Product Profile: Salsa Cycles Vaya

Salsa Cycles Vaya

Moving along now with our next Product Profile. As many of you know by now, Europa Cycle and Ski is now a Salsa Cycles dealer. We have brought in a nice range showing off the "Adventure by Bike" theme Salsa has designed their line up around.

We already showed you the fat tire Mukluk here, and today we're going to profile the Vaya.

The Vaya is Salsa Cycles answer to those of you out there that want to ride a bike that can eat up road miles, carry a rack, or a full bagged set up, has drop bars, has the more powerful, easier to use disc brakes, and can go on gravel and smooth dirt just as well as on pavement.

In short: A do-it-all road bike with options!

Salsa took a traditional touring bike and tweaked it for better handling and more versatility. They used steel, which rides really well, and put a taller head tube on it to keep your hands up more. No "racer boy" positions here! The tire clearance is enormous here. Want fenders? No problem! Salsa dialed in plenty of room and mounts to accommodate. Do you want skinnier tires? You bet! Wider tires? The Vaya can swallow rubber up to 1.8" wide. Front or rear racks? Yep. Got mounts for that too.

The Vaya we carry has the SRAM Apex group which gives you mountain scaling low gears out back and a fast shifting, high geared double crank up front. The wheels and tires are smartly spec'ed for a wide range of riding, including gravel roads and touring. The Vaya would make an outstanding RAGBRAI bike or a great commuter.

Salsa also offers the Vaya in a titanium version which is lighter, rides nicer, and still retains all the versatility the Vaya 2 we carry in the store does. If you want the finest in all around road/gravel/touring bikes, look no further.

Stop in and check out our Vayas on the floor, or talk to us about any of our great road and pavement bike options.

As always- the coffee and tea is on! Stop by for a cup.

Product Profile: Salsa Cycles Mukluk

At Europa Cycle and Ski, we have several kinds of bicycles, but maybe none quite as unique and attention getting as the Salsa Cycles Mukluk. Let's take a look......

My personal Mukluk: Stock Muks differ slightly.

The Mukluk was born out of a need for cyclists to be able to traverse terrain that ordinarily would be impossible on any other bicycle. Places that feature things like snow, mud, and sand are all types of terrain that the Mukluk would excel at covering.

Many people try to pigeon hole these bikes into the "winter/snow bike' category, but they are not just for winter. Not by a long shot.

So, just what is going on here with these tires? Well, think "flotation", and you've pretty much nailed it. There is also the side benefit of traction and comfort that come along with these nearly 4 inch wide tires. The key to unlocking all the potential here is to use really low air pressures. I'm talking single digit low! I typically run somewhere around 7-9psi, but I have ridden down to 5psi and slightly below that. The softer and looser the conditions, the lower the pressure goes!

Going places, (like the beach/lake side above), where I couldn't normally pedal is a whole lot of fun. I have ridden sand and muck that would have stopped a normal mountain bike dead in its tracks. Of course, snow is another thing the Mukluk can tackle, and this leads to a cycling season that doesn't have to stop when the weather turns cold and snowy. I like that!

If you are interested, the shop has a Mukluk 3 model on display now. Come by and check it out, and if I am around, I will gladly tell you about some of my rides. The Mukluk has become one of my favorite bikes for anytime I want to go exploring and have fun!

Want to learn more right now? Go to Salsa Cycles' Mukluk 3 page here.