The carbon Salsa Warbird gravel race bike has been around for a long time. And it looks like Salsa are mostly sticking with the ‘don’t mess with what works‘ strategy again this year. So the frame itself doesn’t get any real changes, just some new rather calm paint schemes. But the bike does feature a completely new fork promising more comfort from more carbon.
Plus… Salsa also gives the bike some new complete builds, lowering the cost of entry with 2 lower-cost options that’ll save you about 10% while getting the latest mechanical GRX drivetrains…
2025 Salsa Warbird versatile carbon gravel bike, updated
This still-v4 carbon Warbird has been around unchanged since the end of 2018. That’s literally since before any real dedicated gravel groupsets existed. So those first gravel bikes were built with road compact groups. And the frame itself still isn’t changing. It seems like Salsa really made some solid design decisions way back then – this bike already had 700x45mm tire clearance, solid geometry with a gravel suspension-corrected fork, built-in comfort, and mounts for everything… back before it was cool.
But Salsa did figure out they could make it a bit better by boosting front-end comfort to match the unique slender, outward-flexing Class 5 VRS (Vibration Reduction System) seatstays.
What’s actually new?
So, the new 2025 Salsa Warbird gets a new full-carbon Waxwing Deluxe 2.0 fork.
I have to say from the side, the new fork looks exactly like the original Waxwing fork. The comfort improvements come down to an optimized design, now with a new full carbon construction, plus likely some refined material layup hidden inside the legs, too. It is most likely also lighter, since the previous fork – surprisingly enough – still had an aluminum steerer tube. But Salsa doesn’t call out any weight change.
All in all, that sounds reasonable to support Salsa’s claim that it’s “10% more compliant” than the previous Waxwing.
Warbird Carbon – Key tech details
- full carbon frame with Class 5 VRS comfort flex
- newly full carbon tapered steerer Waxwing Deluxe 2.0 fork, for improved comfort
- max 700x45mm or 650×2″ tire clearance
- conventional internal cable routing through downtube port
- 1x & 2x mechanical or electronic drivetrain compatible
- 12mm thru-axles & flat mount disc brakes
- 27.2mm round seatpost, but with internal dropper routing
- PressFit BB86 bottom bracket
- 3 cage mounts inside main triangle, plus toptube bag & 3-pack Anything cage mounts under the downtube
- 3-pack Anything cage mounts on each fork leg, can also be used for low-rider racks
- rear rack compatible with optional Salsa Rack-Lock seatpost collar
- full-coverage fender compatible (with included hardware)
- available in 7 sizes (49-61cm)
2025 Salsa Warbird – New colors, spec & pricing
The updated 2025 Salsa Warbird carbon gravel race bike is now offered in four complete build specs and 4 colors, while the old specs still carry over – some at reduced prices. Of note, the frameset option also carries over for the same $2200 price, but it now upgrades to the full carbon Waxwing Deluxe 2.0 fork, too!
The top tier gets you a $7000 gravel race-ready Warbird C Force AXS Wide 2×12 spec’d with carbon WTB CZRi25 wheels and Terravail Cannonball tires. Then, one more wireless electronic build goes for a wide mullet setup with the $5300 Warbird C Rival GX AXS 1×12 with alloy WTB Speedterra i25 wheels and the same tires.
The real money savings come with the $4000 Warbird C GRX 820 2×12 which will save you $500 off last year’s Shimano GRX 820 build, or even $600 off the previous 810 build.
And then, the $3000 Warbird C GRX 610 1×12 brings $300 of savings while upgrading from last year’s 11sp 600 to the latest Shimano GRX 610 12-speed and a wider 10-51T cassette.
Get them all now from your local Salsa dealer bikeshop.
