I just purchased a Salsa Vaya yesterday.

Was wondering what you guys think about the rear racks. Does which one you buy really matter?

Here are some that i have seen...

Salsa Wanderlust - $99
Topeak Explorer $59 (If i choose this one, do I have to get the 29er or will the regular one also work?)
Bontrager Backrack Deluxe L - $49



Obviously looking for the best configuration, functionality, ruggedness, weight, etc. Any suggestions?

I put a Tubus Vega on mine, works great.

I have a Delta Sherpa rear rack on my Vaya Ti. I like the Delta racks a lot, I have them on several of my bikes.

Last summer I bought an Axiom pro tour inox rear rack for around $90 that I am very happy with. It is stainless steel, sleek appearing, and very sturdy. I am not sure they are still made unfortunately, but I am sure there are retaillers out there where you could still get one.

The Sherpa is nice and sturdy. How much are you planning on carrying, weeks, days worth. What type of panniers are you using. Some racks work better with certian panniers. I really like my nice rack by Surly. I have it on my Salsa Casseroll and its been bombproof.

You missed the point of sale discount , by not buying the rack, and having it fitted ,
When & where you bought the Bike.


I like the Tubus Logo, that came on My Koga WTR..

have a set of bruce gordon racks , I changed bikes I fitted them to ..

they are both made from 4130 steel 10mm tubing .

It depends on which year the bike is. If it has the alternator drop outs, you will need a specific type of rack. The Salsa model is called the alternator.

Hendricks, can you help me out? I have the 2013 Salsa Vaya 2.

https://salsacycles.com/bikes/archive/2013_vaya

It mentions alternator in the description, but i'm unsure if it has the cutout because I'm pretty new to the roadbike world, I've always ridden on a brompton.

The description says

"Custom-Designed Investment-Cast Rear Dropout
Tour Divide-proven Fargo rear dropout design. Chainstay-mounted disc brake, rack and fender mounts, and replaceable derailleur hanger

Integrated Rack and Fender Mounts
Cast and ribbed into dropout for durability. Designed to work best with Salsa Wanderlust Rack

Vaya Fork Included
Custom-specified CroMoly with forward facing, stainless steel, double-eyelet dropouts. Mid-blade mounts. Fender mounts. 74mm post-mount disc brake mount"

I have a 2013 3, the red one and transferred a topeak explorer from my hybrid with no problem. It was designed for disk brakes and is bowed out to fit around the discs on my hybrid but since Salsa cleverly puts the brake setup out of the way in the rear triangle the rack sits out further than needed. My Axiom panniers fit fine but haven't done a loaded tour yet, just groceries so far. That rack was only about $45 as I recall.

It appears I was mistaken. The Vaya is one of the models that has not received the alternator yet, so thats not an issue. I have a Fargo, which is the drop bar mountain bike cousin to the Vaya and I use a $20.00 Cannondale rack that I bought on Ebay and its worked great so far

Which rack is on the larger side?

I really like the topeak explorer but I saw it in person and it is the same size as the rack on my brompton folding. I feel like the rack should be a little larger for this gigantic Vaya, no?

I put a Tubus Cargo on my Vaya. I did use small offsets on the lower mounts to move the lower legs of the rack out just a bit for frame clearance.

On the front I put a Nitto M18 for my Acorn bag and a Tubus Tara low rider rack for the front panniers.

I've been doing a lot of research and it looks like the Jandd Expedition is the best bet. Anybody have any comments on it?

I tend not to trust aluminum racks. They have a tendency to have fatigue failures over time. The Jandd rack is 3/8” aluminum rod, weighs 36 oz. and has a rated load capacity of 75 lbs.

The Tubus Cargo is steel tubing, weighs 22 oz. and has a rated load capacity of 88 lbs.