However, there are folk who will buy into the whole marketing thing and not consider the cost to be so outrageous.

I agree rapaha[to beat the filter] manage to do ok as do On one and clearly servicing different ends of the market place.
Once you get to the prestige end of the market the law of diminishing returns means you will be paying for the label /marketting. I am sure its still better than a £300 frame but less sure its £800 better.

I am sure they will sell them but no way I would pay that for that frame as you can get more or less the same thing for a considerably lower prce - infact you would get a pretty capable bike or a handmade frame to your spec,

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:32 am What was the deal a few years ago that Salsa offered?

Didn't they give you a full sus fat bike with every gravel bike purchased or something like that?

Edit : Trek Chekpoint at £800 - although it does mean you own a Trek

That Trek probably doesnt ride as nice as the "Stormchaser" (We need a more BB friendly name for it..."Driechbimbler"?), but has a lifetime frame warranty. The Salsa is only 3 years.

wriggles wrote: ↑Sun Mar 15, 2020 12:23 pm We need a more BB friendly name for it..."Driechbimbler"?

Towpath Thrasher.

Mmmm. I also have a Trek ss. A nice root beer 69er. Fantastic bike

Me too. Rode it Thursday. Absolutely love it

That Trek looks nicer to me.

FLV wrote: ↑Sun Mar 15, 2020 6:02 pm That Trek looks nicer to me.

The trek is a great bike and well thought out (although perhaps not the BB).

Bought a Trek Procaliber 9.7 in November and it’s a cracking bike

psling wrote: ↑Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:42 am Mmmm. I also have a Trek ss. A nice root beer 69er. Fantastic bike

One of the few things Trek have made that have been perfect.
The 69er
The original Fuel
The gen 1 Stache

I think that colour is best referred to as "dildo gold".

I think that colour is best referred to as "dildo gold".

If it's a bikepacking bike surely it needs some straps?

Personal collection Stu?

Just what I needed on my 24" monitor at work as a colleague walks up behind me

I see the Salsa Stormchaser has room for a maximum of 50mm tyres, is there much choice in that size? Maxxis Ikons are available in 2.0 not sure what else would fit?
I can see the appeal of the bike though.

Off the top of my head:

Soma Cazadero
WTB Venture
Clement XPlor MSO

If you go back down to 44/45 there's quite a lot more choice.

Jurassic pusher wrote: ↑Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:41 am I see the Salsa Stormchaser has room for a maximum of 50mm tyres, is there much choice in that size? Maxxis Ikons are available in 2.0 not sure what else would fit?
I can see the appeal of the bike though.

I guess it was future proofing and also reinforcing the "all weather" aspect. If it'll take 50mm in crappy conditions your 45's will fit with room to spare!

My Trek Marlin 29er has more miles on it than any of my other bikes - excellent mile muncher

They list the full bike for 1500USD and frameset for 1099USD

So - wheels, tyres, drivetrain, brakes, bars, seatpost and saddle for 401 USD?

Just what I needed on my 24" monitor at work as a colleague walks up behind me

Pfft - didn't you know that 43" is the new standard?
.

If I had the folding I’d stump for a Ti Fargo or cutthroat but you’d have to be nuts to buy that.

BigdummySteve wrote: ↑Thu Apr 23, 2020 7:47 pm
If I had the folding I’d stump for a Ti Fargo or cutthroat but you’d have to be nuts to buy that.

I know, but the colour is lovely! YVMV.

Maybe the colour, which I too like, is an attempt to increase the perceived value? It didn’t work.

GregMay wrote: ↑Sun Mar 15, 2020 8:50 pm

psling wrote: ↑Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:42 am Mmmm. I also have a Trek ss. A nice root beer 69er. Fantastic bike

One of the few things Trek have made that have been perfect.
The 69er
The original Fuel
The gen 1 Stache

I'd like to add 920 to that list. After 20+ years in the bike trade and many bikes I can't fault it for what I need.

Not ridden one but I do see why they could fit that slot!

This has caught my eye again , not sure if I can still stomach the price but it does look lovely

Yes it does look nice. Funnily enough I've just put my Straggler back to SS...

@voodoo_simon you’ll be disappointed the boring head painter at Salsa painted the frame only option in the normal Salsa boring black I do like Salsa and have owned about half a dozen but £1200 for an aluminum frame is madness. I bought my Salsa GX frame in 2017 which is steel with a carbon fork for £500 brand new

These seems to be only $400 difference between the frame/fork and the full bike.

A singlespeed gravel bike is an itch I still need to scratch. I thought I'd be able to pick up a second hand cx frame with a pushfit BB for pennies and use an ebb, after all there is endless complaining online about PF BBs so everyone must want to get rid of them? Not found one yet, every frame seems to have a threaded BB.

A singlespeed gravel bike is an itch I still need to scratch

Genesis Day Ones pop up on LFGSS fairly often for not much £. They're a little tank-like rather than racy but not excessively so and they do handle a load or a wide flat bar. Mine's been through a number of set ups, currently a town bike with DX pedals, 32mm road tyres, guards, cantis and a 680mm M bar.

As a gravel/SSCX bike it was a lot of fun, I rode it more than the Croix de Fer for a couple of years. Rim brakes were scrapy and noisy in the wet but in the end the bike wasn't that much use in the winter unless you thought of it as purely CX. Despite the 35mm tyres the range between road pace and sloggy, deep mud byways was too much for one gear. Frustratingly so. SS MTB won for winter riding, for me. SS gravel in summer is a different thing since road and off-road speeds are closer. Then it's just the gearing decision. I keep thinking of building it up as a SS tourer again.