Salsa Woodsmoke first ride
Salsa Woodsmoke is shown here in 27.5+.
At first glance, the Woodsmoke from Salsa is a lot to take in. It doesn’t look normal. And it’s got three wheel sizes and three geometry charts. It’s the kind of bike that makes one pause, sit down and think.
Salsa Woodsmoke is shown here in 29+ shoes.
What is it?
The Salsa Woodsmoke is a bike that can take three different wheel sizes: 29+, 27.5+, or 29er wheels. Each of these different wheel sizes delivers distinct riding characteristics:
- 29+ creates rollover, traction and momentum.
- 27.5+ delivers quick, punchy grip and increased line choice.
- 29er boosts traditional cross-country and climbing speed.
Rear end on 27.5+ has room for a front derailleur.
The hard part of this trio is the 29+ wheel due to the huge diameter of the 3.0″ tire tucked inside the frame. As the Trek Stache 9 proved, a bike with a 29+ tire can be made agile with an elevated chainstay to get that rear end short enough. But in typical Salsa fashion, they didn’t hide that design feature at all. They embraced it and accentuated it with paint. So, you’ll either love this aesthetic or not. Either way, it’ll make you look.
But unlike its counterpart which had to give up a front derailleur in the the interest of space, big tire and short chainstays, the Woodsmoke can host a front derailleur. With some nifty engineering and some precision machining, the Woodsmoke has a front derailleur mount behind the seatstay! But not on the 29+ version though, as there’s only room in the 29 and 27+ builds.
Salsa Woodsmoke elevated chainstay clears the interference between the big ring, stays and tires near the bottom bracket area.
The Woodsmoke is available in five builds:
- Woodsmoke 29+ XO1 – U.S. MSRP $3999.00
- Woodsmoke 29+ GX1 – U.S. MSRP $2999.00
- Woodsmoke 27.5+ XO1 – U.S. MSRP $3999.00
- Woodsmoke 27.5+ GX1 – U.S. MSRP $2999.00
- Woodsmoke 29 NX1 – U.S. MSRP $1999.00
Availability is December 2016.
Continue to page 2 for 5 different color options and geometry charts »
The post Salsa Woodsmoke first ride appeared first on Mountain Bike Review.