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El Saltamontes questions.

1060 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by el saltamontes, Dec 26, 2009

twelve34

Discussion Starter · Dec 25, 2009

I am very interested in the Saltamontes. I demo'd a Bastardo because that was the only demo Ventana the shop I hit had. It felt very laterally stiff, comfortable, bobbed a bit, but not that flickable (a trait I like). But, I am fairly certain the larger wheel size has something to do with that.

The information I have found in prior threads and elsewhere seems pretty dated. MB Action did a review in 2002??? Is this frame generally unchanged in the past few years?

A big factor in my comparisons for the next bike is bob, I do not like having to hit propedal to minimize it. I am not sure if any bike other than a DW Link bike is capable of that; is that nuts?

I love the fit/finish/company of Ventana, but would like some feedback from people who have bought this bike recently. What I have seen in MTBR reviews is that the bike may not climb that well and that the front wheel lifts too easy. Is this a rider problem or a setup problem; I usually run a 100 mm stem. I would like to run a 120 mm fork on the front too, would that be problematic? I do not really want to use an adjustable fork either.

I like the Flux, but the price on their frames is just a little nuts. I want a bike that climbs a little better than it descends. I also understand that geometry that makes a bike climb well has the opposite effect going down. My focus is trail riding and I don't huck off anything; maybe a 1 foot drop here and there....

I would appreciate some help, thanks.

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Flyer

· #2 · Dec 25, 2009

I liked mine- very stiff frame and easy to work in the slow-techy sections. Construction was solid. I owned a TNT Flux at the same time. The Flux climbed faster but was lighter and the tubes felt less stiff (slightly lighter frame) but still a fun bike. The DWL will probably climb the best and is the design I like the best now, by a fair margin. The Salty bobbed quite a bit in middle ring under power.

The BB is a bit high but I liked that about the Salty. The front is lighter but again- I liked that for the slow-techy stuff and I had the Flux for the faster trails. I'm willing to bet the Salty had a shorter wheelbase- it actually turned quite well and was very nimble. It is an awesome trailbike, with MY only knock being the suspension bobbing and sagging a bit too much under power and on steep climbs. It actually climbed well in granny, oddly enough. Middle ring was not as good. The stiffness helped it descend well but the high BB makes it a bit tip-prone. The Flux had a lowish BB and was more stable and fast but again, not as stiff.

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crisillo

· #3 · Dec 25, 2009

Flyer put it quite well. The Salty needs the propedal in the middle ring more than in the granny. I run mine with a 120mm fork and like how it handles. I don't feel the front end being "light", but I run a 100mm stem and 710mm bars on it, so that might influence it.

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iheartbicycles

· #4 · Dec 25, 2009

twelve34 said:
I am very interested in the Saltamontes. I demo'd a Bastardo because that was the only demo Ventana the shop I hit had. It felt very laterally stiff, comfortable, bobbed a bit, but not that flickable (a trait I like). But, I am fairly certain the larger wheel size has something to do with that.

The information I have found in prior threads and elsewhere seems pretty dated. MB Action did a review in 2002??? Is this frame generally unchanged in the past few years?

A big factor in my comparisons for the next bike is bob, I do not like having to hit propedal to minimize it. I am not sure if any bike other than a DW Link bike is capable of that; is that nuts?

I love the fit/finish/company of Ventana, but would like some feedback from people who have bought this bike recently. What I have seen in MTBR reviews is that the bike may not climb that well and that the front wheel lifts too easy. Is this a rider problem or a setup problem; I usually run a 100 mm stem. I would like to run a 120 mm fork on the front too, would that be problematic? I do not really want to use an adjustable fork either.

I like the Flux, but the price on their frames is just a little nuts. I want a bike that climbs a little better than it descends. I also understand that geometry that makes a bike climb well has the opposite effect going down. My focus is trail riding and I don't huck off anything; maybe a 1 foot drop here and there....

I would appreciate some help, thanks.

The El Salt bobs very badly. While the craftsmanship is top teir, the suspension design is very dated.

There have been many threads on this - search ventana squat.

The DW will not bob anywhere even remotely close to how badly the ventana does. I recently got rid of my Ventana and bought a turner for this reason alone.

btw - aren't the prices on ventana and turners about the same? You could always get a pivot mach 4 or 5 for a little less.

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twelve34

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 25, 2009

iheartbicycles said:
The El Salt bobs very badly. While the craftsmanship is top teir, the suspension design is very dated.

There have been many threads on this - search ventana squat.

The DW will not bob anywhere even remotely close to how badly the ventana does. I recently got rid of my Ventana and bought a turner for this reason alone.

btw - aren't the prices on ventana and turners about the same? You could always get a pivot mach 4 or 5 for a little less.

The Ventana frames are around $2000 and the Turners are $2500. I have researched the Pivot a bit, people seem to really like them. I know they were started by the guy who owned Titus previously. I would prefer to buy a frame that is made in America, but am not stuck on that. I have thought about trying an Ibis too, I'm not into the looks of them, but people seem to love them too.

Which Turner did you buy? I rode a 5 spot and thought it was really nice, the Flux would probably fit my needs a little better.

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iheartbicycles

· #6 · Dec 25, 2009

twelve34 said:
The Ventana frames are around $2000 and the Turners are $2500. I have researched the Pivot a bit, people seem to really like them. I know they were started by the guy who owned Titus previously. I would prefer to buy a frame that is made in America, but am not stuck on that. I have thought about trying an Ibis too, I'm not into the looks of them, but people seem to love them too.

Which Turner did you buy? I rode a 5 spot and thought it was really nice, the Flux would probably fit my needs a little better.

When I bought my Ventana is ended up costing more than $2,000 when you add in the rp23 and quad bearings.

The Turner Flux list price is $2300 - but you can find them for less than that. I think mine was $2200.

The Flux is a good replacement for the El Salt - 100 mil travel. Very active, very good decender and climbing is stellar. No bob whatsoever. I opted for the120 mil front on mine.

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slowrider

· #7 · Dec 26, 2009

Bobber

I liked the way the Salt carved the corners and sucked up the small bumps but the bobbing on the steep climbs drove me crazy, it worked much better on the more gradual climbs. Strangely however the El Rey with the same travel didn't bob nearly as much.
If you're considering a DW Flux it's on sale in the banner ad in the Turner forum.

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el saltamontes

· #8 · Dec 26, 2009

you can actually have both the small bump compliance WITHOUT the bob - just throw in a rp23 (eventually pushed) and everything's allright. i'm riding my salt since 2003 or so in the beginning with a float r and then with a rp2 which was vast improvement already - but with the pushed rp23 it's really hard to beat...

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