The Salsa Mukluk fulfils an important basic requirement for an uncomplicated winter bike with its rigid fork. The US brand also dispenses with a retractable seat post. The rest of the equipment on the fat bike for € 1999 is off the peg and is not specially equipped for bad winter weather. The riding characteristics are a completely different story.
Fatbikes were once specially developed for riding on snow or sand. And during our practical test on the rain-soaked Isar trails, we also experienced the advantages of fat bikes: the 4.6-inch wide tyres allow air pressures far below 0.5 bar. Thanks to the enormous tyre contact area, the Salsa doesn't sink in on muddy ground, but rolls casually over it. The thick tyres also generate by far the best traction on loose ground. Slippery stones or roots, which rob other test bikes of any traction, are literally flattened by the Mukluk.
The key data of the Salsa Mukluk
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Gear system: Microshift Active Motion RD+ 1 x 10
- Wheel size: 26 inch
- Tyre width: 4.6 inch
- Weight: 15.4 kilos in size L
- Price: 1999 Euro
- Carbon rigid fork without suspension travel
- Frameset also available in carbon fibre
The Mukluk reaches its limits at higher speeds and on steep climbs
If you move the Salsa outside its intended area of use and at higher speeds, the euphoria fades: the almost eight-kilogram wheels accelerate too laboriously and the handling of the chubby tyres is too spongy on hard surfaces. Fatbike tyres cannot replace a suspension fork either. Without controlled damping, the tyres start to bounce at high speeds and lose contact with the ground.
There is also criticism for the low bandwidth of the Taiwanese 10-speed Microshift Advent X drivetrain with 11-48 cassette. The 15.4-kilo Salsa Mukluk only tackles climbs at a leisurely pace anyway. We would have preferred a much lighter climbing gear. The inexpensive Tektro brake system is a problem on the descents - with the small 160 millimetre brake discs, it doesn't develop sufficient braking power, especially in wet conditions.
Test Salsa Mukluk Microshift Advent X - Editor's verdict
Anyone who ploughs through muddy or snowy trails a lot in winter should give a fat bike like the Salsa Mukluk a chance. The thick tyres also offer a refreshing contrast to a normal MTB. - Max Fuchs, BIKE tester
Technical data and rating Salsa Mukluk Microshift Advent X
Manufacturer information
- Price: 1999 Euro
- available from specialised dealers
- Frame material: aluminium
- Frame size: XS / S / M /L / XL (tested size 50 cm)
Measured values
- Weight without pedals: 15.36 kg
- Frame weight: 2549 g
- Weight of wheels: 7822 g
- Acceleration impellers: not measurable
- Handlebar width: 780 mm
- Frame rigidity (absolute): 59 N/mm
Equipment
- Wheels: Sunringlé Mulefüt SL
- Tyres: 45Nrth Dillinger 5 26 x 4.60
- Fork: Salsa Bearpaw
- Brakes: Tektro HD-M 275 / Tektro HD-M 275 / 160/160 mm
- Shifting: Samox Direct Mount / Microshift Active Motion RD+ 1 x 10
- Ratio / bandwidth: 30; 11-48 / 436 %
- Seatpost / Ø: Salsa Guide / 31.6 mm
Ease of maintenance: weak
BIKE test rating¹: Satisfactory 130.8 out of 250
¹ The BIKE judgement reflects the laboratory measured values (BIKE laboratory measurement) and the subjective impression of the test riders. The BIKE judgement is independent of price. BIKE judgements: super (250-205 P.), very good (204.75-180 P.), good (179.75-155 P.), satisfactory (154.75-130 P.), with weaknesses (129.75-105 P.), unsatisfactory (104.75-0 P.).
² Price may be subject to additional costs for packaging, dispatch and coordination.
Max Fuchs
Editor
