2013 Salsa Cycles Update

2013 Salsa Cycles Warbird

Recently a couple of us from the shop got to demo some new Salsa Cycles bikes in Carter Lake Park in the Twin Cities area.

We are pretty stoked to be bringing in some of the new models like the Warbird shown here, and new Mukluks, along with the popular Vaya all-road bikes.

For a more detailed look at what I saw, take a peek here.

Stay tuned. We expect some of the 2013 bike will be showing up at the shop in about a month to a month and a half from now.

2013 Preview: Salsa Cycles Mukluk

Muluk 2 Frame/fork option

At the shop we've got a 2012 Mukluk 3 just waiting for someone to get a raging deal on, by the way. But we also will have some 2013 Mukluks showing up at some point. There have been a few changes made that I want to touch on here.

The biggest, most noticeable change will be colors. Mukluk 3's will now be available in a green and in an orange variant. (We've got an orange one on order) The Mukluk 2's will be white with green and black decals. (I think we've got one of these coming as well.) Also, the Muk 2 is available as a frame/fork only option in the colors shown here. This frame option will not be offered as a complete. (We have one coming)

The most exciting changes on 2013 Mukluks are the addition of the Altenator Dropout. This system allows for a geared or a single speed option for your fat bike. Also, the head tube is a 44mm diameter now which will work with straight and tapered steer tubes.

Finally, the geometry has been tweaked to allow for a slightly shorter chain stay length and a slightly higher bottom bracket height to dial in the Mukluk as an all around choice for snow, mud, sand, or dry conditions off roading.

Stay tuned for more 2013 updates!

2013 Preview: Salsa Cycles Colossal

2013 Salsa Cycles Colossal steel disc roadie

Road bikes are changing, and if you want to get in on the ground floor, this new Salsa Cycles rig is a great choice.

Dubbed the "Colossal", after a favorite meeting place for rides amongst the Salsa crew, this bike mixes some "old school" steel with new school disc brakes and a geometry meant to give a comfortable ride after long hours in the saddle.

This is another bike that looks to me to be a "perfect" RAGBRAI, long country ride, or weekend event ride bike. Slightly relaxed angles, clearances for 28mm tires for comfort, and a reliable, really wide gear range SRAM Apex group for the hills. The steel frame should be smooth, lively, and will be durable enough to survive RAGBRAI abuse and still be reasonably lightweight. Want to be able to stop in a shorter distance when you get caught out in the rain? The 140mm disc brakes will work rain or shine. No rim brake fouling here! And as a bonus, if you knock a wheel outta whack, or break a spoke, you keep on rolling with the same great braking power and no tire/brake interferences.

2013 Warbird titanium

Another great idea for a disc brake "all-road" bike from Salsa Cycles is this bike, (shown in titanium), the Warbird. This bike features similar stable geometry as the Colossal, the Warbird has a slightly taller head tube per frame size and even more tire clearance for tires suited to smooth dirt and gravel roads.

You don't have to run the bigger rubber, but you could, and with a Warbird in aluminum, or the premium material- titanium- you could have a bike that would tackle just about any road you can throw at it. One bike for pavement, gravel, pot holes, or smooth dirt roads. The Warbird is a very unique bike.

Okay, that does it for some of the cool road bikes, next I am going to show you some of the newest, funnest bicycles that have come out in years. Fat bikes!

2013 Preview: Trek Domane

Domane 6 Series (image courtesy of Trek Bicycles

I'm going to kick off my look at 2013 with probably the most interesting bike Trek has made in many a year- the Domane. (say "doe-man-ay") This bike has a new concept for rider comfort that early magazine testers and online pundits have been raving about. To boil it down to a simple phrase, they are saying "It works."

So, what is it? Trek has made a name for itself in the new century by making some of the meanest, nastiest race bicycles you can buy. Trek continues to find ways to improve upon the breed, and the latest Madone series bikes are razor sharp race bikes that make no apologies to anyone for being race focused and can hold their own against anyone's products out there.

The Domane is a racing bike too, but it does make concessions to rider comfort and it does back away from the cutting edge handling of racing bicycles for the road. Not much, but enough that casual road riders, longer distance road riders, and RAGBRAI riders looking for a nice, fast machine should really take a good hard look at Domanes before looking at Madones.

The big deal here is the "ISOspeed" de-coupled seat tube. Trek engineers essentially made it possible to have the seat tube flex along its entire length from the bottom bracket to saddle without being directly connected to the top tube. (See image above) This smooths out road irregularities up to 50% from what you might normally feel on a bicycle like a Madone. Smoother ride quality means a fresher, more comfortable rider at the end of a long ride.

Trek also developed a new ISOspeed fork, with a greater curvature than a Madone fork, this fork has an increased compliance which means less vibrations going into a rider's body. Bontrager also contributed here with a new handle bar with integrated gel inserts, negating the need for double wrapping or gel pads being added for hand comfort.

Finally, a new, "endurance" geometry was implemented for the Domane which gives this new model greater stability which translates to a bicycle that is easier to pilot over a longer period of time.

Of course, Trek offers the Domane in the highest level of carbon fiber technology, keeping weight down to Madone levels, but also keeping the highest levels of power transfer there as well. But for riders that aren't so well heeled as to buy a high zoot Domane 6 Series, the good news is that Trek will also be offering lower levels in carbon fiber frames and even aluminum Domanes so that all price points will have access to better riding, more comfortable, and easier handling road bikes.

That's it on the Domane. Next up I will introduce two new road/"fat road" bikes that are aimed at a similar crowd as the Domane. Stay tuned..........

Looking Ahead

2013 Salsa Vaya Travel

Well, July, and therefore all the RAGBRAI madness- is over. Now it is time to kick the blog here back to life.

It's been a long, hot month and a half, but we have not been hiding in the A/C. Oh no! And besides our long gravel rides, commuting, and RAGBRAI experiences, we've also been gathering tons of intel on new 2013 bikes that we may be seeing on the shop floor soon.

With that in mind, the next series of posts will focus on what we have seen and heard will be big deals for 2013 bicycles and what you might expect to see on Europa Cycle and ski's sales floor in the coming months.

Stay tuned. There will be lots to see!

Salsa Cycles Demo Tour: June 29th: Update

Update: It has come to my attention that the "exact" location within Geo Wyth State Park is not clear for the demo, which happens Friday at 4pm and goes on until 8:00pm in the evening.

Please follow the access road until you reach the "turnaround" at the shelter. (Notice- don't take any lefts or rights off the main road. Just follow the road in until you cannot go any further.) This is about a three mile service road that winds through the heart of the park and starts at the gate off of Highways 218/27.

Please remember to bring the following:

• Helmet
• Credit card and I.D.
• Shoes/pedals*
• Good attitude!

*Note- these are not necessary unless your cycling shoes are specific to a certain clipless pedal.

Remember- Guitar Ted will also be leading a short version of a Fargo/Vaya Adventure Ride starting at 6:00pm.

Questions? Call the shop at 319-277-0734 Thanks! See ya there Friday!

Salsa Cycles Demo Tour: June 29th

Europa Cycle and Ski presents a demo day with Salsa Cycles! The event will happen at Geo Wyth State Park at the shelter/turn-around area.

The date and times are as follows:

Date: June 29th, (Friday)
Time: 4:00pm - 8:00pm

What: Ride Salsa Cycles bicycles and see what you think of them on Geo Wyth dirt and paved trails. Both mountain and pavement oriented bicycles will be featured.

How: You'll need to show up between 4:00pm and 8:00pm with your helmet, a current credit card/ID, and your specific clipless pedals, if necessary. Sign waivers, ride, decide.

Bonus: Guitar Ted will be leading a mini-Fargo/Vaya Adventure Ride starting at 6:00pm to show off the capabilities of Salsa's Fargo and Vaya models, specifically, but any bike should work. Plan on about 1-1.5hrs of ride time and be prepared for single track, pavement, and dirt roads.