Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore Review

Salsa has been making bike gear since 1982 and bike frames since the mid-80's. Now a part of Quality Bike Products, the Minesota-based bike maker caters to the path less traveled. That hasn't stopped them from growing their product line, which includes everything from gravel grinders and touring bikes to high-end full-suspension mountain bikes and several models of fat bikes. The Beargrease is one of several carbon fat bikes we're testing. Carbon is an ideal material for fat bikes due to its low weight and high strength. The Beargrease impressed us with solid all-around performance, decent component specification, and a reasonable price.

The Beargrease has been going strong for several years with only minor changes. The carbon-framed fat bike we tested is the same one they're selling today, but some of the specs have changed due to supply and pricing issues. Salsa makes a whopping eight different kits for the Beargrease, ranging in price from $2899 to $7099, and there is the option to buy the frameset separately.

Tested and Rated

We strive to give you the best reviews possible, and at GearLab, that means buying the products we test and never accepting free products from the companies producing these bikes. We buy our bikes at retail prices to avoid any conflict of interest or favors owed. When we bought this Beargrease from REI, we ordered it online and picked it up in-store like you would. I've long been a fan of Salsa's function-first approach to bikes and gear, and the Beargrease is Salsa all the way.

Downhill Performance

The Beargrease is more capable and fun to ride on the descents than you might expect a fully rigid bike to be. Like its other rigid competitors, it excels on smooth snow or dirt and tends to be a little harsh on choppy or rugged terrain. Thankfully, it has a 68-degree head tube angle, which is among the slackest in the test and actually helps to calm the front end of this bike down and perform better when the trail steepens. At the same time, the shorter wheelbase, moderate length reach, and chainstays help maintain a lively and somewhat playful demeanor during the descents. The 80mm wide SUNringle Mulefut rims give the 27.5" x 3.8" Maxxis Minion FBF and FBR tires a nice wide profile and ample traction on both packed snow and dirt alike.

Our gripes with the downhill performance of the Beargrease are few and somewhat nit-picky build-related complaints, but they do affect the ride. The Salsa Rustler handlebar is a great width but testers felt the 11-degree back sweep to be a bit much and it wasn't quite as comfortable as some of the competition, it just felt a bit off. Obviously, we'd have also loved for this bike to come with a dropper seat post, but since it didn't, we think a quick-release seat post clamp would be the way to expedite the saddle height-changing process.

Uphill Performance

Fully rigid bikes are inherently good at going uphill; rigid bikes with lightweight carbon frames are even better. The Beargrease is the lightest model in this test at 29 lbs 11 oz, with 80mm rims and 27.5" x 3.8" tires with tubes, thanks to its full carbon frame. That same lightweight frame is super stiff and responsive to pedaling input, and there is no energy lost when climbing, except for a little through the soft and wide tires. When you put effort into pedaling this bike uphill, it responds and feels fast and efficient. The 73-degree seat tube is steep enough and, combined with the moderate length reach, puts the rider in a comfortable seated climbing position. Thanks to the short-ish wheelbase, it is very maneuverable, and weight is distributed relatively evenly, which helps to keep the front end from wandering when the going gets steep.

There was little not to like about the Beargrease on the climbs; this bike is efficient and comfortable. If we had to find fault with its uphill performance, it would have to be in its drivetrain setup. The 11-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain works well, but we feel it could use a slightly lower range. The 28-tooth chainring and 11-42 tooth cassette provided a huge range, but considering the soft and potentially challenging conditions you are likely to encounter on this bike, we'd love to have at least one easier gear.

Versatility

The Beargrease is a very versatile fat bike. This carbon-framed beauty is good for just about everything: snow riding, adventure rides, bike packing, and everyday mountain biking, so long as you don't mind riding a rigid bike. The frame and fork come equipped with all the mounts you'll probably ever need to attach all of your overnight gear for bike-packing adventures. The complete bike is also light enough to easily use for fat bike racing or all-day suffer-fests if that's your thing. If you're looking for an all-around performer in a lightweight carbon-framed package, the Beargrease should be on your shortlist.

Build

The Beargrease Carbon Deore has a relatively standard budget-minded build attached to a full carbon frame. What the build of this bike lacks in wow factor, it makes up for with functionality and affordability for a carbon frame. The front and rear triangles of the frame are all carbon fiber with Salsa's Bearpaw rigid carbon fork up front. The Bearpaw fork has carbon legs, an aluminum steerer, and a set of 3-pack mounts on each side. The frame has typical modern fat bike thru axle spacing of 15 x 150mm in the front and 12 x 197mm in the rear. The front and rear triangles also come with various mounts to accommodate all your bike packing/adventure biking accessories.

The Deore build of the Beargrease Carbon, not surprisingly, comes with a Shimano Deore 1x11-speed drivetrain. This includes a Deore Shadow+ 11-speed rear derailleur, a Deore shifter, and an 11-42 tooth cassette paired with Race Face Ride cranks and a 28-tooth front chainring. This drivetrain setup provides a good range that will be suitable for most riders, although the easiest gear is a bit tougher than some of its competitors. Like most of the other models in this review, the Beargrease is equipped with SRAM Level brakes and 160mm centerline brake rotors front and rear. We typically prefer higher-end brakes' power and braking feel, but the Levels work relatively well, especially for the low to moderate speeds of fat bikes.

The cockpit of the Beargrease is well-appointed and consists of a handful of Salsa's own parts. They've used their own Guide stem and Rustler handlebar with comfortable lock-on grips. Testers liked the width of the handlebar but felt that it had a bit more back sweep than they liked, making it feel a little bit off. In the rear, they've mounted a Salsa Guide seat post with a quality WTB Volt saddle. Of course, we'd love for this bike to come equipped with a dropper seat post or at least a quick-release seat post clamp to speed up saddle height changes.

SUNringle dominates the fat bike wheels market, and like most fat bikes, the Beargrease is clad with one of their wheelsets. It rolls on a set of 27.5" SUNringle Mulefut 80 rims laced to SUNringle SRC hubs. The 80mm rim width is nice and wide and pairs well with the 3.8" Maxxis Minion FBF and FBR tires, giving them a slightly wider profile than a narrower rim.

Geometry

The Beargrease has a 68-degree head tube angle, which qualifies as somewhat slack for a rigid fat bike and helps give this bike a more easy-going feel when pointed downhill. It also has a short-moderate length wheelbase of 1158mm and medium length 442mm chainstays, which keep this bike nimble and relatively playful. The 73-degree seat tube angle isn't exactly steep by today's standards, although it's only 2 degrees off the steepest in our test, but it works and puts the rider right above the cranks and not too far out above the rear wheel. The seated pedaling position on the Beargrease is quite comfortable, you aren't bent too much at the waist, stretched out, or cramped, it nails the middle ground nicely.

Should You Buy The Salsa Beargrease Carbon?

Testers found little they didn't like about the Beargrease. This lightweight carbon-framed ride is a comfortable and adept climber, a playful and relatively competent descender, and versatile enough to go bike-packing one day and take on a snowy backyard ride the next. It's also a pretty good value, with a full carbon frame and a build specification similar to several other models in the test.

What Other Fat Bikes Should You Consider?

If you want similar performance at a lower price, the consumer-direct Canyon Dude CF 7 fits that bill. This carbon-framed bike has a similar build, geometry, and well-rounded performance but costs significantly less. If you're looking or something with a geometry that more closely resembles your mountain bike, the Fezzari Kings Peak Comp should be on your shortlist. The Fezzari's more progressive fat bike geometry provides enhanced stability and composure on the descents without sacrificing other aspects of its performance.