Frannie is a 2019 Salsa Vaya.

Steel frame with a Shimano 105 drivetrain. We roll tubeless. She typically hauls between 20 and 40 pounds of gear depending on the season. I used to ride carbon, but once I hit my 40s every ride started to hurt a little more, so I moved to steel. Unloaded, the frame weighs about 19 lbs, but it handles smooth as silk.

I would spend 8 hours a day on this thing if I didn’t have a job.

Dat azzzz

  • MSids@lemmy.world
    0·
    4 months ago

    I have a 2020 Vaya and I am convinced that the Vaya is one of the best bikes ever made. I got a Fargo last year also, and I love it just as much. The Vaya has been so many places with me, I even took it on my honeymoon to the Azores.

      • MSids@lemmy.world
        0·
        4 months ago

        It sure is a joy, and as much as I love my orange red one I really like your green one a lot too.

        I have only had the Fargo for a few months now, I got it before they switched to 32” wheels, so I imagine the newer version is even more of a beast. My winter experience on the Fargo is limited mostly to commutes, but it has been extremely comfortable. It’s definitely a bit more in the ATB realm and feels more upright than the Vaya.

        I do feel like I will probably still bikepack on the Vaya. The mounts are a bit more favorable for the racks and bags that I have. My wife works for Nemo and has documented a few of our bike adventures on the Nemo blog if you’re curious to see a picture of mine. Nemo makes an awesome bikepacking tent.

        • Throbbing_banjo@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
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          4 months ago

          Dude! That blog is awesome, y’all sound fun as hell. Good to know about the Nemo too, I’ve been curious about those. I tend to solo it, so I’ve always hammock camped when I bikepack, but it would be nice to be less tree-dependent.

          • MSids@lemmy.world
            0·
            4 months ago

            Haha thank you, we do alright, my wife is pretty cool. Nemo makes great gear. The later version of that tent (used on our Nova Scotia trip) was well improved. I think they called the new fabric Osmo. Shoot me a DM if you’re interested, I might be able to sneak a 40% code from her.

  • Fmstrat@lemmy.world
    0·
    4 months ago

    My partner and I are into gravel, akd she’s been seriously considering a steel frame.

    Also, cross post to cycling! Those communities need love.

  • hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    Sick bike! How do you like the brooks saddle? I take it you’re riding without padded shorts?

    Also thank you for cross posting it to the bike comm, so I could upvoter it twice!

  • curbstickle@anarchist.nexusEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    Hello fellow old person!

    once I hit my 40s every ride started to hurt a little more, so I moved to steel. Unloaded, the frame weighs about 19 lbs, but it handles smooth as silk.

    Was it the vibration? Because I had some crappy joints and now I’m thinking I should try some steel…

    • Throbbing_banjo@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      Howdy! Sorry, thought I responded already. Carbon vs steel is night and day. There’s pretty much zero energy absorbtion with carbon, so you feel every bump and crack.

      Steel, for as hard and durable as it is, has a decent amount of give. You’ll still feel the bumps, but significantly less.

      If you’re just looking to make your current ride more comfortable, though, that leather saddle is a massive upgrade. Seriously. It’s everything.

    • Throbbing_banjo@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      Thanks! It’s Brooks tape (same brand as the saddle), but I’m not sure I’d recommend it unless you care more about looks than comfort, unfortunately. It’s pretty thin, and doesn’t offer much in the way of cushion or pad. I put it on thinking it’d enable me to ride without gloves, but it ended up having the opposite effect.

      • grue@lemmy.world
        0·
        4 months ago

        Put on some cushion-y foam tape, then put the fancy Brooks leather tape back on over it. (Hopefully you haven’t cut the Brooks tape too short, 'cause that stuff is expensive.)

        Or if not the whole bar, get some of those gel pads that cushion key areas:

    • 00xide@lemmy.ml
      0·
      4 months ago

      Not OP, but I know why carbon hurts (and why it’s useful!):

      Carbon is stiffer than steel. That does a lot of stuff, but two things primarily - one good, one bad.

      Good: the force you put into the pedals bends a steel frame more than it does a carbon frame. Every bit of force used to bend the frame is force that doesn’t get used to push you forwards, so a stiff carbon frame is a lot faster than a bendy steel one.

      Bad: the force from the road works the same way as the force from your pedals: it also gets reduced with a bendier frame, and a stiff frame will take every bump and crack in the tarmac and put that force right into your taint.

    • grue@lemmy.world
      0·
      4 months ago

      Carbon is stiffer than steel, so a carbon bike doesn’t have as much shock-absorbing flex to it.

  • bitwolf@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    How does that kick stand work? Does it compress and fit in one of your bags? Or is there a mount that lines it up against one of the tubes?

    I like that it’s not permanently fixed to the bike

    • Throbbing_banjo@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      Best investment you can make if you’re a frequent rider, hands down. Makes bike shorts and chamois pointless, you can ride in anything. I’ve had that saddle longer than I’ve had the bike, there’s probably 10,000 buttmiles on it.