So what does a super-gravel bike have
that a gravel bike doesn’t? For starters, it has
clearance for bigger tires, and more mounts
for bottles, bags, and cargo carriers. And
where a gravel bike is more like a road bike
with bigger tires, a super-gravel bike is longer
and slower-steering like a mountain bike.
It’s also designed to take a drop bar (you
can’t just throw a drop bar on a mountain
bike that isn’t designed for one, or the reach
goes all hooey), which offers many advan-
tages for long days in the saddle. A drop bar
creates more real estate for your hands and
lets you more easily move into comfortable
positions during a long ride. It also lets you
shift your weight for improved control on
steep singletrack, or to get into a lower tuck
when you’re above treeline with nothing to
shelter you from the wind. These bikes are
essentially drop-bar mountain bikes, and
they’re growing in popularity.
But the category is still small because,
compared to the general population of
cyclists, there aren’t huge numbers of riders
heading off on weeks-long, self-supported,
off-road tours. It seems, though, based on
the bikes being offered by some brands
and from what I saw at the most recent
North American Handmade Bike Show, that
interest is growing. Even more so among
the younger generation of bike tourers and
potential bike tourers, according to Dan
Meyer, deputy editor of Adventure Cycling
magazine. It’s because this niche category
is designed for a unique and demanding
purpose that I find it so fascinating. And
right now, no bike is more exciting to me
than the Salsa Cutthroat, the benchmark
for the super-gravel trend.
Of the few super-gravel bikes that exist,
the Cutthroat is the only one with a carbon
frame and fork, which keeps the weight
down and helps to absorb bumps and vibra-
tion better than metal, a big advantage
for long rides on rough roads and trails. A
lighter-weight bike is also easier to handle
on skinny singletrack, especially when it’s
loaded with gear or when you have to hike-
a-bike a good distance (for comparison, a
56cm Cutthroat frame is 2,325g, about 1,100
grams lighter than Salsa’s Fargo steel super-
gravel bike). Other standout features on the
Cutty: Salsa gave it boost axles (15x110mm
up front, 12x148mm in the rear), which
allow for stiffer and tougher wheels and
make room for grippy and floaty 29x2.4-
inch tires with adequate mud clearance.
Also, the dynamo wire, which can be used to
charge your phone and GPS and power your
lights, is routed through the fork to prevent
it from getting snagged on branches. And
there are more than 20 mounts for bottles,
cargo carriers, and frame bags (Salsa offers
custom-fitted, direct-mount, front-triangle
bags for the Cutthroat). The Cutty is also
designed for lower-profile and higher-up
cargo carrying rather than wider, low-ridingracked panniers, the latter of which is not
ideal for narrow singletrack.
I’m not ready to drop as much as $5,800
on a niche bike like the Salsa Cutthroat—
plus more for all the bags and ultralight
camping gear I’d need for a months-long,
backcountry ride—anytime soon. And I
suspect most of you reading this aren’t
either. But I still love that a bike like this
exists. Even better is knowing that when
the day comes that I’m ready to pack up
my gear and go in search of that idyllic
ridgeline—whether for a day, a month, or
longer—the perfect bike is already waiting
to take me there.FRAME BAGS
THAT CARRY
(ALMOST)
EVERYTHING
1 /RAPHA WATERPROOF
FRAME PACK /$115
Haul food and gear, and
keep your goods close,
with room left over in
the front triangle for
water bottles. Comes in
3L, 4L, and 5L sizes.2 /BLACKBURN OUTPOST
ELITE FRAME BAG /$130
This waterproof frame
bag has a hydration
reservoir hose port and
two external pockets.
Comes in 3.37L, 3.65L,
and 6.76L sizes.3 /EVOC MULTI FRAME
PACK /$45
With multiple and
adjustable attach-
ments, this pack fits
into many of your
bike’s nooks. Comes in
.7L and 1L sizes.Lakota^ Gambill24 BICYCLING.COM • ISSUE 1 | 2020