The Salsa Vaya is a crowd favorite and today’s Readers’ Rides comes from Ryan who presents his 650b converted Vaya 3. Read on below for more words and photos of this sweet bike!

Here’s my 2013 Salsa Vaya that I’ve converted to 650b. This particular model is the Vaya “3” stock frame. It’s an all-around adventure machine suited for just about everything – commuting, touring, gravel, pavement, you name it. I love the versatility and have evolved the build over the last few years with a few modern changes here and there.

I still remember test riding a Vaya at Montlake Bicycle Shop back in 2012, and it completely changed how I thought of cycling and what could be possible on a drop bar bike. I had been riding skinny tire carbon fiber road bikes, and I felt restricted on the type of riding I could realistically do on them. This bike opened the doorway into a whole new world of cycling adventure.

The bike was purchased new in 2013 from Huckleberry Bicycles out of San Francisco. I love the brick red frame and have kept the gold Salsa skewers that came with the original hubs that Salsa spec’d the bike with. Looking back, this bike was ahead of it’s time and has allowed me to shape it into what it is today.

The stock build can be found at Salsa’s archives.

Anyway, enough background and onto the current build:

Frame: Vaya 3 CroMoly
Fork: Vaya, Cromoly, 1-1/8″
Size: 58 cm

Front Der: n/a
Rear Der: Shimano RD-M7000 SLX
Crankset: Shimano GRX 810 1×11
Cassette: SunRace CSMX8 11-46T (11 speed)

Headset: Chris King
Stem: Simworks
Handlebar: Crust Towel Rack v2 small
Bartape: Camp and Go Slow Western Rattler
Shifter: Microshift BS-M11 Bar End
Brakes: Avid BB7 Road S
Brake Lever: TRP RRL w/ Gum Hood replacement
Seatpost: Nitto S92
Saddle: Brooks B17 Brown
Tires: F:Ultradynamico Rose 650×47.99 \ R: Ultradynamico Cava 650×47.99

Front Hub: Shutter Precision PD-8 Dynamo
Rear Hub: Velocity ATB Disc
Light: Sinewave Cyles Beacon Custom – Silver body w/brown caps
Rims: Velocity Cliffhanger 650b

Front Bag: Swift Industries Fabio’s Chest (Size: Small) w/two Swift Industries Rando Pockets
Rear Bag: Swift Industries Bandito (Coyote)

We’d like to thank all of you who have submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared over here. 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!