I would agree; the traction while climbing was quite surprising. The fourth issue of The Bikepacking Journal hit mailboxes this spring. But, for the record, this is a completely different bike from its namesake, a bike that I’ve come to know and love, through the good and bad, with all its quirks. Simply put, bikepacking is the synthesis of mountain biking and minimalist camping; it evokes the freedom of multi-day backcountry hiking, with the range and thrill of riding a mountain bike. It’s designed from the ground-up to be a bike that you can pop off rocks and roots, manual on a whim, and carve into corners. Read more here. Don't just ride the trail, make it your own. The 6066-T6 aluminum frame is designed around 27.5" wheels and has 425mm chainstays for maximum flickability. Could it be? Although the new Rustler can probably clear 27.5 x 3.0″ tires, Salsa states that the Rustler fits 27.5″ tires ranging from 2.3–2.8″. • Contact Us As mentioned, this bike has completely different destiny than that of the Pony Rustler. We love learning the technology and celebrating innovation at every level -from crowdfunded start ups to major global brands- and sharing it all here with you! There’s riding the trail, then there’s making it your own. Much like its other fully rigid competitors, it excels on smooth snow or dirt and tends to be a little harsh on choppy or rugged terrain. The Beargrease is more capable and fun to ride on the descents than you might expect a fully rigid bike to be. * Rustler SX Eagle. Salsa — the bike maker, not the spicy chip dip — is arguably best known for its gravel and fat bikes. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. And with the suspension dialed into a firmer setting, it’s actually pretty dang good. Brand: Salsa, Product: Rustler SX Eagle. others did. Salsa Horsethief Deore. By: Spencer Harding December 2, 2019 . We have noted your vote on this review. Click the link below to learn about each. When ri… With 27.5 x 2.6″ tires, added clearance, and a Flip Chip to tune the suspension, it’s certainly interesting. Another perk to the Rustler being designed around the the 27.5 wheel size as that they were able to shorten the chainstays considerably. The WTB Volt saddle was perfectly comfortable for me, and Salsa completes the build with their own handlebars, stem, and grips. Gin rode the Rustler NX and I tried the Rustler GX. Not really. 130 mm of Split Pivot® rear suspension and a 150 mm fork give you plenty of travel to play with. Visit this section to learn how to choose a route, and some insight into navigation. I’d be curious to try the bike on rougher terrain to see which setting I stick with. 130mm of Split Pivot rear suspension and a 150mm fork give you plenty of travel to play with. The Rangefinder looks to make the mountains and trails more accessible to the masses without compromising […] But it was made in the image of the former Horsethief; it was kind of an add-on and shared the exact same frame, changing only the chainstay and linkage to go from 29er to 27.5+. The 6066-T6 aluminum frame is designed around 27.5" wheels and has 425mm chainstays for maximum flickability. Salsa engineers went back to the drawing board with the 2019 Rustler and completely switched this mode of thinking. Salsa’s budget option Rustler SX Eagle is actually cheaper than the Carbon frame alone, at just $2649. It’s designed from the ground-up to be a bike that you can pop off rocks and roots, manual on a whim, and carve into corners. View The Map, There are some routes that are made classic by their sheer perfection, and others by races. We could achieve the short rear center length (426mm) we wanted and fit the drivetrain desired by using the 148 Boost platform since we wanted to fit up to a 2.8” but not bigger. That’s where Rustler SX Eagle comes in. Stealth-routed dropper posts come on all Rustler models, and are matched to frame sizes (125mm on medium). The excellent pedaling efficiency is what sells me on this design, the best part being how it barely penalizes you for standing up and cranking hard. Let me know what you think in the comments below & Don't forget to subscribe!!! Reviews are generally published within 12 hours. That’s where Rustler SX Eagle comes in. That saddle-to-bar drop looks like a ProTour road set-up! The Split Pivot linkage makes it a highly capable climber, the geometry makes it easy to transition from steep climbs to fast descents, and its suspension tune offers predictable handling on moderate terrain and plenty of bottom-out resistance for when things get rough. Your report of this review has been forwarded to our staff. Instead of switching wheel sizes on one bike frame, they doubled their efforts for 29ers. $3,399 USD (MSRP) We designed Rustler SLX to make the most of every trail you ride. It’s designed from the ground-up to be a bike that you can pop off rocks and roots, manual on a whim, and carve into corners. The 6066-T6 aluminum frame is designed around 27.5" wheels and has 425mm chainstays for maximum flickability. That’s where Rustler SX Eagle comes in. You can also get a frame/fork in dark gray for $2,799. It’s designed from the ground-up to be a bike that you can pop off rocks and roots, manual on a whim, and carve into corners. • How We Make Money The boost-spaced WTB ST i35 wheels rolled along just fine, but I’d need much more time on rougher terrain to really test their mettle. • About Us, Ass Savers takes a Detour with limited edition bikepacking fender kollection, FINDRA pours heart, soul, & coffee into new sustainable waterproof jacket, Valeo combines electric motor with automatic transmission to revolutionize e-bikes. The Rustler’s 65.8° head tube angle is reasonably slack, but the bike retains pretty nimble handling. Hydraulic disc brakes and 2.6″ wide 27.5+ tires are also a given on all Salsa Rustler builds. What's 2+2? Absolutely. Get Bikerumor’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox every week! When a bike is designed for 29″ tires, the bottom bracket height can be too low with 27.5+ tires, and chainstay length suffers as well. It’s designed from the ground-up to be a bike that you can pop off rocks and roots, manual on a whim, and carve into corners. The Rustler Carbon NX Eagle I tested proved once again that mid-range components are pretty darn good nowadays. The 27.5 x 2.6″ tires felt more than capable, and about perfect for this level of suspension. Our passion is the products, technology and people that make them. Salsa Rustler GX Review-1 . Descending on this bike is when the grins really started. Salsa's history has a lot of different axle widths, especially with fat bikes. It’s designed from the ground-up to be a bike that you can pop off rocks and roots, manual on a whim, and carve into corners. 2020 Salsa Rustler. Maxxis’ 27.5×2.6” Minion DHF and DHR II tires are a bulletproof combo in a suitable size for all-around trail thrashing, and the frame clearance is there to go up to 2.8’s if desired. Here are loads of photos, a comparison to its predecessor, specs, and some thoughts from our first ride…. This bike could definitely serve as your next ‘quiver-killer’. A bike with a 150mm fork isn’t usually one I’d consider for alternating between trail riding and bikepacking. A size medium (what I ride, at 5’9” tall) has a roomy 439mm reach and an effective top tube of 616mm. That’s where Rustler SX Eagle comes in. After riding the Rustler (plus the Horsethief and Spearfish 29ers), I came away pretty impressed with Salsa’s Split Pivot linkage. The 6066-T6 aluminum frame is designed around 27.5" wheels and has 425mm chainstays for maximum flickability. BIKEPACKING.com is dedicated to exploration by bicycle. Salsa Horsethief, Spearfish & Rustler . 130mm of Split Pivot rear suspension and a 150mm fork give you plenty of travel to play with. Specs, reviews & prices for the 2020 Salsa Beargrease Carbon SX Eagle Silver. It’s designed from the ground-up to be a bike that you can pop off rocks and roots, manual on a... There’s riding the trail, then there’s making it your own. The 6066-T6 aluminum frame is designed around 27.5" wheels and has 425mm chainstays for maximum flickability. Be the first to rate this product × Salsa Rustler SLX 27.5 Complete Bike - Black. Make the most of every trail you ride with the playful, quick-handling Salsa Rustler SLX full-suspension mountain bike. It’s designed from the ground-up to be a bike that you can pop off rocks and roots, manual on a whim, and carve into corners. 130mm of Split Pivot rear suspension and a 150mm fork give you plenty of travel to play with. The 6066-T6 aluminum frame is designed around 27.5" wheels and has 425mm chainstays for maximum flickability. That’s where Rustler SX Eagle comes in. Like the Horsethief, I had just one ride on the Rustler, so again, don’t take these thoughts too seriously. Fortunately, Salsa designers had the foresight to spec the Rustler with 35mm internal width rims, a relatively versatile wheel size that is perfect for 2.6″ rubber but can also comfortably fit 2.8s or smaller 2.35s. As design engineer Sean Mailen noted, “[Super BOOST/157mm] didn’t really give us a true advantage. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'bikerumor_com-box-4','ezslot_3',105,'0','0']));I was riding a carbon framed Rustler, and noticed plenty of lateral stiffness from the frame as I railed around corners. However, unlike the two 29ers, the Rustler is only available in carbon and doesn’t have a Super BOOST 157 rear end. We provide inspiration and information through original bikepacking routes, stories, and coverage of gear, news, and events that help our community thrive. That’s where Rustler SX Eagle comes in. Click the link below to find out how to start. Brand: Salsa, Product: Rustler SX Eagle. Be the first to rate this product × Salsa Rustler SX Eagle 27.5 Complete Bike - Blue. $2,399.00. Bikerumor.com reaches close to one million passionate cyclists per month. 4. The Rustler is Salsa’s 27.5” playful trail bike that they say, “rewards riders who want to throw some body language in the way they tackle trails.” It’s available as a carbon frame only or in five complete builds: Carbon XTR, Carbon XT, Carbon SLX, Aluminum SLX, and Aluminum SX Eagle. The Rustler’s frame geometry is pretty typical for today’s trail bikes, so I was comfortable on it right away. Salsa has launched an overhaul of its full suspension bike line up today with three new models - the Spearfish, the Horsethief and the Rustler. Compare forks, shocks, wheels and other components on current and past MTB’s. The 2.6″ tires, short chainstay, and seemingly well tuned suspension seemed to be purpose made for the rocky, tight and twisty terrain that this section of the Black Canyon Trail has to offer. With 27.5” wheels, 130mm of rear travel, a 150mm fork and a short rear end, Salsa Cycles’ 2019 Rustler is one fun-loving trail bike. My god, whoever is riding that Red/Yellow bike must be all legs! This is not to say that you can't get after it on the Horsethief, because you can, it just prefers a mellow… Review: Salsa Pony Rustler – A Bike That Can Handle Trails with Poise As for that design, Joe Meiser, product manager at Salsa, explains that the Pony Rustler was crafted to add to the growing trend of short travel bikes that can climb and descend while providing increased traction through the use of plus-sized tires. That’s where Rustler SX Eagle comes in. An in-depth look into the 2019 Salsa Rustler Split Pivot full suspension mountain bike. The seat tube angle of 73.6° was steep enough to keep me sitting up over the pedals, so powering up climbs was no problem.eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'bikerumor_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_6',102,'0','0'])); In the last two years I’ve noticed that modern trail bike geometry has really honed in to put riders in a well-balanced position. Support us and pass it along... to support us & get The Bikepacking Journal. It’s designed from the ground-up to be a bike that you can pop off rocks and roots, manual on a whim, and carve into corners. Huge selection of mountain bikes from brands such as Trek, Specialized, Giant, Santa Cruz, Norco and more. It's not racy, it's not especially playful, nor is it a downhill crusher. This keeps the bike’s geometry feeling more consistent throughout a ride, and provides a firm feel when railing hard into corners or popping off bumps. 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