Home  Cellar Dwellars Pro-Issue Salsa El Santo
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Pro-Issue Salsa El Santo |
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Cellar Dwellars -
Custom Builds
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Bikeman / Salsa Pro, Andrew Freye's El Santo:
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Ever wonder what pro riders train and race on? I don't mean the builds you see in glossy magazines, "black ops" photos or on the showroom floor by way of manufacturer's "replicas." I mean the actual down and dirty, bread and butter, "ride what ya' brung" pro bike. Well this is it. Our very own young pro rider Andrew Freye finished building his ride for the 2006 season just in time to kick off the NORBA NCS race in Fontana, CA. He has his sights aimed at the U23 National Title and a place on the Worlds Team so this ride has to be light, fast and above all dependable.
 Through his Salsa sponsorship the frame, stem, seatpost, grips and handlebar are all Salsa issue. The 2006 El Santo frame is basically the same net geometry as the Salsa Cabellero he raced on last year so luckily it shouldn't be a huge transition becuase it was built up literally just days before heading to CA.
 The drivetrain and brakes are all part of his SRAM sponsorship. This includes all the SRAM brands of SRAM, RockShox, Avid and TruVativ. Now these components are not prototypes, one offs or highly modified production parts. These are the exact same parts that every working man can buy off the shelves. Andrew is a full time college student, resident assistant in a dorm and still works part time. I think that qualifies him as a working man.
 Even though Andrew is using sponsor's equipment he actually had a good deal of choice in his parts and they were all chosen for a reason. As I mentioned before the bike needs to be light and fast but moreover it needs to be dependable. Andrew will be travelling this summer to most of the NORAB NCS races, a World Cup in Quebec, MTB Nationals and of course a boat load of regional races up and down the east coast. With all that travel, one bike and no factory team support truck waiting for him at the end of a flight, the bike needs to be easily maintained.
 Probablly the most noticeable choice is the mechanical disc brakes. Despite hydraulic dics being the gold standard of braking performance today, Andrew didn't want to risk a failure on the road and not be able to perform a timely repair. The mechanical discs still give him some mad stopping power and simplfy pad replacement and repair on the road. As a side benefit they are also lighter than hydros. He mated them up with the Avid Ultimate levers, which although are a few grams heavier than the Speed Dial Sl's, are the stiffest, best modulating linear pull lever around.
 The other unique choice you may notice right away are the shifters. Andrew really likes rear trigger shifters. The SRAM XO is crisp shifting and allows a lot of adjustability of lever position. For the front shifter however Andrew prefers the micro shifting of the XO twist shifter. In the heat of battle you sometimes end up in crossed gears that for the sake of your drivetrain you would otherwise not choose to ride if you were on a regular Sunday ride. The XO twist lets him trim out the front derailleur and stop chain rub when he needs to.
 Probablly the decision that took the most time was wheels. Andrew doesn't have a wheel sponsor for this year so he was paying totally out of his own pocket. No freebies, no super discounted pricing so he wanted to get it exactly right. He settled on a traditional spoked, 32 hole, handbuilt wheel set. If he broke a spoke on the road he should be able to get a replacement spoke and quick fix just about anywhere. He chose WTB Laser Disc Lite hubs mated to Stan's Olympic Disc rims with Wheelsmith double butted spokes and black alloy nipples. Lacing is 3X all around. Make no mistake, despite being a traditional wheelset these wheels are LIGHT. 1510g light without rim tape, valve stems or skewers. If you are keeping track that is lighter than Mavic Crossmax SL Disc wheels. The Stan's rims also make it really easy to go tubless and swap tires to adapt to course conditions.
 Thanks to Panaracer Andrew has a quiver of tires to choose from depending on the course. Pictured in the build are the Speed Blaster Lite 1.95 for short tracks and smooth, fast, dry courses. For rougher dry courses he has the new Razer XC 2.1. It is really light but still has the volume of a 2.1 to suck up rough terrain. For flat out mud fests that he is likely to see in the early part of the season in New England he has the Trailraker 1.95. For a course that has a little bit of everything he has the go to, do it all Fire XC Pro 2.1.
To round it out with that special touch there are a few odds and ends. A Dry Cables derailleur cable set for super smooth maintenance free shifting. A WTB chainstay guard to quite the chain slap on fast descents. Time ATAC pedals coutesy of Time and last but not least it a Bonk! paint protection kit to keep that sweet Salsa paint looking great all season long.
So that is that. Next question I am sure will be "How much does it weigh?" Exactly as pictured it is 23.3 pounds. No approximate weight, no weight minus pedals or minus this or minus that. That is what it is when it rolls up to the start line.
Andrew is stoked for the coming season. He has set his goals high and knows the El Santo will give him an edge up on the competition. Andrew always says, "The most important thing in racing is to have fun". Thanks to Salsa he can "Ride and Smile!"
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Cellar Frames
Here is a sample of some of the frames that we have in stock or frequently sell. Visit our Frame Store for detailed info and model availability.
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