Salsa  Rangefinder Deore 10-Speed 29 Mountain Bike

Wanted: bike that would do well on light trails, fire roads, bike paths, and around the neighborhood for not too much coin. I'd love a $5K full suspension rig but that wasn't in the cards. I looked at lots of bikes from Kona, Trek, Specialized, Giant, Norco, Rocky Mountain, Cannondale, Canyon, etc. At this price range you'll get a coil shock that is not amazing and kind of heavy but a lot better than the rigid carbon fork on my cyclocross bike for comfort in the saddle. I think the Canyon was the only other bike with a single chain ring up front, the double and triple chainrings don't really add value for me because I generally use about two hard, two medium, and two easy gears out of the 3x8 setup anyway. One less derailleur is nice, and this is the first bike I've had with a clutch on the rear to keep the chain tight so it doesn't jump off. All of the other bikes I looked at don't approach the level of parts that the Salsa and use house-branded parts in many cases. They aren't horrible but I'd rather have the Shimano Deore drivetrain with FSA crank, Shimano brakes, tires that are tubeless ready if you want to go that route (need tires, rim strips, and valves to do this), and a WTB seat that I find comfortable. When you move up the Rangefinder lineup you'll essentially get 1-2 more gears, an air fork that is better and lighter than a coil fork, and a dropper seat post. I test rode the next spec up, and for $300 more it is probably the sweet spot in the lineup but all three have the exact same frame. I may upgrade the fork at some point to a Rockshox Judy Silver or a Marzocchi B2 Bomber and maybe a dropper seat post but really don't need it for the type of riding I do. Oh yeah, the remote switch for a dropper seat post goes on the left side of the handlebar where the front derailleur controls would go, and the ability to hit a button and drop your seat so you can get your body behind the seat on descents is great. I'm a fan after one ride with it. Frame warranty is probably worth mentioning, only two years on the Salsa compared to six for the Canyon Grand Canyon and lifetime on the Trek Marlin and Kona Lana'i. But I've been riding bikes for decades and have never needed to make a warranty claim so I'll take my chances. $899 list, $749 regular price and got it for $599 on sale in 2023, I'm happy with the purchase and would not hesitate to buy it again. Mine was made in Vietnam.

HAD PROBLEMS FROM THE GETGO . I DONT KNOW IF IT WAS JUST ME. AN HOUR AFTER RIDING THE FIRST TIME ON THE TRAIL THE REAR SPOKES CAME LOOSE AND THE REAR RIM WAS WOBBLING EVERYWHERE. TOOK TO REI AND SPOKE TIGHTENED AND TRUED. WENT OUT FOR ANOTHER RUN AND 30 MINS INTO THE TRAIL THE REAR WHEEL SPOKES CAME LOOSE AGAIN. THIS TIME THE REAR WHEEL WAS REPLACED. JUST HAD TO WAIT FOR IT A WEEK OR SO. NEVER TOOK ON TRAILS JUST AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I THINK TOTAL RIDE TIME ON THE BIKE WAS 2 OR 3 HOURS SINCE I BOUGHT IT. THE REAR AXLE STARTED SCREAMING/ SCREACHING WHEN I STOP PEDALING. THIS TIME I WAS OVER IT. SALSA REALLY NEEDS TO UP THEIR GAME AND STOP WITH MTD WHEELS. IVE SINCE GOTTEN A DIFFERENT BIKE AND HOPE ALL GOES WELL DISSAPPOINTING THE BIKE WAS AWESOME RIDE AND FEEL. BUT MAYBE 280LBS WAS TOO MUCH FOR IT