Home > Bike Types > Mountain Bike

SOC15: Prototype Salsa 27.5+ full suspension mountain bike decorates WTB booth

19 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Prototype Salsa 275-plus full suspension mountain bike

Looking very similar in design to their Horsethief 29er full suspension bikes, this prototype carbon bike showed off an upcoming Salsa model made to fit wider wheels, like those built with WTB Scraper rims and Trailblazer 2.8 / Bridger 3.0 tires.

Official details are slim, but we’ve got a little info and plenty of pics…

Prototype Salsa 275-plus full suspension mountain bike

It looked mostly finished, but touches like the tape to prevent cable rubbing on the frame proved some things were still being finalized.

Prototype Salsa 275-plus full suspension mountain bike

Like the Horsethief and Spearfish, this one gets the Split Pivot rear suspension design. Note the shapely seat tube molded around the main pivot. A removable front derailleur clamp gets a cover plate to keep it looking clean with 1x drivetrains.

Prototype Salsa 275-plus full suspension mountain bike

The Trailblazer 2.8 has plenty of room. The WTB Bridger 27.5 x 3.0 used in the front might be pushing it for rear use. Even though it’s just 0.2″ wider, it appears much fatter (check a side by side pic here).

Prototype Salsa 275-plus full suspension mountain bike

The Boost 148 rear axle will see 120mm of travel at full compression, likely mated to a Boost 110 fork with 120-130mm travel.

Prototype Salsa 275-plus full suspension mountain bike

SalsaCycles.com

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

19 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Randy Harris
Randy Harris
8 years ago

cool looking bike, but I don’t get the appeal of a 27.5+ over a 29+ bike.

Mike
Mike
8 years ago

I don’t get this plus size tire craze. What makes it appealing?

Myke
Myke
8 years ago

Just thinking the same thing.

Troy Junge
Troy Junge
8 years ago

Remember when prototypes looked “hacked together”…

Jdog
Jdog
8 years ago

At first glance, I thought this was simply a FAT bike. I am very curious to get some ride time on one of these.

Seems that the industry/bike medis might have killed off the 26″ wheel and the 27″ wheel in a five year span.

What may be left behind is a 29er, 27.5+ (basically a 29er when you measure the rollout) and the fat bike (also nearly the same rollout as the 29er)..

How many ways can we make a 29er??

Bryan
Bryan
8 years ago

You forgot cross bikes which are basically 29-

badbikemechanic
badbikemechanic
8 years ago

Go away semi fat tires. You are not wanted or needed. The fat tire fad started because it looked cool. This is a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist.

Sevo
Sevo
8 years ago

Randy-29+ is nice on fully rigid IMHO but it being almost 31″ roughly complicates design. Especially in suspension. 27.5+ is also much more nimble (More so than 29 imho) which adds to the fun factor. 29+ is more tractor like, which does have it’s moments.

I’ve ridden a B’er+ bike (B+ rear and 29+ front, Stooge Cycles) which was really a blast to ride fully rigid.

Dave
Dave
8 years ago

Why does the bike industry try to confuse consumers all of the time? 27.5 is just getting beyond the enthusiast level. I am in shops all of the time and you can see how many people come into shops looking for a new bike and are over whelmed by the choices. Then you are trying to explain to them the subtle little differences in this bike or that bike. And now why is 27.5 vs. 27.5 vs 29 vs 29+ better for me?

And most people buying a bike even a very high end bike just want to ride. 95% of the consumers do not know way they need this over this over this. But the problem is that they get all of this noise of why this is better than this is better than this and it is confusing to them.

And shops cannot stock everything which makes it even more difficult because even experienced shops are not sure what to do.

I believe in advancing technology and improving the riding experience but sometimes we just jump to the next thing in this industry without fully developing what were are already doing.

A well respected man
A well respected man
8 years ago

This would be the perfect tool for exploring the Uintas

MGK
MGK
8 years ago

I’m too busy to maintain all those moving parts….

jesse
jesse
8 years ago

I couldn’t stand the weight of my fatbike tires/wheels. Maybe this bridges the gap, but until I try one and love it I’m skeptical. Even heavier 29er tires with tubes are a bummer, so I can’t imagine 3″ rubber and big ol’ rims. We’ll see, though..

CXisfun
CXisfun
8 years ago

@Jesse: who runs 29er tires with tubes?

Rally
Rally
8 years ago

The problem with these “bigger” wheels is they are also heavier compared to a 29er, and are not as tall as a 29er. I tried 27.5″ Trailblazers on my 29er and it was so so. Not a game changer. Heavier, slower uphill.

A 1400-1600 gram wheelset and 750 gram 2.4″ 29er tires are a better “all arounder” solution.

It feels like the bike industry is trying too many things in an attempt to grab what remaining market share is out there.

850-1000+ gram tires on 700+ gram “Scraper” rims (2000+ gram wheelset!!!!) is not the answer if you like to ride hard and fast.

DeeEight
DeeEight
8 years ago

I”d rather get a Rocky Sherpa which DOES have clearance for 3.25s than this Salsa that barely fits 3.0s. For that matter… why not just offer the Bucksaw with a B+ build kit price option since they’ll fit the B+ tires perfectly well. The WTB trailblazer 2.8 is a tire for converting existing designs. Its a fat casing and narrow tread. Its not a proper wide 650B tire and clean sheet of paper bike designs built around a new hub dropout standard shouldn’t be built without proper tire clearance for the other tire options available for it.

NaturBoy
NaturBoy
8 years ago

Seems some 27.5+ haters have never ridden a fat bike. I have a fattie, and 2 29’ers. When I get on my 29er after riding the fat bike, I’m initially slipping and sliding all over the place in the turns, since I’ve become so used to the phenomenal traction of my 4″ tires. But it does take quite a bit of energy getting those fat tires up to speed. It would seem to me that 27.5+ would bridge this gap, giving me better grip than a 29er, with a bit less effort than a fat bike. Here in Eastern Oregon, lots of sandy volcanic soil, where you’re more susceptible to washing out on turns.

Colin M
8 years ago

Tyler Benedict, great theoretical explanation. You’ve been reading the marketing very well. At this point we, the standard consumer, would like you to prove it.

More volume, less pressure is what the fat bikers say is great. Fat biking was the big trend in 2014, is plus size the trend that the industry hopes will do well in 2015? Does it actually work well for enduro racing? Why would traction be worth it when it makes for a heavier and slower bike?

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.