2020 Salsa Warbird GRX 810
Salsa recently shipped us the OG ("Original Gangsta") of all gravel bikes . . . the 2020 Salsa Warbird. This bike is one of the first "gravel race" bikes to hit the market. It was ahead of its time. Now this steady racehorse is a perfect sled for a long day on the gravel (think, Dirty Kanza). Here's what Gravelution.com has to say about it:
First of all, the Salsa Warbird is . . . beautiful. I know I say that about a lot of bikes, but I like gravel bikes. And this one is . . . beautiful. Aside from that, here's what jumps out to us right out of the box.
- The bike is long. As in really long. The XL model (61 cm model) that Salsa sent us has a reach of 407mm. That's pretty long, and because I'm 6'5" I celebrated it. It's just a touch longer than the XL Cannondale Topstone (402mm) and the Santa Cruz Stigmata (405mm). BUT (and this is a big BUT), it comes with a 110 mm stem, which makes it feel even longer!
- The bowed rear triangle of the Salsa Warbird is a work of art. If your legs are beat up on any given day, don't ride, just sit in a lawn chair and stare at the back of the bike.
- The Salsa Warbird is a "performance" race bike. It's designed to go fast over long distances. As such, I do think it's a "bit" less comfortable than the Cannondale Topstone.
- The drivetrain is a 2x (with no 1x option). I do wish this bike came in a 1x.
- The Salsa Warbird tracks in straight lines like a train on rails. Smooth, efficient, stiff & steady. That said, you gotta push it through corners a little more than normal.
- Otherwise, what you see is what you get: 40c tires, full carbon, Shimano GRX, and no bizarre bells nor whistles.
1) Early Morning Cafe Spin
8 Miles
100% Late Spring Grit-Filled Neighborhood Streets
100% Late Spring Grit-Filled Neighborhood Streets
When you get a bike built, you've gotta take it out for a quick spin even if you don't have grand plans for that day. So here are my thoughts from an 8 mile spin through the east side of Salt Lake City on a cold spring morning.
- This Warbird loves STRAIGHT LINES. It tracks really steadily & smoothly. It feels like it wants to go straight forever.
- I love how the Salsa Warbird looks. No weirdness. No "creative" geometry. Just smooth black speed. The bike acts like it's been there before. No need to loudly impress anyone. It's gonna do what it came to do quietly. I mean:
2) Emigration Canyon to Killyon Canyon
25 Miles
85% Pot-holed Canyon Road & 15% Dirt Road in Killyon Canyon
85% Pot-holed Canyon Road & 15% Dirt Road in Killyon Canyon
My theory is this. Unless you race crits, or live in an area that consistently has brand new smooth tarmac (Dubai?), then you should be riding a gravel bike on the road. And Emigration Canyon is my go-to canyon climb just east of Salt Lake City. And at the top I sprinkle in some gravel on the Killyon Canyon dirt road.
And the Salsa Warbird handled it just fine. I didn't feel any disadvantage pedaling up the canyon. And in fact, I felt a distinct advantage descending the canyon road through grit, seams, potholes, and muddy shoulders as the Warbird carved it all up. Like I've said, this bike loves a good & fast straight line, so it ate up this chattery descent. Halfway down the canyon, I stopped to head up a singletrack trail heading north (#GravelBikes, right?).
And the Salsa Warbird handled it just fine. I didn't feel any disadvantage pedaling up the canyon. And in fact, I felt a distinct advantage descending the canyon road through grit, seams, potholes, and muddy shoulders as the Warbird carved it all up. Like I've said, this bike loves a good & fast straight line, so it ate up this chattery descent. Halfway down the canyon, I stopped to head up a singletrack trail heading north (#GravelBikes, right?).
Once the trail turned a bit more technical, this Salsa Warbird (like any gravel bike) felt outmatched. But that's to be expected.
Initial impressions of the Salsa Warbird are good. Spring of 2020 is a weird time (with Covid-19, we also had a 5.7 earthquake along the Wasatch Front). So please be patient as we get out and about on this bike. Cheers!
Initial impressions of the Salsa Warbird are good. Spring of 2020 is a weird time (with Covid-19, we also had a 5.7 earthquake along the Wasatch Front). So please be patient as we get out and about on this bike. Cheers!
3) Farmington Canyon to Bountiful via Skyline Drive
35 miles & 5,000 feet of elevation
90% Gravel & 10% Road
90% Gravel & 10% Road
This ride is a straight-up killer. Sooooo much elevation. You start on the floor of the Salt Lake Valley (5,000 feet) and climb to the top of Skyline Drive (10,000 feet) . . . all on a chalky dust gravel road. We had three gravel bikes with us on this ride: 1) The new Cannondale Topstone Lefty Oliver, 2) the Evil Chamois Hagar, and 3) the Salsa Warbird.
Here's the scoop on the Salsa Warbird's climbing ability. It's good. It's a no nonsense straight line gravel bike. The Cannondale Topstone has a touch of wag (front & back) with its 30mm of travel, and the Evil Chamois Hagar has slacked out "descent-minded" geometry. But the Salsa Warbird just CLIMBS.
While all three bikes climbed reasonably well (also subject to the fitness level of the rider), the real test came on the descent. From the photo above, you can see it was gonna be tough on the wrists . . . that's a long descent.
So we'd rank the "descendability" of the bikes on a rutted, dusty, washboardy, 5,000 foot descent as follows:
1) The Cannondale Topstone with the Oliver Lefty Fork is the clear winner here. That 30mm of travel did not make me feel like I was on a mountain bike (which would have felt even better), but once I jumped over to the Salsa Warbird (fully rigid), I realized just how comfortable that Topstone is on mountain descents. Add to that the fact that we were running 47c tires at about 38psi, and it was as comfortable of a ride as you could hope for on a gravel bike. WELL DONE CANNONDALE!
2) The Evil Chamois Hagar comes in second place here. Although fully rigid, the 50c tires and slacked out 'mountain bike' geometry made for a very good descent. This shouldn't be a surprise given that the Chamois Hagar was designed to "bring some shred to gravel."
3) Finally, the Salsa Warbird comes in third with a respectable descent, but it's just not as "gnarly" as the aforementioned two bikes. The Original Gangsta Warbird runs 40c tires (significantly less than the other bikes) and is made to be a straight-liner gravel race bike rather than to bomb down hairy mountain descents. Did it get down? You bet it did! Just fine. That said, it was just a little less comfortable than the Chamois Hagar, and that much more uncomfortable than the new Cannondale Topstone.
But again, we would consider the Salsa Warbird to be the BEST ALL AROUND GRAVEL BIKE of these three. If you're doing a long 100 mile day with road & gravel, the Warbird is what you're going to want. It's a thoroughbred!
1) The Cannondale Topstone with the Oliver Lefty Fork is the clear winner here. That 30mm of travel did not make me feel like I was on a mountain bike (which would have felt even better), but once I jumped over to the Salsa Warbird (fully rigid), I realized just how comfortable that Topstone is on mountain descents. Add to that the fact that we were running 47c tires at about 38psi, and it was as comfortable of a ride as you could hope for on a gravel bike. WELL DONE CANNONDALE!
2) The Evil Chamois Hagar comes in second place here. Although fully rigid, the 50c tires and slacked out 'mountain bike' geometry made for a very good descent. This shouldn't be a surprise given that the Chamois Hagar was designed to "bring some shred to gravel."
3) Finally, the Salsa Warbird comes in third with a respectable descent, but it's just not as "gnarly" as the aforementioned two bikes. The Original Gangsta Warbird runs 40c tires (significantly less than the other bikes) and is made to be a straight-liner gravel race bike rather than to bomb down hairy mountain descents. Did it get down? You bet it did! Just fine. That said, it was just a little less comfortable than the Chamois Hagar, and that much more uncomfortable than the new Cannondale Topstone.
But again, we would consider the Salsa Warbird to be the BEST ALL AROUND GRAVEL BIKE of these three. If you're doing a long 100 mile day with road & gravel, the Warbird is what you're going to want. It's a thoroughbred!
3) UTCX Cyclocross Race (Midway Utah)
10 miles & 1,000 feet of vertical in 1 Hour
50% Grass & 50% Dirt
50% Grass & 50% Dirt
This glorious photo shows the Gravelution.com duo coming through the start area on (i) the Santa Cruz Stigmata, and (ii) the Salsa Warbird.
Spoiler Alert: That beautiful black Salsa Warbird overtook the Stigmata and went on to finish 2nd overall on the day. So what do we learn from this? That the Warbird is a perfectly capable cyclocross bike ON TOP of being a great road bike, gravel bike, and general all-arounder.
Spoiler Alert: That beautiful black Salsa Warbird overtook the Stigmata and went on to finish 2nd overall on the day. So what do we learn from this? That the Warbird is a perfectly capable cyclocross bike ON TOP of being a great road bike, gravel bike, and general all-arounder.
Race Number 420? (head scratch).
As one can see by this point in the race, the Salsa Warbird has successfully left the Stigmata in the dust. This Midway Utah course was one of the rougher / bumpier courses we've raced all year. See those green hills? They're probably better suited for a hardtail mountain bike. But the Warbird held its own and made it to the podium vs a whole fleet of actual cyclocross bikes.
That's telling stuff! Well done Salsa!
As one can see by this point in the race, the Salsa Warbird has successfully left the Stigmata in the dust. This Midway Utah course was one of the rougher / bumpier courses we've raced all year. See those green hills? They're probably better suited for a hardtail mountain bike. But the Warbird held its own and made it to the podium vs a whole fleet of actual cyclocross bikes.
That's telling stuff! Well done Salsa!