Originally Posted by kartoffel
Las Cruces . . . Chili con Crosso . . .
Apparently, it's OK to compare apples and oranges as long as you've got a personal interest in one or the other
For a sub 3 pound frame, the Chili con Crosso has fairly skinny tubes. I stand by my original assertion that it's going to be a noodle for all but the lightest of riders.
Not apples and oranges...
You still don't have any experience with a Salsa scandium bike. The Las Cruces may indeed be a different frame than the Con Crosso, but it's made from the same material, sports shaped tubes and it also is a sub-three pound frame. I ridden and raced Salsa road, cross and mountain frames. All were different, yet all were extremely light and stiff. I weigh 175 and the only discernable flex on my cross rig comes from the Truvativ carbon cranks.
The Salsa will be a nicer bike as QBP is a big company and can spec their tubesets, tube shapes and dimensions. Van Dessel likely picked that frame from the Taiwan Bicycle Guide, called the manufacturer and ordered them with their own paint.
Christ, I have an 853 Gunnar SS cross bike that's pretty beat these days, but is still pretty damn stiff. Skinny tubes don't mean sh*t...