Try thinking of a brand that’s more synonymous with gravel and ultra-endurance riding than Salsa Cycles – tricky right? When you think of all-road, you think of Salsa.
Since their inception in 1982, they have been innovators in the off-road cycling industry producing some of the finest purpose-built bikes on the market. Starting out as a custom frame and component manufacturer out of Ross Shafer’s home workshop, Salsa carries the same fundamental passion and eye for innovation as they did in their humble beginnings.
It goes without saying that Salsa make some of the best bikes for ultra-endurance, but don’t just take it from us – out of the 72 riders that participated in the 2021 Tour Divide, 30 were riding Salsa bicycles. Does that not say it all? From the Cutthroat to the Journeyman, each was finely tuned to cover the brutal 2,400 mile self-supported event. Ultra-endurance riding and bikepacking is a beautiful thing, a true test of your limits, and is accessible to everyone – why not check out some of Salsa’s video content to see what it’s all about!
Salsa Cycles Presents: Unexpected Joy from Salsa Cycles on Vimeo.
Range Highlights
Fargo/Cutthroat
Lying somewhere between a gravel bike and a full-blown mountain bike, this steel-framed adventure bike blurs the line between the two with its flared drop bar setup and accommodation of chunky tyres – the Fargo is built to tackle almost any type of surface. It’s comfortable for multi-day trips and stable through technical trails but is aggressive enough to keep the speed up on smoother surfaces – all presented in a rather tasteful selection of traditional paint jobs.
The Cutthroat is the carbon cousin to the Fargo, adopting a similar design philosophy in a modern form factor. Initially designed for The Tour Divide, the Cutthroat focuses on the demands of ultra-endurance racing by bringing the versatility of a drop bar setup to an MTB setting with an endless amount of mounting points for all the gear you could possibly need.
Warbird
Born for gravel racing, the Warbird was the first of its kind following its initial release in 2013. Since then, Salsa has been refining and tweaking the Warbird’s lightweight carbon frame to utilise the latest in off-road technology and is widely regarded as one of the best and most versatile options for gravel racing and riding. Carefully engineered to optimise control and comfort, the Warbird is more than capable of flying along bridleways or weaving through trees.
Vaya
For the out and out tourer, the Vaya meets all of the demands. The Classico Chromoly tubing is seriously robust, and equipped with mechanical disc brakes, it is the perfect platform for a comfy and stable touring setup. Extra room for chunky tyres makes off-road detours fun and accessible, staying in control even over slightly rougher sections – adorned with mounting points throughout, there are plenty of options for luggage and extra bottles. Ideal for light touring and gravel riding, you’ll soon find yourself venturing off the beaten path with the Salsa Vaya.
Warroad
For the more ambitious roadie, the Warroad is the Warbird’s asphalt-oriented alternative – retaining some of the off-road qualities it’s known for but tweaked to maximise efficiency on tarmac. More than capable of tackling light gravel, the Warroad lets you explore some new roads and back the bridleways with confidence. Designed by adventure riders taking to the road, Salsa has introduced wider tyre clearance, a slacker head angle and increased trail to the road format, prioritising comfort and control, whilst shorter chainstays keep acceleration snappy and responsive.
Timberjack
The Timberjack is Salsa’s versatile hardtail mountain bike, adept on singletrack, bikepacking and off-road adventure. Fitted with mounting points for luggage and spares with plenty of space for frame bags and storage solutions, this workhorse is built to carry heavy loads. Although the Timberjack is accomplished in the world of bikepacking, tweaks in the geometry in recent times have made it a serious shredder – it carves through the corners and offers plenty of control at speed without sacrificing comfort and climbing ability even when fully loaded and makes us wonder: what can’t this bike do?