DEVELOPING BUCKSAW: THE STORY BEHIND OUR FULL-SUSPENSION FATBIKE @salsacycles

Finished Bucksaw 1 and one of the original protos...

The spirit of adventure drives our product decisions and creations. We like to go places and do things that may not be “normal,” and we like to use bicycles to get us there.

When we introduced the Mukluk, we knew the places fatbikes could take us and the experiences we could partake in. What we didn’t know was just how far this fatbike thing was going to go. Still perceived by many as “snow bikes,” they got us Minnesnowtans out in the winter and helped create a passionate army of fatbike riders.

The attachment and passion for these bikes had many people, including us, using them in the summer on “normal” mountain bike trails. The fatbike’s incredible capabilities and confidence-inspiring nature had several of us verbally contemplating riding a fatbike exclusively, year-round. Riding a fatbike year round meant that rocks and roots, which were usually hidden under a layer of snowpack in the winter, were now exposed features that needed to be negotiated. Firm dirt made for higher speeds, and folks were finding they could quickly outride their ability to keep the front end in control. Many started experimenting with various ideas to add front suspension to their bikes.

[Keep reading at Salsa]