Today we’re going to talk about my time riding the Salsa Cycles Moraine Deore 12 eMTB. I rode the Moraine almost exclusively for the last 4 months. This will not be a review that’s overly focused on the technical mumbo-jumbo.
Don’t worry, I’ll still cover all of the pertinent tech details, but what I want to focus on is something else. Besides fun, the Salsa Moraine Deore 12 served up something that I wasn’t expecting. It served up a completely different and new outlook on eMTBs, as a whole.
Over the past few months, I found the Moraine to be flat-out, crazy fun. It opened up a whole new world of options for me as a rider. While I had some positive enlightenment about eMTBs, I also experienced a weird guilt for riding one. It’s ok, I eventually overcame it.
The super high “fun factor” of the Moraine wasn’t completely unexpected when I decided to bring one in for review. After seeing the Moraine at Sea Otter earlier this year, and talking with Salsa about it, I knew the bike would be fun. But, the unexpected amount of fun, and what the bike did for me on a personal level while I had it, was a surprise.
Let’s get started!
The Salsa Moraine Deore 12
When the Moraine Deore 12 showed up, I was so excited to get it built and on the trails. The bike is very handsome, and the Terracotta Orange color looks great. The Moraine comes in two models, the Deore 12 (tested), and the CUES 10. The Deore 12 retails for $5,999 and the CUES 10 retails for $4,999.
The claimed weight of a medium-sized Moraine Deore 12 is 49 lbs-13 oz. That tracks, as my large weighed in at a little under 53 lbs.
Build Kit
- Frame: Moraine Aluminum
- Fork: Rockshox Psylo Gold RC, 160mm
- Rear Shock: Fox Float X Performance
- Color: Terracotta Orange
- Drive Unit: Fazua Ride 60
- E-Bike Classification: Class 1
- Drive Type: Mid-drive
- Max Assist Speed: 20 mph
- Motor Torque: 60Nm
- Range Estimate: 40 miles
- Assist Levels: Breeze / River / Rocket / Boost
- Walk Assist: Yes
- Max Motor Assist: 450W (w/ Boost function)
- Throttle: No
- Battery Capacity Watt Hours: 430Wh
- Battery Capacity Amp Hours: 9.95Ah
- Battery Power Volts: 43V
- Battery Type: Energy 430 Fix (Lithium Ion)
- Removable Battery: Removable for Service
- Estimated Charge Time: 3.5 hours
- Charger Included: Yes
- Lights Included: No
- Front Derailleur: N/A
- Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore M6100-SGS
- Cassette: Shimano Deore M6100-12, 10–51t, 12-speed
- Chain: Shimano Deore M6100 HYPERGLIDE+
- Crankset: FSA CK-730 Fazua Ride 60 crank arms, 55mm CL, 104 BCD Spider, MegaTooth 34t steel chainring. MRP 1x SL TR2 for Fazua Ride 60
- Shifter: Shimano Deore M6100
- Brake Levers: Shimano Deore M6100Brake CaliperShimano Deore M6120, 4-pistonRotorsShimano Deore RT64, Center Lock (200mm front and rear)
- Headset: FSA Orbit 1.5E ZS NO.57E
- Stem: Salsa 35.0 Guide Trail, 40mm
- Handlebar: RaceFace Chester 35.0, 780mm wide, SM, MD: 20mm rise; LG, XL: 35mm rise
- Grips/Bar Tape: WTB Wavelength Lock-On
- Seatpost: Tranz X YSP18, SM, MD: 150mm travel; LG, XL: 170mm travel
- Saddle: WTB Solano, Medium, Fusion Form, steel rail
- Front Hub: Shimano TC500-15-B CLD
- Rear Hub: Shimano TC500-MS-B CLD
- Spoke: 2.0mm straight gauge, black
- Rim: WTB ST i30 Tough TCS, 32h
- Front Tire: Teravail Kessel 29 x 2.6″, Durable casing, WTB TCS Sealant included (tubes installed)
- Rear Tire: Teravail Warwick 29 x 2.5″, Durable casing, WTB TCS Sealant included (tubes installed)
Moraine Geometry
What I Expected vs What I Got
Because of the weight of the bike, I was expecting the Salsa Moraine to feel dull and lack any sort of personality. That was not the case at all.
That was a nice surprise. One of the main reasons I picked the Moraine to review over the more enduro-focused Salsa Notch, was because the Moraine didn’t look like an eMTB immediately. The Fazua Ride 60 motor was small, tucked away, and virtually unnoticeable.
It looked sleek and had an aesthetic that I was immediately drawn to. I just thought it was a bitchen looking bicycle… and I wanted to ride it. Plain and simple. Plus the bike’s color looks so good!
When I mounted it for the first time, I was pleased with how it rode. It rode “light” if that makes sense. Once I tuned in the suspension for my weight and style of riding, the geometry then fell into place and the bike then felt comfortable and familiar. I couldn’t wait to get it on some of the rocky terrain around my parts.
Riding the All-Mountain Moraine
As someone who’s been “on the fence” but still super curious about eMTBs, bringing the Salsa in for review seemed a bit odd to me at first – a full-suspension eMTB wasn’t my typical bike review. I didn’t know what to expect, I just knew I wanted to try one. I am very happy I did. This bike taught me a lot… we’ll get into that later.
Up close, in my hands, it didn’t look or feel bulky. It wasn’t light by any stretch of the imagination, but at 53 lbs it wasn’t nearly as heavy as I thought it would be. Plus, I didn’t notice the weight at all while riding it.
I live in the Angeles National Forest and riding the Moraine on singletrack in my area and most other National Forests, as mentioned in my review of the Tern OROX, is illegal.
No biggie, I kept the Moraine on legal trails and fire roads while I rode near my house. Plus, I took it down to Orange County every time I could where I could blissfully and legally ride most of my favorite trails.
Once I got used to the subtle, but powerful motor assistance, the bike opened up and became an amazingly fun addition to my stable of bikes. I had a hard time not choosing it for all of my mountain bike rides.
Riding with Assistance
The Moraine has three assist levels plus a “boost”; Breeze (green), River (blue), Rocket (purple), and Boost (red). While riding in my area, I tended to fluctuate the levels of assist between River and Rocket, with a majority of the time spent in Rocket.
Being an all-mountain eMTB, it tackled everything I threw at it with ease. The Moraine made quick business of bombing all of my favorite technical downhill trails while allowing me to climb up and do it again without killing myself. On the flats, the Deore 12-speed made it a breeze to find the right gear to match the effort of the assist.
The Fazua Ride 60 is a small motor that delivers a claimed 60Nm of torque. While pedaling, the assistance comes on smoothly with the motor rewarding higher cadences.
The Fazua Ride 60 was surprisingly quiet, almost silent. The handlebar-mounted ring controller cycles through the assist levels intuitively. It is pleasantly minimalistic and easy to get to when you need it. Once the assist is off, you can push and hold the ring controller to the side and you have a very usable “walk assist” for those hike-a-bike sections.
In terms of range, on rides where I spent most of the time in ‘River’ assist mode, I was getting about 35 miles until the gauge dropped to one indicator light. That seems pretty good for a bigger guy riding in an area with a lot of climbing. As with any ebike, the range will vary drastically based on multiple factors including ride weight, climbing, assist mode, tires and tire pressure, and even temperature.
The Shimano Deore drivetrain and brakes worked so well while I had the Moraine. The shifting worked as expected, with typical Shimano durability.
One of the biggest surprises while riding the Moraine, was the performance of the Deore hydraulic brakes. It might have been because of the 200mm rotors in both front and rear, but those brakes could stop! They were powerful and modulated like brakes that cost twice as much.
What About Salsa’s Split Pivot Suspension Design
The Moraine’s Split Pivot suspension (160mm front, and 145mm rear) operates exactly as intended.
The suspension felt very supple over the small stuff while devouring the bigger hits. It’s a confidence-inspiring all-mountain bicycle.
Salsa says that “the concentric rear axle pivot, in conjunction with precise wheel link, brake link, and control link placement, results in excellent bump compliance and pedaling efficiency, smooth and predictable braking throughout travel, and maximum traction“.
In Conclusion
In my opinion, Salsa nailed the geometry of the Moraine. It was amazingly comfortable and easy to ride fast. While having the Moraine in my quiver over the last 4 months, I found myself reaching for it more so than any other bike I had. It wasn’t because it was easier to ride around the mountains where I live, it was because it opened something that I never considered.
I’m still relatively new to the area I live in, we bought the house in February, and I still don’t have a lot of knowledge on places to ride. But, the Moraine helped me do a lot of trail recon, relatively easily. It also made me work harder than I thought I would on an eMTB. It wasn’t just breezy coasting and little effort while out on the Moraine. I had the pedal assist where I wanted it, and was able to control my heart rate keeping it around 140 bpm most of the time.
The bike rides very naturally for an eMTB and is an easy transition from an analog MTB to the Moraine. I would for sure recommend the Salsa Moraine Deore 12 to anyone looking for a reasonably priced eMTB, with a great mid-level spec, a great suspension platform, and a pedigree of quality, and adventure.
