Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Hi,

So I bought my wife a Salsa Vaya Ti frameset (great price as they are on run out) and now we need to decide how to build it up. I was hoping someone might be able to give me some advice regarding our current plan. Apologies in advance for being that noob that is probably asking the questions that makes the experienced people groan.

Link to frame:
http://salsacycles.com/bikes/archive/2016_vaya_ti_x0

The aim of the bike:
Able to do rail trails / light overnight touring.

My wife has had flat bars in the past and she ended up with some pretty bad shoulder and neck pain which went away after moving to drop bars.... so. long story short, she wants it built up with drop bars.

My wifes current commuter has SRAM Force 22 hydro (50/34 x 11-32) so I am intrigued by the thought of trying SRAM 1x setup on the Vaya. Am I right in assuming most rail trails are pretty flat? Is there a need for extremely low gearing? Would a 42t with 11-42 cassette be a good compromise? The gaps between the gears seems pretty big, not sure if this is much of a problem in reality?

Planning on building up a wheelset with the SON 28 15mm thru axle dyno hub and matching 100lux Son light. Is there anything we should be looking for in particular from a dyno wheelset?

The Vaya has front and rear fender mounts but only rear rack mounts. Was planning on using panniers but a quick look through this forum and theres a lot of mention of bike packing. Perhaps I just need to be pointed to an existing thread and just read through it from top to bottom?

Read this one...

A Salsa Fargo for me...

and this one.

Bikepacking - an alternative way of touring...

Cheers.

Any advice on 1x gearing?

Aushiker used a 1x driveline for his Salsa Mukluk build, I'm pretty sure there is side discussion in the threads I linked. There is more on his website, although his case is somewhat different from yours since the Mukluk is a fatbike.

I'm not a fan of 1x drivelines - I think a 2x driveline gives a wider range with better progression through the cassette.

The 2017 Fargo does have a 1x offering, so perhaps the specification could be a model for your build.

Fargo Rival1x11

lots of vaya chatter here...
http://forums.mtbr.com/salsa/vaya-builds-595223.html
and joe bikes really like vayas like this and on other builds found on the site
http://www.joe-bike.com/product/salsa-v ... e-1482.htm
So your fork is carbon? I have a steel vaya fork on my salsa lacruz with the front down under racks, seems to work well but not sure it would fit your frame as the non vs tapered fork stuff.
Been looking at the older '16 blue steel vaya frames but don't really need one BUT, a run out !! Can I ask if this frame was in oz and if so where from. Missed out on getting a stainless vaya travel as my size = limited production numbers.

Thanks for the links.

I got the frame through Essendon Cyclery. The frameset was 30% off and there were 5x size 55 framesets, now there are 4.

My wife has chosen the following....

The chris king rear hub seems way to expensive.... probably should find a cheaper hub to save some money on the build.

Frameset Salsa Vaya Ti
Headset Chris King - Which one???
Stem Thompson X4
Handlebars Zipp Service Course SL-70
Bar tape Tasis Bikes Fat Wrap / Supacaz yellow for drops
Tyres ENERGIZER PLUS TOUR HS 441
Seatpost Thompson Elite
Saddle Specialise Oura Expert Gel
Pedals Shimano XTR Trail
Bottom bracket Chris King
Front Rim H Plus Son - The Hydra 32h
Rear Rim H Plus Son - The Hydra 36h
Rotors SRAM centreline x rotor 6 bolt
Front hub Son 28 15mm thru axle disc
Rear hub Chris king 6 bolt
Dyno light SON Edelux II LED Front Light - gold anodized
Dyno light handlebar mount
Groupset SRAM Force 1x (38t x 11-36)
Kick stand Click stand

That's a good selection - should build up very nicely.

A Hope Pro 2 Evo hub may be good choice. Although it has an alloy freehub - but you can get a steel freehub.

The Vaya Ti frame and 1" to 1-1/4" tapered fork uses a ZS44/28.6 EC44/33. This equates to a Chris King Inset 8

CK headsets are nice to have but I thought the price was hard to justify, and opted for a Cane Creek Forty. On a nice Ti frame though it may be worth paying the extra dollars.

Aspire Velo Tech are good for Chris King. You order the headset parts individually so you can mix and match colours.

Thank you for the info. Very helpful.

If you would like to save some $$ on other than CK, you could go for full Hope - rear hub, qr skewers, bottom bracket , headset, stem, seatpost clamp and if you can still find one a seatpost (Hope Eternity Seatpost). All good quality, well made stuff and fancy ano colours if it matters. I use all these bits other than a hope head set on my bikes but, I agree with Ron Cane Creek is well worth a look, not Ck bling but they just work very well.

Had some wheels built up late last year with a pro 4 rear in blue to match the sp front dyno hub as in this discussion..
viewtopic.php?p=1364395#p1362382
Just a question why not go 32 or 36 both front and rear?

RonK wrote:Aspire Velo Tech are good for Chris King. You order the headset parts individually so you can mix and match colours.

You could go for the Australia Flag combination in an Inset 8. Sotto Voce of course.



Or maybe Green and Gold.

baabaa wrote:Just a question why not go 32 or 36 both front and rear?

The old saying is: "If you have an even number of spokes you either have too many on the front or not enough on the back"

You may find the H Plus Son Archetype easier to source and cheaper than the Hydra. The Archetype has been reliable on my touring bike.

Hydra


Archetype

We have had 2 sets of wheelsets built with Architypes and White Industries CLD hubs. Want to try out the hydras.

Any advice on tyres would be appreciated.

The Schwalbe G-One tubeless 38c tyres look pretty appealing.

Look OK, but unproven.

Lots of choices here: Gravel Tire Finder

Look OK, but unproven.

Lots of choices here: Gravel Tire Finder

The acoustics in here are terrible.
Its as if there is an echo........

Hmmmm does Chris King not make an 11 speed ISO (6 bolt) disk rear hub in 36h ?

I just put a set of Panaracer Gravel King SK 40c on my CX bike... I cant believe the difference they make compared to 32c tyres that I had been running... running them on HED Ardennes+ rims and I have a few mm spare clearance, rode on cobblestones this morning and super smooth, fine gravel track with a hard dirt single sidetrack on the weekend and again super impressed.
Havent used them loaded up and on course gravel roads yet

Cool. Thanks for the heads up.

Also looking at these.
https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tire ... on_mondial

I've seen the list of off road tyres posted above but is there a most recommend thread somewhere?

Drizt wrote:I've seen the list of off road tyres posted above but is there a most recommend thread somewhere?

This list is not really off-road tyres. The intended use is for mixed surfaces - paved roads, gravel and firetrails, some singletrack.

The Mondials are heavy duty touring tyres, and maybe not the best choice for the type of use you have described.

I have spent a fair bit of time researching gravel tyres, but I have never found a "most recommended" listing. Possibly because they are a recent development many are quite new on the market, whilst more and more are being released.

However, the Clement X'Plor MSO and USH seem highly regarded, as are the Panaracer Gravel Kings and the Challenge Gravel Grinder.

I wanted a slighty chunkier tread so opted for the Soma Cazadero - also manufactured by Panaracer, and have been very pleased with the ride comfort, grip on gravel and easy rolling on the bitumen.

Thanks again. Very helpful

Which fenders would you guys recommend for the tyres mentioned above on the Vaya Ti?

To do a Ti frame justice it would have to be Honjo Koken Hammered - if you can get 'em.

Like these.



Velo Orange does a very nice imitation.