Gravel & All-Road Bikes

Salsa is a pioneer in the gravel world, offering a diverse range of bikes for everything from racing to exploration. Sizing is crucial for achieving a blend of long-distance comfort and responsive handling.

Warbird, Journeyer, Stormchaser Size Chart

Cutthroat V3 Size Chart

Mountain Bikes

From playful hardtails to aggressive full-suspension rigs, Salsa's mountain bikes are built for singletrack adventures. Sizing is based on S-XL designations to accommodate modern long-and-low geometry.

Blackthorn & Cassidy Size Chart

Rustler & Horsethief Size Chart

Rangefinder & Timberjack Size Chart

Fat Bikes

Built for snow, sand, and any terrain imaginable, Salsa's fat bikes like the Mukluk and Heyday offer flotation and traction. Sizing is focused on providing control and ample standover clearance.

Mukluk & Heyday Size Chart

Touring Bikes

The legendary Fargo is Salsa's drop-bar, off-road touring bike, designed for ultimate versatility on long-distance adventures. Its geometry is unique, providing a comfortable, upright position for long hours in the saddle.

Fargo Size Chart

A Deep Dive into Salsa's "Adventure by Bike" Geometry

The sizing charts provide the essential data, but to truly understand how to pick your perfect Salsa, you need to understand the philosophy that shapes their frames. Every Salsa bike is a purpose-built tool for a specific type of adventure, and the geometry is the most important part of that design. Their approach is not about a single, unified fit, but rather a spectrum of geometries, each fine-tuned for its intended use-case, from ultra-endurance racing to rugged singletrack exploration.

The Salsa Geometry Spectrum: From Racing to Exploring

Think of Salsa's lineup as a spectrum of handling characteristics. On one end, you have bikes designed for speed and efficiency; on the other, bikes designed for maximum control and capability in challenging terrain.

• Gravel Race (Warbird): The Warbird has a longer reach and lower stack for a more aerodynamic and powerful riding position. Its geometry is designed for stability at high speeds on gravel roads, with a bottom bracket height that provides excellent cornering poise.
• Bikepacking Race (Cutthroat): The Cutthroat has a significantly shorter reach and higher stack than the Warbird. This creates a more upright, comfortable position that reduces fatigue on multi-day, ultra-endurance events like the Tour Divide. It's less about pure aerodynamics and more about sustainable comfort and control.
• All-Road / Touring (Fargo): The Fargo takes the drop-bar concept even further into mountain bike territory. It has a very high stack and is designed around a wide drop bar, providing an upright, commanding position with incredible control on rough trails. Its geometry is that of a rigid mountain bike designed for drop bars.
• Trail & Enduro MTB (Blackthorn/Cassidy): These bikes showcase modern progressive geometry with very long reach numbers, steep seat tube angles for efficient climbing, and extremely slack head tube angles (64-65 degrees) for maximum confidence and control on steep, technical descents.

The Importance of Standover Height

You'll notice that, unlike many brands, we've included the **standover height** in every single chart. For a brand focused on adventure, this is a critical safety and confidence metric. Whether you're navigating a tricky rock garden on a Timberjack or stopping on a loose gravel road on a Journeyer, the ability to comfortably and safely put both feet on the ground is paramount. When choosing your size, your inseam measurement should be at least 2-3 inches (5-7 cm) greater than the listed standover height to ensure adequate clearance.

Split Pivot+ and Split Pivot HP Suspension

Salsa's full-suspension mountain bikes utilize Dave Weagle's renowned Split Pivot suspension design. The platform is engineered to separate braking and acceleration forces from the suspension's action, resulting in incredible traction and pedaling efficiency. This platform's predictability allows Salsa's engineers to design the frame with modern, progressive geometry. The "HP" (High Pivot) version on the Cassidy further enhances this by creating a rearward axle path that is exceptional at absorbing large, square-edge hits, making the bike feel incredibly planted and stable in rough terrain. This suspension technology is a key enabler of the confident-handling geometry for which these bikes are known.

Sizing FAQ & Advice

Why is a Professional Bike Fit Important for a Salsa Bike?

A professional bike fit is a crucial investment for any dedicated cyclist, but it's especially important for Salsa bikes due to their specialized nature. While our charts provide an excellent starting point based on height and standover, a professional fitter can analyze your individual flexibility, proportions (torso vs. leg length), and intended riding style (e.g., racing vs. touring). They can help you decide between two sizes and fine-tune your position with the correct stem length and handlebar width, ensuring your bike is perfectly tailored for long-distance comfort and optimal control.

I'm Between Two Sizes. Which Should I Choose?

This is a common and important question. The answer depends on your primary use for the bike:

• For Stability & Long-Distance Comfort: If you're between sizes on a bike like the Fargo or Cutthroat and your goal is bikepacking, sizing up can provide more room in the main triangle for a frame bag and a more stable, less twitchy ride over long days.
• For Agility & Technical Riding: If you're on the cusp for a mountain bike like the Rustler or a gravel bike like the Warbird that you'll use for spirited riding, sizing down often results in a more playful, nimble, and easier-to-maneuver bike.

Always prioritize standover clearance. If sizing up means you have minimal clearance over the top tube, the smaller size is the safer and better choice.

How does the fit of a Warbird (Gravel Race) differ from a Cutthroat (Bikepacking)?

Even though they are both drop-bar adventure bikes, their fit is fundamentally different. A size 56cm Warbird has a longer reach (390mm) and lower stack (594mm) than a 56cm Cutthroat (376mm reach, 630mm stack). This means the Warbird puts the rider in a lower, more powerful, and aerodynamic position suited for speed. The Cutthroat's much shorter reach and significantly higher stack create a more upright, comfortable, and controlled position, which is ideal for reducing strain and improving visibility during ultra-endurance rides on rough terrain.

What is a "Drop-Bar Mountain Bike" like the Fargo?

The Salsa Fargo is a unique bike that essentially has the geometry of a rigid 29er mountain bike but is designed to be used with drop handlebars. It has a very tall head tube and is designed for a relatively short stem. This creates an upright and comfortable riding posture in the hoods and a very controlled, confidence-inspiring position in the drops for descending on singletrack. It's the ultimate choice for riders who want the versatility of a drop bar but plan to tackle terrain that is more challenging than a typical gravel road.