At Sea Otter last year, Salsa wasn’t hiding the fact that they’ve been working on some ebikes. We got a first look at the Confluence light e-gravel bike, and the Notch MTB, but we didn’t get much more. It turns out that Salsa has an entire range of electric-assisted bikes from gravel to MTB, and they’re soft-launching them today.
Confluence
Previously, we got the most info about the Confluence, seemingly because it was the closest to production. Built around the Mahle X35+ hub drive motor with 40Nm of torque, the bikes have a 250Wh battery and are Class 1 with assistance up to 20mph. Add on the Mahle range extender battery, and you can get up to 458Wh for longer rides.
Even with an aluminum frame, the system keeps the bike fairly light at 33lbs for a 57cm Confluence Apex 1 build. Both the aluminum frame and the carbon fork have clearance for 700c x 50mm tires, or 42mm tires with fenders.
Offered in six frame sizes, the Confluence starts at a 49cm and tops out at a 60cm frame. Confluence will also be offered in drop bar or flat bar builds with four models. The Confluence Flat Bar Altus starts at $2,499, and the Confluence GRX 600 2x tops out at $3,499.
Tributary
For more rugged drop bar adventures, Salsa will have another e-gravel bike available in March called the Tributary. Where the Confluence is a light weight ebike, the Tributary is a full power dropbar bike with a mid-drive Class 3 Bosch system with 85Nm of torque. Powering it is a 625Wh battery, housed in a 6061-T6 aluminum frame with either a rigid carbon fork or 120mm suspension fork. Because of the greater power, it’s likely to be a heavier bike, but with bigger tire clearance and abilities.
Moraine & Notch
Moving to the MTB side of things, it appears Salsa will have two full supsension platforms. The Moraine will be their light electric trail bike with Split Pivot suspension. The Notch is their full. power enduro ebike with Split Pivot supsension. Other than what we covered with the prototype at Sea Otter, details on these two are TBA when they launch this Spring.
