There are bikes that will outlive a nuclear blast. These are the cockroach bikes. This week’s Readers’ Rides comes from Topher who documented his Salsa Vaya. Read on for a look at the bike that changed cycling for him…

As I carried our gear down the driveway during our 4:30 am forced evacuation from the Eaton fire back in January, I noticed Jackie had generously rolled one of my bicycles out and placed it by the car. It was not the bike I had envisioned myself choosing to save from the fire and when she saw the confused look on my tired face she simply said,

“Thats the one I see you ride the most.”

It was my seven year old Salsa Vaya.

First released in 2010 the Vaya’s product run lived to tell the tale of four presidential election cycles and a global pandemic all while remaining an essentially unchanged design apart from a fork update. I like to think of it as the cockroach of gravel bikes.

During the Vaya’s initial release the term “gravel” was reserved for the conversation you might have with your general contractor. Salsa described it as their “Road Adventure” bike”. While it had room for 50c tires, I think at that time the idea was, “Here’s room for some big ass fenders if you fancy that sort of thing”.

From what I could find the original reviews of the bike (like Road CC) don’t even bother to state the tire clearance. But over the years people began to realize its slack head angle and relaxed geometry made for a pretty practical non competitive gravel platform.

A lot of bike brands may have model names which span decades but with updates in cycling technology few of those first generation bikes even vaguely resemble their latest generation iteration. Aside from some paint schemes and a fork variation, the Vaya remained steadfast throughout the entirety of its 15 year run.

Not only is this lack of change part of its charm but also resulted in its later quirks. The mid life fork update felt like Salsa carrying over a surplus part from their gravel race oriented “Warbird” in an effort to extend the Vaya’s dwindling relevance and resulted in a frame set which would suddenly require a QR rear wheel, an IS rear brake caliper, a through axle front wheel, and a flat mount front brake caliper. Reddit conversations about these annoyances ran deep. But nevertheless, Vaya sales must have trickled onward as it stayed in production an additional 7 years.

Flaws aside, what the Vaya did continue to offer was a unique ride quality with generous stack and ample tire clearance allowing it to take on multi purpose roles as a weekend gravel grinder, a touring bike, a fender wearing commuter, an overweight endurance road bike.

There’s even legends of some unofficial Tour Divide finishers riding Vaya’s. Whatever you needed to get done the Vaya was apt to deliver with a slightly below average performance combined with an above average versatility. And what all Vaya owners seem to have in common is they will always tell you how comfortable they find the bike on bigger mileage rides.

As a seven year Vaya owner myself, I can attest to this comfort. The 4130 tubing may lack the honorable Columbus and Reynolds stickers of my other steel frames, but the supple nature of the Vaya, which I attribute to its longish skinny stays and under built rear QR interface, brings a gentle ride quality which is unmatched my anything else i’ve had the pleasure of owning.

And while the Through axle front fork might have been just QBP’s half baked attempt to extend the Vaya’s revenue life a little further past its own obsolescence, it took a supple QR rear triangle frame and gave the front end a new found level of confidence on even the chunkiest of gravel descents bringing a sort of ‘best of both worlds ‘mixed format’ you don’t often find on a gravel bike. It’s not going to win the gravel race, but will certainly get you to the finish line feeling less cooked.

As a long legged guy I’ve always preferred my dirt oriented bikes to have a generous stack with reduced reach which the Vaya delivers. It allows even the most upright loving riders to keep their stem pointing in a downward direction while maintaining comfort in the drops and keeping a high level of visibility as the scenery rolls by.
I know people love to relive the “Pre QBP” Salsa glory days, but the Vaya is one home run QBP did hit, at least in my humble opinion.

So when I saw the Vaya in the smoky filled sodium vapor light near our garage it suddenly made perfect sense as my “Sophies Choice”. It wasn’t my lightest bike, nor my most bling, nor fastest, nor most off-road capable, but it is indeed the bike I ride the most and i’ve come to realize it is the one I have the deepest affection for. My most “trusted” bike.

Fortunately for us we returned two weeks later to an undamaged home and an intact quiver of bikes, but the process of making those quick evacuation decisions can really force you to put things into perspective.
Salsa quietly removed the Vaya from their website refresh in March of 2025 causing a bit of upset from those that declared it just needed a through axle update.

But the Vaya was never about change or updates, it was about a specific moment in time and seeing how long that moment could last. It stood out as an example to compare against modern bike technology, it showed me that even a QR bike can still shred off-road and even some heavier bikes can gracefully carry their own weight. It made me question what other modern tech non negotiable that I may want to reconsider.

I like to think that Salsa decided that everyone who wanted a Vaya finally had one and there were simply no more frames to be sold. I’m glad they brought the Vaya production to a dignified end instead transforming it something it was never meant to be.

Build Spec:

• Frame: 2018 – ish Sasa Vaya (57)
• Fork: OEM Salsa Waxwing
• Handlebar: Ritchey Venturemax classic (44cm)
• Stem: Ritchey Classic / 90mm
• Cranks arms: GRX 820 arms
• Chain Rings: Speacialites T.A. 44/28
• Cassette: Shimano 10 speed 11-36 Deore
• Brakeset: Shimano GRX400
• Derailleurs: Shimano GRX400
• Brake levers / Shifters: Shimano GRX400
• Headset: Rollci
• Saddle: Brooks C-13 (145mm)
• Pedals: Shimano SPD
• Seat Past: Thomson Masterpiece set back
• Wheelset: Hunt 4 seasons gravel alloy 700
• Tires: Travail Cannonball 700 x 47c
• Cages: Tanaka (I think)
• Bar tape: Brooks faux leather
• Front Rack: Carradice Bagman
• Handlebar bag: Domke camera bag – goodwill find
• Saddle bag: Outsershell

We’d like to thank all of you who submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared here at The Radavist. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!