??? We've all recommended it for one reason or another- fits fenders and wide tires, steel frame, etc.- but I read this post on roadbikereview.com which isn't too positive.

I'm wondering how many people here have this bike and haven't had problems with the rear dropout.

It otherwise looks like a good non-racing/non-touring/non-cross road bike.

I built one up as a SS\FG. No issues with the rear dropout but I use a nutted axle.

When I was researching purchasing the frame I came across that same post. Being that this was the single negative review in relations to plenty of positives I chalked it up as anomoly.

It makes a lovely commuter. I am getting bored with SS\FG and am thinking about throwing on a RD and one shifter. Thus, making it a 9 or 10 speed. I think that will make it easier if I decided to go back to SS\FG.
Good frame. I recommend it.

I just placed an order today through my LBS for a Casseroll Triple. Before I did so, I contacted Salsa about the forum posts you refer to above. Here was the exchange:


Hi there,

I'm seriously considering your Casseroll Triple (complete). In doing my
research I have come across some forum postings that discuss a problem
with this bike where the rear wheel won't stay put in the dropouts, and
can slip forward under pedaling loads. Can you tell me more about this
issue and whether it has been resolved?

and the response...

Hello Scott,
This topic has indeed been posted on a few different blogs. Some of the
information on these blogs is useful, and some of it is misleading.
First, people who have experienced issues with rear wheel slippage on
the Casseroll have primarily been custom building their bikes. To my
knowledge, Salsa has not heard of any rear wheel slippage on our
Casseroll Triple complete bike.

The situation with the rear dropouts centers around the stainless steel
being super smooth and hard. It is the combination of hub, skewer and
dropout that are the important factors. Hubs and skewers with smoother
surfaces do not hold the rear wheel as well as hubs and skewers with
harder, more aggressively serrated surfaces. Shimano hubs with
closed-cam Shimano skewers (all Shimano skewers) work best on the
Casseroll. The Triple complete comes stock with a Shimano Tiagra hub
and skewer. When fastened properly this set up will not slip.

I am 200 lbs and ride a Casseroll with an Ultegra hub and skewer. I've
got over 1000 miles of riding on this bike this season and have never
had one issue with slippage.

You can be confident that the Casseroll Triple complete will not have
rear wheel slippage when adjusted and set up appropriately.

Thank you for buying Salsa. Please let me know if you have any more
questions or if I can be of any further assistance. Here are some links
to forum discussions on this topic:

https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=401914


https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-440382.html

David Gabrys
Salsa Sales and Customer Service Manager

I'm also 200 lbs. I have a 2008 Casseroll with a factory 105 build. It is my dedicated commuter. I ride 19 miles each way every day. I have had no problem with slippage. (I DO keep the rear skewer pretty tight) If i had a persistent problem, I'd install a tugnut.

Wow, I'm seriously impressed with that response. Open, honest conversation and straight talk. Notch Salsa up as a manufacturer that I admire and will some day consider purchasing from.

Exactly. Their response totally reinforced my interest in the bike and ultimately my decision to buy it.

Really a minor issue having (as the guy at Salsa said) a lot to do with bike set-up and adjustment. And the price you pay for having the flexibility of horizontal drop outs, especially stainless ones.

Here's a little something about QR skewers:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/skewers.html

Get the right set up (closed cam skewers or bolt on), keep your skewers or nuts tight and you should be good to go!

Here is my email from Salsa.


I absolutely love this bike. It fits me well and is super comfortable. I don't like having to baby my take off's. I scraped the crap out of the inside of my chain stay. It might be a bit better after clamping the rear wheel in very tight.

I don't ride a Casseroll, but I had rear wheel slippage issues with my Surly Crosscheck. It came with a stainless steel skewer, and the bike shop happily swapped it out for one of the Shimano skewers. Like others here have said, it's an easy fix and shouldn't deter you from getting the bike.

One other issue: If your build your hub (or rebuild them after cleaning the bearings) and don't center the axle properly, it's quite possible that too much of the axle is sticking out on one side. When that happens, the skewer will butt on the axle rather than the dropout, and this means that no matter how hard you tighten the skewer, you won't be able to prevent slippage. The only solution is obviously to recentre the axle.

I commute a couple times a week on my Salsa Casseroll (Complete/Triple), I've never had any issues. In fact, Until I picked up my Wilier I was commuting at least 4 days a week on it. I was regularly traveling about 80 miles a week on the bike. I've even tackled a few serious climbs with it, and the rear wheel stays put, although it's a pretty flexy bike.

The shimano skewer holds the wheel tight, I think that might be the key. I've heard of other folks having slippage issues (not on Casseroll's) using other skewers.

I love my Casseroll, I could probably go more than 100 miles a day and feel comfortable on it. It soaks up bumps, and is really stable. Typically I'm carrying about 25 pounds in my rear panniers, on a Tubus Cosmo rack.

I ride a Casseroll and have no problems with slippage.

I, too, ride a Casseroll (FG, complete).

Commute 3 days/wk 19mi. each way...no issues w/slippage (nutted axle, no QR)

LOVE THE BIKE!

I'll chime in as a relatively new owner of the Casseroll triple complete, and have not had any problems with the slippage issue.

I have to give it to salsa customer service, as I was on the fence of what size of bike to get, the 53cm (56cm Effective Top Tube), or the 55cm (58.5 ETT), and they were more than happy to email back and forth as I described my likes, dislikes of similar sized bikes (I'm 6'3/4", 33" inseam, etc., and no shop around had a casseroll to let me try out). I ended up getting the 55cm (585 ETT) and it is awesome. The shop ended up ordering the 53 at the same time so I ended up getting a chance to try them both in the end.

I had the shop keep the steerer tube uncut and am running the bars goofily high, but it is comfy as ever which is what I was going for with this bike. Being an aluminum/carbon rider, it immediately surprised me how smooth it is. I keep it in my dining room and havent walked past it once in the last month without lusting over it, its gorgeous and it can walk-the-walk

i just bought the triple today, ill let you know how it goes after a few weeks.
everything i have read about them has been good. lets hope so.
ill keep you posted.

My new Casseroll.




i had been looking for steel frame to build that would replace my Allez sport for a while when a great clearance price came up on Casseroll single completes (less than the frameset on its own) built using aksiums and Rival. im very happy with the way it rides. comfy yet fast. the finish is also top notch.
only plans now are some upraded brakes, thompson stem when im happy with length and maybe a lighter set of wheels sometime.
i had issues with a cheap alloy re skewer and the wheel movement issue but this was solved with a cheap old shimano unit.

If he's waited two years, I'm sure he'll wait a few more weeks.