Salsa Cycles has sent over their newest 29 inch wheeled trail bike called the Big Mama. The bike is Salsa Cycles first big wheeled full suspension trail bike featuring 4 inches of travel. The frame pictured here is the Large size.
Salsa Cycles wanted the Big Mama to be a durable full suspension bike, and the details show that.
We will be doing an “Out Of The Box” post where we will detail the Big Mama out for you, but if you can not wait, check out my story on the Big Mama from the Sol Sessions release of this bike back in June of 2008.
The color of the Big Mama is hard to describe and even harder to photograph!
The purposes and design intent of the Big Mama are to be an “all day trail bike” and I will be outfitting this Big Mama as such. The Rock Shox Reba Team that is on test will be on this bike, a SRAM X-9 drive train for the most part, and Avid Juicy brakes will be major parts of this build. The wheels will be the Salsa Gordo/Hope Pro II wheels we tested and will be shod initially with the Specialized Eskar tires we are finishing up testing on.
The rest of the build will be detailed out in the next post. Until then, stay tuned……….
I’m really happy that you’re going to be testing the Big Mama, Guitar Ted. My own time (about four months total, now) on the Big Mama has been extremely positive, and the bike has turned out to be exactly what I was expecting it to be — stiff, durable, responsive and most importantly, fun to ride in a wide variety of conditions. I’ve run the bike with a Manitou Minute (at 100mm), a Maverick SC32 (at 88mm), which is its current setup and am about to pull the trigger on a Fox for the front end as I contemplate some bigger Western adventures in the late spring and summer. The SC is an awesome setup here in the midwest for its ability to get the bike down and rippin’ around tight, tacky corners.
I bet that Fox will be the bees knees though… I have high expectations.
Can’t wait to see your build-up.
My medium Big Mama frame was shipped last week. Will be building it up with a Manitou Minute 100 (20mm), Gordos on older 36 hole White Industry hubs and my usual mix of Midge dropbar based parts. Should be sporting red and gold Nokon housings, too.
Planing on mounting one “old school” (’80s) all mountain component!
It was my favorite fully at interbike.
wow, that bike looks like a really fun ride. cant wait to read the review.
I know I could search for it, but what’s the MSRP?
Never mind. I found it:
“Frame sets will include the Fox RP2 and a Salsa Flip-Lock seat collar. Look for the frame sets to become available in September with a suggested MSRP of $1435-$1500″
Doesn’t it sound like a heavy bike with Gordos? Just guessing…
Davidcopperfield: I’ll have a detailed list of the spec and weight in the next posting on this bike.
Has 29″ ever reviewed the Voodoo Canzo 29er? The bike weighs a full pound less than the Big Mama, retails for under a grand, and would seem to be an excellent budget build option? And, I think it would be nice to know how it compares to more expensive frames like the Jet 9 and Big Mama.
I agree, it would be great to see a Canzo reviewed.
It’ll be good to see a review of the BM. Didn’t you guys already basically review it last year? My memory is foggy.
Alex: No, we have not gotten in a Canzo to test/review, but I will agree that it is an intriguing bike. Perhaps we can try landing one later this spring/early sumer to give a comparison here.
Rob from Ottawa: We did get a pre-release ride on the Big Mama in June of ’08. See my link in th article above which takes yu to the story.
The Big Mama with all its weight and bulkynees needs 130mm in the rear, no question asked. Weight points to a 5″ bicycle like Behemoth.
… Typical spec sheet banter. Maybe you should ride one, then form an informed opinion about it based on your actual experience, there mr. Copperfield. Speaking of which, I’m going to go ride mine right now!
DC, having ridden the bike (2 in fact) I can say the weight is not excessive and more travel would change the character of the bike. It rides as I expect a bike to ride (Salsa’s philosophy tends to match mine) and should be a durable trail bike. Salsa remains as a company that builds bikes that are more than just the sum of the numbers. A rareity with production frames.
Thanks for explaining that a little more fully, Shiggy. The unique mix of qualities the Big Mama possesses is distinctly different from the status quo, but it gives distinct benefits on the trail too. It isn’t often that you can have a bike with the stiffness, stability and durability of the Big Mama that also has the responsiveness under pedaling and climbing that it has. It’s a great combination that a few talented riders, like Shiggy, can exploit to the fullest.
Color comment: And it changes drastically with the lighting. Maybe more than most any color I have seen on a bike before. I like it.