Or should I say Celeste? As part of my evil plan to take over the world, I have been lusting over the Salsa La Cruz. I stopped down at Rassy's to get a bit more info and pricing on the Salsa. I knew it was a bit pricey for a steel cross bike, but overall I really liked the spec and think it would be a great combination for commuting, gravel riding, and possibly some actual cross racing should that bug bite me.
Sterling brought up a point that I hadn't considered. The La Cruz is a disc only bike. It doesn't have mounting points available for any other type of brake setup. As such, he was pretty sure that discs aren't allowed at most cross races. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? While I really like the bike, if I can't use it for cross racing, then it fails at one of the possible intended uses I have for it. (Update: from a cross racing buddy it appears the no-disc rule only applies to UCI races and then only to the expert classes). Anyone else able to verify this?
Instead, he brought to my attention a poor lonely little Bianchi that is looking for a good home. It's the right size and pricing is a lot better than I could get for the Salsa. I took the Bianchi out for a quick spin and all seemed right with it. Of course only a long ride will truly tell. I'm taking opinions and feedback if anyone has any outside suggestions.
Pricing will probably pay more of a role in my decision than I'd like. With my plan for buying a scooter and trying to turn the rest of my budget along with selling my road bike into a two new bikes, I'll be wringing out every penny. I'm guessing that my pipe dream of being able to upgrade my road bike at the same time is going to fall by the wayside. I'd love to get something with a little racier geometry and nicer components than my current ride. At a budget of $3000 total, I have a feeling that's going to be a tall order to fit a couple nice bikes in there unless I manage to find one of them used.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Instead of me rambling about cars last night, I should have asked what you were shopping for.....you can't get either one, becuase I want them as well.
I'm lusting after the LaCruz becuase of the discs. I can't imagine a ban from racing a local race with the discs. I think discs would be the way to go for the lack of heavy maintenance for wet riding.
As much as I love the overall look and setup of the La Cruz, it may just come down to overall cost. After running the numbers I also just don't see the possibilities of upgrading to a new road bike this year either. Possibly next year...
The Salsa is pretty swank. I considered it, but found a nice used Lemond Poprad on ebay very reasonably priced. I have a picture of it up on my blog if you want to check it out. It came yesterday, so I've only ridden it once but I REALLY liked it. Steel is smooth as advertised. I think this is especially important for long gravelers. If I have one gripe its that the canti brakes are a little weak compared to everything else I ride.
If you want a test drive let me know and I can arrange for a spin. I will just require a hefty damage deposit and 16 forms of identification. :-)
You probably already know this but you should consider the Surly Cross Check. It comes stock with Tiagra components, but you could always upgrade to fancier bits as funding is available. They run about $1,000out of the box.
I might take you up on the offer one of these days when I have some time to properly analyze the feel of steel.
Post a Comment