By The Takeaway: The Salsa Warbird remains one of the best gravel race bikes on sale. It is designed and equipped to carry you and all your gear from start to finish over chunky, rutted, muddy roads both quickly and comfortably.
• Class-leading cargo capacity with room for four bottles on frame sizes 56 and up
• Slacker “gravel race” geometry (70.75-degree head tube angle and 430mm chainstays) for stability over sketchy terrain
• Top three Warbird models now come spec’d with the Shimano GRX gravel component group as well as new colors for 2020
Price: $2,599 to $5,699 ($4,099 as tested)
Weight: 19.5 lb. (52.5 cm frame); 3.1 lb. (frame and fork 57.5 cm, claimed)
The moment you put the pedal down, the Salsa Warbird is so lively and quick—even loaded down with three big bottles and two bags—yet so comfy and surefooted—even over rumbling, rain-rutted B-roads—you know immediately that it was built to crush gravel.
The bike seemingly skims over even fist-sized rocks thanks to Salsa’s proprietary Class 5 Vibration Reduction System (VRS), which pairs wishbone shaped seat stays with flattened chainstays and removes the bridges from both to absorb road vibration in the rear.
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It also enables you to carry all the food, fluid, and gear you need to traverse 50 to 100 isolated miles to the next aid station in a self supported race, with three to four bottle mounts (depending on frame size), a top tube mount, and rack compatibility.
Salsa launched the Warbird in 2013. Since then there have been four iterations, the latest being 2019, when they slackened the head tube angle to 70.75 degrees, decreased the wheelbase, made the top tube longer, and offered the option to outfit the flagship gravel racer with either 650b or 700c wheels to accommodate gravel’s increasingly gnarly courses.
For 2020, Salsa is introducing three levels of GRX models, including mechanical and electronic shifting and two Apex 1 models all in new colors including (a to die for!) pink, black, dark blue, light blue and white. Prices range from $1,999 for a carbon frameset to $5,699 for the top-of-the-line GRX 810 Di2 model.
Five Cool Warbird Details
Gravel Gearing
The top three Warbird models come spec’d with Shimano’s gravel specific GRX components for durable, dependable, and comfortable performance on unforgiving terrain.
Carry It All
Three mounts on each leg and scores more throughout the frame let you carry all the water, supplies, and extra gear you need for a full day (or days) on the dirt.
Generous Clearance
There’s room for full-fender coverage for up to 700c x 38mm or 650b x 47mm tires, so you can run the fat tires you need and still protect yourself from ground spray.
Dropper Compatible
Into "gravel-enduro" style riding? The new Warbird is dropper post compatible with 1x or Di2 set ups.
Internal Routing
Internally sleeved cable routing helps keep your cables clean and prevents rattling for a quiet ride, so you can enjoy the solitude of the open dirt roads.
Equipped for All-Terrain Gravel Racing
The original 2013 Warbird was all about stability. At a time when most people were racing high and tight ‘cross bikes at gravel events, Salsa wanted to provide a surefooted alternative. Want to blaze a straight line across plains of Kansas? The long, low OG Warbird had you covered.
Six years later, Salsa saw that gravel was getting increasingly spicy, often including singletrack, two track, and minimally maintained forest roads. So they refreshed the Warbird’s geometry to improve its off-road chops. In 2019, they made the top tube 10mm longer, shortened the reach by 10mm, slackened the head tube angle (56cm frame went from a 71.5 to 70.75), and dropped the top tube to open up more standover space.
When riders faced increasingly techy gravel races courses, like the 16 miles of mountain bike trail on Stage 1 of the RPI Queen’s Stage Race, they could confidently crush the singletrack while still being quick and nimble on the road. That geometry remains the same for 2020.
The 2020 Warbird also retains Salsa’s innovative Class 5 VRS (vibration reduction system). Class 5 is a nod to the type of rock—also known as “crusher rock” or “road bed gravel”—that’s laid down on chunky back roads. This passive suspension system employs tall, thin arched seat stays, which flex outward on impact. Meanwhile, flattened chainstays resist torque and maintain stiffness. Salsa stripped out the seat stay and chainstay bridges to increase compliance and further take the edge off rough road surfaces.
Salsa uses a 12x142 mm thru-axle in the rear to maintain all the proper tolerances with the VRS set up, and a 12x100 mm thru-axle in the fork for stiffness and steering precision.
Gravel Racing Upgrades
For 2020, Salsa refreshed the Warbird’s colors and stock components, this time outfitting the bikes at the top of the line with Shimano GRX, the industry’s first gravel-specific component group.
For those unfamiliar with GRX, the groupset was not invented to add features to the current road mechanical and Di2 groups, but rather work better for the specific demands of gravel riding.
The ergonomically designed brake levers make it easy to maneuver the bike over rough roads. The hoods are tacky and the levers textured, so you can maintain a firm grasp and work the shifters in wet, sloppy conditions. The larger knob in front provides a secure handhold and a backstop to keep you from slipping off the front of the bars should you hit an unexpected bump. The levers are smartly angled out of the way to work with flared bars, which are increasingly popular among the gravel set.
You name the course or conditions, the 2020 Warbird can be outfitted to conquer it. The bike is available in 1x, 2x, and Di2 configurations, and is dropper post-compatible with 1x and Di2 setups. You can also swap wheel/tire combinations to meet your needs. The Warbird can be outfitted with 700c or 650b wheels and fits up to 45mm or 51mm tires, respectively. If gnarly tracks and seriously chundery gravel is your game, the Warbird is also compatible with gravel bike suspension forks.
Gravel Gear Essentials
CamelBak Chase Bike Vest Hydration Pack
This super popular pack has enough storage for your essentials, but is slim enough that it won’t weigh you down.
$49 Topo Designs Bike Bag
If you’d prefer to let your back breathe, try a bar bag like this one to stash everything from tools and tubes to an extra layer on long journeys.
Specialized S-Works Recon Shoes
Light and stiff enough to transfer serious power through the pedals, these feature Boa closures so you can customize the fit and rubber tread to feel confident on any surface.
Dynaplug Tubeless Tire Repair Tool Kit PRO Aluminum
This tubeless tire puncture repair is a favorite amongst many, from the pros to the average Joes, and will save you from flats your sealant can’t repair like a sidewall tear.
The Warbird Family
The Warbird Carbon GRX 810 I tested comes in black, retails for $4,099 and has three siblings. At the top of the line, you’ll find the Warbird Carbon GRX 810 Di2 with Shimano RX815 front and rear derailleurs. It comes in pink and retails for $5,699. Next in line, right below the second tier Warbird Carbon GRX 810 (which comes in black and retails at $4,099) is the Warbird Carbon GRX 600, which comes in dark blue, is outfitted with Shimano RX810 front and rear derailleurs and RX600 shifters and crankset, and retails for $3,199. Rounding out the family is the Warbird Carbon Apex 1, which is available in either light blue or white, comes outfitted with a SRAM Apex 1 rear derailleur and SRAM Apex 1 X-Sync crankset, and retails for $2,599. You also can buy a Warbird Carbon Frameset in black for $1,999. The Warbird is available in a wide range of sizes including 49 cm, 52.5 cm, 54.5 cm, 56 cm, 57.5 cm, 59 cm, and 61 cm.
Fork: Waxwing Deluxe
Front Derailleur: Shimano RX810
Rear Derailleur: Shimano RX810
Cassette: Shimano HG800-11, 11-34t
Chain: Shimano HG701-11
Crankset: Shimano RX810-2, 48/31t (RX600, 48/31t with 165mm arms on 49 cm size)
Shifter: Shimano RX810 Hydraulic
Brakes & Rotors: Shimano RX810, Hydraulic, RT76 160mm rotors
Headset: Cane Creek 40
Stem: Salsa Guide
Handlebar: Salsa Cowbell Deluxe
Grips: MSW Anti-Slip Gel
Seatpost: Salsa Guide Deluxe
Saddle: WTB Volt Race
Front Wheel: DT Swiss C 1800, 12 x 100 mm, 700c
Rear Wheel: DT Swiss C 1800, 12 x 142 mm, 700c
Tires: Teravail Cannonball 700c x 42 mm, Durable, Tubeless-Ready
Riding the New Warbird Carbon GRX 810
I had a couple of months to put the Warbird through the paces. While my race season was over, my simply riding for fun season had just begun. And fun we had.
The Warbird is a simply great bike in that it is both simple and great. As gravel bikes increasingly become tricked out with suspension and special features, it’s refreshing to ride an adventure oriented bike that accomplishes its mission—namely going fast over all types of terrain—without additional tech and add-ons.
The bike is pleasantly lively, steady and stable even over racquetball-sized rocks, but never feels dead or dull. The Class 5 VRS turns down the chatter, rumble, and off-road noise without sacrificing punch in the pedal stroke. The power transfer is exceptional and the lightweight Warbird climbs like a champ, even when I piloted it up an interminable, vertical rocky chute with very tired legs.
The Warbird is stable and tracks admirably through corners when taking it downhill. I did completely overcook one corner on a blown out gravel descent; mostly because the bike handles so well, I forgot I was on relatively skinny tires and not a mountain bike.
Though the Warbird is of gravel racing pedigree (and I’d opt for a Cutthroat were I to attempt massive bikepacking outings), the bike makes for a perfectly capable daytripper and overnighter. It’s rife with packing potential, including top tube bag bosses, low rider rack mounts, mounts inside the triangle, below the down tube, and along the fork legs, as well as fender mounts.
The bike is so light and springy that even when I stuffed Salsa’s half frame pack under the top tube and attached three bottles—one under the down tube and one on each fork leg—it still retained its eager to make forward progress demeanor. The one niggle for smaller riders is with the lower top tube, you get more standover, but sacrifice large bottle carrying capacity within the main triangle when using a frame bag.
Otherwise, it’s hard to find anything negative to say about the Warbird. If you’re looking to jump in the gravel racing game, or want a quick, light gravel bike that will be a perfect companion for any adventure ride or bikepacking jaunt, this original gravel great could definitely be the bike for you.
