The Warbird is made for all-day or multi-day rides. Complementing the vibration reduction of the seat stays are horizontally shaped chainstays, which Salsa says increase the lateral stiffness of the bike’s rear end. But the seat post, a prime component for mitigating road buzz, is made of alloy instead of carbon, a lost opportunity to further the comfort of the bike (the more expensive Di2 Warbird build includes a flexible carbon post). Overall, the bike puts you into an in-between position that’s somewhat upright, but aggressive enough to remind you to ride quickly.įor comfort on rough roads, Salsa includes its Class 5 Reduction Vibration System which features long, bowed seatstays that flex to reduce the constant vibrations of gravel. Additionally, a long top tube paired with a short stem furthers the stableness of the ride. The Warbird has a slack head-tube angle of 70.75 degrees, a long wheelbase and a low bottom bracket-all with stability in mind. When racing for 10 or more hours, comfort comes to the forefront of concerns-the fastest position you can hold for a few hours won’t help you much when turning over the cranks starts feeling uncomfortable many hours later. THE DETAILSĪs with most bikes, the secret sauce for the Warbird is in the geometry. That machine is the Warbird and it’s ready to take on the big gravel events covering 200 miles, or those lasting multiple days. The Minnesotabased brand has been into this whole gravel thing for a lot longer than most, giving it time to develop and refine a machine purpose-built for riding over endless expanses of gravel. With a wide range of mountain, touring and fat bikes, many built for niche pursuits, Salsa has off-road riding and adventure in its DNA.

Salsa warbird