# Bought a Salsa Casseroll where should I go from here?



## Overtimer (Mar 31, 2012)

I was looking at used bikes and ended up finding a Casseroll "complete bike" brand new for 599 "2011" model. This is my first "road bike" I'm still not sure if I want to get into cyclocross or tri events. Im not in excellent shape but I'm very driven. Just wondering what I should lean towards with this bike. I absolutely love it as a commuter but what if I take it further? This is my first post and I'm a case of beer in tonight so go easy on me. Thanks in advance and I'm learning Alot just by browsing the forum.


----------



## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

How about riding it?

Its not a cross bike or a tri? bike so just start on your fitness. Thats a fun bike and will serve you well for a long time.


----------



## andulong (Nov 23, 2006)

Less beer...more riding...have fun


----------



## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Get on it and ride. Worry about the rest later.


----------



## Andy2302 (Mar 23, 2012)

"Less beer & more riding!" 
Oh yea. I'm a rookie casual rider, even I notice what a few beers last night can do for todays ride and it isn't good. Ride every day the weather permits. Save the beers for rainy spells.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

The first time I went to a 'cross race, I did it on my only bike at the time, a Schwinn Mesa GSX. That's a little hardtail, barely above the mass-market level. I had a rack on it, since I used it to go to class too.

I have a rule for myself lately - I'm not going to spend money "fastering" my bikes until I hit at least Cat. 3 in road, track or 'cross. That said, if you go to a 'cross race or triathlon and you decide you like it, getting something purpose-built for that wouldn't be unreasonable. However, the Casseroll should be fine for either. The front rack comes off, right? The biggest real difference between a racing bike and a commuter/randonneur bike in the right class (broadly, so road/mountain/track, without getting into narrower categories like "old guy road" or "dentist road.") is that a racing bike has all of the things that are convenient on a commuter stripped off. So no fenders, no rack, no ginormous lights, no mirrors, no aero bars for a massed start bike, less crap in your saddle bag, etc. While some of the other refinements on a race bike do matter, it's by a lot less. People sometimes keep their bells for racing. I keep my fenders for MTB racing in the early part of the season. Most of this stuff is really not that important; anything that is will be listed in USAC's technical manual and sometimes right on an event flier.


----------



## takamoku (Apr 4, 2006)

Hi - I bought the same bike, at the same price, as you (from realcyclist.com). We got a great deal as their stock is now gone.

I don't think you should use the Casseroll as a cyclocross bike. First, it has a triple chainring, which is more suited for touring with heavy gear and would be considered clunky for cyclocross. Second, the sizing is a little on the large size, and my understanding is that cyclocross riders actually like their bikes a little small because they need to hop on and off them so often. 

Commuting and all day noncompetitive rides are ideal.

Enjoy.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I did 'cross for three seasons with a triple. For someone with a spinnier style, it can actually be kind of cool.

I think if someone sizes a bike so that sizing down for 'cross is beneficial, he bought the wrong size in the first place. There was a thread on the cyclocross forum a while ago about people's sizing and fit changes for 'cross. It seemed like actual dimension changes were at most one stem size and mostly people just arrange their spacers differently.

A strength of bikes like the Casseroll is their versatility. IME, differences in fitness among the lowest-category riders are huge, and differences in efficiency among different classes of bike are insignificant by comparison. I'll buy that it could slow down someone in Cat. 2, or near the front of a tri, enough to matter. But it's a fine bike for trying any form of road, multisport, or mixed-surface competition.


----------



## Soundtallica (Sep 24, 2011)

First off, great choice of bike, the Casseroll is a beauty!

For your level and what you're doing right now, the Casseroll is perfect. It is designed to be a versatile classic-ish steel bike that can do many things at a "just riding along" kind of pace. Its versatility means that if you want to race, go for it. Like AndrwSwitch said, the bike will probably only slow you down significantly if you get serious and go Cat 2 and above. If you do get that serious and buy true race bikes for racing though, be sure to keep the Casseroll as it is likely to be more fun anywhere else outside of racing!

Another thing is that the Casseroll will be adequate for 'cross races, but would fare poorly as a tri bike because of its upright position that would kill aerodynamics.


----------



## MaineLobstah (Apr 9, 2012)

Apologies if this is a silly question-- I'm new to the cycling world. Is there much of a difference between the 2011 and 2012 Casseroll? 

I tested a 2012 Casseroll recently and thought it was a nice ride. $600 for a 2011 seems like an incredibly fantastic deal.


----------



## Trower (Apr 28, 2009)

Just drink a Guiness after a ride, decent for ya and doesnt bother the next day


----------

