New Cockpit Components Including Carbon Cowchippers, Woodchippers, And More

February 17, 2018

Today we’re excited to present our new and updated road and mountain handlebars, and new seatposts and stems. We’re offering a wider variety of fits and finishes than ever before, so you can dial in the feel and look that suits your riding goals.

Engineer Pete Hall took on this handlebar project with the goal to enhance ride feel and feedback across the board. Collin Grant and Kelly MacWilliams put their creative design chops to work on the overall look of the collection, and Product Manager Justin Steiner thought big picture about the kinds of components that would bring even more to our complete builds. They’re here to get into the objectives, and what they did to achieve them.

First thing you may notice is how this collection is tied together in appearance. MacWilliams and Grant point out, “The new graphic design elements found throughout the entire component line embrace what’s become the language of our heritage – functionality with the right amount of minimalism. By unifying the pieces visually, they add structure to our complete bike builds, and help tell the story that the small details matter to us.”

“Sometimes when you take a step back and look a whole bike over top to bottom, you can’t help but think that the cockpit components didn’t receive as much attention as the rest of the frame or parts did.” Steiner decided, “We wanted to keep that feeling at bay by spec’ing touch points that helped say, ‘This bike is a Salsa through and through.’ I feel like this new collection gets us there.”

For further technical details about each part and available sizes, follow the links to each product’s page.

Off-Road/Road Handlebars

Of all the new bits we’re covering here, handlebars received the biggest reevaluation and revamp. Our off-road dropbars that have carried so many cyclists through extraordinary rides are now available in two grades and finishes of aluminum, and for the first time, carbon. Whether you’re traveling over gravel, minimum-maintenance roads, or singletrack, there’s now a new level of comfort available that’s sure to help you pile on more miles. Pete Hall explains where the “bar” was set and why.

Hall – “We aimed for four main things on the carbon drop bars. Less weight, less deflection, more vibration dampening, and more room for mounting stuff.”

Less Weight – “The Cowbell, Cowchipper and Woodchipper Carbon are all 75g lighter than their aluminum counterparts.”

Less Deflection – “It varies how much per size, but we aimed to actually make the carbon bars deflect less under rider loads (think standing up and pedaling or hard cornering) than on the aluminum bars – on average they are 10% stiffer. This was a combination of the carbon fiber layup and a wider 31.8mm clamping section. The reasoning behind making them stiffer is that the alloy bars already deflect nicely for comfort and having handlebars that are too flexy can lead to a vague feeling when steering and standing up. With the increased vibration dampening of carbon, we could make the carbon bars stiffer without making them too harsh.”

More Vibration Dampening – “While the carbon bars are stiffer under deflection, they do soak up a lot of the vibration from small impacts on surfaces like gravel. This is purely down to the combination of carbon fibers, the resin material, and the properties of carbon fiber. It’s kinda like taking 5 psi out of your tires.”

More Room for Stuff – “We made the 31.8mm clamping section 140mm wide instead of the 120mm width that is on the aluminum bars. This was specifically for adding more stuff to the handlebars and was chosen specifically to safely fit an EXP Series Anything Cradle and aerobars at the same time.”

Added Bonus – Testing – “Cowchipper and Woodchipper carbon are still both tested to the same ISO 4210 Mountain loads as aluminum. These bars are obviously used for mountain biking and our testing and riding reflects that.”

Woodchipper Handlebars

Woodchipper is Salsa’s signature drop bar for off road riding, where its unique shape delivers comfort and control no matter how rough the terrain. Woodchipper Bars bend along three planes to create extra-wide lowers while still maintaining a shallow drop.

Woodchipper Carbon

Carbon, unidirectional finish

MSRP $215.00

Woodchipper Deluxe

7050-T6 series aluminum,
polished

MSRP $75.00

Woodchipper

6061-T6 aluminum, bead blasted

MSRP $50.00

Woodchipper Shared Features:

Sizes 42, 44, 46cm

114 mm drop, 56 mm reach, 25-degree flare, 38-degree drop angle

Cowchipper Handlebars

Cowchipper provides comfort, control, and efficiency for long days in the saddle, whether road touring, crushing mixed surfaces, or conquering the Great Divide. While the Cowchipper retains some resemblance of a traditional road bar, its radical 24° flare in the drops boosts leverage, stability, and comfort dramatically.

Cowchipper Carbon

Carbon, unidirectional finish

MSRP $215.00

Cowchipper Deluxe

7050-T6 series aluminum,
polished

MSRP $75.00

Cowchipper

6061-T6 aluminum, bead blasted

MSRP $50.00

Cowchipper Shared Features:

Sizes 38, 40, 42, 44, 46cm

116 mm drop, 68 mm reach, 24-degree flare, 12-degree drop angle

Cowbell Handlebars

Cowbell blends speed, comfort, and efficiency for high performance efforts on gravel and paved roads. Designed with gravel racing and riding in mind, Cowbell bars feature a 12-degree flare that puts your hands, wrists, and arms into a natural, comfortable position in the drops.

Cowbell Carbon

Carbon, unidirectional finish

MSRP $215.00

Cowbell Deluxe

7050-T6 series aluminum, polished

MSRP $75.00

Cowbell

6061-T6 aluminum, bead blasted

MSRP $50.00

Cowbell Shared Features:

Sizes 38, 40, 42, 44, 46cm

115 mm drop, 68 mm reach, 12-degree flare, 12-degree drop angle

Mountain Handlebars

Hall – “For the Salt Flat bars we went for wider widths, less deflection, and more mounting room. Rustler got bumped up in stiffness as that bar tends to be ridden more aggressively.”

Wider Widths – “Previously, our carbon bars were only offered up to 760mm in width. We now have 750mm and 800mm options. We wanted to provide more choice and recognize that mountain bikes are running wider and wider bars.”

Less Deflection – “We made Rustler 15% stiffer than the old carbon Rustler while also making it wider and lighter. We did add width to Salt Flat but kept it at the same stiffness as the old bar because we were already happy with its previous level. Rustler is about 10% stiffer than Salt Flat owing to its 15mm rise. We felt that bar is geared towards more towards aggressive trail riding vs the marathon style that many riders who gravitate to Salt Flat prefer.”

More Mounting Room – Salt Flat follows the drop bars and widens the 31.8mm clamping section to 140mm wide (up from 120mm) for Anything Cradle and Aerobars. Rustler stayed at 100mm wide as we felt that the use case for Rustler didn’t include aerobars and an Anything Cradle at the same time. Plus, the 100mm clamping section allowed for a more natural rise and more room for controls/grips.

All Salsa mountain handlebars feature our signature sweeps for great control and comfort no matter how long the day, or days out on the trails or in the backcountry.

Rustler Carbon Handlebar

Carbon, unidirectional finish

15mm rise

MSRP $140.00

Rustler Deluxe Handlebar

7050-T6 series aluminum, polished

20mm rise

MSRP $69.00

Rustler Handlebar

6061-T6 aluminum, bead blasted

20mm rise

MSRP $39.00

Shared Rustler Handlebar Features:

750 & 800 mm widths

11-degree backsweep, 6-degree upsweep

Salt Flat Carbon Handlebar

Carbon, unidirectional finish

MSRP $140.00

Salt Flat Deluxe Handlebar

7050-T6 series aluminum, polished

MSRP $65.00

Salt Flat Handlebar

6061-T6 aluminum, bead blasted

MSRP $39.00

Shared Salt Flat Handlebar Features:

750 & 800 mm widths

11-degree backsweep, 6-degree upsweep, zero rise

A Cohesive Look

One of our other goals throughout this cockpit project was to dial in a new graphic scheme with a cohesive look throughout our entire package of offerings. We hope you like what you see and these additional component choices.

Seat Posts

Guide Seatposts

Our new Guide Seatposts feature a highly adjustable two-bolt head. They’re lightweight and durable.