Gravel Grinder News: Salsa Cycles New Journeyer Debuts – by Guitar Ted
Salsa Cycles announces an all-new model today dubbed the Journeyer. This new model builds on the legacy of the Journeyman, which debuted in 2018 and was a big success for the brand. Like the Journeyman, the Journeyer range will have 700c, 650B, drop bar, and flat bar models.
What It Is: Salsa Cycles stresses that this is not just a rebadged Journeyman, but a new frame design from the ground up. Salsa’s press release states: “Journeyer is Salsa’s workhorse all-road adventure machine. The all-new Journeyer builds on the success of Journeyman with added performance, functionality, and a name that welcomes everyone to the gravel world. This platform is a gateway to all-road riding; the confidence of its redesigned frame and fork attracts gravel riders while its cargo capacity and versatility appeal to bikepackers and riders seeking a do-it-all bike. Our tagline: Choose your Journey.“
The frames are 6061 T-6 alloy and will come with either a Fantail Deluxe Fork in aluminum with through axle, the Fantail Fork in aluminum with 9mm quick release, or the new Waxwing Carbon fork in a through axle. these forks will have tapered steer tubes, flat mount brake mounts, a set of Three Pack bosses on each leg, and lowrider and fender mounts.
The frames will have various mounting options depending on the size. The largest will fit three bottles in the main triangle, middle sizes will accept two bottles and an Anything Bracket Mini, while the 51cm will fit two bottles and the 49cm one. Rack and fender mounts will be found on all frame sizes as will mounts for a top tube bag on the top tube. Anything cage mounts will be found on the underside of the down tube.
Mechanics will rejoice over the threaded, 68mm bottom bracket. The frame will have a flat mount brake mount, of course, and will also feature internally routed cabling along with a dropper post route. Tire clearances are claimed to be 50mm for the 700c wheel and 55mm for 650B wheels. Curiously the forks do not match with this with the Fantail forks actually capable of handling larger tires at 700 X 56mm or 650B X 58mm. The Waxwing actually goes the other way with a limit of 700 X 45mm and 650B X 56mm.
Geometry: Here is where the big change is over the previous Journetman bikes. The new Journeyer takes a slacker approach with head angles going to 69.5° across the range versus the Journeyman’s 70°-70.5° head angles. Bottom bracket drop has raised by 2mm on the new Journeyer from 72mm to 70mm. Fork offsets remain the same, (50mm) as do the chain stay lengths (440mm). Reach increases slightly with the new bike and Stack decreases somewhat over the outgoing model. So, the new Journeyer will feel and fit a bit differently.
Spec & Pricing: The new Journeyer will cover a wider price and soec range than the outgoing model did. Top of the range Journeyers will have Shimano GRX 810 spec and will be priced at $2799.00 while the opposite end of the range will be priced at $999.00 and will come with either a Shimano Altus or a MicroShift Acolyte spec, both in flat bar mode.
In between you have GRX 600 spec, ($2399.00) Apex 1, ($1799.00), Sora, ($1499.00), MicoShift Advent, ($1099.00), and Claris specs (also $1099.00), on the drop bar side. Flat bar bikes also come in a Deore 10 spec which prices out at $1199.00. All prices are USD.
Comments: So, other than this, what’s up with that name change? Well, Salsa Cycles had a consult with a “third party group” to audit their product names for “offensive or problematic vocabulary” It was determined that the former model name was not inclusive and that a change to “Journeyer:” was more welcoming. Salsa states that “We’re proud of the name (Journeyer) because it upholds our brand attributes of inclusivity and community while retaining the value we’ve built up behind ‘journey’.“
The expansion of the range dovetails nicely into the Warbird range which now starts at $2799.00 and goes up from there. The Journeyer should continue to show the way as a good seller in Salsa’s line up as it still retains an entry level for the brand but now has models with higher end spec for those aspiring to upgrade the platform they perhaps like without busting the budget on a Carbon Warbird.
The geometry changes are curious and time will tell how those are received. We like a lower bottom bracket here at Riding Gravel, so raising the bottom bracket a touch seems like going a step backward, but the slacker head angle is perhaps a nice addition here. Especially if Journeyer riders are taking to more rough trails and single track.
For more about the Journeyer and other Salsa Cycles bikes, see their website here: https://www.salsacycles.com
Note: Images and information on the new Journeyer from Salsa Cycles was provided to Riding Gravel by Salsa Cycles.
