Salsa Chili Con Crosso
Written by Alan Starrett Thursday, 07 December 2006 00:00
The Chili Con Crosso is Salsa's new race cross frame for 2007. I have been waiting for this frame for years. Ever since they went to 135mm spacing on the Las Cruces to accomadate disc brakes I have been crying for them to go back to a 130mm spaced race oriented frame. 
I love my 2003, 130mm spaced non-disc Las Cruces. I have piloted it to some pretty decent results over the years but honestly she is looking a little tired. Mostly as a result of my occasional all or nothing decision making on the race course. The sort of "I fought the ground, and the ground won." situations that leave dents in the top tube and paint somewhere else besides on the bike.
For a long time I thought my cries were going unheard but little did I know they were taking their time to pull out all the stops designing one of the trickest full tilt race cross frames you will find. I kept saying that they needed to go to carbon stays to keep pace with what everyone else in the cross world was doing. Luckily Salsa ignored my "in the box" design ideas and went straight past all the current designs to come up with a design that is all new.
The design criteria was to create an new 130mm race oriented cross frame that added something not being offered by anyone else. Carbon stays on cross frames seem to be filling a need/want in the market but they add weight. Salsa chose a different direction. Keep the frame as light as possible by using a complete Scandium tubeset then utilize the ability to radically manipulate Scandium tubing to enhance the ride characteristics.
Voila! The Chili Con Crosso was born. The chainstays and the seatstays are flattened to give just enough vertical compliance to soften the ride yet keep the frame laterally rigid to power up over a climb or throw down a wicked sprint. Add a flattened top tube for more comfortable shouldering along with some of the sweetest paint you will find on bike anywhere and you have a flat out winner. 
The frame is a semi-sloping design for more standover and mobility so sizes are 3cm smaller than the normal equivalent. The 53cm for example would be a 56cm equivalent and has a 57cm effective top tube. Salsa hit the mark in the weight department, 3.06 lbs for the 53cm which is about as light as you will find at any price. MSRP is $774.95 for the frame only. The matching fork shown is a prototype only and won't be availble in 2007. 
ETA is mid January for the production Chili Con Crosso. Unfotunately too late for the US cross season but the prototype gives us a preview to drool over for the 2007 cross season. We will be taking the prototype bike to Rhode Island for the final weekend of the New England Cyclocross Championship Series and the US Cyclocross Nationals. Stop by the Bikeman tent to take look and have a spin on it. As far as I am concerned it is never too early to get ready for next cross season. Big Al
 | $774.95 | Salsa Chili Con Crosso 44cm Frame: Green. Frame Only, No Fork. For those that like getting on and off their bikes as fast as possible, we introduce our dedicated cyclocross bike, Chili Con Crosso. Crafted from custom-drawn scandium tubing, everything about Chili Con Crosso is optimized for racing ‘cross. Its specially shaped chainstays and... |
| $774.95 | Salsa Chili Con Crosso 47cm Frame: Green. Frame Only, No Fork. For those that like getting on and off their bikes as fast as possible, we introduce our dedicated cyclocross bike, Chili Con Crosso. Crafted from custom-drawn scandium tubing, everything about Chili Con Crosso is optimized for racing ‘cross. Its specially shaped chainstays and... |
| $774.95 | Salsa Chili Con Crosso 49cm Frame: Green. Frame Only, No Fork. For those that like getting on and off their bikes as fast as possible, we introduce our dedicated cyclocross bike, Chili Con Crosso. Crafted from custom-drawn scandium tubing, everything about Chili Con Crosso is optimized for racing ‘cross. Its specially shaped chainstays and... |
| $774.95 | Salsa Chili Con Crosso 51cm Frame: Green. Frame Only, No Fork. For those that like getting on and off their bikes as fast as possible, we introduce our dedicated cyclocross bike, Chili Con Crosso. Crafted from custom-drawn scandium tubing, everything about Chili Con Crosso is optimized for racing ‘cross. Its specially shaped chainstays and... |
| $774.95 | Salsa Chili Con Crosso 53cm Frame: Green. Frame Only, No Fork. For those that like getting on and off their bikes as fast as possible, we introduce our dedicated cyclocross bike, Chili Con Crosso. Crafted from custom-drawn scandium tubing, everything about Chili Con Crosso is optimized for racing ‘cross. Its specially shaped chainstays and... |
| $774.95 | Salsa Chili Con Crosso 55cm Frame: Green. Frame Only, No Fork. For those that like getting on and off their bikes as fast as possible, we introduce our dedicated cyclocross bike, Chili Con Crosso. Crafted from custom-drawn scandium tubing, everything about Chili Con Crosso is optimized for racing ‘cross. Its specially shaped chainstays and... |
| $774.95 | Salsa Chili Con Crosso 57cm Frame: Green. Frame Only, No Fork. For those that like getting on and off their bikes as fast as possible, we introduce our dedicated cyclocross bike, Chili Con Crosso. Crafted from custom-drawn scandium tubing, everything about Chili Con Crosso is optimized for racing ‘cross. Its specially shaped chainstays and... |
| $774.95 | Salsa Chili Con Crosso 59cm Frame: Green. Frame Only, No Fork. For those that like getting on and off their bikes as fast as possible, we introduce our dedicated cyclocross bike, Chili Con Crosso. Crafted from custom-drawn scandium tubing, everything about Chili Con Crosso is optimized for racing ‘cross. Its specially shaped chainstays and... |
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