2014 Updates

Farley Complete & frame only option

Europa Cycle & Ski will be receiving a Size Large Farley this Fall which should be pretty exciting to see. The Farley features a few nice things that will set it apart from other fat bikes, and some things that are proven components as well.

Farley will be aluminum in its construction, both the frame and the fork. This bike will feature suspension corrected geometry, a tight rear triangle for better dry weather handling, and a super low standover height, important when the conditions are softer.

The bike will also feature Trek's rear through axle design which should really stiffen up the rear end and better handle the higher traction/leverage inducing rear wheels of fat bikes. Internal cable routing will not only clean up the overall look of the Farley, but it will also protect the cables from the mucky-muck that fat bikers like to ride in. That should also play well with frame bags.

Farley will come with proven, industry leading Surly rims and tires. The tires will be the fast, grippy 3.8 Knards, but if you need something grippier than that, a 3.8" Nate will slot in there perfectly. Farley will be a 170mm rear/135mm front design and can handle up to 4" tires on the 82mm rims with ease. (We'll have to do some checking on Big Fat Larrys when our rig lands at the shop.)  The really monstrous Bud and Lou will likely be a no go here, but Farley is about fast fat biking, not the ultimate snow/sand/bog biking.

UPDATED: I got a hold of some specs. The Farley will have dropper post routing and a 31.6mm seat post, (standard dropper post size), plus the spec sheet is listing Husker Du 4.0" tires. We'll see what shows up on the bike. Every image I've seen, (including the dealer preview), has shown Knards.  Hubs are Salsa hubs, but I do not know if they are the Level 2 or 3. Brakes are listed as Avid "DB3" hydraulic brakes. (A new brake from Avid?) The frame set option lists the black as well as the Powder Blue shown. Framesets come with an FSA head set, Closed Convert drop outs, and take a low, direct mount derailleur.

I'll post more on this exciting new rig when we get ours in, likely in October sometime.

 Fargo 3: 

Our shipment of Fargo 3's arrived already, and next week we should see them out on the sales floor. This is an all new Fargo and will be the best Fargo yet.

The big changes here are found at the front and the rear of the new Fargo frame. Still made from Salsa Cycles' own custom designed CroMoly tubing, the Fargo now comes with Alternator drop outs. This is a big deal, since that Alternator opens up more options to the rider such as single speed set ups, hub gearing options, and a way to bail your self out in case of a derailleur damaging accident. (Don't brush that one off, I've seen it happen a couple times myself!)

At the front, you have the new, 100mm suspension corrected steel Fargo fork with new, front facing bosses for water bottle cages or Salsa's "Anything Cages". The longer fork matches up with current XC suspension fork lengths, so if you want the Fargo to be your mountain bike with suspension, it's a snap to swap in any straight or tapered steer tube suspension fork. The front mounted bosses are there because they are going to resist load inertia better than the old, rear facing cage mounts and they still are easily reached while riding. It's an improvement over the old design, showing that Salsa isn't going to rest on their laurels, but they are looking to refine the bikes to be the best that they can make them.

The component spec has been improved as well, but I'll put up another post soon with actual spec and actual bike images next week. Stay tuned for that and for the Vaya 3 images and spec as well.

2013 Specials: We have a couple Warbird 2's and Colossal 2's at amazing prices right now. Check in with Europa Cycle & Ski and see the deals, or e-mail the shop for pricing on these great road bikes from Salsa Cycles. We need to move these on out the door, so the prices are attractive and you get one of the best gravel rigs, (Warbird), or long haul road bikes,( Colossal), that you can find anywhere.

We also have some 2013 Vaya 3's and a Vaya Travel at great prices as well, so be sure to not miss these deals on some fantastic road/gravel/touring bikes from Salsa Cycles.

Stainless Steel & Rubber

2013 Vaya Travel

Hey folks out there in the inner-web-o-sphere! It's been awhile, but we've been busy here at the shop. We have received a pretty cool specimen that is now on display.

Last year Salsa decided to drop the titanium Vaya. However; they replaced it with what is arguably a far better rig- the stainless steel Vaya Travel.

Stainless steel? Yes! Stainless steel has some similar properties to titanium.  It is somewhat lighter than traditional steel alloys, and it doesn't corrode, so it doesn't have to be painted. However; it is somewhat stiffer than titanium, which can be a great idea for a touring bike.

The "travel" in the name of this model refers to the S&S couplers which are brazed in between sections of the top tube and down tube. These are collets which can be unscrewed to break down the Vaya Travel into two halves. A customer can purchase a separate case which then can be filled with this bicycle and transported via air or by truck to any point in the world for far less money than it would be to ship a traditional bike case or box. Travel bikes like this can be checked as baggage with most airlines as well, saving hundreds of dollars on shipping a bike to have with you on vacations, or for a big tour.

Alternator Drop Outs

In a first for the Vaya models, the Vaya Travel also features a swinging drop out Salsa calls the "Alternator". This allows the owner of the Vaya to simplify the drivetrain down to a single speed, increasing the ease of taking the bike on trips, since there would be less re-tuning involved without a traditional derailleur drivetrain. Or maybe you just do not like gears!

Another neat thing about this would be the option to roll on in single speed mode should a rider get into trouble by shearing off a rear derailleur. Or looking at it another way, one could fine tune the handling of the Vaya Travel by adjusting the wheel base. Options. We like those in our bikes!

Even the decals are special!

Salsa even thought about the future and the Vaya Travel owner. Lets say that you take advantage of the "travel" part of the Vaya Travel's name and you break down the bike, ship it all over for rides, and get yourself into several adventures replete with bumps, bangs, and various scrapes. (We highly encourage this sort of behavior, by the way!)

Well, an ordinary painted bike frame might get scratched, dull, and biffed. With the Vaya Travel, and its no-paint finish, you can simply buff out those biffs and scratches with a bit of Scotchbrite or steel wool. But what about scratched up decals? Well, Salsa Cycles thought about that too.

Along with the bike, Salsa sends along a stack of frame decals in a couple different colors so you can restore the look of those decals, or simply change the look of your bike by changing decal colors. The stock decals are not under any clear coat, so you can even run the Vaya Travel sans decals at all, if you so choose.

29 Plus!

Rubbery Goodness:

Surly Bikes shook up the mtb world late last summer when they sprung the latest creation from their twisted minds onto the world, the Krampus. It is a bike that has as its main focus  the tires and wheels.  

These wheels and tires are dubbed "29+" by Surly. We just think they are loads of fun with tons of possibilities. We got a set of the tires, called Knard, in at the shop and would love to set you up with one or both of them.

What would one do with Knard 29 x 3.0" tires? Well, you can set these up on wider 29"er rims as is, but optimally, these would work best with Velocity's 35mm Blunts, or with the rims they were designed for, the Surly Rabbit Hole rims. (Don't even try to figure out where the names come from- It will make your brain explode.)

Yes- 3 inches wide.

You'll probably only shoe horn these in up front on most 29"ers, and that only on rigid forks without mods. (Sus forks are a no-no for now without voiding warranties and what not.)

You folks with Mukluks equipped with Alternator drop outs are in luck though. Lace a set of Rabbit Holes up to some fat bike hubs and Knard 29 X 3.0 tires will fit front and rear.

Knard 29 X 3.0 tires measure out at 30 + inches in diameter when aired up, and they make your rig, (or a Krampus), ride amazingly smoother with great traction. Here is a great review on the Krampus from some German riders, and here is my own take on the bike after a short demo ride at Interbike last year. These should give you a great idea about how the Knard 29+ tires can revolutionize your ride.

Vaya Travel or Knard tires- come and check both of these great new cycling products out now at the shop. Plus- we have a ton of new and used bikes now to check out with more arriving daily. Stop in and say hey soon. And don't be shy about hitting up the mechanics with a sixer!