Video: Salsa Makes its Timberjack More Hardcore

Feb 23, 2021 at 15:37
by Salsa Cycles  
The All New Timberjack

by SalsaCycles
Views: 5,554    Faves: 3    Comments: 0


Press Release: Salsa

As trails get bigger, faster, and more technical, hardtails have progressed to keep pace. The all-new Salsa Timberjack is the latest in the line of evolution. It’s an aggressive trail hardtail, wrought from 6061-T6 alloy and equipped for rowdy rides.

For starters, Timberjack’s updated geometry kicks its trail capabilities up a notch. Salsa Design Engineer Pete Hall declared his goal for the project in a few simple words: “Make it even more of a ripper!”



A slacker head tube angle (66.4 degrees) accommodates up to a 150 mm suspension fork without getting too steep as it moves through its travel. The new Timberjack’s longer reach and steeper seat tube angle (75.1 degrees) offer a sense stability on steep terrain and big hits while balancing rider weight distribution for traction and pedaling performance. We paired Timberjack’s long front center with a short rear end for a lively feel. Our Alternator 2.0 adjustable dropouts let riders set chainstay length anywhere from 420–437 mm. The short, straight seat tube plays a role, too. From the engineer: “That was a conscious decision to allow for a really long dropper post on all sizes, lower the standover height, and still get a bottle on the seat tube (sizes S–XL). It was a key part of making the bike as capable as we wanted.”



Of course, the numbers aren’t everything. We expanded Timberjack’s cargo capacity with top tube mounts and a Three-Pack mount on the down tube. Alternator 2.0 adjustable dropouts let you tune the ride to your liking and allow for easy single speed setups.

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89 Comments

  • 55 5
 Can't wait to get one in 2022!
  • 18 3
 Working for a salsa dealer unfortunately that is fax
  • 10 1
 @Sandlakes800: I work for one too, I know the struggle. Trek is worse
  • 11 0
 @Sandlakes800: fax me one please..
  • 4 0
 Not that PB hasn't addressed this but I wish there was an ongoing post stickied at the top with Frame/Component Brands listed and known lead times for some things. Fortunately I am not in need of a bike, but I figured it would've gotten better at some point this year. But appears not, every brand has pre-orders out 3-6 months in advance if not longer. Just would like to better understand the state the industry is in, cause at this point I may be riding easier as to not break shit.
  • 1 0
 @pbfan08: Watch the interview Vital(I think?) did with the CEO of Santa Cruz, he explains why there are delays. It's not exactly that frames can't be produced, but getting the components to actually build the bikes is a huge issue. That's why I think chances of getting a frameset are better than a complete bike. I ordered a Salsa Timberjack frameset with this new geometry as I also work at a Salsa dealer, so I hope I actually get it this season!
  • 1 0
 @pbfan08: Unfortunately it's not that simple - production lead times are slipping for manufacturers everywhere, shipping lead times are variable too, then there's distribution/dealer arrangements country to country that can affect timings. It's hard to really pin it down to "You can get Part X in Y months." All the brands out there wish it was though!
  • 1 0
 I was able to pick up a size large 27+GX today at my LBS. I also saw there is one available nearby
  • 1 0
 Should these brands even bother if they are months away from the product being available... ?
  • 41 0
 A Spicier Salsa.
  • 40 1
 If they don't name this colorway "Pico de Gallo" this isn't real.
  • 15 2
 I have a 160mm fork on my Timberjack. It's good to see more brands realizing that just because you want a hardtail doesn't mean you want a short-travel fork.
  • 14 1
 And on the flip side, I'm stoked to finally see a short-travel hardtail with aggressive go. It looks to be quite versatile, no matter how you want to build it up: ss, 29, 27.5+, 150mm-130mm.
  • 2 1
 @hardtailparty: check out Ragley's line up.
  • 15 1
 @hardtailparty: I'm waiting on agressive geo 120mm hardtails. Like Transition spur-ish geo on a steel hardtail would be amazing.... That I could also single speed.
  • 3 0
 @pandafoo: yeah, I'm loving the attention geo is getting in all disciplines. I slapped an angleset on my Rootdown BA which puts the HA at 64 and SA around 77. Great for our trails both up and down. 64 used to be DH territory. No longer.

I'm sure you've heard of Marino bikes too. Custom steel frames out of Peru. A buddy has one and it looks awesome. He went to 62 HA and love it. Hey if it works for him then why not?
  • 10 0
 @pandafoo: You mean.... the BTR ranger?
  • 2 0
 @dreamlink87: Well hot dang that is exactly what I'm speaking of. And I know I have an old 10spd clutch mech laying around that could work as tensioner for ss... hmmm..
  • 5 0
 @conv3rt: Good lord you can get ridonculously custom crazy with the geo with Marino. I had not seeing those before. You could go crazy on set up with that.
  • 5 0
 @conv3rt: check out hardtails' channel. www.youtube.com/channel/UCwDvZTTIQ6Qz-xfZ-QXXuSw
  • 2 1
 @conv3rt: oh, he has...

Just type the username into google.
  • 3 0
 @pandafoo: or a Kona Honzo ST. don't need a tensioner
konaworld.com/honzo_st_frame.cfm
  • 4 0
 @pandafoo: we don't have a ton of options yet, but I'm hoping that will change. These are some of the promising ones: bc podsol, esker japhy, cotic SolarisMAX, pipedream sirrius, stif squatch, stanton sherpa.
  • 3 0
 @pandafoo: the bike you want exists, its a honzo
  • 1 0
 @CamC127: Thanks for pointing that out.
  • 1 0
 @hardtailparty: Sooooonderrrrr Transsmittterrerrr
  • 1 0
 @pandafoo: BTR’s are stunning. They can build you a frame with SS drop outs.
  • 1 0
 I thought the exact opposite, give me 120mm with a 74 seat tube, 67 head angle and 440 chainstays.
  • 1 0
 @pandafoo: The Spot Rocker certainly fits the bill as well!
  • 11 0
 ~Jack and Jill rode up the hill~
with 6 inches in the front and party in the back
They went down all the way to lucky town
Jill said "that's a nice piece of timber Jack"!
  • 4 0
 I'd ride it. Biggest spec challenge is those horrible forks, and they play the game where an XT spec is actually an SLX mix with tektro brakes... but I'd ride it, and the seat tubes are short I could ride an XL and stretch out the drop outs to make it a really gnarly bike. Head tube angle isn't everything, and it's ripe for an angleset...
  • 3 0
 Yeah the builds are pretty weird. Z2 with GX and 35 Gold with XT/SLX? And the brakes are weak on every build. I'd probably just go for the SLX build and upgrade. That seems like the best value.
  • 7 0
 The world literally wasn’t ready for this bike until today
  • 5 0
 Adding a hard rock/metal-esque soundtrack is really all that's need to make any bike more aggressive. Hahahaha!
  • 2 0
 I like seeing the max travel go up above 130. Their website actually specifies a max ATC covered under warranty, but claims it typically matches 130 travel. This is a top contender for the single speed build I am planning for next year especially now that it can definitely accommodate the spare fork I have that can go to a minimum of 140. I hope the price stays around $450 for the frame only!
  • 5 0
 Pinkbike, please stop announcing new bikes that won't be available until 2024
  • 5 0
 All that frame space and you strap the tube in the worst place possible
  • 4 0
 Yea that sounds great and all, for all 14 that'll get produced and shipped this year to dealers....LOL
  • 5 0
 Salsa really doin their thing lately. Good looking bike.
  • 1 0
 I ride an older Timberjack made for 130mm and have a 140mm fork on it. I keep looking at titanium frames, but honestly the Timberjack frame I have is very light. With 29x2.6 and 2.8 tires I can't share anything about how an aluminum frame feels, since the tires make things very cushy! I want this new one!! I bought my current frame used, and may have to resort to the classified again if I can't get one new
  • 1 0
 Been ripping around on my tokul 3 for over a year now and thinking about upgrading, but keeping with the hardtail because....reasons. Looks like this would be awesome, except I'll be riding the tokul 3 for another year if I want to hold out for this, lol. Damnnnn
  • 3 0
 I feel there is a lot of information missing here. Still dual wheel size? Complete pricing? Frame pricing?
  • 3 3
 Because it's not supposed to be announced until tomorrow
  • 2 1
 @Samueljlutz: Yep.. Lot of frustrated people over here
  • 1 0
 @Squinned: lol uh oh
  • 4 0
 So stoked for this. Fantastic changes all around, and great pricepoint.
  • 1 0
 bit late for my question, but anyway: in your modern vs. traditional riding style video, you mentioned the timberjack to be on the more traditional side of riding style due to the classic geometry. would this still apply on the updated geometry?
  • 2 0
 @Tiefkuehlpizza: i haven't had the chance to ride the new tj yet, but based off the geo chart, I would definitely put it in the modern camp.
  • 1 0
 LOL..I was going to sell my 2019 in lieu of riding my '18 Fuel EX 9.8 full time. Now I see this crap and no way am I selling this bike. Mine has the sliding rear dropouts, so hell-to-the-no. Gonna make it into a SS.
  • 3 0
 Where's the roost cannon when you need it?
  • 3 0
 I love the versatility of the frame
  • 2 0
 I personally like that affordable none XC race hardtails are getting a lot of development lately.
  • 4 4
 Interesting that PinkBike was allowed to drop this today when the official release is tomorrow and all info from dealers in still embargoed till then!!!
  • 10 0
 Salsa created the post
  • 3 1
 Agreed!! I manage product listings at a national retailer, and was really disappointed when I saw this article
  • 7 0
 @Squinned: Not being in the bike industry I am genuinely interested in why it’s upsetting.
  • 1 1
 @Squinned: I think you misunderstand something. The release date is feb. 25....thats today. and of course Salsa want to control the narrative and embargo retailers until the official release from Salsa themselves.

Why would you be disappointed that there are hype building posts the day before your listings go live? Sounds well planned to me ( but what do I know, Ive only worked for an OEM for 2 decades).

cheers
  • 4 0
 @thedirtyburritto: Pinkbike inadvertently broke the embargo by putting this entire article up yesterday (the youtube video didn't work because Salsa hadn't made it public yet). Pinkbike took it down, but not until quite a few people saw it and commented on it (many in the industry who were aware that the embargo was up until Feb 25th). It was Pinkbike's mistake, and it makes sense that people wouldn't be happy about it.

But maybe it's guerilla marketing... intentionally breaking embargo and acting like it's a mistake in order to build hype the day before.
  • 1 1
 Was about to pull the trigger until I saw the standover on an XL is 800mm. Salsa's definition of "rowdy" involves more ball-squeezing than I like.
  • 6 1
 how often are you standing flat-footed in front of your seat? The seat tubes are some of the shortest in the industry.
  • 5 1
 @hardtailparty: the ST length is best-in-class. But the standover is pretty bad. A lot of other XL hardcore hardtails come in at a ~750mm standover because they utilize some kind of ST gusset. This frame does not. As someone with short legs who likes to move around a lot on the bike (and has to bail pretty regularly), 2" makes a lot of difference.
  • 4 0
 @hardtailparty: you're right that standover as a measurement of flat-footed standover doesn't affect how a bike rides. But standover with stack height are a good indicator of how low the top tube is in the area that your shins/knees are, and how much room for movement you'll have over a bike. The medium size looks completely dialed. I just wished they scaled the sizing up differently for tall riders...
  • 2 0
 Standover is definitely higher than other brands, but they do that for the sake of maximizing front triangle space for framepacks.
  • 1 0
 @OregonTrailBikes: I don't see bikepacking mentioned in the ad though. If the design intent is to be a rowdy hardtail, it deserves to be judged as one.

Practically, this seems like a great bike for folks that want a fun trail bike that they can load down with gear. But not a pure trail bike.
  • 3 0
 Salsa measures their SH 50mm forward of the center of the BB, not sure if that correlates to the frames you're comparing, but I often find that the SH measurement that frame/bike companies use is never measured at the same spot, which is why you get a wide range of different standover heights on what is otherwise a very similar design. A great example is Pivot: They measure their SH AT the BB, rather than in front of it. This allows them to tote that they have industry-leading SH measurements, but they really aren't measuring the point where you step forward to straddle the TT.
  • 2 0
 They need to name a bike “chips and”
  • 1 0
 salsa is one of the coolest brands out there. original names. cool frames and badass bikes
  • 1 0
 Blimey I nearly fell off my sofa! A bike actually made of metal!!!! Hurray!!!
  • 1 0
 I actually really liked the first Timberjack. More than my old Honzo.
  • 2 0
 Yea Javy????
  • 1 0
 Mr. Zuniga repping!
  • 1 0
 Was the promo video filmed at Battle Creek in St. Paul?
  • 1 0
 No. It's shot in Bentonville.
  • 2 0
 Three bottles!!!
  • 1 0
 Nice with double bottles for super epic rides Smile
  • 1 0
 Is this what it remained from fat bikes nowadays?
  • 2 0
 Those cables tho
  • 1 1
 Nooooo! They copied my Trek Stache with a 150!
  • 1 0
 !!!
  • 1 2
 Steeper seat angle and slacker head tube. Revolutionary. Much groundbreaking.
  • 2 2
 Nobody is going to beat the kona honzo esd
  • 2 4
 I don't get it
  • 4 0
 Given Salsa's production volumes, not many people will. ;-)
  • 2 0
 @mudcycles: Ouch.
At least the shop I work at has a ton of pre-orders on the way. We got Cassidys in last week and booked a ton of Trek e-bikes for the boomers this summer.

FYI Two large & two XL Cassidy framesets are available to order from the distribuitor right now.... Ti Timberjack frames should be in stock soon too but anything else is a roll of the dice with Salsa.
I got my Cassidy frame last week and building it up because EP's are just not happening this year.
  • 1 0
 @JonThomas: Distribution in NZ is a bit different, the local importer prefers to sell direct but doesn't even have Cassidy/blackthorns listed yet on the website.
Bikeshops pretty much just get assembly costs down here, there's no margin in them and you get lumbered with any aftersale problems so no shops I know of keep them in stock them or market them.
They're a "if some one specifically asks for one we'll get it in & hope to flog them some other parts at the same time" brand.
It's a pity because they are really amazing frames (I love my Blackborrow commuter bike).
  • 1 0
 @mudcycles: Good thing you have great riding over there. Only a handful of raw frames were available to order in the US and Quality Bike Parts has been out of most Salsa completes since July. Timberjacks are vaporware and shops needed to pre-book bikes six months ago to see stuff this spring. Hoping the bikepocalypse gets better this summer but it is looking bleak right now. The sub $1500 MTN bikes are nowhere to found and parts are still out of stock if you want to build something.
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