Is Salsa Warbird still a top gravel race bike? The Mid South test

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2 ай бұрын

Salsa launched the Warbird in 2012 as a very early gravel race bike. Fast forward to 2024, and does the current iteration keep pace? I took the latest Warbird to The Mid South, (one of the best gravel races on the US calendar in my humble opinion) to find out.
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Пікірлер: 90

@SalsaCyclesOfficial 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for racing and reviewing the Warbird. One note on Class 5 VRS...you can see the external shape of the design, but you can't really see it working...not with your eyes at least. When it was developed, we benchmarked it against our previous Warbird Titanium model (that did not have Class 5 VRS). That benchmarking was done using identical specs, identical setups, with the rider riding the same stretch of gravel road over and over while data was captured. That data was captured using accelerometers attached at the rear hub and at the saddle (as close to the ground and as close to the rider as possible). That Warbird V2 model in Carbon tested out at 9% more compliant than the previous Warbird Ti. At the time, we also had the Warbird V2 offered in Aluminum and it also tested out at 6% more compliant. That's a bunch of words to say that we believe our Class 5 VRS system does create a more comfortable rear end. It isn't about suspension. It is about muting the hundreds of thousands of micro impacts that are transferred to a rider during a gravel race, or gravel ride. Again, thanks for testing the Warbird and it was a pleasure to finally meet in person. -Mike

@TheRidewithBenDelaney 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing all that info, Mike. And good to finally meet you in person!

@MCtheHammer 2 ай бұрын

Best gravel bike I’ve raced or ridden. I’ve won a lot of races on it. I’m on my 3rd frame. Also, wide bars all day. Better breathing, better stability. Especially when you spend hours on end out there.

@MCtheHammer 2 ай бұрын

Important to note I’m on my 3rd frame due to incidents that destroyed the first two. Not Salsa’s fault 😂

@Jamesashleycoyle 2 ай бұрын

I love my 2023 warbird 🎉❤

@brasstinmancrazy Ай бұрын

Thanks for leaving the seat stays at the top tube conjunction. I'm sure that helps with comfort contrary to what the drop stay "experts" will have us believe

@mattkretchmar6374 2 ай бұрын

I love Salsa as a company -- have owned Ti Warbird, Fargo, Beargrease x 2, and El Mariachi. They make great bikes. I think the warbird is just an iota off the top shelf development of gravel race bikes that are available right now. It is due for a refresh. The bigger issue, is that it isn't marketed at a competitive price point. I can get modern development with better equipment at a lower or comperable price. Salsa was the key innovator in the bicycle market from mid 2000s till about 2014 -- ahead of the curve, making exciting new stuff that genuinely pushed the development of bicycles in new directions. We haven't seen that same salsa in the last decade.

@lexington476 2 ай бұрын

I would agree with this. I did buy my first salsa back in september, a pretty well-spect journeyer, my first purpose-built gravel bike. Even though the journey is not really advertised as a gravel race bike, I would definitely race it in a gravel race. this is a nice general purpose bike. All I would do would be to just change the tires and put more aggressive gravel tires on it.

@veganpotterthevegan 2 ай бұрын

Love Salsa... I've owned a few and have sold hundreds of them. But they were really only innovative in the fat bike market. None of the other players in the cycling market has ever really cared about competing with any of their other bikes

@cjohnson3836 2 ай бұрын

Unless you plan on ditching the double triangle truss design of bikes for over a century, there's nothing left to innovate outside of the MTB space. None of the brands are innovating. There's nothing appreciably different between road and gravel frames here. Changing a weave angle a fraction of a degree and shaving a gram isn't innovation. At this point, find the bike with the geometry you like and buy that. One isn't better than another.

@veganpotterthevegan 2 ай бұрын

@cjohnson3836 aerodynamic gains are still left with road and gravel bikes. That said, weight matters too, just less so and bikes like the Specialized SL8 are significantly lighter than most other brand's flagships while being competitively aerodynamic. Compliance can also be built into road bikes as they are in mountain bikes

@terrillford7784 2 ай бұрын

This man should easily be at 100k plus subs

@petersouthernboy6327 2 ай бұрын

I really appreciate that you actually race a review bike. Very well done 👍

@BoxCarBoy12 2 ай бұрын

Big kudos to Salsa for not saddling the Warbird with godawful headset cable routing

@MW-ud8zp 2 ай бұрын

its a design from 2018, its not like they made that decision in the current market landscape

@lexington476 2 ай бұрын

As a huge science fiction and Star Trek nerd, I hear 'warbird' and I think Romulan Warbird. You totally need to repaint that thing dark neon green 😀.

@DaneKromer 2 ай бұрын

Warbird is still a great bike in my opinion! There is no question that the longer stays do flex and in fact, the shorter seat stays of my Giant Revolt were noticeably harsher than the TCX I rode previously. My wife is riding a Warbird and loves it. They’ve avoided marketing to the single track crowd until now. A Salsa Cowbell carbon bar at 40 or 42mm would be a nice upgrade for your review bike, along with a longer stem if necessary. Thanks for the vid!

@bradleyolson8064 2 ай бұрын

I run the cannonballs as my winter tire as they are a bit more durable and less likely to puncture. Your assessment of them is spot on - they just feel slower.

@hanswolters1781 2 ай бұрын

I switched to Rene Herse Hurricane Ridge. They feel faster and more importantly the front end feels more stable with these on fast descents.

@barrowsworm1226 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Ben, always appreciate your race bike tests! I look forward to hearing the results of the aero wheel testing with gravel tires. I kind of do not think the typical 40mm deep aero wheels really matter much when paired with 40 mm tires, or wider-but it will be nice to see some actual testing data. I will certainly wait to see these results before I consider any new wheel purchase... Free speed is nice, but if aero wheels make no difference, might as well go with a slightly lighter, shallow rim section.

@oblio9147 2 ай бұрын

Still love my Warbird

@thomasb.4219 2 ай бұрын

one of the first gravel bikes I fell in love with ... still a beauty 😋

@hommoassnaager5134 2 ай бұрын

The atmosphere always seems great at these US gravel events. 🥳

@nickcarolan2805 2 ай бұрын

Nice one Ben. 👍🇮🇪

@daniels.2720 2 ай бұрын

Appreciate the content more & more Ben. Keep it Up & safe riding in 2024 !

@DAMN55117 2 ай бұрын

another great video

@RyanKime 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing this footage with everyone! I appreciate the extra effort this takes.

@gearsofmedicine 2 ай бұрын

Another excellent video and review as always , appreciate it , wow that red mud

@saskhiker3935 2 ай бұрын

You not getting much slower, its just the competition is getting better.

@TheRidewithBenDelaney 2 ай бұрын

The last 2-3 years the field has definitely gotten much deeper in the fast end. 👍

@blazacrew 2 ай бұрын

That was smooth remount 😎

@jonahhumel1394 2 ай бұрын

Loved the video! As a longtime cyclist but newbie to racing/group riding it’s super interesting to hear about the racing mentality and tactics!

@jeffermc99 2 ай бұрын

Great video Ben (as usual)! I thought I was the only person that had the Garmin Pedal squeak problem. I tried sooooo many different "solutions", but to no avail. Drove me nuts!!! Like you, I finally just put them on my less used bike, and invested in my spider which I love.

@davidwargin1766 2 ай бұрын

I have an older Warbird and was most curious about the newer version. On my Cervelo Aspero, I do have the salsa cowbell handlebars. I know I might be losing watts, but hey, I’m comfortable with my bad shoulders. ❤ your content - as always.

@cricketyosh 2 ай бұрын

I have the glossy pink 2020 di2 one. The only thing that's stayed is the frame and groupset lol. Pro bars (38cm) Fox Transfer SL (50mm drop) seatpost. And Lightbicycles 25 internal 31 external hoops. Love that frame.

@jesselove6989 2 ай бұрын

How do you like the light bicycle wheels. Been thinking about upgrading my warbird with them

@supakidgalaxy 2 ай бұрын

Ben! Could you try and review the alchemy lycos? Thanks!

@Johnpvb 2 ай бұрын

Have a 2019 Warbird GRX 600. Agree with your points, good and bad. Swapped out the alloy wheels for carbon shod with continental terra speed-much faster. Carbon seatpost took out the harshness in the rear and Readshift Rockstop made the front happy. Now I thoroughly enjoy the bike but at the price point there may be better equipped ones now.

@cesar0610 2 ай бұрын

Excellent review Ben as always highlighting the pros and cons. In clear language and straight to the grain, we learn in 15min about the race but also the bike + components . Keep the great job and kudos for such hard work On the other hand, poor lungs of everybody who rode that day. If your lungs are just half as dusty your face was I think you better go and see the physician and wear a cover next ride 🤿

@sapthuran9492 2 ай бұрын

I think you are right about the cannonball tires. I had them for a little while since I got them dirt cheap when I was first building up my gravel bike and on gravel / fire roads and pavement, they just felt a little slower than other options. I ended up selling them. There was nothing really wrong with them, they gripped fine and I had no punctures, but I could feel that it just took... a little extra effort to keep things moving along. If speed / weight / rolling resistance is a goal... there are faster options that still retain durability and control, but again, nothing wrong with the tires overall. I have also been using the WTB Gravelier saddle. I might be coming to the same conclusion... good saddle overall but maybe a little narrow at the nose? I am going to keep it for now but it is a possible swap in the future if I keep noticing it.

@OhBuoyancy 2 ай бұрын

I got my Warbird GRX800 in December. I love it and got a great price. I’m on a 52.5 so my bars are not so wide, wider than what I had on my previous bike but I’m good with them. Only thing I’ve swapped is a shorter stem.

@emoney5210 2 ай бұрын

I built up a warbird frame. Ive got some pretty bad low back problems. I ride it on the road and love it. Its really comfy. Imho it absorbs a lot of bumps.

@lastpme 2 ай бұрын

I love my Warbird…it is a great bike.

@TheBRad704 2 ай бұрын

I ran 42mm Cannonballs (Love these) on 24mm internal Mercury G1 carbon wheels and an aluminum Trek Crockett. Knowing the frame was going to transmit a lot of vibration, swapped in a Zipp SL70 aero carbon bar and Cane Creek eeSilk Carbon post. Probably one the first rides where I didn't have any hand numbness or saddle pains all day. Oh and no shifting issues or gearing problems... because I brought the SS.

@markanderson7412 2 ай бұрын

Great stuff here mate, certainly an interest for particular riders, But for yourself to keep lively hood you’ll always end up with compromised ‘result’ for the race, When was the last 2x races you did on the same bike and did all your training on before in between etc At a guess would of been that year you were the guy to win every 100miler you entered Buy mate luv all the content and the great effort you put in for all of us the enjoy the ride 🤙🚀🍻

@lexington476 2 ай бұрын

1:14 well not 46 I do ride with 44 CM bars on my salsa journeyer gravel bike and even on my crit bike, how i like the fit. I am very rarely at the pointy end of a race 🙂, and when I am it's only for a short time 😎.

@ptonewood 2 ай бұрын

I’ve had one for years…only thing that has always felt a little off is the cornering is a little under-steerish. I’d never pay the prices they are going for now, but it’s been a good bike for several years.

@Thomas-fy9yc 2 ай бұрын

Ive purchased 4 gravel bikes so far, and the first thing to go has always been the overly wide handlebars…wish the manufacturer would have a little customization on the bikes when you order a $5k plus bike. Im 6’2 riding a 58 and have had bike arrive with anywhere from 44-46, and usually ride a 40-42.

@veganpotterthevegan 2 ай бұрын

I'm also 6'2" but ride 56s. They don't really know what people are gonna want and 44s aren't way too big for a 58 for people offloading technical terrain. I know I can go 40-42 happily on my gravel bike on choppy stuff but without heavily flared bars, they do feel too narrow at times. On my road bike, I'm good with a 36-40cm bar but I know the gravel near me isn't fun with anything narrower than 40cm. *Bikes are a lot cheaper for manufacturers if they're not offering different bars and stems. And while I've definitely had bikes with a bar width I've liked, out of the good 20 drop bar bikes I've owned, I've only actually liked one of those bars and I've never used a stock stem that came with a bike. All that is fairly common unless it's someone first bike where they don't know better and just live with what they get

@justinofboulder 2 ай бұрын

That's why I went with an Otso Wahella C... Ordered it through my local bike shop, and Otso allowed me to pick and choose the build parts, and even deleted wheels and saddle from the order. Super awesome bike, so the customization options was just a big bonus!

@Thomas-fy9yc 2 ай бұрын

@@veganpotterthevegan that’s true, I’m a fan of narrow on top , like a 42 or 40 and wider on bottoms, prob 46 or so, I have a 3T aeroghiai on my race gravel and a 42 Venturmax on the cutthroat, but that seems plenty wide enough for technical terrain which unfortunately makes up a lot of West coast gravel. My Supersix SE came with 44s with no flare and that bar was just not a good fit, especially for $5200 bike. There’s got to be some margins for a better shaped bar, more like a cowbell designs.

@johnraub2207 2 ай бұрын

Terravail Cannonball Durable, not the fastest, but 2x Unbounds and one Big Sugar, no flats. Run well in mud and loose stuff. Love my Warbird.

@TheRidewithBenDelaney 2 ай бұрын

That’s a great record!

@alanhickerson2345 2 ай бұрын

I don’t think the question is the wheels. The question is how wide can your tires go before you stop losing aero

@hardmtnbiker 2 ай бұрын

I completely agree that a wide bar is not for everyone. Especially wide and wide flare so you are doing wide stance push-ups in the drops. I’ll be selling my wide bars and going narrow, maybe 42 Whiskey Parts Co No9 24f or the new Spano

@curtisgoodwin8962 2 ай бұрын

Great review Ben! What are the exposed holes on the down tube near the head tube junction?

@TheRidewithBenDelaney 2 ай бұрын

Routing for mechanical drivetrains.

@nononsense2688 2 ай бұрын

I just raced in South Carolina with a Warbird yesterday. I do think i need more narrow bars though. But otherwise, its a frame. You should worry more about wheel/tire choice.

@user-xw2cu1dn1y 2 ай бұрын

Nice

@saskhiker3935 2 ай бұрын

"I thought i was a Jesus statue welcoming the children."😂

@86309 2 ай бұрын

Amazing you can formulate coherent sentences and links thought together after racing well enough to do a full review...Im tired just watching it!

@notpablo8369 2 ай бұрын

can you ride midsouth on a mtb?

@richardwhitehead4684 2 ай бұрын

Thanks, as always. How do I order those big water bottles?

@garysladek9110 2 ай бұрын

Elite 950.

@richardwhitehead4684 2 ай бұрын

@@garysladek9110 thank you

@TheRidewithBenDelaney 2 ай бұрын

@richardwhitehead4684 yup, like Gary said they are Elite Fly bottles. Super thin - so they feel a little weird at first (to me, at least!) but you can rally chug out of them. Just make sure you get the lids screwed on tight.

@richardwhitehead4684 2 ай бұрын

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney thanks Ben. The very thin design doesn’t sound ideal. I currently use Zephel 1 liter bottles. I’m not a big fan of hydration pacs. What’s your favorite big water bottle?

@iamnicoalfonso 2 ай бұрын

Can tell you're filming with the osmo pocket 3. How are you are liking it?

@TheRidewithBenDelaney 2 ай бұрын

As a one-man band, I generally love it. For that set of shots, I still rode with a heavy tripod out to the course - but instead of my Sony and lav and receiver and various cables, I just had the Osmo and a clip-on mic. The auto track is generally great. Just wish there was a two-person setting for interviews. Do you have one?

@iamnicoalfonso 2 ай бұрын

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney i do. It has it’s limitations, but I imagine the trade offs are worth it for most situations, which is why i also have it as an extra option even tho i have a proper video setup too.

@lazlo2511 2 ай бұрын

..,one of the first times I’ve seen a bike match the riders face skin tone!LOL. Maybe for this insert, you are Ben the gravel Warbird! On a serious note, your thoughts verses the Columbian steel ride you had not too long ago?

@LifeTimeGrandPrix 2 ай бұрын

True statement: A gravel race is a party AND a party is a gravel race!

@makeshift78 2 ай бұрын

i swapped the stock 46 bars to narrower 42 xplr bars and it is much more comfortable and faster

@thecappy 2 ай бұрын

I have the 2020 version. Is it a pro level racer? No. I have used it as a bike packing bike and use it weekly on the local gravel trails. It is a good gravel frame. Is it over priced for what you get? Absolutely!

@buraduri 2 ай бұрын

6:44 missed thumbnail opp 😆

@TheRidewithBenDelaney 2 ай бұрын

Haha! Good shout. I will try that as an alternate. 😁

@cjohnson3836 2 ай бұрын

Problems with this bike are the price tag and the press-fit BB.

@waldowsxxghostxx8577 Ай бұрын

This guy is ripped😂

@larryt.atcycleitalia5786 2 ай бұрын

NOBODY has ever explained to me WTF is up with these wide bars, whether drops on gravel bikes or the crucifix's on modern MTB's. My guess was/is for more room to attach various gizmos and geegaws to them and still leave room...for your hands? But now the fashion pendulum swings back the other way? Where have the gizmos and geegaws gone?

@cjohnson3836 2 ай бұрын

You have google. You only still don't know because you're too lazy to look it up.

@SergioCristancho 2 ай бұрын

Dear lord... With arms wide open... Batman! ... Joke a side😅 ... I pray for a lot of classified on my future (near future) ... That could help my climbing and ultradistances 😅 ... I think salsa is always to wide... They love wider still not a fan of that. And I have some 44 salsa handle bars somewhere in a warehouse with lots of things I tried but just not

@riderrunco Ай бұрын

Tyre max width

@henry5917 2 ай бұрын

Well ya changed the saddle,why not go ahead and change the bar??

@GaryBleck 2 ай бұрын

Yes but only because Silva may have said what the answer and why. 😂

@yumyumhungry 2 ай бұрын

Wide bars on a Cutthroat yes! Wide bars on a warbird...no.

@efraer 2 ай бұрын

I love your videos - informative and entertaining. However, your comments here about lighter wheels might need some reconsideration. As someone about the same age as you, who has always believed the same things we've always heard about light wheels, it's taken some time to change my beliefs/understanding. This was part of what made me start to re-think what I "knew" about wheels... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Zrd0obicuse1lp8.htmlsi=DPlVALyhgrlvDL5D Keep up the great work, Ben. Cheers! :)