuilt prefab CF stays may result in a heavier, flexier, less reliable bike. I don't know about Vin Diesel's frame to say what the deal is in this particular case though.
Voting for the Van Dessel, since my gut feeling is that the Salsa is a 1-season frame for greyhounds.
Don't venture opinions on things you know nothing about...
The Salsa will be STIFFER than the VD. The tubes on the Salsa are bigger and shaped.
How do I know? I have been riding and racing a Salsa Las Cruces for 2 years. It's been put through the ringer and still looks new. I ride it on everything from the road to singletrack. It's almost as stiff as my Ridley carbon road bike.
BTW, stiffness of the frame has nothing to do with the modulus of the material. It has everything to do with how the tubes are drawn, shaped and welded.