Any one have any experience with this bike?

[upcruiser]

Pondering my next bike purchase and this has caught my eye. I'd like to find a fully rigid steel bike with modern brakes and running gear and I'm digging the 29ers. I swear there was more passion in riding for me prior to the advent of suspension and all the bling thats out there today. I guess I'm thinkig of going back to something simpler again.

 

[traveltoad]

Who makes the Salsa frames now?

 

[29er]

That's a great bike, with the only downside being its weight. I'm not overly concerned with weight myself, but realize most people are. The Mariachi is a fairly hefty frame.

If I were you, I wouldn't even worry about the weight (on the Mariachi) and just buy it based on rideability and cost. Bet ya $100 you won't notice an extra 1-2 lbs.

My wife and 4 of her girlfriends all ride Salsas and all of us husbands that get to work on them can vouch for them being well-built bikes.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Who makes the Salsa frames now?

They're all made in Asia. That said, they're pretty dang nice. 29er's wife rides with a girl who just purchase a scandium Salsa hart tail frame with carbon stays. What a great frame for so little money.

While it would be neat to have a Petaluma made Salsa, I would ride an Asian made Salsa in a heartbeat.

When I was 29er shopping, I looked at Salsas. My one and only complaint was the wheelbase, which looked a skooch long, which for a 29er isn't a good thing. Not sure about the newer Salsas.

 

[DaveInDenver]

A buddy of mine rides a Dos Niner. He loves it. But he been a big time Salsa guy for a long time. He has one of the first 6, one of these...

http://mombat.org/1982_Salsa_Scoboni.htm

 

[1speed]

Big Salsa fan here. When I made the switch to 29ers I almost went with that frame. But my last three mountain bikes were Salsa so I decided to go with Q Balls instead. Love my Q Balls but still get the urge for another Salsa at times. If anyone has a 36" inseam and needs some frames I have three 26" wheel Salsa frames hanging in the garage.

 

[traveltoad]

They're all made in Asia.

I thought so. My Salsa's are Ross vintage. lol

 

[upcruiser]

Big Salsa fan here. When I made the switch to 29ers I almost went with that frame. But my last three mountain bikes were Salsa so I decided to go with Q Balls instead. Love my Q Balls but still get the urge for another Salsa at times. If anyone has a 36" inseam and needs some frames I have three 26" wheel Salsa frames hanging in the garage.

Well if you still have them come spring, I may be interested. This current bike search is inspired by me wanting to build something similar to what I was riding in the late '80s. Namely a sharp handling, rigid, steel frame setup. A vintage salsa would hit the nail on the head assuming they are affordable. Are they just frames?

 

[upcruiser]

That's a great bike, with the only downside being its weight. I'm not overly concerned with weight myself, but realize most people are. The Mariachi is a fairly hefty frame.

If I were you, I wouldn't even worry about the weight (on the Mariachi) and just buy it based on rideability and cost. Bet ya $100 you won't notice an extra 1-2 lbs.

My wife and 4 of her girlfriends all ride Salsas and all of us husbands that get to work on them can vouch for them being well-built bikes.

Great feedback, exactly the kind of stuff I'm wanting to hear.

Flounder, thanks as well. I'm new to 29'ers so having some things to watch out for in frame geometry is good to know.

 

[bigreen505]

Well if you still have them come spring, I may be interested. This current bike search is inspired by me wanting to build something similar to what I was riding in the late '80s. Namely a sharp handling, rigid, steel frame setup. A vintage salsa would hit the nail on the head assuming they are affordable. Are they just frames?

Funny, I rebuilt the Ti frame because I miss the feel of a great steel bike I had about '92 (sold to a friend, I may buy it back). The ti is similar, just sproingier -- it bounces quickly where the steel would unwind a little slower. I love it, despite the fact that I suck. That said my dad and sister ride dual squishies and if I had the cash I would be there in a heartbeat.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Good looking too.. But my vote is still lightly used either Craigslist or Ebay or wherever, there are some killer deals out there particularly right now for some reason... If you post up your geometry ( there is a good calculator at www.competitivecyclist.com ) we can probably help with the geometry stuff... Cheers man! A

 

[upcruiser]

Andre, thanks for posting that link. I'd never used a fit calculator before and it was a bit revealing. I've always had issues with my bikes fitting me because of my bizarre proportions. Typically, to get the seat height I needed, I'd end up with the most uncomfortable/stretched out positions. Anyway, here's the results I got...

XC All Mountain Fit Gravity Fit
Standover Height Range 33.4 - 34.1 inches 33.4 - 34.1 inches 33.4 - 34.1 inches
Virtual Top Tube Length 22.7 - 23.1 inches 22.2 - 22.6 inches 22.0 - 22.4 inches
Stem Length 9.7 - 11.3 cm 7.2 - 9.6 cm 3.7 - 7.1 cm
BB-Saddle Position 77.3 - 78.9cm 72.8 - 78.9 cm N/A
Saddle-Handlebar 53.6 - 55.2 cm 51.7 - 53.5 cm N/A



Gender M
Inseam 35.25 in
Trunk 25 in
Forearm 13.25 in
Arm 25.25 in
Thigh 26 in
Lower Leg 22 in
Sternal Notch 62 in
Total Body Height 72 in

So, the standover height recomendation puts me into an XL Salsa, yet the top tube length range puts me into a small??!! Yikes! Maybe I'm misunderstanding it, maybe I need to focus on a different sport like chess. haha

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

OK yeah that is weird that the ETT is so short. I met you once you weren't too freakish So again really I think you'll be perfect on a large and just get a long seat post

 

[upcruiser]

OK yeah that is weird that the ETT is so short. I met you once you weren't too freakish So again really I think you'll be perfect on a large and just get a long seat post

Ha, thanks dude, maybe I CAN still go out in the daylight.

 

[upcruiser]

Well, I just measured up my Specialized Epic just to see where I am right now to put the sizes into some sort of perspective.

TT=22.75" so I am right at the recomended minimum
ST= ~31" to the middle, but its a sloping top tube, so I don't know if it really matters
BB to seat=73.6cm which is around 4 cm lower then the minimum recomended
Saddle to bar=57.2cm which is 2 cm longer then the recomended minimum.
Stem=4" and recomnded is 9.7-11.3!

So I'm too stretched out but it recomends more stem, quite a bit more. The seat to bar distance is long because I have an extral long seat post that is up as high as I safely can go. Well, at least I have some hard numbers to shoot for for my next bike build.