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2006 Salsa El Santo Frame |
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Written by Jason Mahokey
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Thursday, 30 March 2006 |
Tester: Jason Mahokey, Team Bikeman.com Rider, Certified Bikeman Product Tester
Conditions: Rolling hills of PA.
Review: I used the 2005 El Santo through a season of endurance racing and training. The comfort, ride and price were great! You can still find my review of the 2005 here on the Bikeman.com web site. Much of what I said of the 2005 still holds true with some nice improvements by Salsa in 2006. This is an update....
 In 2006, through the magic of eBay, and a strong lust for things shiny and new, my '05 is gone and the new improved 06 is in my stable for this season direct from Bikeman.com. One major improvement over the '05 is the 1" lower top tube for added clearance and piece of mind in those emergency bail out situations (you know what I'm talking about). I also find that with the lower top tube comes some added maneuverability. I feel more centered on the bike or like my weight is distribute better. It just seems to handle better.
The paint job on the 2006 is UNREAL! Dark blood red that sparkles like a dream in the sun and looks like a mean bad-ass in low light. It looks fast, make you want to go fast and doesn't dissapoint.
 The Manitou Swinger 3-Way returns for 2006 and is just as good as the 2005. I found it easy to set up and quick and easy to tune for any given trail situation. Want it firmer? Up the air in the SPV chamber and you get a nice firm ride 'till the trail gets rough the the 4" of plushness kicks in and smooths it on out. Too firm for those roots and rocks, grab your pump drop the air in the SPV and feel the plush. Easy to adjust, holds air and gets the job done. After I put air in, I really don't think about it any more. That's what I want from a rear shock. The only negatives in my opinion is that I wish it was a LITTLE lighter.
 Some if this is my own doing. For my racing I tend to go for durable, and reliable, rather than "hoochie-light-weight-race it and break" it parts. I also have a Large (20") frame. If you wanted, you get get this bike pretty light with some lighter wheels and components.
 Also the paint is SUPER sweet so you'll want to find some good chain stay wrap and some frame saver stickers to prevent cable wear. I'm excited to once again be riding and racing the Salsa El Santo and can only hope my soon to arrive Dos Niner is half as good as this. Good luck and enjoy. The El Santo won't disappoint a trail bike, or endurance race machine.
Jason
Rated:
 | $1167.95 | Buy / Details | 2006 Salsa El Santo Full Suspension Frame: Large, Red. Got a tough trail to grapple with? It’s time to call on El Santo. Four inches of front and rear travel with Manitou SPV shock technology get you where you want to go without any fuss. Scandium tubing, four-bar linkage, CNC’d rocker arm, Swinger 3-Way Air shock, and cartridge bearings all... |
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