Test: The Salsa Warroad Carbon wants to bridge the gap between road bike and gravel - with an endurance all-road concept that combines a light and agile frame, high-quality attachments and lots of attachment points for bike packers and touring riders.
Salsa Warroad 700c Ultegra: The Facts
Frame material: Carbon
Wheel size(s): 700c (650b compatible)
Maximum tire clearance: 35mm (700c) / 47mm (650b)
Axle dimensions (v/h): 12 × 100/142 × 12
Mudguard Eyelets: Ja
Luggage carrier eyelets (v/h): Yes / Yes (additional clamp required)
bottle holder: Down tube up (from 56cm 2x), down tube down, seat tube
Other: Mounting eyelets top tube
Weight wheels v/h/total (with tires and brake discs): 1.460g / 1.530g / 2.990g
Weight complete bike without pedals (size M): 8,63kg
Price: € 4.999
Lightweight frameset and compact dimensions
In the spring of 2019, US manufacturer Salsa presented the Warroad, a completely new bike in their already extensive portfolio for everything to do with gravel, bikepacking and endurance. The Warroad is not only closely related to the successful Warbird gravel model in name: a little less gravel, a little more racing bike - Salsa itself speaks of an all-road endurance bike. Whether you have to open a drawer in the drawer is an open question, but the Salsa Warroad should still embody a gravel concept that road bike fans in particular should like.
The new Salsa offspring is only available with a carbon frame, which, like the Warbird, is equipped with the Class 5 VRS (=Vibration Reduction System). What is meant by this are the extremely narrow seatstays, the flex of which should noticeably improve comfort off the asphalt. Speaking of the Warbird comparison: the weight of the frameset is significantly lower on the Warroad. Salsa itself states 1,87kg for the frame, fork, headset and thru-axle. Nevertheless, you don't have to do without the features that make a salsa a salsa - there would be a lot of mounting eyelets. Mounting options for mudguards are directly on board, as are plenty of bottle holders and eyelets on the top tube for bags. If you want to attach a low rider rack to the front, you can do this directly to the fork. For a rear luggage rack, Salsa offers an optional support clamp with integrated eyelets.
The Warroad doesn't handle the issue of tire clearance quite as generously. With regular 700c tires, 35mm wide tires are the end – if you prefer to ride small 650b wheels, on the other hand, you have more air: Salsa specifies a maximum width of 47mm.
The size table of the Salsa Warroad is really exciting. Not only do you have a lot to choose from with a total of seven frame sizes, but the numbers themselves are interesting because they are unusual. On the one hand there are the extremely short chain stays of 415mm, which on the other hand is offset by a fairly slack head angle. You get extremely compact dimensions, but they shouldn't be at the expense of running smoothness too much - even if things get a little rough off the road.
Geometry Salsa Warroad 700c
| 49 | 52.5 | 54.5 | 56 | 57.5 | 59 | 61 | |
| seat tube (in mm) | 400 | 450 | 485 | 520 | 530 | 555 | 580 |
| Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 499 | 525 | 545 | 560 | 575 | 590 | 610 |
| head tube (in mm) | 92 | 132 | 152 | 172 | 192 | 212 | 232 |
| Wheelbase (in mm) | 980 | 994 | 1004 | 1020 | 1036 | 1051 | 1066 |
| chainstay (in mm) | 415 | 415 | 415 | 415 | 415 | 415 | 415 |
| Steering angle (in °) | 70.5 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 |
| Seat angle (in °) | 75 | 74 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 72.5 |
| Reach (mm) | 363 | 368 | 372 | 381 | 390 | 399 | 407 |
| Stacks (in mm) | 507 | 546 | 565 | 584 | 603 | 622 | 641 |
Complete Ultegra group and very light wheels from WTB
In addition to a frame set, the Warroad is available in a total of four equipment variants - three of them with the small 650b wheels and one version with classic 28″ tires. We tested the latter; for the very high price of just under 5.000 euros, you get a high-quality frame and fork, a complete Shimano Ultegra R7000 group with matching hydraulic brakes, an extremely light WTB wheelset with aluminum rims and attachments from our own company. Our test bike in size M weighs 8,63 kg – without pedals. A very good value!
With the Ultegra group, the Warroad clearly shows its relationship to the classic racing bike - this has advantages and disadvantages for gravel use. For example, you have to do without rear derailleur damping, which leads to a chain that hits noticeably more on rough ground than is the case with a GRX or an Ultegra RX rear derailleur. On the other hand, there is a large range of gear ratios with comparatively small gear steps, while with the 50/34 crank and the 11-32 cassette it is designed more for high speeds on the flat than hours of climbing on steep forest roads.
| frame | Salsa Warroad Carbon |
| suspension fork | Salsa Warroad Carbon Deluxe |
| Wheels | WTB Proterra / WTB KOM Light i23 |
| Tubes | Donnelley Strada 32mm (in series: WTB Exposure 30) |
| derailleur | Shimano Ultegra R8000GS |
| Gear levers | Shimano Ultegra |
| Crank | Shimano Ultegra R8000 50/34t |
| Front derailleur | Shimano Ultegra |
| Brake | Shkmano Ultegra R8020 |
| Seat post | Salsa Guide Deluxe |
| Saddle | WTB Volt 135 Race |
| Stem | Salsa guide |
| Links | Salsa cowbell deluxe |
Visually quite inconspicuous, the WTB wheels made of Proterra hubs and KOM Light i23 alloy rims turn out to be a highlight on the Salsa Warroad. Together with the - admittedly quite light and narrow - Donnelley Strada tires, they represent one of the lightest wheel systems in our test field. Speaking of tires: The Strada is not a full-fledged gravel tire and falls more into the "Road Plus" category - a slightly wider road bike tire with a slight profile for light off-road use.
All attachments come directly from Salsa, which is more of a quality feature than a point of criticism. The Cowbell Deluxe handlebar in particular is one of the best that you can currently get in the Gravel or Allroad area. Both in terms of ergonomics and weight.
More tests, products and background information about the Velomotion Gravel Month:
- Storck Grix Platinum Ultegra Di2 gravel bike in test: Race tourer for gravel and off-road
- GT Grade Carbon Pro in the gravel bike test: Comfortable triangle for lots of driving fun?!
- Orbea Terra M30-D in the gravel bike test: Lively bike for training and gravel tours
- NS Bikes Rag+ 2 in the gravel bike test: Convincing aluminum all-rounder
- Rondo Ruut CF 2 in the gravel bike test: Fast gravel bike with a striking look
Let's Gravel: The Salsa Warroad Carbon Ultegra
The Salsa Warroad seems quite interesting at first sight. On the one hand, this is of course due to the attractive paint finish, which beautifully sets the Warroad's carbon frame in the limelight. However, what is immediately apparent is what is also confirmed on the first meters - the frame is extremely compact, but this, in combination with the appealing overall weight and the light wheels, ensures good acceleration. In this way, you can quickly pick up speed again in steep sections or after curves and “push” the Salsa Warroad. With this agility, the Warroad puts a big grin on our faces time and time again and exudes a lot of driving pleasure.
The downside of these characteristics: If the roads get worse, the all-road speedster has to struggle: It quickly gets nervous and loses its smoothness here and there. The comfort, on the other hand, is very good - the interaction of frame, wheels and contact points seems to work well here.
Even if the frame could pass as a seasoned gravler, the Warroad shows with its equipment that it still has racing bike genes. The Shimano Ultegra circuit is a first exclamation point in this regard. Perfect for brisk rides on good paths without too steep inclines. But if you travel a lot off-road and want to tackle one or the other gravel climb under your wheels, you need the right amount of power in your legs.
The tires are similar: the Donnelley Strada is clearly only suitable for gravel-light use. Because if it gets a bit rough or slippery, you quickly reach your limits here. But if you are already on the road a lot on asphalt and classic forest roads with your gravel bike, you should be impressed by the great rolling properties of the tyre. The Salsa Warroad collects further plus points with its impressive accessory compatibility and the attachment parts that lie comfortably in the hand.
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