When a bike company rep tells me, 鈥淭his bike will change everything,鈥 I generally dismiss the claim faster than I can roll my eyes. If I had a dollar for every 鈥済round-breaking鈥 cycling development I鈥檝e been pitched in the last decade, I鈥檇 probably have enough for a set of .听
While I love fatties, which have transformed my winter riding experience, when I heard about the Bucksaw last spring from Salsa brand ambassador Brian Hanson I was dubious of both the application and performance. With four inches of front and rear travel and hydraulic disc brakes and dropper post, the Bucksaw is intended for use on roads and trails鈥攏ot snow. And while I had my doubts about the idea alone, I also imagined that even if the concept was right, the sheer heft of a four-inch fatty would make it as sprightly as a Honda Goldwing.
I was wrong. In six weeks of testing, I had more fun aboard the than I鈥檝e had on any single bicycle in years.
There was virtually nothing we couldn鈥檛 ride on this bike, especially uphill. That might sound counterintuitive given just how meaty the Bucksaw is, but the combination of four inches of suspension and 3.8-inch tires make for traction that rivals a rally car.
On my first ride out, I took it up the stoutest climb we have in Santa Fe, a 45-minute ascent called Atalaya, that packs lots of sustained loose steeps as well as a handful or two of techy steps, roots, and tricky moves. I鈥檝e never cleaned the entire ascent, and I鈥檓 50-50 on a few of the obstacles, which I鈥檝e worked repeatedly. Aboard the Bucksaw, I rode over those few tough spots with such ease that I almost wondered if I had missed them. I cleared every single bit of the climb but one, an extremely tight corner that I think would only go with trials skills. I was flabbergasted how casual the Bucksaw made everything.
The ease comes partly from traction, with tires run at 10 psi and the suspension working to keep the bike in contact with the ground over any surface. The extra width in the tires also allows for extremely slow-speed riding because the bike can nearly balance on its own.
Surprisingly, it took more effort to adjust to the bike鈥檚 descending manners. Unlike on a standard XC bike, where you can fudge five or 10 PSI in the shock or tires and still be fine, finding the right pressures on the Bucksaw was critical. Too much air in either tires or shock, and the bike felt jouncy, almost like riding on one of those children鈥檚 air castles. Too little, and it felt wallowing and sluggish.听
Once we nailed the pressure, however, the Bucksaw delivered a ride that reminded us of skiing powder. You could literally float from obstacle to obstacle, kicking the rear end off berms, launching off kickers, and never worrying about a bad landing as the huge surface area of the tires delivered a 747-like touchdown. Technical terrain was a cinch, too, as the tires plowed through chunder, smoothed out rock gardens like they were little more than gravel, and afforded confidence on steep rolls and drops thanks to the extra grip. And though the dropper post initially seemed like overkill, in the end it made the riding that much more fun.
The Bucksaw isn鈥檛 perfect, of course. The new Bluto fork from Rockshox, while very good, is a bit underpowered for such hefty wheels. We鈥檇 rather see at least a 34mm stanchion, as well as the internals of the company鈥檚 beefier Pike model. And it鈥檚 definitely a lot of bike to push around. Our size medium, top spec Bucksaw 1 weighed in at smack on 32 pounds, though halfway through testing I dropped a little over a pound by switching wheels to the new Whisky/45 North carbon tubeless setup. Still, in places with steep ups and downs, like Santa Fe, you have to be fit to manhandle this machine, even with the smartly spec鈥檇 28-tooth ring on the 1×11 drivetrain setup.听
Still, as a premier iteration of the first-ever full-suspension fat bike, the Bucksaw is impressive. It is the mountain bike equivalent of fat, shaped skis because it similarly transforms the way you ride. The confidence and leniency delivered by the extra tire girth very literally made us feel鈥攁nd ride鈥攍ike better mountain bikers.
The Bucksaw is not for everyone. It鈥檚 probably a niche machine that only devotees will ride, at least for now. But it proves that big tires aren鈥檛 the ponderous impediment that everyone has long made them out to be, and certainly future iterations of the bike will be lighter and quicker, especially now that Salsa has delved into .
More importantly, we feel that once people experience the benefits of fat tires, with their added traction and suspension qualities, most won鈥檛 go back. The trend is already toward bigger diameters and meatier contact patches, even on the road. The Bucksaw is ahead of its time in that way, but we鈥檙e optimistic that it will help usher in an era of bigger, lighter rubber. We’re not talking fat tires all around鈥攋ust a move toward more big tires, 2.4-inches and up, for nearly every discipline of riding.听Manufacturers take note: Bikes ride better with chunkier tires, so it鈥檚 time for development of some lighter, fatter, more durable treads.
In the meantime, I鈥檒l be giggling my way down techy trails on the Bucksaw, looking鈥攁nd riding鈥攍ike a better mountain biker than my skills should really allow.