Salsa Brand Shop

Things to know about Salsa Bikes

When the first mountain bikes were developed in the 1970s, Salsa's founder Ross Shafer was hooked on the new trend in a heartbeat. He immediately began building bike frames for his own use and modifying them for his purposes. Eventually, he landed a job as manager of frame construction at a bicycle manufacturer, and turned his hobby into a career. He continued to design custom frames and stems that would give riders better control and optimal handling of the still rather stubborn MTBs. That side job eventually evolved into his own bicycle production.

In 1981, Shafer finally took the leap into entrepreneurship with a mountain bike and founded Salsa Cycles. Off-road bikes - MTBs - had just become popular, his was one of the first to conquer mountains, technical terrain and forest trails in the USA. The company is based in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA. Since 1997, it has been part of QBP (Quality Bicycle Productions), a group of companies that oversees the import and export of numerous bicycle brands and, in addition to Salsa, owns well-known brands such as Surly and All-City Cycles.

The company owes its name, Salsa Cycles, to the boss's lunch break snack, by the way. Supposedly, he didn't much like "Shafer Bikes." "Ross Bikes" was already taken. So during his lunch break, over a serving of chips and salsa, the name "Salsa Cycles" was born.

With a Salsa Bike, the journey is the destination

Mountain bikes were the first step, so why doesn’t the portfolio advertise loads of Salsa Fullys and Hardtails and why aren't they at the very forefront of all the major MTB competitions? The answer is quite simple: The adventure on the road is more important than zooming to the finish line and making best time! The most important goal for all Salsa bikes is limitless riding fun. That's why Salsa still builds mountain bikes, but gravel bikes, bikepacking equipment and bike parts are in the limelight these days.

With a Salsa bike you buy a reliable and robust bike, riding characteristics center around safe handling, confidence and a good cycling stability. A good share of riding comfort is always included, that way beginners and amateur adventurers get their money's worth as well as long-distance bike packers and ambitious hobby athletes. You can certainly chase top times on your Salsa, but these bikes are essentially built to enjoy each turn of the cranks. The company motto

Adventure by bike

says it all: Performance is of course - as with any other bike manufacturer - a concern for Salsa Bikes. But there's so much more to a bike than that...

Salsa Gravel Bikes

No other bike stands for adventure as much as a gravel bike, so these days, gravels are Salsa’s flagship models. Of course, a gravel bike has to deliver as well, it has to be lightweight and it has to provide good propulsion, otherwise it's more of a drag than an adventure. But most importantly, it has to make long rides as comfortable as possible and not show any fatigue (read: bike breakdown) out there. Early on, Salsa began mixing road bikes, cyclocross bikes and MTBs. Today, the outcome of those experiments has evolved into a squad of excellent gravel bikes, that draw envious glances on gravel events or the most beautiful bikepacking routes around the globe. Naturally, they also like to demonstrate their pioneering spirit on routes that have never been cycled down before.

Versatility, long-distance capability and durability are the basic requirements that distinguish a Salsa gravel bike. Depending on where your focus lies, you can buy true racing genes, plenty of propulsion and speed when you select a gravel race bike that is designed close to a road bike. But you can also go for relaxed, densely packed pleasure biking and opt for a touring gravel. In either case, you’re in for an adventure!

Snow Cycling with Salsa Bikes

If you look at the imagery of other bike brands, you will always encounter the same pictures. Mountain bikers in the air over tree trunks and loose ground. Sweaty athletes with asphalt under their road bikes. Thickly packed gravel bikes. Only at Salsa you’ll find truely unique pictures of bikes plowing through the snow. While other bikes gather dust in the bike shed during the winter, Salsa Fat Bikes really feel at home among snow and ice. Fat bikes perform where particularly good ground contact is essential, so they are of course the perfect bicycles for winter biking.

Buy Salsa bike accessories online

Here in the BMO store you can find Salsa bike frames and bikepacking accessories like panniers and gravel handlebars. We’ve also got classic lowriders and front panniers on stock or outfit your fork with a Salsa cage and the matching drybag. With that, you're ready for your next bike adventure. Don't forget to pack some chips and salsa!