This specialist mile-muncher is set up to tackle the world’s longest ultra-endurance events
JOSH KATO
In 2015 Josh rocked the world of long-distance racing when he slashed a day o! the Tour Divide course record, finishing in 14 days, 11 hours and 37 minutes, and averaging 190 miles a day. This 40-year-old full-time nurse trained by riding huge distances by fatbike with frame bags filled with rocks, books and cans of Spam, using his brakes to add resistance and chopping plenty of wood instead of lifting
WHY IS THIS A SUPERBIKE?
Built specifically for the Tour Divide, the Cutthroat is designed to be the ultimate ultra-endurance racing machine
The light, comfy carbon frame has plenty of room for luggage, while the drop bar gives multiple hand positions
Josh has got his set-up dialled for long stints in the saddle
WHAT IS THE TOUR DIVIDE?
The Tour Divide is an annual race that follows the 2,745-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Banff in Canada to Antelope Wells on the Mexican border. It has almost 200,000ft of climbing – the equivalent summiting Mount Everest from sea level nearly seven times. Classed as an ultra-endurance event, there’s no entry fee, no prize money and all riders must be self-supported.
Faced with a challenge as epic as the Tour Divide, a 2,745-mile race down the spine of North America, you need the right tool for the job – and Salsa designed the Cutthroat to be just that. The successor to the Fargo, it’s the culmination of years of long-distance riding experience. And don’t be fooled by the drop handlebar – this is no road bike masquerading as an MTB.
Going the distance
As Tour Divide veterans, Salsa’s Joe Meiser and Sean Malien understood the demands of ultra-endurance events and set out to address the four key requirements of long-distance racers – comfort, reliability, low weight and efficiency. And they’d have perhaps the ultimate test pilot – Josh Kato, who broke the course record in 2015 on a titanium Fargo and saw the carbon fibre ‘Cutty’ as his best option to challenge his time this year.
The small frame of Josh’s Fargo meant bag space was limited, so the Cutthroat (the badass name doesn’t just relate to merciless racing but also the cutthroat trout, which is the state fish of every territory the Tour Divide passes through) has a larger front triangle with room for a bigger frame bag. This helps keep the luggage weight low and central for better stability. It also speeds up packing and unpacking – and seconds saved here can add up over 14-plus days of riding.
Cut that chatter
Trundling over uneven ground for a fortnight of 16-hour days will take its toll as millions of tiny bumps and vibrations travel up through your contact points and into your body. Last year. Josh suffered enough nerve damage to leave him with numb pinkies for five months. With this in mind, Salsa developed their ‘Class 5 VRS’ (Vibration Reduction System) frame technology.
This consists of tall, thin seatstays that are able to flex outwards enough to soak up some trail chatter (flattened chainstays and a rear through-axle ensure there’s still a stiff connection from BB to dropout) and doing away with chainstay and seatstay bridges, which allows more flex, along with ample clearance for 29x2.4in tyres.
Josh has added some personal touches to improve comfort further. Thick cork bar tape over gel pads offers some relief for his hands, while a Syntace P6 HiFlex carbon seatpost helps to damp vibrations before they can reach the saddle. The most noticeable upgrade, though, is his fork. The Cutty comes with a rigid carbon number as stock, but Josh finds that the 60mm of leaf-sprung travel provided by Lauf’s Trail Racer fork helps soak up fireroad chatter, without requiring any maintenance or adding too much weight.
Don’t be such a roadie
The cockpit may make the Cutty look more like a road bike than a mountain bike but the variety of hand positions available across the hoods, flats and drops of Salsa’s flared Woodchipper bar boosts comfort during long days in the saddle. The Cutty is designed to work only with drop bars, and if you were to fit a riser bar you’d find the reach too short. TRP cross-top levers make it easier to operate the brakes when riding on the flats.
Self-supported races require you to haul a lot of gear. Josh has pared his back so that his bike and kit weigh just under 17kg (37lb), using luggage from a mix of manufacturers. Salsa and Revelate’s dedicated frame bag makes the most of the large front triangle and houses a hydration bladder too. A cavernous, waterproof Ortlieb saddle pack sits to the rear, while Josh’s handlebar roll is a minimalist combination of a dry bag strapped to the bar with a Revelate pocket strapped to the front. A J.Paks Farva top tube bag and a pair of Revelate pouches on the bar make it easy to access small bits and pieces.
Unfortunately Josh’s 2016 Tour Divide was cut short after he was run off the road by a pickup truck. He wasn’t badly injured but had to retire with knee trouble. He assures us that he has unfinished business with the Tour Divide, so watch this space....
Price: 3000$ (frame only)
INSIDE JOB
Cables are routed internally through the top tube. This not only looks neater but also makes it easier to attach frame bags. A full run of outer gear cable keeps shifting sweet in adverse conditions.
HAVING A LAUF
Josh’s Lauf Trail Racer Boost fork weighs little more than a rigid fork at just 1kg (2.2lb) but its glass-fibre leaf springs help take the edge o! rough backcountry fireroads. It requires zero maintenance and has no moving parts to go wrong, which is a big advantage over traditional suspension on long-distance rides.
SO MANY CHOICES
When you’re spending 16 hours a day behind the handlebar, a good cockpit set-up is crucial. With its 26-degree flared drops, Salsa’s Woodchipper bar o!ers multiple hand positions. Josh has opted for the widest 46cm version, and also added a set of tri bars to he can tuck in on long straight stretches. Double-wrapped tape helps damp trail chatter, while a second set of brake levers makes for safer stopping.
REAR OF THE YEAR
The ‘Class 5 VRS’ carbon frame has been designed specifically for riding on gauge 5 gravel – the type most commonly found on US fireroads. Ultra-compliant seatstays improve comfort, while stiff chainstays keep pedalling efficient.
