Vaya anywhere - a Custom Salsa for All-Road Adventures

We are pleased to announce our sponsorship of BikePortland.org's bikepacking and gravel ride coverage this year. In order to get out and document these rides, editor Jonathan Maus needed a more capable bike than his cyclocross rig and more nimble than his 29er. Enter the Salsa Vaya - our adventure riding bike of choice.

Equally capable on dirt roads and cross-country tours, we've been fans of the Vaya for a few years now. To outfit Mr. Maus in style, we customized a Vaya frame for long day rides and light touring. To begin, we set it up with a reliable Shimano 2x10 drivetrain with 105 shifters and derailleurs, paired with a White Industries VBC crankset. Capable of running a wide range of gears, this will allow for a smaller inner ring than the standard 34t on a compact in case a lower range is needed for heavier loads or steeper dirt terrain. 

Assisting in the conquest of hills is the wheel set. Stan's Grail tubeless rims, paired with DT Swiss Competition spokes in front and heavy duty Alpine III spokes in the rear, laced to a reliable and powerful Alfine 501 dynamo hub up front and XT rear hub. We shod the hoops with a set of WTB Nano 40c tubeless tires for grip and cushion on forest roads. 

Rounding out the package are a pair of Avid BB7 brakes, Salsa Cowbell bar and stem, Brooks Cambium saddle and a Chris King headset. 

Follow along here and on BikePortland.org as Jonathan explores the backroads of Oregon and Washington over the coming year.

Build highlights

• Salsa Vaya triple-butted frameset- 60cm
• Handbuilt wheelset- Stan's Grail tubeless rims, Shimano Alfine dynamo front and XT rear hubs, DT Alpine spokes in back and Competition spokes in front, black brass nipples. WTB Nano 40mm tires, set up tubeless.
• Shimano 105 Shifters and rear derailleur, CX-70 front derailleur
• White Industries VBC Crankset
• Gold Chris King headset matched to gold Salsa seat collar and skewers
• Jagwire sealed shift cable/housing and compression-less brake housing
• 3x King Cage stainless steel h20 cages, handmade in Colorado.
• Brooks Cambium Saddle

Soma Grand Randonneur Custom

Built in equal measure for Randonee Rides, long days in the saddle and multi-day dirt road adventures, this Soma was a joy to work on and a beauty to behold. We hear it rides pretty damn well too.

The build started as a testbed for 650b frames. The customer wanted to be able to transfer all components to a future custom 650b wheeled frame if he likes the platform, so we went all in to make it rugged, pretty and functional in equal measure.

You may see this bike in action if you attend The Oregon Outback or any Oregon Randoneur rides

Highlights-

•  A wide range 2x10 drivetrain with simple and reliable downtube shifters and White Industries VBC crankset- 34/48 rings for now, potential to run "ridiculous" gearing such as a 28/48 for extended dirt touring.
• Schmidt SON dynamo and B+M Luxos U light/charger. - Light up the night and charge your stuff during the day via an onboard USB port located near the map case
• Nitto mini rack and mini-lowriders. A two-part rack system with removable lowrider rack. Use panniers for tours, ditch the extra weight when not touring.
• Brooks Cambium saddle and bar tape, cushioned by Fizik Gel pads underneath.