... in case anyone's interested. The new hardtails with scandium tubes and carbon stays look particularly sweet. :)

http://www.salsacycles.com

As an aside, does anyone know how come the El Santo frame is over half a pound heavier than the Caballero, given that they both used scandium tubes? I find that highly disappointing... :(

Anybody see one of these in person yet?
Which would be better for Endurance racing El Santo or Cabellero?
Cab would be lighter I see.

the Dos Niner looks nice too!

maybe its the shock/linkage configuration on the El Santo that makes it heavier?

Wonder if one can retrofit the Manitou Swinger on the Cab?

Anybody see one of these in person yet?
Which would be better for Endurance racing El Santo or Cabellero?
Cab would be lighter I see.

Both would be great for endurance racing. They are both very light, but the Cabellero is lighter. Both are designed for 100mm.

So why two bikes? Well, the cabellero could not be made any smaller than the 16". Moving the shock and linkage allowed us to do an 14". The El Santo is just a bit heavier and this is due to a little extra material and slighly larger linkage plates.

I say you asked about the swinger 3 way on the cabellero. It does fit, but you can't access the air valves. If you want a platform shock, we suggest the probressive on the Cabelloro.

Jason
Salsa Crew

Both would be great for endurance racing. They are both very light, but the Cabellero is lighter. Both are designed for 100mm.

So why two bikes? Well, the cabellero could not be made any smaller than the 16". Moving the shock and linkage allowed us to do an 14". The El Santo is just a bit heavier and this is due to a little extra material and slighly larger linkage plates.

I say you asked about the swinger 3 way on the cabellero. It does fit, but you can't access the air valves. If you want a platform shock, we suggest the probressive on the Cabelloro.

Jason
Salsa Crew

Jason,

I've seen in some of the reviews and by downloading the Cab.'s shock guide that the 5tht Element shock
can not be adjusted whilst on the frame. Is this true? Do you recomend a certain shock pump that would fit? May just go with the Sid if I go for the Cab. and tune it to my style. I just don't want any blown out shocks at 2 in the morning.

nice to hear it straight from Salsa! I've also read that bit about the air-valve on the 5th being a bit hard to reach- someone in this forum made an air-valve extension for his 5th..darn forgot that thread.

been happy so far with the SID, and I like the simplicity of tuning it. I have no experience with it during endurance races tho. :)

Jason, am I correct in assuming that the El Santo has replaced the Cab in the 2005 Salsa lineup?

Jason,

I've seen in some of the reviews and by downloading the Cab.'s shock guide that the 5tht Element shock
can not be adjusted whilst on the frame. Is this true? Do you recomend a certain shock pump that would fit? May just go with the Sid if I go for the Cab. and tune it to my style. I just don't want any blown out shocks at 2 in the morning.

nice to hear it straight from Salsa! I've also read that bit about the air-valve on the 5th being a bit hard to reach- someone in this forum made an air-valve extension for his 5th..darn forgot that thread.

been happy so far with the SID, and I like the simplicity of tuning it. I have no experience with it during endurance races tho. :)

Jason, am I correct in assuming that the El Santo has replaced the Cab in the 2005 Salsa lineup?


Cab vs. El Santo. We are still carrying both, even though the Cab got bumped from the new site. The El Santo is the future design for us as it allows for a wider range of sizing and we believe we need to offer sizes like 14" AND 22". That said, we will be stocking the Cab throughout the 2005. It is a very good seller for us and is ultimately, a lighter design.

Regarding the shock fit, I can't answer that at the moment. I am at home. That said, I do know quite a few folks that run the progressive. I also know that several folks mounted it backwards as it fits both ways. I believe if you mount the shock with the air canister portion further back, you have a bit better access.

jason

thanks for the reply- so the two models will end up complementing each other in the end, pretty neat. Will the 2005 Cabs have a new paint job too?

Over here the Cabs are pretty popular (in fact, the guy who runs the LBS where I got mine built one up for himself after riding mine...only to have an insistent customer buy it from him, since it was the last of its size!) and RARE. Almost enjoys cult status!

Cab vs. El Santo. We are still carrying both, even though the Cab got bumped from the new site. The El Santo is the future design for us as it allows for a wider range of sizing and we believe we need to offer sizes like 14" AND 22". That said, we will be stocking the Cab throughout the 2005. It is a very good seller for us and is ultimately, a lighter design.

Regarding the shock fit, I can't answer that at the moment. I am at home. That said, I do know quite a few folks that run the progressive. I also know that several folks mounted it backwards as it fits both ways. I believe if you mount the shock with the air canister portion further back, you have a bit better access.

jason