Video: Salsa’s New Blackthorn Trail Bike – First Look

Blackthorn Frame Details

Salsa picks up all the boxes with Blackthorn, which have on-frame storage solutions through several threaded holes and an integrated frame strap slot at the forward shock mount. They weren’t the first to do this, but they added a rubber scuff guard to hold the tube in place and anything you could carry from scratching your frame. Bosses on TopTube allow you to attach a bag or computer mount and ‘Three-Pack’ Bottle Mount on DownloadTube gives you more options.

Another thread hole that you are happy with: Bottom bracket, here you will also find a set of ISCG 05 Chain Guide tabs. They can be removed on the carbon frame by the adapter and they are welded onto the aluminum version.

Cable routing is the internal and molded guides inside the carbon frame i.e. it is as easy as pulling the old line out and pushing the new one inside. If you get an aluminum frame, you will see large openings which means not having a job is not very tricky. And speaking of cables, there is also a small opening for remote shock lockout, if you need to.

Salsa has a long history of offering bikes that can accept all types of wheels and tire sizes, and this continues with Blackthorn; Even if you have a 432mm aluminum chainstay, you can also squeeze the 2.6 “wide tire if you stick to the 29” wheels or the 3.0 “rubber if you go to the 27.5” rear wheel. Salsa says the 12mm x 157mm super boost hub gap of the bike is sure to provoke some of us.

Split pivot suspension

Salsa has been using Dave Weigel’s split pivot suspension layout for many years now, and is exactly what you find on the back of the Blackthorn. It has a design that allows the rear pivot to rotate centered around the pivot, and the rocker link and clevis provide shock to provide 140mm of travel. There is also an almost hidden flip-chip on the Clevis, which offers a 0.3-degree angle and 4mm bottom bracket height adjustment.

Salsa says it’s a straightforward layout, and is particularly suited for riders swapping clevis, rockers and shocks for those used in the 165mm-travel case. Salsa sells you rockers and clevis for US 150 USD. Of course, you need more stroke shock and fork, which is not an inexpensive transition. This means that salsa can provide two platforms from the same front and rear triangle.

Long and slack geometry

With the geometry of the blackthorn the salsa made no half a foot, instead jumping to the feet with a 64.6-degree head angle, 76.5-degree seat angle and 490mm my large-sized test bike. You can increase this by up to a third of a degree by rotating the shock mounting hardware on the back, which increases the bottom bracket by 4mm. Minor changes, for sure, but it will be useful if you consider the 27.5 “rear wheel.

Two more numbers to mention: a small 455mm seat tube in a large-large leaf compartment for long-distance party posts, and an extra-large size 510mm Reach, which pleases Beanstocks.