Salsa Cutthroat

[Cornfed]

Had this out a few times on various dirt roads and fire trails and I think I can say pretty confidently that Salsa got this one right. Light but sturdy, quick but stable, smooth without being noodly. This one is quickly coming between my long-term relationship w the Fargo Ti.

Also wanted to throw in a couple of plugs for some new components I tried out on this one:
Easton EC 70 AX handlebars - just the right amount of flare without too much slant at the drops. Really nice.
WTB Resolute tires - great grip on gravel and virtually silent on pavement. Don't know how they did it. And noticeably lighter than my all-time favorite Rock 'n Roads.


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[Clean39T]

I have a hard time imagining how a bike like that w the bars above the saddle would feel - guess I need to demo one.. How do you get any weight on the front and keep cornering traction, or from wheely-ing up any incline? I'm too young to be this out of touch.

[Cornfed]

I have a hard time imagining how a bike like that w the bars above the saddle would feel - guess I need to demo one.. How do you get any weight on the front and keep cornering traction, or from wheely-ing up any incline? I'm too young to be this out of touch.

That's a little bit of an optical illusion from my camera angle. Bars are about 1cm lower than the seat. Certainly higher than my road bikes, but not as high as they appear.

[Clean39T]

That's a little bit of an optical illusion from my camera angle. Bars are about 1cm lower than the seat. Certainly higher than my road bikes, but not as high as they appear.


I'm not judging, it looks sweet - I just have no frame of reference. I quit riding off-road when bars were still much lower than seats. Seems I have much to learn..

[Cornfed]

I'm not judging, it looks sweet - I just have no frame of reference. I quit riding off-road when bars were still much lower than seats. Seems I have much to learn..

Definitely worth a try. Modern gravel bikes make you feel as if you're sitting "in" them instead of "on" them. It's a very different feel, but nice when the trail gets squirrely.

[rnhood]

What does "noticeably lighter? mean.....19lbs, 20?

[eBAUMANN]

i took my cutthroat out for a couple laps around the cx course a few weeks back (suckerbrook for those of you in NE) and was shocked by how well it handled the tight twisties given it was in no way designed for such things.

really versatile...could pretty easily be a one-bike-to-rule-the-dirt for a lot of people id guess.

What does "noticeably lighter? mean.....19lbs, 20?
he's talking about the tires, the WTB's are noticeably lighter than rock n roads...which weigh about 1.25lb/each

[Cornfed]

What does "noticeably lighter? mean.....19lbs, 20?

BG RnRs are 540g each; the WTBs are 460g each. But the biggest thing to me was how they rolled on pavement. Smooooth. Seamless transition from pavement to loose gravel and back. I was impressed.

[PaMtbRider]

Very nice. I haven't heard a bad thing about these.


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[rnhood]

I've always like WTB tires. 460 is a very good figure. What is the all up weight of the bike?

[Cornfed]

I've always like WTB tires. 460 is a very good figure. What is the all up weight of the bike?

I weighed it in at an even 20 pounds, including pedals ... 'cause I usually ride w pedals. :) .

[rnhood]

Very good.

[Cornfed]

FYI, Path Less Pedaled just published a pretty comprehensive video review of the stock 2018 model:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeA0lRzAl0o .

[ColonelJLloyd]

These are cool bikes. Salsa designed a gem with the Fargo and this is just building on that. Very nice.

You need this (https://www.rei.com/product/117441/salsa-exp-series-top-tube-bag).

I kinda want to replace the Whisky 9 fork on my MTB with that fork just because they're so cool.