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The Deadwood SUS is a short-travel 29+ mountain bike designed for long rides on rough trails

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Salsa'southward Deadwood has 100mm of forepart travel and 91mm in the rear

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The Deadwood SUS relies on the Carve up Pin suspension system

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The Deadwood uses external cable routing with a port on the seat tube for an internally-routed dropper seatpost

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The mid-level Deadwood features a 1×11 Shimano group

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

#Fun fact: the artwork on the Deadwood's seat tube is intended to mimic the intricate designs shaved into the fur of camels

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The Deadwood tin can take a direct-mount front derailleur, though all the models come with 1x drivetrains

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Salsa worked with RockShox to roll out a 100mm version of the 29+ Pike RC specifically for the Deadwood

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The Deadwood is available in three build levels

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

They may not be as tall as the Rockies (anymore), but there is plenty of steep and technical terrain in Virginia

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

With a scrap of momentum, the Deadwood feels as if it tin conquer anything

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The trails in George Washington National Forest were the perfect proving grounds for the Deadwood

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Fast, rocky terrain is the Deadwood'south forte, though it takes more endeavour to scramble upward technical climbs

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Whenever a new breed of bicycle is launched the inevitable first question is always "who or what is it for?" Such is the case with the Salsa Deadwood SUS, a full suspension trail bicycle designed around 29x3in tires.

• All-time 29er trail bikes
• How to get a perfect body position for trail riding

Salsa isn't the first company to roll out a full suspension 29+ mountain bike — Lenz Sport and a handful of custom builders already lay claim to developing 29+ duallys.

Information technology is the largest company to delve into this niche thus far and it seems to be the natural progression for this adventure-oriented brand.

Salsa has played a meaning office in ushering niche markets such as adventure touring and fatty biking into the mainstream.

The Deadwood SUS sits at the confluence of these 2 markets. It'due south a short-travel trail bike designed for long haul rides with a hint of a fat bike flotation in the class of plus tires and suspension.

Salsa Deadwood design details

The Deadwood SUS relies on the Split Pivot intermission system

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The Deadwood isn't a ground-upward design. It uses the same carbon mainframe as Salsa's 120mm 29er trail cycle, the Horsethief, however the alloy rear finish is purpose-built to accommodate the wide tires.

For suspension, the Deadwood relies on a 100mm RockShox Pike RC fork.

A RockShox Monarch RT3 rear stupor serves up 91mm via Dave Weagle'southward Split up Pin break organisation.

These suspension numbers place the new Deadwood nearly in-line with the Spearfish, Salsa'southward cross-land bike.

Salsa worked with RockShox to roll out a 100mm version of the 29+ Thruway RC specifically for the Deadwood

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

When asked if the Deadwood SUS will replace or stand up beside the Spearfish, Salsa'south marketing manager, Mike Riemer, stated that the visitor would let the market decide which platform has more merit.

#Fun fact: the artwork on the Deadwood's seat tube is intended to mimic the intricate designs shaved into the fur of camels

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The Deadwood'due south geometry is more trail bike than XC racer, with a 68-degree head tube angle, longer top tube measurements beyond all iv frame sizes and longer, 449mm/17.6in chainstays.

The Deadwood can also be more than than a plus wheel. The 3in broad tires can exist swapped for more than traditional 2.3-ii.5in rubber. In this respect, the Deadwood is the more versatile of the ii platforms.

The Deadwood can take a direct-mount front derailleur, though all the models come with 1x drivetrains

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The Shimano XT-equipped Deadwood SUS tested hither is the centre model in the three-cycle line. As the name suggests, this model features a heavy XT spec, including XT brakes with 180mm rotors and a 1×eleven XT drivetrain with a Race Face Aeffect crankset.

The size medium Deadwood I rode uses a 100mm RockShox Reverb. While large and Twoscore Deadwoods come with 125 and 150mm droppers, respectively.

The mid-level Deadwood features a ane×11 Shimano group

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

There was one significant deviation from the stock build for the Deadwood media army camp. Salsa swapped the WTB Ranger tires for Surly's 29x3in Dirt Wizards.

The WTB Rangers are lighter and faster rolling, only the high-speed descents and abundance of square-edged rocks necessitated tires with heavier casings and sturdy side knobs.

The Deadwood uses external cable routing with a port on the seat tube for an internally-routed dropper seatpost

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Virginia rocks

They may non be as tall equally the Rockies (anymore), but there is plenty of steep and technical terrain in Virginia

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Equally someone who in one case lived there, I tin can confidently land that the eastern half of the United States is filled with outstanding and chronically under-appreciated singletrack.

Few areas exemplify this more than the trails traversing the mountains that form the border betwixt Virginia and Westward Virginia.

Non agape to stray from the beaten press-launch path, Salsa chose to debut the Deadwood in Stokesville, Virginia.

The trails in George Washington National Wood were the perfect proving grounds for the Deadwood

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Some of the trails nosotros rode were purpose-built. Many were forgotten logging roads, long since reclaimed by nature. Others retraced the steps of Confederate and Matrimony soldiers during America'southward Civil War.

If y'all've e'er wondered what it feels like to be a drunken tugboat captain who doesn't care what's in your path, this is pretty much it

Over the form of three days and seventy miles of riding, I came to appreciate what 29x3in tires in a brusque-travel package can conquer.

With the aggressive tread of the Clay Wizards and my tire pressure set in the mid-teens, at that place didn't seem to be anything the Deadwood couldn't climb, then long as I was able to maintain momentum.

With a bit of momentum, the Deadwood feels every bit if it can conquer anything

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Accelerating to tackle steep pitches is non this bicycle's potent suit.

Quick, punchy technical moves require significantly more energy than traditional 29ers. In these scenarios, the Deadwood'southward saving grace was the Dissever Pivot rear break design, which is very efficient when stomping on the pedals.

Fast, rocky terrain is the Deadwood'southward forte, though it takes more than attempt to scramble up technical climbs

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

I left the stupor in the open position while climbing and descending singletrack and but flipped the lockout on when riding roads to link upwardly trails.

There was no surprise in how well the Deadwood handled rocky descents. The 29+ tires didn't quite make up for the lack of suspension travel but they did impart a sense of invincibility. If yous've e'er wondered what it feels similar to be a drunken tugboat captain who doesn't care what's in your path, this is pretty much information technology.

What was surprising was how well the Deadwood handled groomed trails with jumps and berms.

Despite its heft — around 31lb / 14kg — it could be coaxed into the air. Since the Deadwood comes upwardly curt on travel, it's very easy to drive into the mid-stroke to pop off jumps and push through berms.

In these instances in that location was a hint of auto-steer at speed. It's just a matter of getting used to the big tires. It's subtle and feels more like a steering damper.

It's like to the feeling experienced when transitioning from a 26in mountain bike to a 29er for the first time.

Salsa Deadwood early verdict

The Deadwood SUS is a short-travel 29+ mountain cycle designed for long rides on rough trails

Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

So back to our original question: who is the Deadwood SUS for?

The Deadwood excels at certain types of terrain and is outperformed past mainstream 29er trail bikes on others.

If your trails are technical simply allow you lot to comport a lot of steam into rock gardens, you might appreciate this bike.

If you're the type of mountain biker who rides a fat bike beyond the winter months and desire something with a similar level of float and traction in a performance-oriented packet, the Deadwood will fit the neb.

Lastly, the fact the Deadwood's geometry also accommodates mid-sized 29in tires gives it an extra degree of versatility equally a traditional 29er.

Salsa Deadwood SUS pricing, spec and availability

• Salsa Deadwood SUS with SRAM Eagle XO1 drivetrain, Guide RS brakes, RockShox Reverb seatpost (100mm S/M, 125mm L, 150mm Forty), 100mm RockShox Pike fork, RockShox Monarch RT3 shock, WTB Asym i35 rims laced to DT Swiss 350 hubs, 180mm rotors, 30t chainrings and WTB'due south 29x3in tubeless-ready Ranger tires — $5,999 / AU$9900.
• Frame-merely option (with RockShox Monarch RT3 shock) — $ii,499. (UK pricing has still to be announced)

• Salsa Deadwood SUS with Shimano XT brakes, 1×11 drivetrain configuration with an 11-46 cassette, RockShox Reverb seatpost (100mm S/M, 125mm Fifty, 150mm Xl), 100mm RockShox Pike fork, RockShox Monarch RT3 shock, XT-equipped, WTB Asym i35 rims laced to DT Swiss 370 hubs, 180mm rotors, 30t chainrings and WTB'south 29x3in tubeless-gear up Ranger tires — $4,499 / AU$7900. (Britain pricing has yet to be announced)

• Salsa Deadwood SUS with SRAM GX1 drivetrain, SRAM Level T brakes, RockShox Monarch RT3 shock, WTB i35 rims laced to DT Swiss 370 hubs, 180mm rotors, 30t chainrings and WTB's 29x3in tubeless-set Ranger tires — $three,799 / AU$half-dozen,250. (U.k. pricing has however to be announced)

The Deadwood SUS is bachelor now.

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Source: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/mountain-bikes/salsa-deadwood-first-ride-review/