Product presentation: Hardly any other vehicle embodies freedom, closeness to nature and a love of adventure as much and appropriately as the bicycle. Admittedly, in recent times this somewhat romantic notion has been somewhat lost. Technical progress has also made our cycling life easier, but this simplicity seems to have fallen by the wayside, at least in part.
However, things are different in the bikepacking scene: get on your bike and get out into nature – wherever it takes you. The most necessary utensils are stowed in the frame bags, as is the transportable roof over your head. Back to the roots, so to speak. Bikes like the Salsa Woodsmoke show that this approach is by no means in contrast to modern bicycles. High-tech carbon frame, mighty 29+ tires and a thoroughly modern geometry. We were allowed to kidnap the stylish bike from the USA for some adventures.
Our body came from the German importer Cosmic Sports. The Salsa Woodsmoke came well equipped, reasonably but at the same time robust, not only in terms of components, but also in terms of pockets and attachments. But let's stay with the Woodsmoke frame for a moment. Technically and optically, it goes its own way and stands out from the crowd in a pleasant way, even if it will certainly not appeal to everyone. First of all, it is quite unusual for a bikepacking bike like the Woodsmoke to have a frame made of carbon - although there are generally more and more bikes with frames made of carbon fiber, touring bikes in particular usually rely on more classic materials such as aluminum or even steel.
Salsa Woodsmoke: Clever Carbon
However, it makes sense that carbon was chosen in this regard: On the one hand, it is significantly more resistant to external influences such as water or dirt. On the other hand, exotic frame shapes like the Woodsmoke would be difficult to implement with conventional materials. While the main frame can best be described as "traditional", the rear triangle doesn't use established patterns and takes a different path. The chainstays and seat stays are very close together and are pulled upwards overall. Technically, you kill two birds with one stone: chain slap is almost completely eliminated and the rear end can be kept compact despite the huge 29+ tires. The highly independent look is a bonus on top of that.
If you opt for the Woodsmoke frameset, you have (almost) all options regarding the later structure. When it comes to the wheels, you can choose between B+, regular 29″ and huge 29+ tires or wheels. There is similar variability with the drive: Classic derailleur gears, with or without a front derailleur and even a single-speed setup is possible thanks to the adjustable dropouts.
Salsa Woodsmoke: Modern geometry with an extremely short rear triangle
A few words about geometry. In general, the Woodsmoke is equally designed for rigid and spring forks. With a rigid fork, Salsa recommends an installation height between 480 and 505mm, with the spring forks you have different options depending on the wheel size used. The 140+ and 27,5″ can have up to 29mm of travel, with the wide 29+ tires the limit is 120mm – which should be sufficient in view of the additional damping of the tires.
Three different wheel sizes, forks of different lengths, rigid and spring-loaded – it's clear that the Woodsmoke doesn't necessarily fit into a rigid geometry table. However, the general trend is always recognizable: the steering angle is rather flat for a hardtail at 67.5°, the top tube is quite long and the chainstays are incredibly short. If you are traveling with 29″ wheels, you can even shorten them to 400mm - this means that the Woodsmoke should be one of the wheels with the shortest struts on the market. Despite the huge wheels, you get an overall compact bike that, despite the long main frame, doesn't drive like a semitrailer on two wheels.
As already mentioned, our structure was not necessarily noble, but consistently solid and sensibly equipped. The Rock Shox Yari at the front has 120mm, which offers enough space for the powerful WTB Ranger 3.0 tires on wide Whiskey Parts rims. Our test bike did not have a front derailleur, but the SRAM GX 11-speed drivetrain offers enough range for most needs. It could only get a little tight here if you go into alpine terrain or face gradients of more than 25%. The only criticism of our test setup was the SRAM Level T brakes, which offer sufficient power, but tend to flag quite quickly and therefore don't have too many reserves in the rear on longer descents.
Salsa Woodsmoke: Equipped with Revelate Designs pockets
The "full equipment" on our Salsa Woodsmoke also included the corresponding bags. The frame bag comes directly from Salsa, the other storage options from the bikepacking specialists Revelate Designs. As one or the other detail, the inconspicuous logo and the seams of the same color on the Salsa bag reveal, this is also made by Revelate Designs.
At the beginning, bikepacking beginners will certainly need a few minutes to get used to the variety of bags and their attachment options. The frame bag will probably be obvious to most people. If you open the robust and watertight zip, you will see a neatly arranged interior, in which a bottle, for example, can be lashed and not simply slide back and forth inside. Other organizational options also offer many options.
The Terrapin system on the saddle is particularly clever: it is basically a cover that is mounted on the saddle and in which there is space for a waterproof pack sack that can be lashed down in a matter of seconds. The Sweetroll handlebar bag is completely waterproof and extremely robust: Sealed seams and two roll openings on the right and left give quick access to the contents and at the same time reliably protect them from water, mud and the like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD0K_uL9SJ4
Salsa Woodsmoke: First Ride
Before we sat down for the first time, we were quite skeptical about how things would go on the Salsa Woodsmoke. The extremely large wheels and the voluminous tires make quite an impression. But after just a few turns of the crank our doubts were dispelled - the salsa progresses quickly and doesn't feel sluggish at all; Sure, no doubt - there are undoubtedly bikes that work more lively, but given its orientation, the Woodsmoke knows how to surprise positively. The geometry does the rest. The wheelbase is pleasingly short and the bike can therefore be circled around the corner even in somewhat narrower situations.
So the short rear end is pleasing, but in our case it also has a small disadvantage: In order to accommodate the Boost hub in the rear end, the struts are pulled out quite wide quite early on. Riders with large feet in particular are therefore very quick to rub their shoes on the struts. Otherwise, the Ranger tires offer plenty of grip and allow the bikepacking bolide to roll comfortably and without major grumbling even on difficult terrain. Trails and faster descents are also possible: Sure, the bags and the luggage in them make for a little more noise here, but they stay reliably in place. The suspension fork provides additional security.
All in all, the high-tech bikepacking bike gave us a lot of pleasure and proved to be a great all-rounder. If you're out and about without bags, the Woodsmoke also makes an excellent trail hardtail and should therefore cover many different areas of use. Unfortunately, the bike with its idiosyncratic look is not exactly cheap: the frame set costs €1.999.
