The bikes of Saddle Drive 2014
New bikes from Salsa, Surly, All-City, Cogburn and Foundry
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Saddle Drive is the annual summer expo put on by North America’s largest bicycle parts distributor, Quality Bicycle Products. This week, bike shop owners and employees from across the United States traveled to Utah’s Snowbasin Resort to throw a leg over the latest bicycles from QBP’s house brands — Salsa, Surly, All-City, Foundry and Cogburn. We dropped in as well to give BikeRadar readers a look at some of the new models.
Two new Salsa fat bikes, plus carbon options
Each new model that Salsa Cycles considers adding to its line is filtered through the company’s “adventure by bike” ethos. Salsa’s latest fat bikes certainly fit the bill.
The aluminum-framed Blackborow is designed to handle 5in-wide fat bike tyres.
The Blackborow comes in a US$2,799 geared version as well as a US$2,299 “dinglespeed” build (a singlespeed drivetrain with two cogs and two chainrings, offering the rider a high and low gearing). The Blackborow frame retails for US$950.
What the dinglespeed lacks in gear range it makes up for in terms durability. This build was developed for riders looking for a bikepacking rig for coastal exploration. As such, the entire drivetrain features chainrings, cogs and a chain constructed from stainless steel for rust resistance.
When fat tyres are not enough to take the edge off the trail, there’s the Bucksaw, Salsa’s full-suspension fat bike. The Bucksaw has 100mm of suspension travel and comes with a RockShox Bluto suspension fork.
The Bucksaw is available in a US$6,999 SRAM X01 build as well as a US$3,999 SRAM X9 / X7 build. The frame will retail for US$1,899.
In addition to adding a pair of fat bikes, Salsa also introduced carbon versions of the Horsethief and Spearfish. Both bikes have geometry identical to their alloy-frame counterparts. Like the aluminum versions, the carbon Horsethief has 120mm of front and rear suspension travel, while the Spearfish has 100mm of front suspension with 80mm out back.
The carbon Spearfish will also be offered in two builds. The top-end Spearfish features RockShox RS-1 fork with a SRAM XX1 drivetrain for US$6,899. The second-tier, US$4,899 Spearfish uses a Fox F29 CTD Performance-level fork and a Shimano XT 2×10 drivetrain. Salsa will offer the Spearfish frame for US$2,499.
All-City hits the trail with the JYD
The JYD, short for junkyard dog, is a no-frills steel singlespeed that’s something of a throwback to the early days of 29ers. The JYD features steep frame angles, a non-suspension corrected fork and is a rim-brake only affair.
Surly adds a 650b option to the Straggler
While Surly didn’t have it on hand, the company has added a 650b version of its disc-equipped Straggler cross / gravel / do-anything bike. Pricing will be inline with the 700c version.
Surly was also showing off its 5in fat bike, the Ice Cream Truck, as well as the redesigned Krampus. We covered these new models at Frostbike, QBP’s winter brand expo.
Cogburn adds rack and bag options
Cogburn is a brand dedicated to creating two-wheeled transportation solutions for hunters and anglers. The CB4 fat bike blends into its surroundings with RealTree’s Xtra camouflage.