Sir Dennis to the Gravel phone

[Ltdskilz]

Mr. Dennis, what are your thoughts on the Salsa Vaya for non-racing gravel bike? ??  Any other recommendations around that price point? 

[dinneR ★]

I like the Vaya. It's very similar to my Fargo. Just a bit lighter and the max tire width is 50c. I've ridden with the engineer(PK) who designed it. The fork mounts are awesome. Wish my Casseroll and Fargo had them. I added some to my Fatbike.

Take a look at shops now. Salsa is raising prices for 2018. It's a higher end build, but the 2019 bike will be $1799. I think the 2018s are $1399 and you might find a deal on closeout.  In fact all bikes could get hit with tariffs soon. They are saying 10% now and 25% at the end of the year unless this all gets resolved.

The Journeyman is another option. A little more affordable, but lower end builds. I believe they are adding an Apex build for next year. The Journeymen is Aluminum instead  of a steel frame and it can take 700c wheels or 650bx2.2

I like the purple.

[dinneR ★]

This one is beautiful too.

[Ltdskilz]

Man, you got some good information. Many thanks. I'm looking real hard at a Vaya.

[dinneR ★]

I used to ride with the Salsa crew from time to time. It's been a couple of years since I have been to ride camp though.

Here is the full allroad lineup

https://salsacycles.com/culture/introducing_the_2019_all_road_timberjack_lineup

It looks like the Waxwing fork with the three pack mounts is new for 2019.

[ChrisL]

On 9/18/2018 at 9:57 PM, dennis said:

I used to ride with the Salsa crew from time to time. It's been a couple of years since I have been to ride camp though.

Here is the full allroad lineup

https://salsacycles.com/culture/introducing_the_2019_all_road_timberjack_lineup

It looks like the Waxwing fork with the three pack mounts is new for 2019.

Looks like they did away with the Spearfish?!!!  That bike was on my short list.

[dinneR ★]

8 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

Looks like they did away with the Spearfish?!!!  That bike was on my short list.

I think they dropped the Horsethief and Bucksaw too. I could be wrong, but I think all three bikes were actually dropped after 2017. I believe the 2018s were leftover 2017s. The Bucksaw may have ended in 2016.

When stuff doesn't sell, they kill it. The El Mariachi and Casseroll went away years ago. 

I used to ride with the head of Salsa. He explained the evolution of the brand to me. They gave up trying to compete with the big brands like Giant and Trek. Instead they focused on Adventure by Bike. The Fargo and Mukluk changed the company direction dramatically. They have led the way in fatbike innovation as well as gravel bikes and bikepacking. Specialized, Trek, and everyone else has been following their innovation. 

[dinneR ★]

More info on Salsa's gravel bike lineup.

http://ridinggravel.com/gravel-news/gravel-grinder-news/gravel-grinder-news-salsa-cycles-2019-models/

Overall the new Journeyman spec model and the Warbird steal the show, but don’t forget about the Vaya. It’s a nice spec bike, does a great job on gravel, and can be a pretty decent light touring rig if pressed into service that way. It might be the sleeper in the 2019 line up. Salsa Cycles set out to be a player early on in the gravel scene, and with this new 2019 line up, they have sent out a message that they fully intend to be a major player in the scene moving forward.