Salsa long blurred the lines between mountain bikes and what’s more of an any-surface adventure, even touring bike. Their long running drop bar 29er Fargo is a perfect example, with even more versatility in 2019 for the long haul. For dedicated trail riding the alloy Timberjack is the go-to, and gets more options for young & old in 20″, 24″ , 27.5+ & 29″ wheels and tons of specs, but it is also adventure ready too.
2019 Salsa Fargo classic drop bar adventure mountain bike
With drop bars before they were cool, the monster cross Fargo is hard to argue with and comes in both $1000 Cobra Kai chromoly steel or $2800 3/2.5 seamless titanium framesets.
New for 2019 both framesets and complete bikes get the new hi-mod, full carbon Firestarter 110 Carbon Deluxe fork (that was a limited, premium only option before), which packs in all of the best bikepacking features that previously only came in the Salsa steel fork.
The tapered 1.5″ steerer fork now includes four sets of 3-pack anything mounts (front & rear facing on each fork leg), plus a set of mid-leg mounts for a standard lowrider rack as well. It’s hard to think of any other carbon fork that can haul as much.
It also includes new internal routing for dynamo generator hubs, and is still Boost 110mm spaced and has full fender mounts too. Use up to a 180mm rotor, and tires up to 3.0″ on either 27.5 or 29er wheels. And the frame still uses the Alternator v1.5 dropouts which work for any mountain rear wheel spacing, plus belt-drive compatibility.
Complete drop bar Fargo builds now come with 29″ x 2.6″ Maxxis Ikon tires to roll over anything while delivering cush & grip. The 2019 Fargo is available in a $1900 Shimano Tiagra/Deore 2x or a $2500 Apex 1x build .
2019 Timberjack aluminum hardtail trail mountain bike for adults & kids
The adult version of the modern trail geometry Timberjack hardtail remains mostly unchanged as a frameset that can run either 27/5+ or 29er wheel setups in either the affordable $450 aluminum version, or the premium $2500 titanium frame.
New for 2019 on the adult mountain bike are a bunch of complete bike builds in both wheel sizes, each of which is now spec’ed with dropper seatposts for more shred-ability. Get NX Eagle for $1900, an SLX 1x for $1500, a Deore 1x for $1200 – all with a bunch of new color options too.
The biggest Timberjack updates though are to the kids versions of the bikes. Just introduced last winter in time to hit the snow on kid-fat tires, the Timberjack Kids now get more trail capable for little rippers.
For 2019 both 20″ & 24″ Timberjack Kids bikes now have the option for rigid alloy forks or mini suspension forks. Now for $600 the Timberjack 24 SUS gets a boost-spaced, 80mm travel SR Suntour XCM 30 coil fork, or you can stick with the more bikepacking-ready alloy fork on the $560 rigid model.
The new $590 Timberjack 20 SUS gets a boost-spaced but QR axle, 60mm travel SR Suntour XCT 28 coil fork, or you stick with the alloy fork on the $550 rigid bike. All of the Timberjack Kids still get 1×8 12-32 cassette drivetrains, 6061-alloy frames, kid-sized components, plus 35mm internal width WTB rims and 3″ tires for comfort & grip.
The new 2019 Salsa mountain bikes are essentially all available in Fall 2018. That means some specs are ready right now, with the remained available within the new month or so at the latest. Hit up your local bike shop for details, or US buyers can check in-store availability direct from Salsa’s website.
