i_am_the_owl

Howdy,

I've taken a few years off from cycling. I broke my tibia and snapped my ACL in 2011 effectively ending my riding, but I want to ride again! I need something comfortable and an all-rounder (commuter, light touring, grocery-getter, possibly centuries, etc.). Leaning towards the LHT, but I'm not a huge fan of the 26" wheels my size (54cm) comes with. I really like the Vaya's, too. Looking for input from you good people about which direction you think I should go between the two choices.

Thanks in advance.

fietsbob

Flip a coin .. both are made in Taiwan for QBP.. steel ,Tig .. similar ..


I like my Bike friday ,

you can invest in a suspension seat post the Cane Creek Thudbuster has a elastomer suspension
and the density of the elastomer adjusts the response based on your weight .. you pick the one for your weight range.

at 190 its rather firm on mine ,,

and comfort wise , how about a Recumbent ?.. a lawn chair on wheels ..

benda18

Soma Saga Disc at 54cm frame size lets you choose 26in or 700c wheels.

https://www.somafab.com/archives/prod...disc-frame-set

veganbikes

Alas Feitsbob does make a point. However I will say I do like my Trucker and so do a whole ton of other people. I cannot speak to the Salsa but the DT is solid and comfortable

fat_bike_nut

Well, if you're not a fan of 26" wheels, get the Vaya. I currently own a 54cm size LHT (cantilever version from 2010 before Surly released the disc brake version), and it rides just fine. I test rode a 54cm Disc Trucker, and also test rode a Salsa Vaya at the LBS, and they recommended a 56cm size for me (or thereabouts...). The Vaya comes in 700c in that size. I didn't like the way the geometry and handlebar set-up felt on the Vaya.

As for the Disc Trucker, it pretty much felt like my LHT, except with stronger brakes, of course.

Here's what I think: go test ride 'em both and see what you end up liking more.

I thought I would like the Salsa Vaya more than my LHT after reading rave reviews made by happy Vaya owners, and from people who have owned both. Guess I'm just too used to adapting my riding style to the LHT's geometry over the Vaya's. Anyway, that's why it's important to go test ride them both.

edthesped

I'll throw in another couple of options for you. Novara Randonee, if there's an REI near you, very similar to LHT with 700C in Medium frame, your size and can usually be had for several hundred cheaper than the LHT and in my opinion has better components. I've owned one for a couple of seasons and am extremely pleased with it. Also, on the Vaya side of things there is the Specialized Awol. I test rode the Awol and Vaya and both are very similar ride but the Awol takes 29'er wheels both are a little more snappy than the Randonee. For my second bike purchase I'm leaning toward the Awol but am wondering if it will satisfy my desire for a more around town fun bike.

NealH

I like the AWOL too, though I have not purchased one yet. And I like the Vaya too. But I will agree that for around town, greenway, a bit of gravel, dirt or otherwise, I like the new Specialized Deverge. Its similar to their Tricross, the Raleigh Tamland and Trek Crossrip in many ways but has a little less "trail" in the steering geometry and this leads me to think it would be much more fun - while still offering a lot of milder off-road capability - and even short touring.

MileHighMark

Owned a Vaya and really liked it. Only sold it because of financial issues at the time. Currently demo'ing an AWOL Comp (which looks promising).

bradtx

Welcome to the forum.

For what you wrote regarding intended use, I suggest this: Volpe | Bianchi USA .

Brad

PS The Lupo is a slightly less expensive version.

edthesped

Just the man I'm looking for... Do you remember your Vaya enough to draw a solid comparison between it and the AWOL? I'm really liking the AWOL but the Vaya felt ever so slightly snappier to me but I may be imagining things. I have concluded there are enough things I dislike about the standard kit for either that I'll likely purchase the frameset and build it up myself.

MileHighMark

I do remember how the Vaya rode. The AWOL only arrived this week, so I don't have much soak time on it. It's funny you mention the parts spec, as I built up my Vaya from the bare frame, but the Comp would be how I would build it up myself (save for lighter wheels and different saddle).

edthesped

The two things I don't like about the AWOL are the wheels and the compact double, I prefer a triple as I'm not that young anymore. I tend to ditch factory saddles the day I purchase the bike. Do keep us posted as I've been pondering the AWOL and Vaya for a few weeks now.

MileHighMark

Some photos of the AWOL:

edthesped

Thanks that reminds me, I'd also like an uncut steerer tube so I can raise the handlebars if my old man back needs it.

i_am_the_owl

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I rode the Vaya again today and an AWOL. I'm leaning towards the Vaya...

Storm Rider

I'm also looking at buying a Vaya. My quandary is whether to go with the 2014 or wait until the 2015 is out. I'd like to know what spec changes are in store. Anyone know when the 2015 info should be available?

winston63 

I compared the Vaya (III) with the AWOL and while I found them similar, I slightly preferred the ride of the Vaya. That may be been due to the tires though I'm not completely sure. But I did find it a slightly "nicer" ride. The components are pretty much identical and the frames are similar, but yeah, the Vaya really was nice to ride.

But the problem was that in my market the Vaya cost a fair bit more, so much more that it was in spitting distance to the AWOL Comp. And I much preferred the AWOL Comp to both the Vaya and the standard AWOL. As a result, I splurged and bought the AWOL Comp about a month ago and I haven't regretted it.

In fact, over the last month I've put more time in the saddle than any previous month of my life, and I haven't yet started touring! Speaking of saddles, I have to admit I did find the stock saddle on the AWOL to be just awful - I replaced that within a day of getting the bike.

stringsonbikes

It is starting to come out now though nothing for the Vaya yet. 2015 Bikes Preview | Salsa Cycles

edthesped

I had the exact same experience. I like the layout of the AWOL better but thought the Vaya just felt snappier, my thought is tires as well. At this point I'm still pondering which diection to go.

winston63 

Well for me it was a close call - but there were a couple of things that swayed me in the direction of the AWOL, neither were directly related to the bikes. I already mentioned that in my market the Vaya was priced significantly higher. If the Vaya 3 was the same price as the base AWOL, I may have gone for the Vaya. But given the price differential, it was easy to stretch to the AWOL Comp instead.

Also, I liked the LBS that sold the AWOL better. Over the years I've bought a couple of bikes from them, and their after sales support was always great, and they knew a lot about getting a proper bike fit and so on. I didn't really get the same comfortable "vibe" from the shop selling the Salsa.

Anyway, all things being equal, if it came down to the base AWOL or the Vaya 3, I'd probably grab the Vaya based on the sweet ride. But it's a tough call!

edthesped

I'm stuck between the AWOL Comp and the Vaya 2.

AWOL to Vaya
I prefer the gearing on the AWOL over the Vaya but I would still prefer a mountain triple so not fully smitten with either.
For some reason I really like the idea of 29" wheels but maybe that's what makes the AWOL feel a little more doggy than the Vaya
I realize that black is rather tired but I like it better than powder blue, I prefer subdued colors.
I like the perceived flexibility of the AWOL Comp frameset but I'm not sure if I'll ever want to run anything other than a rear derailleur type of a setup.
As mentioned above the Vaya fits me ever so slightly better than the AWOL but I'm not sure why.

For ~$1900 I want to make darn sure I'm happy with whatever I purchase which is why I'm also contemplating building up a frameset then I know I'll get exactly the components I want rather than swapping them out in a year or so.

LuckySailor

Test rode them both extensively, so depends what yer looking for. Vaya is quick and nimble, LHT heavy duty, sluggish. Not that thats a bad thing, just depends if you're hauling a load or not. Both great bikes in my opinion.

GamblerGORD53

Any TOUR bike that doesn't have a ROHLOFF 14 it's a POS LEMON. There are "better deraillers" ????hahahahahahahahhahaha
I just got mine a month ago for my custom Heavyweight, 65 lbs without payload yet. Using 46/15T, 23 GI to 122. Last night I rode up the steepest MUP, 20% little bits with zero strain. Today I rode 85 miles and passed a young fit girl on a fast hybrid. She had the trouble going up the hill. ha
It does sound like a kids toy coasting and climbing, gears 1 to 7. 100% Flawless shifting when not pedaling. Many times I shift up or down 3 spots, it's just as easy as 1. The gear spacing is absolutely perfect and even, no lugging the motor here. Clean/oil the chain when/if you feel like it. Steel is real Cogs last longer than 4? /5? cassettes. My SA 5w cog went 6000 miles, looks like new. That hub hardly wore either, but shift springs were unreliable and didn't have 7 low gears. awwww
Rohloff only needs an oil draining, IF your tour lasts that long ... 3000 miles.

The Salsa looks fine.

winston63 

That's a tough call, and certainly you would be better off with a frameset and a custom build.

I will say that after a month of riding, I'm totally smitten with the AWOL Comp. It handles beautifully under load and once I start riding I don't want to stop! I get the uncertainty around the SRAM Apex gear set -- it took me a bit to get used to it, and the gear jumps are bigger than you'd get with a triple. But I love how this bike feels, particularly under load. No regrets on my part!