Efficiency too & the angles of say an ISO lends itself to one being perfectly positioned for long periods of time (days) with an ability to effortlessly switch from one terrain to another (trail, singletrack, road & gravel). I currently have a Surly Long Haul Trucker that I have built to suit adventure cycling conditions. Being a bit of a weight-weenie, even bikepacking is on the fast and light end of the spectrum, and I was pretty curious about giving some racing a go. I havent tried suspension on my ISO but have seen some interesting builds with Lauf etc. You can pick up the 2020 Cannondale Topstone Ultegra option which is their top of the line option from $2,100 USD. EDIT: I guess it would be a tad overkill for those races but nothing smaller wheels wouldn't solve. Leatherman The Cutthroats front derailleur mount is bolted to the frame in 3 places a custom bracket that didnt look very movable. Your help is needed by March 12 to convince the FS to not permit MT FWP to poison the North Fork Blackfoot River in the iconic Scapegoat Wilderness, and to stop stocking fish in these naturally fishless streams. Salsa engineers also thought about fans of dynamo hubs and their related charging units and lights. I would like to have the option to ride 29ers as well at as 27.5in, The one thing Im now sure of is the bike is going to be made of steel or titanium (except maybe the fork). Flowy trails and smooth winding dirt roads are a rarity in Cuba. by Biz Markie. Im sure the ISO is great to ride. When I say I havent ridden steel I actually forgot that I one owned an Orange C16R (yes Im that old!) 56cm. Bikepacking bag straps can do a number on a carbon frame when rubbing continuously for a month or two straight, specifically the headtube where the handlebar bag and associated anchor strap makes contact (and actually can rub holes in carbon over time). And it has a nice elastic drawstring on the top for strapping wet clothes. Find details on the three most recent issues below, join the Bikepacking Collective to get it in the mail (anywhere in the World), or click here to find a collection of selected stories in digital format. Ive ridden the Salsa Cutthroat and loved it. Drop bars are not a necessity for that! Three mounts for bottle cages. An amazing drop barred off-roader if you are into big miles. The bike fits up to 29 x 2.4 tires. All Rights Reserved, A very scientific survey was carried out to see what some other Cutthroat owners (, That brings us to the future of bikepacking gearing. Obvs that is defined territory but i will never ever sell it. Have you tried a suspension fork on the ISO? With a low gear just over 25 gear-inches, many would struggle on the climbs with a full compliment of gear, food and fluid. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Given that the Cutthroat is indeed a mountain bike, some might find the curly Cowchipper drop bars an odd spec. Sorry! Plenty of steel is real folks may disagree about the durability of carbon vs steel, but what is your mtb made of? With a lightweight, efficient carbon frameset, ample tire clearance, and thoroughly thought-out mounts for all of your ride and camp essentials, Cutthroat is equally suited to setting records or seeking R&R. I did find myself looking at pure steel mountain bikes this afternoon. Fitting the Cutthroats disposition, our trip started out with a lot of time in the saddle. Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed. No bike is. The RX812 only has a chainwrap capacity of 31T, so shouldnt work with my setup which has a 41T chainwrap: As mentioned above it all seems to work just fine and although the 40T/42t combo is a bit of a strain, it still works. Furthermore it would be great if the bike came withlots of mounting points for water bottles and cargo cages for extra storage. Wool lightweight socks The new model comes in four builds, six color ways, and a frameset. While giving you a lightweight adventureframe. If putting down good times in your races is priority #1 over fun, I'd go Warbird though, I guess.. Wyojhwk 4 yr. ago Two Salsa Cutthroats were loaned to Logan (size large) and his wife Virginia (medium) for this review. to support us + get The Bikepacking Journal. 12 Best Front Bike Racks For Touring & Bikepacking, Best Gravel Bike Shorts For Adventure, Touring and Bikepacking, Best Fat Bike Fenders & Mudguards For Bikepacking, Handlebar Extender For Bikepacking & Touring, Best Bikepacking Saddle Bags & Seat Packs A Buyers Guide, Top 10 Cheap Bikepacking Bags Bikepacking on a Budget. The majority of modern MTBs are setup 1x and options for 2x are pretty limited particularly if you want anything bigger than a 38T chainring. What should I look for in a Bikepacking bike? Categorised as a gravel bike, that is designed to take you off the beaten track. With the 11-34 Cassette, that gives a decent range (~ 470%) but is weighted more towards the fast, gravel-racer end of the spectrum than the loaded hill-grovelleurs. The Cutthroat is . Comes with Surly Knard 293.0 tires, with a clearance for 27.5 x 3 (XSM) or 29 x 3 (MXL) tires (with or without fenders). Ill stick my neck out and say if its more trail oriented riding & bike packing you want then its the ISO, this is what this bike is designed for. It comes with a top tube mount and 3 water bottle mounts. The high end 2021 Salsa Cutthroat comes with a full SRAM Eagle AXS group, including the Rainbow color chain and cassette. Carbonfiend and Hanky: thanks so much for your input on the Mason. You can replace salsa with hot sauce any time, and you'll love the kick it gives to your recipes! Honestly, thats what this bike is all about. I was looking for something between gravel bike and rigid mountain bike, so the 27.5+ wheels didn't entice me. And, after a couple of seemingly interminable days in the saddle, it became pretty clear that this bike was dialed in for lengthy rides. The attraction of the Mason is its off-road ability, and its an exciting bespoke build from a UK company who I can call on with anytime I fancy. Where we anticipated meandering dirt roads in the mountains, we found primitive, chunky, rutted, and beastly tracks. This netted us about 23 gear inches in the granny gear, which was fine for the lighter, summer weather loads we were carrying. The Cutthroat is Salsa Cycles carbon drop bar mountain bike which is aimed at bike-packing and long rides in remote territory, ala Tour Divide. Salsa Cutthroat GRX 600 (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $3,599 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) See all prices. I havent ridden a Cutthroat but do own a Salsa (El Mariachi). They're offering three sizes initially, the Cannonball is a 38mm tire, the Golina is a 32mm "cross tire" and the Sparwood (pictured) is a 2.2 multi-use MTB tire. Slide on a fresh olive, shove hose into the MTB lever and tighten nut (8mm spanner this time). 4oz sealant Note that Im guessing here from trying to eyeball it and I cant be bothered to take it all apart to check and re-setup the derailleur. Studda Step. This also makes the bike easier to get on when loaded. For our anticipated route, the gearing was a little high, which we rectified before setting out by replacing the SRAM 38T X-SYNC ring with a Wolftooth CAMO and 34t ring. Apart from the aforementioned Gravel rings (which are too big for my liking), finding a suitable 2x crankset or chainrings in 11-spd world was proving difficult. As far as we could tell, no one had completed a full off-road traverse of Cuba, and there wasnt much detail on many of her tracks, both mapped or otherwise. All of these factors owed to the right bars matched with the right geometry platform. 5.10 Guide Tennies (flats) Ideally Salsa could have just made the slot longer in the braze-on mount, allowing a bigger range of chainrings. And all have their own benefits. The bikes are suitable for riders between 5'1 and 6'3+ tall. Take a look at the Bombtrack Facebook group. Description. Kona describes this bike as the ultimate fat bike utilizing our favourite attributes from its siblings in the lineup.. Id like to add that my flat barred Salsa is the best balanced and best handling bike Ive ridden by far. The Lynskey is mentioned in this list as one of the better titanium bikepacking bike options on the market. Cutthroat is Salsa's ultra-endurance mixed surface bike inspired by the Tour Divide. If you like Gone On That Bay, you might also like Beefing by 504 Boyz and Memphis Legend by Playa Fly and the other songs below .. At the fork crown is a spot to mount your front light. Been exploring the world by bike for a few years now. Ha. 1. You can expect strength and suppleness with the Cromoly Unicrown steel fork. I personally have been looking for a bikepacking bike and considering the options. Salsa has a gravel bike for almost every type of riding, and their models include high-end carbon models like Warbird and Warroad, as well as the Cutthroat. It's designed and built to cover long distances with speed and comfort." Cutthroat models and framesets: C GRX 600 1x - $3599 C GRX 810 2x - $4699 C GX Eagle AXS - $5699 C X01 Eagle AXS - $8399 Frameset - $2599 The Cutthroat is ideal for: 10-spd chainrings work fine with 11-spd drivetrains so this is where I focussed next. After three months of review, the bike accompanied us to Ohio. But we really didnt know what to expect. At the time of writing, Ive probably only ridden ~200km before the global super-virus shut down gravelling here in New Zealand. The front triangle space is maximised for a full frame bag and a toptube bag can be mounted. It ranges from 4 - 6 pounds lighter than the Fargo thanks to a carbon frame and higher-tier components. Salsa Cutthroat C GX Eagle AXS is an ultra-endurance bikepacking machine inspired by the unique challenges that the Tour Divide presents. price sold by type electric assist +. Nik can help with custom bike builds, bikepacking hacks and gear, but specializes in making your suspension supple AF. The main recommendation was a Salsa Fargo 27.5+ with the Salsa Cutthroat and Salsa Warbird as nearby options. Debit card, Sunscreen And also compatibility with Surly-8 and 24-Pack racks. Priced at $69.93 on REI.com. The final list of parts is below: Note also that Im using the RX812 GRX Rear derailleur which is designed for 1x with 11-42t cassettes. Honestly it tears me up but I genuinely believe that I was destined to ride bikes for the rest of my life! Pull out the hose, and cut the last ~15mm off the end ( proper tools are worthwhile). 29 x 2.25 and 27.5 x 2.6 are more realistic max clearances. Good deals right now. This Kona is the ultimate bikepacking bike that feels like a mountain bike with drop bars, but also has the speed of a road bike. The V1 Cutthroat is a quite a different design, but nevertheless I was still interested to know what gearing others were running on theirs. Also comes in a front suspension fork option. Current Stock: Quantity: Add to Wish List. #1447116 - 25.10.20 21:27 Salsa Cutthroat - Hilfe ich habe es getan: motion Mitglied Themenersteller. Ive got a Bombtrack hook extc which is a great do it all gravel/ adventure bike. And even more so if that someone wants to tackle a race such as the Tour Divide, or even shorter routes like the Trans North Georgia or the NM Off-road Runner. For Issue 08, we invited several contributors to return and pick up where earlier trips and ideas left off and also feature a handful of first-timers whose perspectives weve long been eager to share Issue 07 Issue seven is a celebration of courage and discovery of what were capable of when we dont let others expectations define us Issue 06 examined a diverse range of topics, including embracing aloneness, rekindling a sense of adventure, grappling with failure, and many more Salsa Cycles just announced its 2021 Cutthroat. But at its heart, the Cutthroat is indeed a mountain bike one destined for speed and long rides. Salsa have two models that come with 2x drivetrains; the GRX 600 and the top-of-the-line GRX 810 Di2. Seems like it would be relevant. Carbon frame with VRS rear-end + a stable and comfortable geometry + 2.1 tires = a bike that's comfortable and perfectly dialed in for long and rough rides. Theres definitely some overlap with my other bikes but the Mason is a unique proposition and a fast smile-inducing bike-packing rig. For this tour of more than 4,000 km from Alaska to the U.S.-Mexican border, Salsa developed the Cutthroat and as a sign of this, printed the complete route of the Tour Divide on the down tube. This is the Tour Divide and Cutthroat is engineered to thrive on it. I have the 44cm with super grippy Lizard Skin DSP on my Arkose and on the drops you feel so locked in the control is fantastic. The Local Overnighters Project is a unified effort to document and map one-night bikepacking routes all over the worldby locals, in their own backyards. Wheel Size 29 inches Number of Gears 11 gear (s) Features High-modulus carbon frame and fork increase ride compliance Particularly interested in doing routes like An Turas More in Scotland. Salsa Journeyer Gravel bike men's medium, near new. But then Id want a bike thats light with a quicker geometry that feels more road-like anyway. An interesting option for sure, Theres so much to consider though. They tried (unsuccessfully) to do Dirty Kanza on a Cutthroat, but ultimately stood by their decision. Smooth gravel, rough forest roads, and singletrack all in the same day for weeks on end. The Cutthroat is listed as an ultra endurance gravel bike. Both used the bike for loaded bikepacking sometimes at race pace. A very scientific survey was carried out to see what some other Cutthroat owners (n=2) were running here in NZ: Road Brifters dont work particularly well with MTB derailleurs so both ran an inline barrel shifter to fine-tune gears when the Front Derailleur cage-rub got annoying. Built for bikepacking and off-road touring and single-track. The Genesis Vagabond is a monstercross bike in the loosest sense of the term; the illegitimate lovechild of a road and mountain bike, a frankenbike that has long been the staple of shed tinkerers, the result of many an experimental I wonder if spare parts box builds. . Mountain Money Cheers The bike comes with multiple mounts for bottle cages and storage. I havent used a suspension fork, I have an XC F/S for any type of riding I feel a suspension fork would be required and I bought the ISO with its spec fork in mind. First thing is the bikes material. Vee Rubber Snow Avalanche and Snowshoe XL 4.8 tires ensure you can power through the snow, mud, sand. And according to Salsa 46T is the. But a 46T Outer seems pretty massive for a 29er, particularly one loaded with bikepacking gear. We inspire and inform through original bikepacking routes, stories, and coverage of the gear, news, and events that make our community thrive. While I knew all of my cunning plans should work in theory, Id have to wait until the parts and frame arrived to find out for sure. Two bikes have caught my imagination: The Mason Insearchof and the Salsa Cutthroat. First and foremost, the Cutthroats geometry helps create the stability and comfort that makes it suitable for epic dusk til dark days on the dirt and gravel roads of the Tour Divide. Mission Workshop Hauser 14L backpack Insert a new barb - again, proper tools are very worth it. To complicate matters Ive been offered a great deal on a new Cutthroat. Get a Warbird.. The Cutthroat was conceived as a svelte carbon bikepacking and endurance race machine designed for the endless ribbons of gravel, doubletrack, and smooth singletrack that the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is known for. This frame set comes well equipped with mounts galore Search Products search 02380 282028 Login Basket Menu HomeShopHireDemoRoutes RepairsCafeJournalBuild GalleryContactBasket BackShop HomeBasket Category Bikes Bike Packing Rigs Cube 2023 E-Bikes Touring Bikes The Cutty even comes with a glossy map graphic of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route on its downtube. All of this road drivetrain and Boost spacing has opened up the chainstays and fork for 29-inch tires up to a 2.4-inch width. For this 2020 model the frame has not changed since the previous. Big Thanks to Nik at Nelson Cycle Tech for sourcing parts and patiently supervising me while I took two whole days to put together this bike! Note however that you cant use most of these on the Cutthroat because theyre designed for gravel bikes most of which are still non-boost and have roady BB spacing! Canon 5d SALSA CUTTHROAT GRX810 2X Cutthroat is Salsa's Tour Divide-inspired bikepacking machine. The Cutthroat Carbon Rival 1 ($3,999) gets a 111 drivetrain, SRAM hydraulic Rival Hydro brakes, and SRAM . Im also a big fan of the 44cm Venturemax bars, and the GRX brakes plus XT Di2 combination is brilliant. Camping? Super glue, iPhone/earbuds/USB cable The Fit Link lowers the FD by between 8.8mm and 15.9mm, which after a bit of maths gave me confidence my derailleur cage would be close enough to use a smaller outer chainring in the 38-42T range. Ortlieb Handlebar Pack and Accessory when I say I rarely ride on drops Im talking about my road bike. The Cutthroat, on the other hand, was able to dissect rocky tracks as well or better than many 29ers Ive ridden. Jay says his dream would be to have a 30t up front in either a 30/42 or 30/44 with the wide range cassette out back., So, based on all the above I had a rough idea what I was aiming for with a 2x Chainring setup; something between. Then, controversial opinion here I know but why buy a drop-bar 29er? Tweet. Also, find a few more details on the paint over at Salsas blog. theoretically, the asymmetrical rim design coupled with straight gauge spokes should make for a stiff and strong wheel. Even with the vertical give of the VRS, the bike itself is laterally stiff and equally as responsive when pedaling. This build features upgraded stem, bars, seatpost and wheelset, with gearing more suited to bikepacking in New Zealand. I love drop bar bikes but theres a clear line for me. We have over 300 original and curated bikepacking routes in our global network spanning nearly 50 countries. Nick B (another Nick!). Interesting to know youve ridden trails like that on it. Lego 70815 - Der TOP-Favorit unserer Produkttester. Ive got a bolt in frame bag from Straight cut and you can fit loads in it. 2 lenses I rode gravel bikes with tall head tubes and one with extra headset spacers with an untrimmed steer tube to increase the stack height but I think that the best and most elegant looking solution is the Cutthroat's suspension-corrected fork. All rolling on WTB Nano 292.1 Tyres. And, at its core lies the groundwork for tons of space to carry everything you need on a long adventure. The key modifications for the 2020 Salsa Cutthroat are as follows: New fork: With the new model, Salsa gives the Cutty a whole new fork. Is there anything else I should be considering? This long, twisty, and, at times, chunky gravel and two-track climb led to a ripping return descent which Ive experienced on several other gravel and adventure bikes. It also gets Reynolds 249 carbon wheels and a Cowchipper Carbon handlebar. Use code HELLO54 when you join us as a print or digital member and your membership will be half price for the first year. Ample tire clearance for 650B x2.1 or 700c x 28c-45c tires (up to 42c with full fenders). And according to Salsa 46T is the smallest you can go with the outer ring! Can run up to 2.25s I think, currently got 50s on it and its very capable round the Peak District where I do all my riding. tires, also has an internal sleeve through which a dynamo wire can be routed. Revelate Designs Cutthroat Frame Bag Your other option for a frame bag with the Cutthroat is the Revelate Designs Frame Bag. Is categorised as gravel bike. Im always right around the cutoff for chasing the sun on my cutthroat. In hindsight, our most accurate description, albeit a modest one, is that Cuba doesnt give up its goods easily. And a radical backswept Jones bar. Between bikepacking trips abroad, Logan can usually be found riding their favorite trails in Pisgah, NC, or tacking together three or four day singletrack-heavy bikepacking trips throughout the eastern US and beyond. The topic Mason Insearchof vs Salsa Cutthroat is closed to new replies. Surprisingly, the Salsa Cutthroat has more chops than one might think. Ive also been riding rigid carbon forks for a number of years on my El Mar so riding rigid doesnt really phase me for want of a better description. I found theres a real difference between a flat bar XC style geometry when on long distance bike packs. As requested, here is my full gear list from the trip as well: Porcelain Rocket Framebag Mason ISO (perhaps still my favourite) With a light, tough carbon fiber frame and fork with thru axles front and rear. (New annually renewing membership only. I used to bike pack my El Mariachi & the switch to drop bar specific adventure bike was huge, far more proficient, safe & balanced handling. And I love Mason. The bike comes with 45 mm tires ready for all-conditions. Salsa EXP Toptube Bag 1 wool long sleeve You can pick this bike up from $2,899. It is more then capable! The Atlas mountain race looks right up my street. Most likely, itll find itself at home with two-bike kind of people and some three-bike folks with money to spend. The Bikepacking Journal is our biannual printed publication. Nik can help with custom bike builds, bikepacking hacks and gear, but specializes in making your suspension supple AF. New "Dream Build" Salsa Cutthroat AXS with SID SL Ultimate Fork 58cm. Fast and light at 9kg but lots of mounts for packing it up as well. The fork is made from a FC-440 Cross full carbon with a tapered steerer tube plus rack/water bottle mounts so you can mount everything you need for bikepacking adventures. GRX is amazing as well along with the Venture Max bars (I went with 44 rather than the spec 42). Lack of gear range might be an issue. Copyright 2020 HikeBikeCake.com. BIKEPACKING.com is dedicated to exploration by bicycle. In addition, they are generally more resistant to vibrations and associated fatigue a testament to the compliance of carbon fiber which for a long tour, arguably outperforms all other frame materials. Rolling on 27.5 inch HED Tomcat wheels with forgiving 650x47c tires. Both excellent choices. The Bikepacking Journal is our biannual printed publication. But rather mounting options for front racks. Prices for the 2020 Cutthroat are as follows: Cutthroat Carbon GRX 810 Di2 MSRP $5799 Cutthroat Carbon GRX 810 1X MSRP $4199 Cutthroat Carbon GRX 600 MSRP $3299 While on the road, I found the Cutthroat to be a stable, confident, and comfortable bike that performs at its best at high speeds. Best alternatives sites to Grizzlyoutfitters.com - Check our similar list based on world rank and monthly visits only on Xranks. However, those whove watched the Tour Divide and other similar races know that this is becoming something of a race standard, along side an aero-bar for those long stretches where headwinds and aerodynamics are the biggest contender. However, Im not that confident the support bolt would make good contact even without the fit-link in place. But what about the bike? For road touring with a few off-road sections, no problem on drops. You could do it, but youd likely shoot the chain over the top of the chainring if this gap was much larger. In addition, you may want to apply Shelter wherever your bike is prone to dings and scratches (seat stays, underside of downtube, etc.). My first priority is off-road and bikepacking functionality. Let me know if youre willing to share details. Thanks in advance for spreading the word! Additionally, the Force hydros are a nice choice to help reduce hand fatigue on long rides. Salsa Classifies the Cutthroat as a "drop bar mountain bike". No problem.. Padded undies @jameso when I say I rarely ride on drops I'm talking about my road bike. Riding bikes in circles generally makes little sense either so I dont want to sound too polarised here : ) Salsa Cutthroat is available in six frame sizes spanning from 52cm to 60cm. Class 5 Vibration Reduction System (VRS) absorbs micro-impacts on rough roads. Patch Kit As always, our goal was to have a bike (and all its components) that could competently handle the variety of surfaces, topography, and conditions that our route would dish out. As light as possible but had realised that I need a reliable rig that can Bikepack so not being a weightweenie on this one! The venturemax bars on an ISO arent low set as you would equate to a road/CX or gravel bike this is what caught me out when I first rode it and why I suggested to the OP to go straight to the drops, there is a contour to them that fits perfectly into your palm plus the higher pivot point of the GRX brakes allows you just cruise in & out of corners and never feel twitchy on anything technical It really is a one of a kind bike. Large tyre clearance is always great. Codey is the name! The question is this: how much of a drop is there from Warbird to Cutthroat in long distance, single day gravel events? Salsa Classifies the Cutthroat as a "drop bar mountain bike". Although they hold corners pretty well, they can get a little slippy going up a steep and rubbly grade. Shifting trends in the MTB world likely influenced the push towards Road Boost, at least in part. to put together this bike! FWIW I would say if you test an ISO one aspect I quickly realised is this bike is best ridden almost entirely on its drops -I never go on the hoods like a road bike even when climbing. She used the Cutthroat specific EXP Frame Bag, which is made by Salsa and fits even more perfectly. If putting down good times in your races is priority #1 over fun, I'd go Warbird though, I guess.. Ive done DK and a few dozen other gravel races on my Cutty and it does well. So whatever I get has to be comfortable on the singletrack I have right outside my door. It pedals well out of the saddle and has a very predictable gate, as expected, but its also more nimble and responsive than I anticipated. Find the full GRX 810 build over at SalsaCycles.com. This approach allows me to keep my seat pack and handlebar bags as light as possible, thus lowering the bikes center of gravity. Teravail is a new tire brand from QBP (the distributor and owner of Salsa, Surly, All-City, etc). Climbing out of the saddle felt natural with my hands on the hoods and the bikes responsiveness couldnt have been better. Its almost waterproof (considered highly water resistant). Put in long days off-road? Ive been running 1x on my Surly Karate Monkey for some time, with an 11-42T SLX cassette out back. Instead, hacks are required. Bar none, the Cutthroat is the most confident drop-bar bike Ive ridden down steep gravel. The V1 Cutthroat isnt boost spaced and uses a High Direct-Mount Front Derailleur. Backpedaling a bit, prior to unboxing and throwing a leg over it in Santiago de Cuba, there were a few things I knew about the supposed ride characteristics of the Salsa Cutthroat. Extensive googling also led me to this nugget of intel from Jay Petervary: https://bikerumor.com/2017/08/18/aasq-12-mixing-and-matching-wide-range-gearing-for-bikepacking-with-jay-petervary/. Salsa bills their Cutthroat as an Ultra-Endurance bikepacking rig. 54cm. Word of warning though, if youre after a lightweight bike, look elsewhere! The other GRX Rear derailleur, the RX810 version, supposedly only works with a maximum cassette sprocket of 34t, but has the higher chainwrap capacity of 40T. Its lineage led us to a drop-bar mountain bike geometry that provides confidence even in the most challenging riding conditions. Salsa Cutthroat "In our family of drop-bar mountain bikes, Cutthroat is the one that was born to run. Capable of riding pretty technical singletrack. But when moving quickly across variable bumpy terrain, the full carbon frame along with the VRS and relatively beefy 2.1 tires (set up tubeless) adds up to the most vibration absorbent drop-bar bike Ive ridden to date. The Fargo Apex 1 features a steel frame and carbon Firestarter 110 fork. Making for easier stand over when you are up against technical sections. A cheaper alternative to the Cutthroat if you are not looking for something that need to be lightweight and fast. Comes with a budget SRAM SX 12-speed Eagle drivetrain which powers 26 Sun Ringle Mulefut 80mm tubeless rims. I rode a Warbird for my first DK and then a Cutthroat for my last two. This Norco bike is a bike that you could call a do anything kind of bike. Big Agnes inflatable pillow Therefore, the only option for the V2 Cutthroat appears to be the RaceFace MTB crank arms, paired with Eastons Gravel Rings as they use the same cinch mounting system. The Gorilla Monsoon is a beast of a bike. 2 drybags It will handle either with ease and will put a smile on your face when those wheels just keep rolling over everything.. For protection against abrasions, I recommend a product called Shelter by Cantitoe Road. Montbell Versalite Rain Jacket, Big Agnes FlyCreek UL3 tent