Quality materials, great color and graphics, stiff, responsive, great EBB

Scandium could be tuned a little better

The bike is quick! The frame is lighter than all the others listed except for the Niner Air 9. It has quite a lot more compliance than the Niner, and a little bit nicer geometry. If I would have got it for the price I got it, I wouldn't have been riding it. I would have happily continued to ride my Dillinger. The Soul Cycle Dillinger uses Easton UltraLite Race aluminum and has a softer feel than the Scandium/Carbon of the Salsa, but its a fair compromise for my intended purpose (to race). The Bushnell EBB is good, just keep it greased!

Also, now that I am getting comfortable on the bike and starting to push it, I can feel the compliance in the carbon rear seatstays. Don't expect a "softtail" feel out of it by any means. It feels closer to Cannondale's S.A.V.E. system on the old aluminum Synapse.

Similar Products Used:

Soul Cycles Dillinger, Motobecane Fantom29, Niner Air 9

Girl is very stout and sexy. not only does she look delicious, she rolls like a tank. Girl is strength, not really any weaknesses as of yet, second month of our relationship :) Yeah not even any issues with the ebb yet. Selma rips it, and loves it. She is stout, lightweight, and a joy to ride.

The rear tire clearance is slim, a minor issue depending on the sort of riding you are doing, conditions. i ride girl hard and she has shown no weakness yet.

light rigid up front with a bit of weight and chonk in the tire augmented by girls general spryness, she is amazing and rips the climbs, love the tubeless tires - you can roll with proper low pressure = traction! girl is so light, finishes out under twenty it seems and loves to fly. love the way she translates trail to through body, carbon rear triangle is a beautiful design. bit questionable on nasty descents, but wager that is more getting used to her rigidity and style. the twenty-nine inch wheel is an amazing concept and tool, thoroughly dig it. If you prefer longer rides, and love to push it hard every ride, her weight and general package will treat you so well. She is pricey, but has been fully worth it to me. Selma girl, she is priceless.

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Nothing compares. i have been a roadie for years, adn spent teh summer borrowing bikes to trail ride, and girl rides very proper, fell in love with her after riding a mamasita. the surly karate monkey was a sweet ride, great balance, loved the momentum of the steel frame

Ride, looks, price

none

The bike dampens trail chatter, but is stiff as hell when you hammer her. I think of it as a "tuned" ride, but you do not lose the feel of the trail. It looks incredible. I have ridden and raced it for almost one year and had no issues.

Beautiful bike! Salsa did a great job in paying attention to detail! Great materials selection, although all materials have some drawbacks - this does as well.

clearance. the rear wheel really has minimal room for, well, anything. I am running 2.25 schwalbe's, and it is a sweet set up, but if anything sticks to the tire, it will end up on your frame.

Keep in mind that I have had limited time on this fine machine, but it has been great! All the issues I have, were easy to spot before I even bought it - Scandium scrathces easy, Carbon Fiber makes you nervous when ever you set set it down, and the tire clearance is crap. That being said, this is a performance / race type of frame, so in theory one would not be running much more than a 2.1 anyhow, but I like to play around with tires, and this is indeed a limiting factor. On the positive side, climbs really well, super stiff laterally, yet "damp" under the rider. Still testijng how far I can push it, and it keeps feeding back more confidence when I do. Maybe this is just me, but if there is any measureable feel from the CF seat stays / flattened chain stays - it seems to be more noticeable when standing(!?). In any case, sexy, fast, stiff, very well balanced = all the things you want from a SS. As far as the EBB goes, way nicer than the sliding drop-outs I was using before in regards to noise, clean look / adjust (although a bear to adjust). But the chain has seemed to loose tension faster than I thought - not sure if this is chain stretch, but it seems a little excessive for that, so I have to assume the EBB "slips" just a little. Did I say it was sext, fast, and super comfy? Web Cyclery also did an outstanding job from start to...now. I am hesitant to say "finish", because as you know, these are never ending stories! 5+ Chili's for the Web Cyclery!

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many 26" SS's, Kona Kula 29er SS

Light, rails fast, picks up speed quickly, corners well:)

none so far

I can see why 29er's are great, and make sense on a hardtail, the rolling capacity over obstacles is fantastic. The best complement I can pay is that it's re-enthused me about XC riding! It truly is great fun to ride, and nips round corners nearly as well as a 26" wheel. Due to the low weight of the frame and a carbon fork, easily to flick around, (and easier on the legs to climb:)) and for once due to being extremely picky about the geometry fits me like a glove, I take a medium and I'm 5ft 9 inches, and a bit longer in the leg, with a 90mm stem. Anyone who's looking for a lighter 29er and get away from steel without sacrificing too much comfort should look at this product. Great product Salsa:)

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n/a

Easy set up, light, fast, great ride.

Maybe the rear tire clearance

I have tried several SS 29er frames, owned all of the above. I can't see why the 29er world isn't going wild about this frame. It rides better than any I have owned, handles like a Salsa, GREAT, lighter than most. Just a great frame that I like better than the Salsa steel frame I had. If you are looking for a SS 29er frame you really need to look at this one. Rear tire is close to the frame, they could have added more room here. Time will tell about how long the frame will last but Salsa has a good warranty. I will stop looking at others now. I got a good deal on this frame but I think all the frame in this category are priced too high.

Similar Products Used:

Surly, GF Rig, Salsa El.

Light, stiff but compliant, looks great, fabulous ride quality, superior product support

Horrible tire clearance, some frame noise, kind of pricey

I would spend the extra money and get a ti frame. I have the small frame; spec sheet says that a 2.3 tire will clear, but an Ignitor 2.1 only clears by 1.5mm (really). One of my biggest concerns was tire clearance and I was let down. Upon talking with Salsa, I was informed that the website needed updated because the small frame has shorter stays. I sent them pics of the scratches on the inside of the wishbone, and they said it would be OK so long as the clear coat wasn't gouged. This didn't comfort me much. There are also lots of squeaks that I can't seem to locate (headset and eccentric). Cleaning the eccentric once in a while fixes it, but I can't figure out the headset squeaks. (Sounds like a Rig) The tire clearance is really causing trouble now with ice and snow build up. It is constantly rubbing.

On the positive side though, the ride is fabulous. I believe Salsa will cover the wishbone if a problem occurs. I had an El Mariacci frame brake, and they sent me a new one (with a new fork because the paint was different) in 4 days! They shipped it before I even mailed the broken one! People I know with broken Fishers etc, wait 3 or 4 mths with no bike.

I'm torn, I really love the frame, but I really hate the tire clearance. Value Rating: 3 because it is a little pricey; Overall Rating: 3 because of the deception about tire clearance.

Similar Products Used:

Haro Mary SS, Salsa El Mariacci (as SS)

Compliant ride, stiff in the BB, light

maybe the rear tire clearance

This is a great frame especially for the money. It rides just as nice as some other high price brands. It builds up nice and light. It has lasted so far, compared to some other frames I've had. I love the way it rides. Even when pushing a bigger gear it doesn't flex around. Salsa makes some good frames.

Similar Products Used:

Fisher, Lynskey