From the looks of things at Sea Otter, Salsa Cycles is the next brand to venture into the world of eBikes. Not-so-hidden in their booth were two new bikes – the Confluence gravel prototype, and a prototype MTB called the Notch.
Clearly labeled as a prototype, the Notch is the more secretive of the two bikes. Salsa wouldn’t give us any details other than the fact that they’re working on an e-MTB, and what we can see – like the Split Pivot suspension design. Equipped with a Bosch motor and battery system, the Notch prototype had 29 x 2.6″ Teravail Kessel tires front and rear and a Rockshox ZEB suspension fork that looked to be in the realm of 160-170mm of travel.
Confluence Gravel Prototype
More is known about the Confluence gravel bike, even though it is still a prototype – the color and spec above are not production, but close. Built with a MAHLE SmartBike X35 system, the bike is a Class 1 with a 20mph top assisted speed, with 40 Nm of torque and a 250 Wh battery in the downtube. Like other MAHLE bikes, it will be compatible with their 208 Wh range extender to increase total battery to 458 Wh.
Designed around a 6061-T6 aluminum frame, the Confluence will be offered in six frame sizes for dropbar builds, and five frame sizes for flat bar builds. The frames will include a Confluence-specific full carbon gravel fork with a 12x100mm thru axle, and the bikes will have a 700c x 50mm tire clearance.
Other frame details include internal droper post compatibility, 68mm threaded bottom brackets, rack and fender mounts, and cargo mounts. Complete bikes will start around $2,499 with availability TBD.
