Salsa’s most versatile fat bike is an adventure machine thanks to its fat tires and generous tire clearance, ample frame and fork mounts for all of your gear, and geometry that allows for comfortable riding over long distances. Do you yearn to go exploring winter terrain on your bike? Read on!
Bike specs
(Reviewed large size aluminum frame MicroSHIFT Advent X model)
Frame
Aluminum and carbon models available
Geometry
| Feature | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Headtube angle | 69° |
| Seat tube angle | 73° |
| Chainstay length | 440mm to 457mm |
| Wheelbase | 1150.4mm |
| Bottom bracket drop | 63mm |
Tires
45NRTH Dillinger 5, 26 x 4.6″
These stock tires are tubeless ready and custom studdable
Drivetrain
Drivetrain options include both the MicroSHIFT Advent X and Shimano Deore 11. This review is of the MicroSHIFT Advent X version of the bike.
Brakes
The MicroSHIFT Advent X version of the Mukluk comes standard with hydraulic Tektro HD-M275/HD-M276 brakes.
The Shimano Deore 11 version of the Mukluk features SRAM Level brakes.
Bike weight
33.4 lbs
Handling and overall bike impression
Climbing
The Salsa Mukluk is a very capable climber, and there are a few factors that contribute to this.
One reason is the Mukluk’s steeper, more conservative angles and geometry, including a 69 degree headtube angle and 73 degree seat tube angle. This helps to keep the front wheel weighted and tracking your line while you’re riding uphill.
This is especially true when comparing the Mukluk to fat bikes and other mountain bikes with slacker, more aggressive geometry. As a general rule, the steeper the geometry your bike has, the better control you will have at lower speeds, and especially while climbing.
The oversized 45NRTH Dillinger 5 tires also provide you with lots of traction compared to non-fat bike tires, which is especially useful for climbing snow covered surfaces, and surfaces that are not solidly packed down like loose dirt, sand or gravel.
Descending
While the Salsa Mukluk provides solid traction for descending, going fast downhill is not its strong suit.
The relatively steep geometry of the Mukluk that gives it greater control at lower speeds actually reduces its abilities on steep descents. Usually slacker geometry is going to be preferred for riding downhill, and will allow you to ride faster, because it effectively makes the descents feel less steep (while making climbs uphill feel steeper).
The Mukluk compromises in this respect. It strikes a balance in its geometry allowing it to be steady and consistent all-around, while not providing as good of control and handling on speedy descents.
The Tektro hydraulic brakes do an excellent job at bringing the bike to a stop in a hurry, which inspires confidence when riding downhill on slippery surfaces.
If you’re looking for a Salsa fat bike that is more geared towards speed, check out the Salsa Beargrease.
Snow
What many people consider the “raison d’être” of fat bikes, riding in the snow is something the Salsa Mukluk truly excels at.
The 45NRTH Dillinger tires provide for great flotation if you’re riding over fresh or soft snow trails. They help to keep the bike near the top of the surface, and provide for great traction.
The Mukluk handles very well in the snow, and allows you to continue to ride through conditions you may have previously thought weren’t possible. While its not the fastest fat bike out there, it has an awesome ability to just keep slogging through difficult conditions and is up for most tests you’ll put it through.
Overall, the Mukluk is a very capable fat bike in the snow.
Sand
Similar to riding through snow, the Salsa Mukluk’s 45NRTH Dillinger tires do a great job at providing flotation on soft, sandy surfaces, and give good traction while sand riding.
The Mukluk handles admirably on most types of surfaces you decide to ride it on, and sand riding is no exception.
Bikepacking
Bikepacking is when you take your bike on overnight adventures while packing all of your gear needed to camp, eat and drink with you. This is a type of mountain biking that has seen lots of growth in recent years.
The Salsa Mukluk comes adventure ready. If you noticed the variation in the chainstay length from 440mm to 457mm, this is because it comes with an adjustable dropout allowing you to effectively extend the chainstay length. Not only does this increase the stability of the Mukluk, but it provides you with more room to pack your adventure gear!
The Mukluk also comes with ample frame and fork mounts which gives you lots of options when packing all the gear you’re going to need.
Technical features
Technical features like jumps and drops are doable on the Salsa Mukluk, but they aren’t the bike’s strong suit. Similar to descents, going off features like jumps and drops is usually made easier with slacker geometry, while the Mukluk’s geometry is relatively steep.
This means that if you’re going to be taking the Mukluk off technical features, you should start small and make sure you have a good feel for the bike before pushing it too far. You will also need solid technique on the Mukluk to be able to ride features like jumps and drops well.
Cross country
The Salsa Mukluk performs very well on cross country trails. The fat bike’s steep seat tube angle puts you in a comfortable pedaling position and makes taking long cross country rides a breeze.
Let’s face it, a lot of the riding you’ll be doing on your fat bike will be in the snow, and usually it won’t be descending steep runs. The best trails to ride a fat bike on in the snow are more cross country oriented, and these types of trails are where the Mukluk shines and is a blast to ride.
Looks
The Salsa Mukluk is a clean, sturdy-looking trail machine. Some may describe it as looking like a tank on two wheels. The 45NRTH Dillinger tan wall tires give them a cool look in our opinion, but they may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
The bike comes across as simple yet elegant. There is no suspension that comes standard on the Mukluk, with a rigid Bearpaw fork. The bike looks like it can handle a lot and gives the impression that there is not much that could go wrong with it mechanically.
Colors
The Salsa Mukluk is available in two colors, tan and black. We really found the black version caught our eye, but both look great in our opinion.
What we like about the Mukluk
Pros
- Excellent handling
- Good storage capacity for bikepacking
- Comfortable to ride
- Lightweight for a fat bike
- Versatile
There are lots of reasons to love the Salsa Mukluk. It handles superbly at low and medium speeds, perfect for most rides you’d want to do on a fat bike.
The Mukluk also has great storage capacity to pack all of your gear needed for adventures, making it an ideal choice for riders looking to use it for bikepacking.
The relatively steep headtube angle and seat tube angle makes the Mukluk a very comfortable ride, even for long rides, whether you’re bikepacking or just getting a good long day in on the trails.
Weight is not an issue on the Mukluk either, thanks to its relatively light 33.4lbs. This is definitely a bike that looks heavier than it is, and it feels nimble compared to many other fat bikes.
The 1150mm wheelbase and chainstay length which can be extended by 17mm gives the bike a stable, confident feeling to it. This stability is important when you’re riding trails that have slippery or otherwise challenging conditions.
And last but certainly not least, the best attribute the Salsa Mukluk has is its versatility. Want to ride on snow or sand? Not a problem for the Mukluk.
The bike excels on long cross country rides and climbs, but its still competent and stable enough to descend, you just have to keep the speed in check. This is quite manageable thanks to the Tektro hydraulic brakes providing excellent stopping power.
A perfect way to describe the Mukluk is a jack of all trades, and a master of none. Which, when you think about it, is kind of exactly what you want in a fat bike.
What we don’t like about the Mukluk
Cons
- Doesn’t excel at high speed
- No mechanical suspension
Because of the steeper headtube and seat tube angles of the Salsa Mukluk, its not the fastest or easiest bike to ride on steep descents. If you’re looking for a fat bike to speed down steep descents on, the Mukluk is probably not what you’re after, and Salsa’s Beargrease may be more your speed.
There is also no mechanical suspension on the Mukluk, its a fully rigid bike. The fat tires on the bike do act as a form of suspension and soak up a lot of chop, but if you’re looking to get rowdy hitting features like jumps and drops, having a suspension fork could come in handy.
Frequently asked questions
The Salsa Mukluk is a versatile, fun to ride fat bike. Its good at climbing and cross country riding and handles very well in the snow and sand. If you’re looking for a bike to speed down steep trails on this may not be the best one for you, but overall its a very well-rounded fat bike.
Absolutely, the Mukluk is a perfect bikepacking bike thanks to all of the frame and fork mounts providing ample room to pack all of your adventure gear.
The large, MicroSHIFT Advent X version of the Salsa Mukluk weighed in at 33.4lbs.
Yes, the Mukluk is an excellent climber thanks to its conservative (steep) geometry. The steep seat tube angle puts you in a comfortable position for pedaling and paired with the steeper head tube angle helps to keep weight over the front wheel providing good traction and control on climbs.
The Mukluk can descend competently, and you can be sure that you’ll have plenty of stopping power thanks to the traction from the fat tires and the Tektro hydraulic brakes. It’s not the easiest bike to ride on fast descents, however, because its geometry is built to be more well rounded and is not as slack as bikes built for fast descents.
Mountain bike review criteria
When reviewing mountain bikes, these are the things we look for:
- Frame quality
- Component quality
- Bike weight
- Bike style and aesthetic appeal
For a detailed breakdown of how we assess each of these criteria, see How We Review Mountain Bikes.
Conclusion
The Salsa Mukluk is an extremely versatile fat bike and fun to ride. While not the fastest descender, the Mukluk does all the things you’d expect a fat bike to do, well. A solid climber and great on flat ground, the Mukluk shines through snow, sand and most other conditions you dare to ride in.
If you’re looking to take your bike on long adventures, even bikepacking on overnight trips, it’s hard to beat the Mukluk thanks to its awesome storage capacity. If you are interested in making a foray into the world of fat biking, the Mukluk is certainly worth a look!