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Salsa Cycles Has a HeyDay! After Mukluk Name Deemed ‘Potentially Problematic’

Salsa Heyday! Advent full side outsidePhoto c. Salsa Cycles
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Located up north, in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, Salsa Cycles is no stranger to offering some of the best fat tire bikes around. And probably their most versatile fat tire bike, the Mukluk has now gotten a new name. That’s right, the bicycle formally known as Mukluk will now be called HeyDay!. Why, you ask? Here’s the reason for the name change, straight from Salsa’s mouth to your ears…er, uh, eyes…

In 2020, Salsa consulted with a third-party group to audit our product names for problematic or offensive vocabulary. The audit and other external feedback identified the Mukluk name – inspired by traditional indigenous footwear in arctic regions – as potentially problematic. With this in mind, we have chosen to change the Mukluk name for MY24. We have developed a new name, Heyday!, that speaks to our brand values and the platform’s ride experience. We recognize that we have appropriated and benefited from the use of an indigenous term, and we are working on a plan to support the affected communities. We will have more to share in the future“.

Also, with this name change news, comes some spec and color updates for the Salsa Beargrease and the HeyDay! Let’s check those out.

Beargrease Update Details

Salsa Beargrease C XT full side in snow
Photo c. Salsa Cycles

The Salsa Beargrease is a “fat tire bike built to go faster than you knew fat tire bikes could go”. It carries with it a super-light frame and fork with clearance for a 27.5 x 4.0″ wheel and tire combo. It sports versatile frame and fork mounts, so you can pack what you need when heading over harsh backcountry terrain.

The bike was built to do everything from a snowy endurance race to packing what you need on it for a long-distance, overnighter bikepacking trip. With a 68.5-degree headtube angle, a long front-center with a short stem and wide bars, and 440mm chainstays, the long and stable Beargrease rides like a modern XC bike.

It looks like the Beargrease C XT will come in a yellow color, the Beargrease C CUES 11 will come in a silver color, and the Beargrease frameset will be a dark graphite color.

Beargrease Retail

Beargrease C XT: $3,999

Beargrease C CUES: $2,899 

Beargrease Frameset: $2,099 (frame, Kingpin Deluxe fork, and Cane Creek Series 40 headset)

The Beargrease C XT Spec

Salsa Beargrease C XT front side
Salsa BeargreaseC XT Spec List

The Beargrease C CUES 11 Spec

Salsa Beargrease C CUES 11 frint side
Salsa Beargrease C CUES 11 Spec List

Beargrease Frame Cargo Highlights

  • Kingpin and Kingpin Deluxe forks feature four three-Pack mounts. Bearpaw Carbon fork on Cues build has two Three-Pack mounts
  • Compatible with 170/177 ALternator rear rack using Salsa Rack-Lock or Post-Lock seatpost collar.
  • Top tube mounts designed for use with Salsa EXP Series DirectMount Top Tube Bag
  • Beargrease-specific frame pack available for all sizes (BG0101-BG0105)
  • Lowride rack mounts on Kingpin Carbon and Kingpin Carbon Deluxe forks are compatible with Salsa Down Under Rack
  • Two bottle mounts inside the main triangle on sizes SM-XL, one bottle mount on XS
  • An accessory mount on the underside of the down tube allows for the use of Salsa Anything Bracket Mini or fuel, water bottle, or Salsa KEG.
Salsa Beargrease C XT in snow

Beargrease Frame Specs

  • Internal-sleeved cable routing
  • Internal dropper post routing
  • 1x specific frame design
  • 12x197mm rear spacing
  • 100mm suspension fork-compatible
  • five sizes (XS-XL) for a wide range of riders

Beargrease Geometry

Salsa Beargrease and HeyDay! frame geo
Salsa Beargrease Geometry

HeyDay! Updates

Salsa Heyday! C Deore descending

Built for exploration, the newly named HeyDay! is what Salsa calls their “most versatile fat tire bike, designed to excel in the wide variety of conditions fat bikers face”. So, no matter if it’s the first time you’ve ridden in the snowy, rugged backcountry of the Northwest Territories, or getting out and exploring the sandy beaches of the East or West Coast, the Heyday! can handle it.

Salsa Heyday! Advent grey outside

Offering a balanced geometry for stability, the 69-degree headtube provides the rider with predictable front-end handling. You can tweak your riding characteristics with the Alternator adjustable dropouts, moving them forward for quicker handling, or set the dropouts back for max stability and clearance for 26 x 4.8″ tires.

The new HeyDay! will be coming in two specs, the HeyDay! C Deore 12, the HeyDay! Advent, and the HeyDay! carbon frameset. The colors look to be a light green for the Deore 12, a frosty blue for the Advent, and black for the frameset.

HeyDay! Retail

HeyDay! C Deore: $4,299

HeyDay! Advent: $1,699

HeyDay! frameset: $2,199 (frame, Kingpin fork, and Cane Creek Series 40 headset)

HeyDay! C Deore Spec

Salsa Heyday! C Deore front side
Salsa HeyDay! Deore Spec sheet

HeyDay! Advent Spec

Salsa Heyday! Advent front side
Salsa HeyDay! Advent Spec sheet

HeyDay! Frame Cargo Highlights

  • Three-Pack mounts in the fork. Four Three-Pack mounts on the Kingpin fork (carbon model). Two Three-Pack mounts on Bearpaw fork (aluminum model)
  • Compatible with Salsa Alternator 190 rear rack using Salsa Rack-Lock or Post-Lock seatpost collar.
  • Top tube mounts designed for use with Salsa EXP Series Top Tube Bag
  • HeyDay!-specific frame pack available for all sizes (BG84290-BG8423)
  • Two bottle mounts inside the main triangle
  • An accessory mount on the underside of the down tube allows for the use of Salsa Anything Bracket Mini or fuel, water bottle, or Salsa KEG.

HeyDay! Frame Specs

  • Full-length internal cable routing
  • 12x197mm rear spacing
  • 100mm suspension fork-compatible
  • five sizes (XS-XL) for a wide range of riders

HeyDay! Geometry (Aluminum frame)

Salsa Heyday! Advent full side
HeyDay! Advent
Salsa HeyDay! Aluminum Frame geo
Salsa HeyDay! Advent Frame geometry

HeyDay! Geometry (Carbon frame)

Salsa Heyday! C Deore full side
HeyDay! C Deore
Salsa HeyDay! carbon Frame geo
Salsa HeyDay! carbon Frame geometry

SalsaCycles.com

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32 Comments
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Eric
Eric
8 months ago

You’ve got the pricing switched on the HeyDay! Advent and C Deore builds.

William morris
William morris
8 months ago

Mukluks were worn by both native americans and trappers, hunters and otjerd. Rhis idea that naming a bike after mukluk foltwear is somehow ,”hurtful” or “insenitive” is waay to too far. Ill never buy a Salsa bike now. I normally spend over $4500 on my new bike when i get one.

Fig Ciocc
Fig Ciocc
8 months ago
Reply to  William morris

I agree. This is dumb. Might as well just give everything part numbers since any name of anything is going to be derivative of a language and culture.

Matt
Matt
8 months ago
Reply to  William morris

How many dollars have you spent on Salsa products in the past? Anyway, the word “mukluk” is of Yup’ik origin, so it is literally cultural appropriation, whether you’re okay with it or not.

craig
8 months ago
Reply to  Matt

Cultural appropriation or cultural appreciation? Where I live, mukluks are much appreciated and valued winter gear. Unfortunately, it is now difficult to find them in the original sealskin version because of cultural discrimination.

DJE
DJE
8 months ago
Reply to  Matt

Is it “literally”? I thought it was “figuratively.”

Tomi
Tomi
8 months ago
Reply to  Matt

I guess it is better that Yup’ik culture and language disappear completely.

I do hope they never mention words such as pizza, baguette, sushi or tacos or they will burt a lot of people!

FrictionDi2
FrictionDi2
8 months ago
Reply to  William morris

Were you equally mad when they changed Journeyman to Journeyer? I have never bought a bike because of it’s name so changing of a bikes name has never bothered me. But then again I don’t let politics dictate what I buy.

craig
8 months ago

Is Salsa aware Specialized beat them to the punch by dumping the Fat Boy years ago? Now that was truly offensive.

Jim E
Jim E
8 months ago
Reply to  craig

And let’s not forget the Kona Haole.

Dockboy
Dockboy
8 months ago
Reply to  craig

I think Ibis outdid even Specialized with their carbon 26″ hardtail, a straight up slur against trans people.

BigEarl
BigEarl
8 months ago
Reply to  Dockboy

braindead, “Tranny” is a feature of a jump, and has been since bikes were jumped…

Booyah
Booyah
8 months ago
Reply to  craig

Naming their woman’s fat bike the Hellga instead of the Fat Girl was the true crime

Mitch
Mitch
8 months ago
Reply to  Booyah

The Hellga name was one of their best moves. I remember dying laughing with everybody else at the shop when it first appeared on the b2b site.

Craig
Craig
8 months ago

Heyday? Might as well just copy any other Amazon generic bike brand name like hey bike Etc, why not just go with full alphabet soup bike naming? Boring and not impressed with Salsa of course I never have been anyway!

Dave Michals
Dave Michals
8 months ago

I, for one, am glad they changed the name. This way I don’t have to be exposed to another culture and learn something. What about the rest of the story though? I suppose they have permission from the Beargrease family to use that name. And did they consult with PETA or the WWF? Could be considered by some to promote the harvesting of bear gall bladders. What about Salsa? Based on the name, I guess the company is based in Mexico? Or the founder is/was Mexican/Mexican American?

paul
8 months ago
Reply to  Dave Michals

new name HOT SAUCE BIKES

Josh T
Josh T
8 months ago
Reply to  paul

The Salsa Tapatío, branded colab. Comes in a beautiful new spicy orange-red color scheme called Heat.

DJE
DJE
8 months ago

Seems to me that these companies who are “catching themselves” perpetrating cultural appropriation are making the issue more about themselves than any indigenous population. Where is the public outcry for naming a bike after footwear? Did an indigenous population get harmed in some way with this name? Were they deprived of something or prevented from achieving? Is the word “mukluk” a veiled racial slur?
To imply that Salsa benefitted financially from naming a bike is the most ignorant idea I’ve heard. I guess they also need to change the company name, as “Salsa” is culturally appropriating a term for Hispanic food? Get over yourselves and focus on a real problem.

Fig Ciocc
Fig Ciocc
8 months ago
Reply to  DJE

I’ve always thought they probably do this to avoid paying some sort of royalties to the tribes. That was always my thought with renaming the Dirty Kanza Unbound instead of just “the Kanza 200…” my guess is in that case the Kansa tribe rightfully would want a cut.

Spouse is a Ute and can’t fathom any tribe would have an issue with a race using the name of the tribe assuming they got their fair share. The joke is tribal members actually like cyclists and would probably be ecstatic for them to learn more about their culture.

Deputy Dawg
Deputy Dawg
8 months ago

Cultural appropriation or cultural appreciation?”

Came here to say this. But…..they hired a consultant, so they had to come up with something, right?!

Sigh.

Chad
Chad
8 months ago

It’s actually disappointing to see the name change. Sharing Cultural differences and incorporating them into other cultures is how we grow. It can bring people together to share in language, food, religion, and all things Cultural.

dirtsquirrel
dirtsquirrel
8 months ago

These look like great bikes. Can’t wait to try them out for a fat tyre adventure rig I’m wanting to add to the stable.

Anyone have ride experience on these?

Chris
Chris
8 months ago

Only Hay bike I would buy is a HayDuke from Esker. Salsa has just become an meh and has lost what made them unique. They use to be different and that’s why I own 8 salsas, 3 Ti, 2 Mukluks, 2 Bucksaws and a Timberjack so I’m no hater.

Bobby
Bobby
8 months ago

The real crime here is that they didn’t refresh the ‘Heyday’s’ geo. That bike should be able to fit 5″ tire on 197 hubs. Come on salsa! Also, offer the BG with a mastodon. Been saying that thing has “trail geometry” for years, give it the goods!

Frank
Frank
8 months ago

https://www.muk-luks.com/
This whole company should change their name, then?

Jim
Jim
8 months ago

As a journeyman carpenter Salsa has also appropriated my culture, I will be requesting reparations.

FrictionDi2
FrictionDi2
8 months ago
Reply to  Jim

They changed the name to Journeyer. But good try.

Rick Buchanan
Rick Buchanan
8 months ago

I have asked for a Hey Day or full refund for Salsa for my 4800 Mukluk because if you’re going to walk the walk refund your customers for this cultural insult. Needless to say I have not heard from them.

David
8 months ago

Who found the name mukluk offensive. Give me a break. So now indigenous artic foot wear is offensive. Maybe beargrease is offensive because it may refer to bear shit. If you look hard enough anything and everything is offensive. Let’s stop the insanity.

Jason
Jason
7 months ago

Well that made a very difficult decision an easy one. I won’t be buying a Salsa bike. How sad they would bow to the offensive language police with the Mukluk name. to bad to. I have demo’d the warlbird and was sold. no way now. sorry salsa.

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