Brian Kesselman
I bought this bike at the end of the 2011 cyclocross season. This was my first "real" cyclocross bike, and the purchase was long overdue (I raced the previous 3 seasons on a flat bar disc brake commuter bike). I spent last winter making upgrades to the bike and changed it to single speed to get it ready for the 2012 cross season.
The result was a fantastic machine (took me to a 2nd place finish in the Blind Date series and 3rd in the Cross Crusade (single speed)). This bike handles amazingly in all conditions. The tapered fork is super stiff: it does not shudder under braking. The bike is fast, light, and reliable. My only reason for selling the bike is so that I can go back to disc brakes.
This bike is the last of its kind, as Salsa no longer makes cross bikes. It has been stored only indoors and thoroughly cleaned after each race. I have meticulously overhauled this bike after racing it this season. It truly is back to showroom condition. I converted it back to a geared setup because its makes the bike more versatile. The geared drivetrain was never used for cross so its in fantastic shape and has very little use. This bike now has a 2x10 drivetrain rather than the stock 1x10. I will also include the Planet Bike Cascadia fenders I had installed on the bike for off season training.
BRAKES: I swapped out the stock Avid shorty 4's for TRP CX 8.4 mini v's. They will come with brand new Kool Stop Dura 2 pads. These brakes are fantastic: they have tremendous power and good modulation. This is the best cantilever post mount brake I have tried. The bike was recabled and converted to run full brake housing to the rear brake (which made a huge difference at the last PIR race). It can still be run normally with cable stops if you want to convert it back.
CRANKSET: I swapped out the stock FSA Gossamer crank-set for a Sram Rival. The Rival crank-set is a super stiff very reliable crank, lighter than the FSA and matches the rest of the Rival group on the bike. Its a compact crankset with 50/34 rings and has 172.5mm crank arms.
BOTTOM BRACKET: I installed a Parlee Pressfit 30 to 24mm conversion bottom bracket with Enduro bearings. This is a brand new product and its works fantastic. Bearings still spin smooth.
HANDLEBAR: I kept the Salsa cowbell 2 bar (42cm), which is an awesome cross bar. The drops flare out which creates excellent stability (I rode mostly in the drops all season). The bars are wrapped in Brand new Pro Components bar tape, which is durable and perfect for wet and muddy riding.
BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS: I upgraded the stock Sram Apex levers to 2012 Sram Rival levers. Very similar to Apex but lighter and matches the rest of the Rival components on the bike.
FRONT DERAILLEUR: This bike originally came as a 1x10. I swapped out the Paul chain watcher for a 2012 Sram Rival front derailleur.
REAR DERAILLEUR: This is the stock derailleur that came on the bike. It was never used for cyclocross and has very low miles.
STEM: I swapped out the heavy Salsa stem to a lightweight Cannondale C2 unit. The stem has had all the logos removed is a beautiful gloss black like the rest of the bike. Stem is a 110mm +/- 6 degree.
SEATPOST: I swapped out the heavy Salsa seatpost with a Thomson Masterpiece setback version. For cross, it doesn't get much better then this post. I also switched out the blue Salsa seat post clamp, bearing cap, and stem cap for black versions. I replaced the stock fork compression plug with a nicer Ridley version as well.
SADDLE: The saddle is the stock WTB Silverado Thinline, which is comfortable but not light (I raced with a Specialized Romin which is over 100 grams lighter).
HEADSET: I replaced the lower headset bearing with a new one, it got pretty contaminated after the muddy races. The top bearing is perfect.
CASSETTE: The bike has a 11-28 Shimano 105 cassette. The cassette, chain and chainrings were never used for cyclocross and have very low miles on them.
WHEELSET: Shimano R501-30 with Schwalbe Rocket Ron tires. This is a super stout clincher wheel-set with deep profile aluminum rims, bladed spokes and reliable Shimano hubs with cup and cone bearings. These hub bearings can be serviced rather than having to replace cartridge bearings. Tires are low miles. I removed all the stickers so the wheel-set looks really understated and sleek.
(Optional additional race wheelset +$400) MAVIC KSYRIUM TUBULAR (Tufo Flexus Primus tires): These are really strong and durable wheels that are lightweight and have a really wide surface area to glue the tires to. Ksyriums have been a popular cross wheelset because of their reliability and stiffness. The Tufo tires are awesome! They are super durable and the tread pattern works well in pretty much all conditions. These tires also have low miles. The wheels have had all the stickers removed so they look sweet, all black.
If you are looking for an awesome gravel bike, winter bike, or cross bike, this bike is dialed and ready to go. If you want to try out single speed cross, its an easy switch by swapping out the included horizontal drop outs.
FYI: Salsa made this bike in a 55 and 56 for some reason. I normally ride a 56 road bike and tried both the 55 and 56 Chili, but I liked the feel of the 55 better.
Photos can been seen on the craigslist post here: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/bik/3591368495.html