2020 Salsa Timberjack Review
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Cons:
Cons:
Who it's for:
Who it's NOT for
More thoughts on the 2020 Salsa Timberjack Hardtail
what's up everybody on this episode of Hart tale party I review these 20/20 salsa timber Jack I've been really intrigued about this bike for a long time I pedaled a few buddies bikes around but I've never really had the time to put these through its paces and I really want to thank salsa for sending this in to get some time on it and review it I've had it for a while now I've been riding it all over the place and I want to share my thoughts with you but first let's do a quick rundown of the specs this is the xt build it's got 12 speed Shimano XT one really cool thing they've done is they also has an XT shifter most companies don't do that they put SLX everything on with an XT derailleur this is one of the best SPECT bikes for the price I've ever seen these tires are fantastic WTB vigil on e 2.8 fronts WTB ranger 2.8 syn the rear i like that they've gone with a more aggressive front tire than the rear that's how I set up all my bikes they asked me if I wanted the 29er version or the Plus version and I asked for the plus version because I think plus is really fun and I think it lends itself well to what this bike is meant for let's be honest if we're all racing and going for the fastest times possible we're probably on a full suspension and hard tails we're all about having that fun bringing that fun back and I find the most fun in the plus tires this thing has an aluminum frame with salsa's alternator dropouts and these allow you to adjust the chain stay within an inch to modify your chain stay or ride it single speed if you wish let's go take it on the trail and see what it's like today we are riding Slim Shady in Sedona Arizona my home trails I think this is the perfect trail to test this out on nothing extreme or crazy but it's really fun
those plus tires have so much traction one thing I'm noticing right off the bat and the very first thing I noticed when I got this bike is the seat angle feel slack that's a bad thing to me the distance from your seat to the bars feels great I'm on a size medium but when you're seated that angle really leans back and it kind of wants to wheelie and I just I don't feel like I'm over my bottom bracket I feel like I'm behind it like the distance to the bars is okay seated but then when I stand up the reach feels short and the bars feel really close to the bottom bracket it's not a big deal I've just been riding some very very nice bikes lately with more modern geometry and I'm used to those and this is not quite there that doesn't mean it's a bad bike I think this is a fantastic bike this bike is such a great all-rounder and even though it's got a 67 and a half degree head angle and I like closer to 65 it's not twitchy it's not scary it's a great well put together bike it's not a super aggressive hardtail I feel like it stacks up really well against the chameleon but it's SPECT way better you get way more bang for your buck out of this than a chameleon and the frame isn't harsh its soft like a chameleon not soft like my Banshee or a good steel or tie bike but it doesn't rattle your feelings out like most aluminum bikes this climbs well out of the saddle I really like it
yeah this blank is not not super stiff which I like the plus tires definitely help playful kind of popping fun to jump around on one little bike I can't get quite as loose as I can on my super slack long bikes but I don't think that's who this is aimed at what agree all-rounder does a little bit of everything well I like the short rear end that short chain stays fun makes it easy to pop the front wheel up the stack is low I feel like I'm hunched over
lower than I want to be I've gotten used to bikes with higher stack lately and that's a pretty addictive hablas stuff is having a good time these brakes are just fine teller spec these tires are great oh so fun on this trail what a fun bike yeah I'd love a taller stack I definitely feel like I'm reaching down by my knees to reach the bars good time I can't charge quite as hard as I can on the middle child or the Banshee paradox but that's okay we don't always charge all the time on our tails your hard charger might look elsewhere
but if you just want a good trail bike does a little bit of everything easy to ride easy to control this is a great choice
so one thing I would change this has 175 mill cranks I've had more pedal strikes lately than normal and I think it's due to that 175 mill crank I'd love to see them come with a 170 but it's not a deal breaker it's a great little climber you get out of the saddle and it just hooks up and goes I love these plus tires here in Sedona thank you guys
this rock shock sector is really surprising the budget fork but it feels good I have to run a little more pressure then the chart recommends to keep my mid-stroke support up what it feels good
yeah I'm having fun on this yeah quarters really well a little bit shorter reach makes it easy to whip around the a seated climbing like this I feel way behind the bottom bracket even with my seat slid all the way forward five years ago this would have been amazing geometry it's probably time for a little refresh not bad at all I've just been riding some really good bikes with modern geometry and this isn't quite there
that back-end is playful but it'd be even more playful with a higher stack to be able to get into that manual position better little low on the front reminds me of everything I like about the chameleon without the chameleon price tag
Hey I have to reel it in just a little but the fun factor is totally there plus tires are so fun I love them
that's like like well hey in that corner as well yeah super fun so this would be a great bike packing rig a great first bike for someone getting into the Stork sport
a great bike to transition from road biking to mountain biking these bikes are cheap there's something to be said for that they're SPECT extremely well for how cheap they are and they're mighty capable can't see it on the GoPro but this is spicy stuff so guys
fun short rear end you can run them single speed you got a light durable aluminum frame it's not beating you up killer spec I like the silent Shimano microsflyn herbs they're cool I like silent hubs yeah these the first factory hubs that don't have awful engagement that I've written in a long time there are no I nines but they're great most people aren't gonna need to change these I love that this has a through axle in the back I love that it has traditional preston headset cups so if you did want to run an angle reducing headset you could that's awesome huge advantage over the santa cruz for that reason and these are available i see way more timber jacks they had them at REI for a while most bike shops can get them I see way more of these than chameleons all right now a little easy breezy to the shape the easy line down easy breezy
a little rough on the hardtail bottom down that RIM here's a little drop tuck - flat who spikes easy to drop off of things it just kind of pops up on that back wheel and you want it to pretty darn playful Thomas really well
yeah this Fork is fine I would not feel that we need to upgrade it it feels just fine and I think the 130 travel that it's God is just perfect for a bike like this you don't need a whole lot more
fun playful hops around good I do feel that little shorter reach I feel like when I'm standing up my handlebars are close to my knees I wish they were out a little more I'm standing up see if we can make this climb it's a tricky one
yeah a little sloppy but we got it here we are at the end of our ride it's time to sum this bike up this is one of the best SPECT bikes for the money a lot of people buy bikes based on what fork it has or what derailleur it has and they ignore the geometry if that's how you shop this bike will win or be up there toward the top really great specs also this is my number one recommendation for people who are getting into the sport who want to try a hardtail it's not super aggressive or super racy it's just kind of an all-around great bike you might do some bike packing you might be going out with the family you might be getting into the sport fantastic little bike super fun I've had the privilege of writing some really modern hard tales with really cutting edge geometry this isn't quite there and that's okay because not everybody wants or needs that but what I would love to see on a new version of the timber jack is a steeper seat angle you can see I've slid my seat forward quite a bit to get a more effective seat angle and I would like a little bit slacker head angle maybe 66 I normally like 64 to 65 but for what this bike is meant for I think 66 would be just right but one cool thing you can do about this is put an angle reducing headset in there now it probably voids the warranty like most companies but it's an option it's got a stout aluminum frame I'm not worried about it I like the dropout system you can run single speed you can change your chainstay length play around with that I liked it it has a threaded bottom bracket the bottom bracket height feels perfect it snaps around corners really well I would run slightly shorter cranks at 170 millimeters the dropper I have no clue what it is but it is snappy it feels great this isn't a long term tests on the durability of the parts but I'm impressed with them I don't really like the shape of the bars I feel like the end of the bar is kind of drooped down and I've struggled to get the bars to feel how I like bars to feel I would definitely run riser bars if I were to hang on to this bike and I'd rise him a good amount so I have a higher stack so the bars are a little higher off the ground so I can control that a little bit more but the qualities of the components are just fine the RockShox sector felt great WT B's nice wide rims feel awesome a lot of times companies spec I thirty rims with 2.8 and that's just too narrow and so these are 40s which is perfect for these I love the aggressive vigilante two-point-eight selection on the front and I like the range of 2.8 a lot it rolls quick has good traction the Ranger does wear out a little bit fast but it's one of my favorite tires I like the short chain stays I like the plenty of clearance in here for mud I like the cable routing I'd rather see brake cables routed on the exterior but that's me but it's real clean and tidy the frame looks really nice you can run two water bottles on it actually three if you put one down here as well cool little stealth decal up there for the price this is one heck of a bike and I would recommend the SLX and the lower end builds as well and that's probably the bike I would recommend over this even if you're getting in the $2,000 price range which this retails at there are some pretty exciting options out there that have great geometry not quite as great aparts but are a little bit more exciting to ride with the geometry so I don't know that I'd recommend the xt build but i would definitely recommend the lower end builds so this is almost identical to the santa cruz chameleon on geometry and actually on ride quality both have a nice soft ride for an aluminum bike it's still a hardtail it's still gonna feel like a hardtail it's not gonna you're not gonna mistake it for a full suspension but it doesn't rattle your fillings out like a like a specialized fuse or something like that I would recommend this over the Santa Cruz chameleons same playful short rear-end same adjustable dropouts like five or six hundred dollars cheaper for a comparable build and it doesn't have an integrated headset which means you can run an angle set you could through a negative two degree angle set in here and get a sixty five point five degree head tube angle and this thing would be a little trail Ripper for that if I were to make a trail Ripper I would size up to a size large because when you slacken it out it shortens the reach and I feel like the reach is already short anyway but let's rate this bike climbing I'm gonna give it a 9 out of 10 cornering I'm gonna give it a 9 out of 10 playfulness a 9 out of 10 it could be a 10 if the stack were a little higher that short rear end is really fun to play around on it bunny hops well it jumps well but it's hard to get that front up when it starts solo with the low stack it reminds me a little bit of a Marin San Quentin with how low the front is so raise that up that could make it a lot more playful it's just a great all-around bike it's inexpensive bike really wellspect that's gonna bring a lot of joy to a lot of people and help them remember why hard tails are so much fun I would recommend it in the plus mode but I'm kind of biased toward plus it'll be a little faster in 29er mode but on an aluminum hard tail even with the soft dropouts here you're gonna want a little cushion from the tires and the two-point 8's will give you that super fun bike I highly recommend it this is gonna be one of my recommended bikes when people ask me what bike should I buy and they don't give me any more info than that I'm gonna say a timber jack because it's a safe bet and I would definitely pick it over a trek Rosco because it has a full through axle no QR quick release stuff and it's running boost hubs so that means you can upgrade your stuff unlike the trek Rosco this has been really fun I'm glad I got to spend so much time on the timber jack it was really fun to review really fun to ride and really fun to connect with all the other people who have timber Jack's who love them as well it's not the most aggressive bike in the world but it is a great all-rounder if you like hardtail reviews and you want to see some more May sure you subscribe to the channel and check out the reviews I've already done there's some really cool stuff to be learned in each review thanks for watching there's a party in the mountains and you're invited
those plus tires have so much traction one thing I'm noticing right off the bat and the very first thing I noticed when I got this bike is the seat angle feel slack that's a bad thing to me the distance from your seat to the bars feels great I'm on a size medium but when you're seated that angle really leans back and it kind of wants to wheelie and I just I don't feel like I'm over my bottom bracket I feel like I'm behind it like the distance to the bars is okay seated but then when I stand up the reach feels short and the bars feel really close to the bottom bracket it's not a big deal I've just been riding some very very nice bikes lately with more modern geometry and I'm used to those and this is not quite there that doesn't mean it's a bad bike I think this is a fantastic bike this bike is such a great all-rounder and even though it's got a 67 and a half degree head angle and I like closer to 65 it's not twitchy it's not scary it's a great well put together bike it's not a super aggressive hardtail I feel like it stacks up really well against the chameleon but it's SPECT way better you get way more bang for your buck out of this than a chameleon and the frame isn't harsh its soft like a chameleon not soft like my Banshee or a good steel or tie bike but it doesn't rattle your feelings out like most aluminum bikes this climbs well out of the saddle I really like it
yeah this blank is not not super stiff which I like the plus tires definitely help playful kind of popping fun to jump around on one little bike I can't get quite as loose as I can on my super slack long bikes but I don't think that's who this is aimed at what agree all-rounder does a little bit of everything well I like the short rear end that short chain stays fun makes it easy to pop the front wheel up the stack is low I feel like I'm hunched over
lower than I want to be I've gotten used to bikes with higher stack lately and that's a pretty addictive hablas stuff is having a good time these brakes are just fine teller spec these tires are great oh so fun on this trail what a fun bike yeah I'd love a taller stack I definitely feel like I'm reaching down by my knees to reach the bars good time I can't charge quite as hard as I can on the middle child or the Banshee paradox but that's okay we don't always charge all the time on our tails your hard charger might look elsewhere
but if you just want a good trail bike does a little bit of everything easy to ride easy to control this is a great choice
so one thing I would change this has 175 mill cranks I've had more pedal strikes lately than normal and I think it's due to that 175 mill crank I'd love to see them come with a 170 but it's not a deal breaker it's a great little climber you get out of the saddle and it just hooks up and goes I love these plus tires here in Sedona thank you guys
this rock shock sector is really surprising the budget fork but it feels good I have to run a little more pressure then the chart recommends to keep my mid-stroke support up what it feels good
yeah I'm having fun on this yeah quarters really well a little bit shorter reach makes it easy to whip around the a seated climbing like this I feel way behind the bottom bracket even with my seat slid all the way forward five years ago this would have been amazing geometry it's probably time for a little refresh not bad at all I've just been riding some really good bikes with modern geometry and this isn't quite there
that back-end is playful but it'd be even more playful with a higher stack to be able to get into that manual position better little low on the front reminds me of everything I like about the chameleon without the chameleon price tag
Hey I have to reel it in just a little but the fun factor is totally there plus tires are so fun I love them
that's like like well hey in that corner as well yeah super fun so this would be a great bike packing rig a great first bike for someone getting into the Stork sport
a great bike to transition from road biking to mountain biking these bikes are cheap there's something to be said for that they're SPECT extremely well for how cheap they are and they're mighty capable can't see it on the GoPro but this is spicy stuff so guys
fun short rear end you can run them single speed you got a light durable aluminum frame it's not beating you up killer spec I like the silent Shimano microsflyn herbs they're cool I like silent hubs yeah these the first factory hubs that don't have awful engagement that I've written in a long time there are no I nines but they're great most people aren't gonna need to change these I love that this has a through axle in the back I love that it has traditional preston headset cups so if you did want to run an angle reducing headset you could that's awesome huge advantage over the santa cruz for that reason and these are available i see way more timber jacks they had them at REI for a while most bike shops can get them I see way more of these than chameleons all right now a little easy breezy to the shape the easy line down easy breezy
a little rough on the hardtail bottom down that RIM here's a little drop tuck - flat who spikes easy to drop off of things it just kind of pops up on that back wheel and you want it to pretty darn playful Thomas really well
yeah this Fork is fine I would not feel that we need to upgrade it it feels just fine and I think the 130 travel that it's God is just perfect for a bike like this you don't need a whole lot more
fun playful hops around good I do feel that little shorter reach I feel like when I'm standing up my handlebars are close to my knees I wish they were out a little more I'm standing up see if we can make this climb it's a tricky one
yeah a little sloppy but we got it here we are at the end of our ride it's time to sum this bike up this is one of the best SPECT bikes for the money a lot of people buy bikes based on what fork it has or what derailleur it has and they ignore the geometry if that's how you shop this bike will win or be up there toward the top really great specs also this is my number one recommendation for people who are getting into the sport who want to try a hardtail it's not super aggressive or super racy it's just kind of an all-around great bike you might do some bike packing you might be going out with the family you might be getting into the sport fantastic little bike super fun I've had the privilege of writing some really modern hard tales with really cutting edge geometry this isn't quite there and that's okay because not everybody wants or needs that but what I would love to see on a new version of the timber jack is a steeper seat angle you can see I've slid my seat forward quite a bit to get a more effective seat angle and I would like a little bit slacker head angle maybe 66 I normally like 64 to 65 but for what this bike is meant for I think 66 would be just right but one cool thing you can do about this is put an angle reducing headset in there now it probably voids the warranty like most companies but it's an option it's got a stout aluminum frame I'm not worried about it I like the dropout system you can run single speed you can change your chainstay length play around with that I liked it it has a threaded bottom bracket the bottom bracket height feels perfect it snaps around corners really well I would run slightly shorter cranks at 170 millimeters the dropper I have no clue what it is but it is snappy it feels great this isn't a long term tests on the durability of the parts but I'm impressed with them I don't really like the shape of the bars I feel like the end of the bar is kind of drooped down and I've struggled to get the bars to feel how I like bars to feel I would definitely run riser bars if I were to hang on to this bike and I'd rise him a good amount so I have a higher stack so the bars are a little higher off the ground so I can control that a little bit more but the qualities of the components are just fine the RockShox sector felt great WT B's nice wide rims feel awesome a lot of times companies spec I thirty rims with 2.8 and that's just too narrow and so these are 40s which is perfect for these I love the aggressive vigilante two-point-eight selection on the front and I like the range of 2.8 a lot it rolls quick has good traction the Ranger does wear out a little bit fast but it's one of my favorite tires I like the short chain stays I like the plenty of clearance in here for mud I like the cable routing I'd rather see brake cables routed on the exterior but that's me but it's real clean and tidy the frame looks really nice you can run two water bottles on it actually three if you put one down here as well cool little stealth decal up there for the price this is one heck of a bike and I would recommend the SLX and the lower end builds as well and that's probably the bike I would recommend over this even if you're getting in the $2,000 price range which this retails at there are some pretty exciting options out there that have great geometry not quite as great aparts but are a little bit more exciting to ride with the geometry so I don't know that I'd recommend the xt build but i would definitely recommend the lower end builds so this is almost identical to the santa cruz chameleon on geometry and actually on ride quality both have a nice soft ride for an aluminum bike it's still a hardtail it's still gonna feel like a hardtail it's not gonna you're not gonna mistake it for a full suspension but it doesn't rattle your fillings out like a like a specialized fuse or something like that I would recommend this over the Santa Cruz chameleons same playful short rear-end same adjustable dropouts like five or six hundred dollars cheaper for a comparable build and it doesn't have an integrated headset which means you can run an angle set you could through a negative two degree angle set in here and get a sixty five point five degree head tube angle and this thing would be a little trail Ripper for that if I were to make a trail Ripper I would size up to a size large because when you slacken it out it shortens the reach and I feel like the reach is already short anyway but let's rate this bike climbing I'm gonna give it a 9 out of 10 cornering I'm gonna give it a 9 out of 10 playfulness a 9 out of 10 it could be a 10 if the stack were a little higher that short rear end is really fun to play around on it bunny hops well it jumps well but it's hard to get that front up when it starts solo with the low stack it reminds me a little bit of a Marin San Quentin with how low the front is so raise that up that could make it a lot more playful it's just a great all-around bike it's inexpensive bike really wellspect that's gonna bring a lot of joy to a lot of people and help them remember why hard tails are so much fun I would recommend it in the plus mode but I'm kind of biased toward plus it'll be a little faster in 29er mode but on an aluminum hard tail even with the soft dropouts here you're gonna want a little cushion from the tires and the two-point 8's will give you that super fun bike I highly recommend it this is gonna be one of my recommended bikes when people ask me what bike should I buy and they don't give me any more info than that I'm gonna say a timber jack because it's a safe bet and I would definitely pick it over a trek Rosco because it has a full through axle no QR quick release stuff and it's running boost hubs so that means you can upgrade your stuff unlike the trek Rosco this has been really fun I'm glad I got to spend so much time on the timber jack it was really fun to review really fun to ride and really fun to connect with all the other people who have timber Jack's who love them as well it's not the most aggressive bike in the world but it is a great all-rounder if you like hardtail reviews and you want to see some more May sure you subscribe to the channel and check out the reviews I've already done there's some really cool stuff to be learned in each review thanks for watching there's a party in the mountains and you're invited
Looking for personalized recommendations for your next bike?
Sign up for my bike consultation service here.