Interbike has shut its doors and left Vegas for the last time, but that doesn’t mean we’re done talking about what we saw and rode out there. Oh no! Here is another ride report from Bootleg Canyon for your consideration……….
Salsa El Mariachi Titanium: Ride Report: by Guitar Ted
Salsa Cycles introduced the El Mariachi titanium frame earlier this season, but this was my first chance at riding this frame. Salsa Cycles had it “blinged out” in Hope components, a SRAM drive train, and a FSA 2X crank set. This was a nicely equipped hard tail, but how does it ride? That was the question on my mind as I waited for the bike to be set up for me. The El Mariachi was rendered in titanium according to Salsa Cycles’ design by Lynskey. I have tested a couple of Lynskey’s titanium single speed frames in the past, so the workmanship on the titanium El Mariachi was somewhat familiar looking. Still, this was not Lynskey’s geometry, and not their design. Would there be any comparison?
Off I went on the demo loop to find out. Of course, titanium is a nice riding material if designed and constructed properly, and I found that familiar titanium feel soon enough. The El Mariachi was set up with a 80mm travel Rock Shox Reba, a different spec for a hard tail these days, but one that I appreciated on this particular design. It worked quite nicely too, and I didn’t find that I missed the extra 20mm of travel a 100mm fork would have lent me. I did notice that the front end felt reasonably stiff, and I suspect that based upon my experiences with a longer fork on a titanium frame, it wouldn’t have felt as stiff with a 100mm travel fork. That would be outside this designs spec anyway.
On climbs and descents, the El Mariachi titanium was well behaved. Basically, if you have ridden a Salsa hard tail from the last couple of years, you will find the titanium version of the El Mariachi to be very familiar. If you have not been on a Salsa, you might find it a bit quicker than some in regards to steering, a bit longer in the rear than some of the “new school” geometry hard tails,(450mm), but very nicely sorted. I didn’t find any quirks at all on my test ride. I definitely did not find it to be like a Lynskey, that’s for sure.
A quick word on the Selma titanium single speed bike here is in order, I think. I have seen some commentary regarding a possible redundancy on Salsa’s part with regards to these titanium hard tail 29’ers that they have now. I can tell you that the Selma is actually quite different than the El Mariachi titanium rig. The Selma features a very different tube set that is optimized for single speed use. The frame is stiffer over all because of this, than the El Mariachi titanium frame. The Selma titanium rig also has no gear cable stops, and features a 44mm diameter head tube that can accommodate a tapered steer tube fork with the use of an external 1.5″ lower head set cup. The El Mariachi titanium bike does not feature this. Of course, the Selma has the Altenator drop out as well.
Salsa Cycles is billing itself as the “Adventure Bicycle” company these days and the titanium El Mariachi seems to fit in this mold by being a stable, easy to pilot bike that doesn’t give anything up on the tight, twisty trails, but doesn’t go over the line of being too twitchy. It also is titanium, so you have that durable, long lasting metal frame that gives you the sweet ride to boot. I could see this as being a great endurance racer, 100 mile bike, or just a bike to scoot around on for a long afternoon of mountain biking. Frankly, while I was riding it, I just about forgot about the bike and was enjoying the scenery as I went around the demo loop. That to me is a compliment to the bike, the handling, and the ride of titanium.
nice review of a beautiful bike. What are your thoughts about the frame’s ride quality, particularly the smoothless over rough terrain, compared to a steel hardtail? Also, any thoughts on the lateral stiffness of the frame compared to more xc race-oriented hardtails? Did the frame feel flexy, or responsive and quick to accelerate?
@Dan: The El Mar ti is a smooth bike, like a really nice steel frame….but different. It’s really hard to pin point it, but that’s close. It definitely smooths over stuff better than, say the Vertex, which would buck back at you over sharp impacts, but it isn’t full suspension either. 😉
Laterally it felt good to above average, but nothing to the level of the aforementioned Vertex, or anywhere close to the Superfly, which was amazingly efficient feeling. That said, you would most likely ride a titanium frame, or steel- for that matter- for the very reason that it does flex in a way that seems to “spring back” and give you an uncanny feeling that you are working with the frame, rather than ‘pushing off against it”.
I always struggle to make sense of that comparison, so I hope I have not muddied the waters for you. 🙂
I have had one for a couple of months now and absolutely love it. I’ve had several hardtail 29ers and most recently a Superfly 100 and this is my favorite frame. It seems stiffer than the last steel frame I had which was an MCR.
You say that this is not like a Lynskey. What are the differences between the two?
GT: What are some examples of steel hardtails with “new school geometry? 450mm chainstay with slacker HT?
“I definitely did not find it to be like a Lynskey, that’s for sure.”
I’m really curious about this statement. I am considering going back to a Ti geared bike for next year. Both the Salsa and Lynskey are on my list.
“I definitely did not find it to be like a Lynskey, that’s for sure.”
I’m curious about this statement. I’m seriously considering going back to a Ti geared bike for XC racing next year and both the Salsa and Lynskey are on my list.
thanks for the reply GT! that does make sense…I ride a Ti road bike so I’m familiar with the unique ride of that bike
I took the plunge on the Ti El M back in April. I have not regretted it one moment. I have used it in multi hour races, all day adventures on the mountain, and even a gravel (type)r race (The Hilly Billy Roubaix). I can’t say enough about how much I like it. I used to use my Dos Niner as my “race bike”, but the El M, is just too comfortable, compliant, and efficient not to use for just about all my riding needs (FWIW I use a Fox fork at 100mm with no issue except extra travel). I still have my Dos Niner, but see no real need for it right now. The Ti EM is just as comfortable to me and my 39 year old back. I will say the Spearfish might replace the Dos in the future, but not sure. I’m so stoked on the simplicity (not much for too many moving shock parts), feel and let’s face it- good looks of my El Mariachi I might not even look into it. What I MIGHT do is look into the Ti La Cruz! or Fargo given how good the EM is 😉
@Jason: How does the bike feel w/ 100mm travel? Is the handling any noticeably slower, or is the front end noticeably more upright? I ask b/c I’m doing my first 100-miler next season and I considered the Spearfish as well, but the simplicity, durability, and longevity of a titanium hardtail is hard to beat. I can’t decide between a 80mm fork and 100mm though 🙂
@Dan,
I notice no issues with the 100mm fork. For most (not all, but most) hundies there is a lot of fire roads, double track, and wider single track. And a LOT of climbing. So slower handling is not that noticeable (if at all) to me. If you do a lot of fast, tight switchback single track riding, you might notice something. But I have run 100mm forks on all my bikes in the last 5 years without issues. I’m not a “fast” rider, but like to ride long, and for longer races I will gladly sacrifice any slight handling issues for comfort.
The Spearfish might be the ticket too, but having not seen it in person, or ridden it, I can’t tell you one way or another. I’m not a good wrench at all, so the less maintenance needed on a bike (especially during a race) the happier I am. That’s why the Dos Niner is/was a great bike for endurance racing too. Simple, effective, and light with JUST enough to take some edge off the trail. Just don’t ride it like full suspension or you will be disappointed. Having said that, I have been opting for the El Mariachi on almost all my rides of late.
Also, go with the 100mm, because you can always switch it back to 80. Just a spacer to swap out.
Good luck with the 100 miler and bike shopping. Both a great choices.
Jason
“I definitely did not find it to be like a Lynskey, that’s for sure.”
Hey Guitar Ted, thanks very much for detailed reviews. But I’m trying to understand the differences between this bike and the Lynksey that you have reviewed. Would you be willing to give us your opinions about the differences in the handling of these two bikes? Thank you!
@Tim: Hmmm….I seem to have neglected this question. I apologize.
To be fair- it does ride like a Lynskey bike (made for Salsa) 🙂
Lynskey is a very capable company. They can tune the ride and geometry of a titanium frame to just about whatever you can dream up, given enough money. That’s why companies like Salsa have bike frames made by Lynskey- they can get what they want out of the bikes performance and feel.
Salsa titanium El Mariachis ride like Salsa bikes- not like Lynskey’s titanium bikes that they sell under their own brand name. Geometry, tube spec, and equipment choices all color these things to ceratin hues.
Hey Guitar Ted – thanks for patiently responding. But when you write “Salsa titanium El Mariachis ride like Salsa bikes”, I don’t know what that means, because I’ve not ridden them. Did you notice that the ride feel of the Lynskey and the Salsa bikes were different, and if so, how?
@Tim: Salsa bikes have a single track friendly feel, a bit lower in the bottom bracket feel, and in recent years they have gravitated to being closer to how Specialized’s upper end hard tails ride.
Lynskey feels tall-ish in comparison, with a shorter, less stable feel. I didn’t gravitate to their set up unless I rode them with a 80mm suspension corrected rigid fork, or a short- 80mm travel fork.
Keep in mind- this is all picking nits. Lots of folks love either brand.
For a discussion on titanium feel, see comment #2 above.
Thanks Ted! Hugely helpful. This site rocks.