2018 Salsa

CUTTHROAT APEX 1

A carbon frame gravel bike with upper mid-range components and mechanical disc brakes.
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MSRP$2,499
Weight23.0 lbs  
FrameCarbon
SuspensionRigid
ForkCarbon
Wheels29″ Aluminum
Drivetrain1 × 11
GroupsetApex, GX
BrakesMechanical Disc
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Insights
Ride Feel

Based on frame geometry and build specs.

Rider Position
relaxedaggressive
Terrain
smoothrugged
CUTTHROAT APEX 1
Other Gravel bikes
Gearing

A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

Lowest gear

(climbing)

30 mph

CUTTHROAT APEX 1

36 mph

Similar Bikes

Highest gear

(descending)

Sizing
SM

5'6" – 5'9"

MD

5'8" – 6'1"

LG

5'10" – 6'4"

XL

6'2" +

Rider Fit Notes

None yet.

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Reviews
Bicycling
The New Salsa Cutthroat Carbon GRX 810 1x is Built for High-Speed Adventures

Oct 2019

Ride the Divide, shred singletrack, or race gravel-enduro—the Cutthroat’s got you covered.

Read Review

Gran Fondo Magazine
Salsa Cutthroat Force 1 Review

Dec 2017 · Robin Schmitt

Road or mountain bike? Can I fit a six-pack of beer onto it? The € 4,499 carbon Salsa Cutthroat raises some questions.....

Read Review

BIKEPACKING.com
Salsa Cutthroat Review, Long-term Tested

Aug 2017 · Logan Watts

The Salsa Cutthroat Review, tested during our 900 mile Trans Cuba bikepacking trip as well as several months after on single track, gravel, and beyond...

Lows
  • For me, the gearing range is slightly too high for loaded bikepacking with the 38t x 10-42 cassette.

  • PressFit bottom bracket may be a deal breaker for some who are heading abroad, while we experienced no creaking or mechanical issues over thousands of miles.

  • The Firestarter fork has the triple bosses pointed a wee bit too far forward to accommodate fork bags such as Andrew The Maker’s Many Things Sack. This also makes removing tall bottles a bit difficult.

  • Same goes for the bottle mounts on the underside of the downtube. Due to the location, fitting a large wide-mouth bottle is impossible without tire rub; I opted to use the narrow-top 22oz Klean Kanteen which squeezed in with just a few millimeters to spare.

  • At $4k, the Force 1x isn’t cheap. I think it’s money well spent, but perhaps it would be easier on the eyes if it were a little less. There is a Rival 2x edition as well for $3k.

Read Review

Geometry
99 Spokes on YouTube99 Spokes on YouTube
Specs
Build
Frame

Cutthroat Carbon

BB StandardBB86/BB92, Press Fit

ColorOrange / Dark Orange

Fork

Cutthroat Carbon

Shock

N/A

Bottom Bracket

PressFit 41 x 92mm

Headset

Cane Creek 40

Stem

Salsa Guide

Handlebar

Salsa Cowchipper

Saddle

WTB Volt Sport

Seatpost

Promax 27.2 x 350mm

TypeRigid

Grips

Salsa Glyph Gel Bar Tape

Groupset
Rear Derailleur

SRAM Apex 1 Long Cage

Front Derailleur

N/A

Crank

SRAM GX 1000 XSYNC 38t

Shifters

SRAM Apex

Cassette

SunRace CSMS7 11-42

Chain

SRAM PC1110

Brakes

Hayes CX Expert, V-Series 160mm

TypeMechanical Disc

Wheels
Rims

Front: Formula 32h, 100 x 15mm thru-axle, WTB STP i23 TCS 29", 2.0mm butted spokes, brass nipples, Rear: Formula 32h, 142 x 12mm thru-axle, WTB STP i23 TCS 29", 2.0mm butted spokes, brass nipples.

Tires

Maxxis Ikon 29 x 2.2" 60 tpi EXO

Disc Rotors

74mm post mount; (140 –160mm)

Rider Notes
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Last updated September 4
Not listed for 2,026 days