Colossal!

Colossal: In The Flesh!

In the last post here I mentioned that we had received a Salsa Cycles Colossal and that I had assembled it for stock. Well, we actually have two in.

This is what it came out looking like, and I dare say it is a sight better than the pre-production images and bikes we saw.

The Enve fork is painted to match, (a nice touch), and the bar tape is white to match the brake hoods. (Not orange, as in previous images shown here and elsewhere.)

We have this 55cm and a 58cm on the floor now. I wanted to comment on the sizing, since I have previously mentioned that the Warbird, (Salsa's gravel road specific race bike), runs a bit big. Well, thankfully I can say that the Colossal is true to size. A 58cm fits like a 58cm, (which happens to be my size), and there is nothing "weird" going on in terms of that. Salsa has done a great job of keeping the top tube fairly level here as well, so a Tangle Bag, Gas Tank bag, or other frame bags will fit really well. (Note: The Colossal is a "rackless" frame bike.)

The clearances are generous with the Clement 28mm tires. I am curious, and I think I may try a 30mm tire in there just to see if it'll go. I think it may.

Oooo! That's a pretty red!

Then we received a trio of Vaya 3's. I have to reiterate- The Vaya 3 has the best looking red color on a bicycle I've seen in a long time. Just gorgeous!

And it isn't just me either. Customers that have seen it love it as much as I do. But beauty is only skin deep, as they say. Good thing that the Vaya delivers on performance and versatility then!

I know Salsa Cycles bills this as their touring/adventure bike, but this is really an "all-road" bike that can do some mild "off-road" too. You can do so many things with this one bike it is crazy. Ride and complete Trans Iowa, (a 300 + mile gravel road race)? Yes- Vaya riders have done this. Ride RAGBRAI and carry whatever you want on a rack? Yes- Vaya riders have done that too. Ride a fully loaded, self supported tour around the Great Lakes? Yes- A Vaya rider we sold a Vaya to has also done that.

Need one, really good, versatile, comfortable bike that happens to have killer good looks? Go no further than the Vaya. We've got four Vaya 3's on the floor in a range of sizes, and one cute little Vaya from 2012 just waiting for the perfect pint-sized rider to pick it up. (At a killer close-out price!)

Stop by and check it out. It's gonna snow anyway, and what else are ya gonna do?

More Bikes Arriving Plus News!

Note: Colossals ship with white bar tape.

New Bikes!

We just took delivery of some awesome new Salsa Cycles bikes today, one of which is the all new Colossal. This is a disc brake, long distance capable, endurance road bike.

If you are into really long road rides, and you ride in all kinds of weather, you will totally understand the Colossal's disc brakes, fine riding steel frame, and bigger tires. (28mm Clements) This bad boy has an Enve carbon fork which weighed a feathery 440 grams with the crown race installed and with an uncut steer tube. ( Update: Finished bikes are coming in at the 21-22lb range, which is respectable for an endurance rated road bike.)

This rig comes with the wide range Apex group from SRAM. This allows for a compact double to run a big range cassette for mountain climbing or fast flats cruising. Many of the bits are white which works off the sky-ish blue color and orange highlights to make for a real classy looking rig. (It passed the fashionista test as given by the women of Europa, at any rate!)

We also received more sizes of Salsa Cycles Vaya 3's as well. These are awesome touring rigs, gravel road bikes, or the Vaya will do your commute in a snap, with mounts for fenders and racks here front and back.

We also received 25 Trek bicyles including new Verves, FX models, and a light-as-a-feather Domane.

We'll be assembling these in the coming days so stop on down to take a look to see what you need for Christmas.

Now for some news! We are in the process of becoming a Velo Orange dealer. Do you like cool, retro looking stuff with modern functionality? Velo Orange is a company that serves this market. Stop by and ask us, or go to their website here.

And if you want a strong pot of coffee- let me know you are coming ahead of time. I'll be on it!

Carbon: Not Just For Roadies Anymore

2013 Raleigh Talus Elite

Carbon fiber road bikes are a dime a dozen, right? But what about mountain bike frames? Well, they have been getting more and more commonplace as well. However; it may still be a bit sketchy to think of the rough and tumble world of off road and carbon fiber in the same sentence.

But don't worry. Take a look at this new 2013 Raleigh Talus Elite as an example.

This is the same frame as the bike I reviewed here. As I say there, this is Raleigh's best effort at a 29"er to date. You get solid components on the Elite model, but the same geometry and the same Direct Connect frame in carbon that the Pro model I tested has. That means it is a bike you can ride in the Mid-West just as well as out West. This bike has tremendous rider comfort, yet is rock solid in the bottom bracket area. It would make a stellar endurance rig.

We have this example in a Medium which should fit a fair amount of riders. Whether you are racing, would like to race, or just would appreciate having a high end carbon frame that just happens to be a great mountain bike, you should come down and check this thing out. It is really a cool bike.

This one features through axles on each end, 100mm of Fox CTD travel up front, and solid Deore components in the drive train. Plus Raleigh spec'ed some funky cool turquoise anodized hubs as well.

Okay, all that's left is for you to come on down and see this rig. We'll have the coffee hot when you do......

Salsa Vaya: The Perfect RAGBRAI Bike?

While we've yet to receive all of our Salsa Vaya bikes for 2013, there are a few out there being ridden already. Recently I came across an excellent review of a Salsa Vaya in terms of touring and recreational riding that might be of interest to the road recreational riders of the cedar Valley and especially for those of you who do the annual RAGBRAI ride and like to carry a little something on a rack with you.

Check the review out here.  I think you'll agree that for our area and our roads, the Vaya is a great fit for bike paths, commuting, going from town to town, or even for riding on gravel. As the reviewer says, the vaya can do it all from completely unloaded, fast, fun rides to full on loaded up style touring.

We've got one Vaya 3 in stock now with others to show up soon. Check 'em out. We'll have the coffee on for you.