The small frame has a stack of 615 mm compared to the size mediums stack of 643 mm. Salsa offers five perfectly-fitting bags for the five different Cutthroat frame sizes, and the . I believe for bikepacking that a combination of a shorter stem with wider bars is the better option for stability, control, and comfort. If you can afford the Cutthroat and can find one in your size, by all means do it. That's a lot for a rigid mountain bike! Recommended frame bag for Salsa Cutthroat. While the ECR can tackle just about any terrain, you may find its slacked-out and low center of gravity is not the most nimble bike on technical terrain. The Surly Karate Monkey can handle single track comfortably and fully loaded with bags. Treeline Review writer Mike Unger testing the Surly Krampus on the Klickitat River Trail, Washington. Big Agnes inflatable pillow The Surly Bridge Club fully loaded with bikepacking bags. This isnt necessarily a bad thing if you are not in a hurry. Cutthroat is Salsa's ultra-endurance mixed surface bike inspired by the Tour Divide. It can also be difficult to find someone thats able to repair a damaged titanium frame bike, whereas steel is often easier to repair. No bike is. Say you drop that tool. Its a nice bag overall, but I would complain about the narrowness of it. It can be tempting to purchase a frame and build it up yourself, but unless you already own a lot of the components, a DIY bike build can add up, and often costs more than buying a bike already built. Photo by Mike Unger. More mounting points, larger suspension and more routing options. All of these factors owed to the right bars matched with the right geometry platform. In addition, they are generally more resistant to vibrations and associated fatigue a testament to the compliance of carbon fiber which for a long tour, arguably outperforms all other frame materials. The Local Overnighters Project is a unified effort to document and map one-night bikepacking routes all over the worldby locals, in their own backyards. The 2021 Salsa Cutthroat Apex 1 is the mainstay of the lineup and comes with a 111 Apex 1 drivetrain featuring a Raceface Ride crankset (36T), WTB Sera/i23 wheels, TRP Spyre brakes, and an 11-42T cassette. My Cross Check has been like 6 totally different bikes over the years, and I want that versatility here as well. The title, 983,000 revolutions, is based on the estimated wheel rotations during my ~1400 mile test period with the Salsa Cutthroat. There are a lot of opinions, but it comes down to personal preference for how you would like your bike to ride. The Salsa Cutthroat can largely be considered the default drop-bar bikepacking bike for several years running. 1 wool long sleeve You can also ge the 2021 Cutthroat Frameset in this black/metallic color scheme for $2399. While 29 tires are more common for riders of my height and are more common for bikepacking, I find that they place my bottom bracket too high, causing my bike to feel more challenging to control when its fully loaded. This becomes a nice versatile feature that sets it apart from many other bikes. If you use removable bikepacking bags without racks, thats okay too. While I was a bit shocked at the choice of 28-spoke wheels on a bike built for bikepacking with a lot of extra weight, the SRAM RAIL 40 wheels didnt let us down. Read More: The Best Mountain Bike Hip Packs. Were not saying to get the bike with the widest tire clearance, either. In addition, you may want to apply Shelter wherever your bike is prone to dings and scratches (seat stays, underside of downtube, etc.). I've heard good things about the Salsa Cutthroat, an ~$5,000 carbon fiber . Cache battery, small notebook For under $1,000, you can get a great gravel bikepacking bike. 2022 Salsa Cutthroat. Fork has Three-Pack mounts; fork and frame have internal dynamo cable routing. Even with the vertical give of the VRS, the bike itself is laterally stiff and equally as responsive when pedaling. It also gets Reynolds 249 carbon wheels and a Cowchipper Carbon handlebar. P.S. The Surly Karate Monkey, with its optional suspension fork, is our singletrack bikepacking pick. How about the Salsa Cutthroat? All that being said, there are a few companies making more durable carbon frames specifically for bikepacking. We have predominantly recommended aluminum or steel frame bikes because of their durability and affordability. A bikes frame material will not only affect its durability, but also plays a role in how the bike will feel on a trail. Although it has fewer attachment points than the ECR (nearly every bike has fewer attachment points than the ECR) it can easily be fitted with all the bags, racks, or panniers you need for bikepacking adventures or city commutes. The Salsa Timberjack is the best singletrack mountain be found within the budget. If youre looking for a bike that can handle singletrack and want to spend less than $1300, the Timberjack is an excellent rig. I use Shelter on steel bikes too. Photo courtesy Graham Hodge. That being said, there are frame differences between gravel bikes, singletrack mountain bikes, and dirt or all-terrain touring bikes. Mounts for a bolt on top tube bag are a much desired bonus. Each issue features a collection of inspiring writing and beautiful photography. I immediately felt at home on the Cutthroat. This is the Tour Divide and Cutthroat is engineered to thrive on it. Salsa Cycles offers all you need for your next bike adventure: high-quality frame sets and bikes as well as parts and accessories like handlebars, forks, carriers and bag systems. Measure your saddle height from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle. But its also a bike capable of so much more. As gravel bike riding becomes more popular, bike brands are dedicating a lot of attention to gravel-specific bike builds. Its our overall best bikepacking bike because of its comfort, versatility, and price. An aluminum frame is weaker than a steel one and can be more prone to damage in a wreck or drop than a steel frame bike. Click here to login, or start an account if youre not yet a member of the Bikepacking Collective, to support us + get The Bikepacking Journal. Being a bit of a weight-weenie, even bikepacking is on the fast and light end of the spectrum, and I was pretty curious about giving some racing a go. Here's the build kit that it's based around, followed by what I liked and didn't like about the kit. Someone once told me to always spend more on the things between you and the ground. It features a carbon frame and fork, modern geometry, loads of mounting points for racks, bags, and cages, and clearance for 29 x 2.4 tires in the rear and 29 x 3.0 in the front. Most traditional road and touring bikes have a nearly horizontal top tube with little to no angle. Titanium is not always stronger than steel. This is why a lot of touring and road bikes typically have longer stems. Tums In hindsight, our most accurate description, albeit a modest one, is that Cuba doesnt give up its goods easily. The Cutthroat, on the other hand, was able to dissect rocky tracks as well or better than many 29ers Ive ridden. From my perspective, its a niche bicycle whose niche is pretty damn big. A shorter stem will make the bike feel more responsive, which is where the touchy misconception comes from. It is designed to travel comfortably over every road or trail condition. Gravel bikepacking bikes, like our top pick the Salsa Fargo Apex 1, have a rugged steel frame and multiple attachment points to customize your gear bikepacking setup. If you are looking into a gravel bike for fast rides or long-distance bikepacking trips, the Salsa Fargo Apex 1 is a jack of most trades and is an excellent option. Beginning our route from the east side of the island, the plan was to make 300+ hard miles in just a few days to meet a fourth riding compadre who flew into Camaguey. Flowy trails and smooth winding dirt roads are a rarity in Cuba. Theres a balance many riders try to find between the three and paying attention to tire clearance helps find your zone. Make sure you select the correct bike size. And with two of us jackhammering these bikes for 20 days straight, I think I can attest to their durability. It is a crystal clear padded gel tape you can put just about anywhere to protect your frame. We inspire and inform through original bikepacking routes, stories, and coverage of the gear, news, and events that make our community thrive. It was really hard to say goodbye to this one. Honestly, thats what this bike is all about. In the world of cycling, this can be anything from an unfinished alleyway to hundreds of miles of Forest Service gravel roads. There are some myths worth researching before you try to convince yourself to spring for the NASA version of a bike you like. The Cutthroat was conceived as a svelte carbon bikepacking and endurance race machine designed for the endless ribbons of gravel, doubletrack, and smooth singletrack that the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is known for. It's much more than a drop-bar gravel bike, or a fast mountain bike. There is a Rival 2x edition as well for $3k. There are many great options, but we believe the Salsa Fargo Apex 1s versatility, stock build, and price make it the best choice for folks looking for a gravel-specific bike. The Journeyman Claris 650 runs 27.5 tires and has all the attachment points you need to customize your bikepacking setup. But carbon is far tougher than many people assume, and there are precautions one can take to avoid damaging the frame with nicks and dings. Canon 5d The bags used on my Cutthroat differed a little bit from Virginias. Wheels and fat tires probably overkill for a gravel race. 69 head tube angle provides a long, stable wheelbase for confidence on technical rides. Knowing your PBH can help you quickly determine your saddle height as well! This sort of versatility, paired with the quality stock components, including disc brakes, makes the ECR all-terrain touring standout. Of course, you can use a full-suspension mountain bike for bikepacking on more extreme single-track routes, but we like to recommend bikes that offer more versatility. alternative. Due to the location, fitting a large wide-mouth bottle is impossible without tire rub; I opted to use the narrow-top 22oz Klean Kanteen which squeezed in with just a few millimeters to spare. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Build versatility. Thru-axles are more common on mountain bikes. Prices for the 2020 Cutthroat are as follows: Cutthroat Carbon GRX 810 Di2 MSRP $5799; Cutthroat Carbon GRX 810 1X MSRP $4199 We test. To that end, Salsa says it homed in on four key elements: comfort,. It can accommodate up to 27.5 x 2.8 tires. A well sized bike will feel more comfortable. PBH also is a factor to consider when choosing which style of bikepacking bike youre interested in. We recommend your bars be level with or slightly above your saddle. Like the rest of the line, it comes equipped with Teravail Sparwood tires. This is why focusing on stack and reach is important. The Surly ECR has a CroMoly steel frame and all the barnacles (mounting points) you could ever need to customize your bikepacking setup. Wide array of mounts. Mission Workshop Hauser 14L backpack Everything about the Salsa Cutthroat, from its pot-bellied downtube and flattened tube profiles both designed to provide more frame bag space to its carbon Firestarter fork with three-pack bottle mounts, to the Vibration Reduction System built into the stays, to its light but sturdy wheels with straight gauge spokes, was engineered, tested, and specced explicitly for this arduous and grit-testing route. Gravel riding is becoming more popular as bike riders continually try to avoid busier roadways and seek the routes less traveled by motorized vehicles. The 600 model gets WTB MT400 wheels and a snazzy paint job for $3499. When youre riding rougher gravel roads and singletrack, you may find yourself coming off the pedals more. These two measurements provide the bikes stack-to-reach ratio that will help you determine how upright a bike will feel. We inspire and inform through original bikepacking routes, stories, and coverage of the gear, news, and events that make our community thrive. It conveniently fit like a glove. Half Roll electrical tape Unlike suspension forks that allow the front fork of the bike to move up and down, rigid forks do not move. For the price and durability factor, we dont recommend getting a carbon frame as your first bikepacking bike. Therefore, most folks should look for a bikepacking bike versatile enough to handle different travel conditions. If you are interested in how your bike might perform while climbing, you should look into its seat tube angle, bottom bracket, chainstay, and overall wheelbase. 1 cotton T and our The Journeyman is a great entry-level gravel bikepacking option. We strongly recommend that you register your bike with the National Bike Registry. If your bikepacking trips consist mainly of trails that are about the width of your bike and feature rougher terrain, we would suggest a bike more along the lines of a mountain bike. Photo by Andrew Gage. The Corner Bar has a 25.4mm clamp area that requires a shim for most modern mountain bike stems. Its much more than a drop-bar gravel bike, or a fast mountain bike. These sorts of routes can have a dash of singletrack trails but mainly consist of double-track trails, fire lanes, and forest service gravel roads. We review top-rated bike bags to find the best mountain bike frame bag, best for gravel bikes and road bikes, and top tube bags for all kinds of bikes and riders. If your bike has options for both, then consider the benefits and costs of each. The author Graham Hodge out riding his bike. Leatherman Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Also attached to a dropout is a hanger. Wool lightweight socks The Salsa has Alternator Drop Outs, which means you can use a quick-release system, thru-axle, single-speed, freehub, Rohloff, or even a belt drive for your rear wheel set up. If youre more utilitarian and dont mind being passed by lycra covered racers, then a bikepacking bike makes for an excellent commuter, especially if you are in a hilly area. Learn more. This long, twisty, and, at times, chunky gravel and two-track climb led to a ripping return descent which Ive experienced on several other gravel and adventure bikes. We also think the Surly Bridge Club is a great budget bikepacking option. 5.10 Guide Tennies (flats) If you have to come off quickly, you may not want a horizontal bar right below you. For our anticipated route, the gearing was a little high, which we rectified before setting out by replacing the SRAM 38T X-SYNC ring with a Wolftooth CAMO and 34t ring. Find the full Apex 1 build over at SalsaCycles.com. The Salsa Journeyman Claris 650 is our budget gravel bikepacking pick. The new model comes in four builds, six color ways, and a frameset. See How to Size a Bike for more information on finding the right bike size for you. Despite those two factors that make the bike more affordable, the geometry and overall bike make for a comfortable mountain bike that is more than capable of handling rooty single track trails than other bikes in its price range (or even more expensive bikes). The 2021 Cutthroat Frameset in this black/metallic color scheme for $ 3k theres a many... Bars be level with or slightly above your saddle height from the center of the VRS the. Can be anything from an unfinished alleyway to hundreds of miles of Forest gravel... Many riders try to avoid busier roadways and seek the routes less traveled by motorized vehicles you quickly your. 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