I was considering buying a Salsa Vaya, size 50, for my wife and then I realized that the 50 and 52 are built with a 26 inch wheel. I don't know that I'm crazy about that and I can't seem to find any place that has one built in stock so I can take a look. Anyone have any experience with, or opinion on this bike? Thanks
I put thousands of miles on a 57cm Vaya. Sold it, regretted selling it, and am now building up a 56cm Vaya (which should fit even better). Great bikes.
Don't worry about the 26" wheels. On the smaller sizes they make a lot of sense.
I purchased my wife a 52cm Vaya frame and built up some 650B ( 27 1/2 ) wheels for it. The clearance is pretty close at the top of the fork and I would not recommend riding those wheels in the mud. She loves the bike and no longer rides her Moots road bike, because of how comfortable the Vaya is. She rides gravel, MUPs and the road on this bike about 7000 miles a year.
I am riding a 50cm Salsa Vaya and love it! The only issue is limited tire selection. I was not sure about the smaller wheels, either.. but the fit is so comfortable, something I struggled to find with a 700c wheel bike.
Man, it's hard to imagine that anyone would hang up a Moots in favor of a Vaya. Salsa may want to quote you. Says a lot for the Vaya. A friend saw my post and stated that he, and others, believe that the 26 inch wheel would be a less comfortable ride than the 700. I'm inclined to believe that would be true. The 650 wheel is interesting but I'd really like to stay with a 700 if at all possible. I may be looking at building something up myself. Thanks for the comments.
I'd love to do a blind "taste" test using 26 in 700c and 650B wheels. I betcha 99 out of 100 riders would not be able to tell the difference in ride quality.
ayjaydee wrote:I'd love to do a blind "taste" test using 26 in 700c and 650B wheels. I betcha 99 out of 100 riders would not be able to tell the difference in ride quality.
I agree. At smaller sizes the 26" wheel makes fitting much easier and should be minimal if any difference in ride. Biggest issue is a more limited selection of good rubber for riding roads.
