2024 eMTB SHOOTOUT

SALSA NOTCH DEORE REVIEW

BIG BURLY BUDGET BIKE

Photos by Max Rhulen & Dusten Ryen
Video by Brian Niles / Treeline Cinematic

As one of the latest eBikes to hit the market, the Salsa Notch came in as a last-minute entry to the sub-$6k section of our 2024 eMTB Shootout. With a big, burly frame and spec calls like the new RockShox Domain RC fork, we were excited to see how it would stack up in this hotly contested shootout.

2024 EMTB SHOOTOUT SERIES – The Salsa Notch Deore was one of 14 eBikes that our staff thoroughly tested with absolute objectivity in mind. From different types of riders to terrain, our goal is to present the best and most honest information possible to help you make your best decision. Of course, we’d love to thank Fox Racing and Schwalbe Tires for being invaluable partners to this series and making it happen and to Howler Bike Park for hosting us for our testing.

QUICK HITS

• 160mm Split Pivot Suspension
• 29” Wheels
• Bosch CX Gen 4 Motor
• 500Wh Bosch Battery

Price: $4,999 – $5,999

WE DIG

WE DON’T

ABOUT THE SALSA NOTCH DEORE

FRAME AND FEATURES | Salsa built their Notch E-Enduro machine to take plenty of abuse, with a burly 6061-T6 aluminum frame. As standard the Notch features a 160mm travel rear end with a Split Pivot suspension system, with a 170mm fork and a pair of 29” wheels. However, the Notch can be boosted to 180mm rear with a 200mm dual crown fork if desired, offering serious big-hit capabilities. Salsa also allows for a 27.5” x 2.6-2.8” tire in the rear, using the high setting of the flip chip. This flip chip also allows for the geometry to be tweaked between a high and low configuration when using two 29” wheels.

Cables are routed internally through ports in the head tube; and provisions are made to carry a water bottle, tube and multi-tool inside the main frame to support your rides. The rear end will easily accept a 29×2.6” rear tire. Molded protectors are added to the chainstays and downtube to fend off damage and keep noise to a minimum. SRAM’s UDH makes for easy replacements and allows for a T-Type upgrade if desired.

DRIVE UNIT AND ELECTRONICS | Salsa equipped the Notch with the Bosch Performance Line CX drive unit, producing 85Nm torque and 600W peak power. This is powered by an internal, non-removable 500Wh PowerTube battery. Bosch’s PowerMore range extender can be used to boost this capacity by 250Wh, offering a modular design that allows the range and weight preference to be tailored to the ride.

The Bosch Smart System sees their LED Hub display neatly integrated into the top tube of the Notch, displaying the battery capacity in 10% increments and changing color to indicate the ride mode selected (ECO, Tour+, eMTB or Turbo). The Wireless Mini Remote sits on the left side of the bar to allow for these modes to be easily toggled, and for the Walk mode to be activated.

GEOMETRY | As a bike that was designed to offer confidence in steep and gnarly terrain, Salsa selected some progressive and aggressive geometry figures, most notably being the frame Reach. Beginning at 479mm for the size Small, with 20mm gaps between sizes, the Salsa Notch sports some of the longest Reach figures in the industry right now. As such, we opted to test the size Medium, which still packed a longest-in-test 499mm Reach. With its steep 79.9° Seat Tube Angle, this provided a comfortable climbing position.

BUILD SPECS | Salsa is offering the Notch in a choice of two specs: the Cues 10 at $4,999 or the Deore 12 we tested at $5,999.

The Deore 12 build features a 12-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain as the name may suggest. Also provided by Shimano is the Deore 4-piston brake set, with a pair of large 220mm rotors.

Suspension duties are handled by a 170mm RockShox Domain RC fork and Fox Float X Performance rear shock. The cockpit consists of a Salsa Guide stem with a Race Face Chester alloy bar. A TransX dropper post is topped by a WTB Solano saddle.

Rounding out the specs is a WTB SI i30 Tough rim on Shimano hub wheelset, which is wrapped in a Teravail Kessel/Warwick tire combo as standard in 2.6” width and Ultra Durable casings. However, we equipped the Notch with our control tire set for this group test: a Schwalbe Magic Mary Super Gravity Addix Soft 2.4” pairing.

Our Salsa Notch Deore build equipped with the Schwalbe control tires weighed in at a portly 57.8lbs (26.2kg) without Range Extender.

THE DIRT – RIDING THE SALSA NOTCH DEORE

SETUP | Salsa came to market with a PNW-Optimized geometry set that includes some of the longest Reach figures size-for-size on the market. We opted to test the size Medium, which still measured in at the longest Reach in this year’s Shootout. This was offset by the steep seat tube angle. Otherwise, the geometry was fairly typical for a bike in the aggressive enduro category.

Getting the Salsa’s suspension set up proved to be trouble-free. With 30% sag out back and the recommended air pressure for the RockShox Domain fork, the bike felt well balanced. The remainder of the components were sensibly selected and comfortable, though the Notch is another bike that we’d have loved to see a 200mm dropper seatpost fitted to.

ELECTRONICS AND INTEGRATION | The Bosch Performance Line CX drive unit with integrated 500Wh battery were neatly integrated into the Salsa. The Smart System’s LED top tube display is excellent, and the wireless Mini Remote offers good tactile switching between modes and use of the walk mode. Bosch’s eBike Flow app is a solid performer, and let us tune the ride modes in order to give TURBO the maximum assistance, as performed on all bikes in the test.

The Bosch Powermore range extender was reasonably secure and sturdy when mounted, and avoided any excessive rattling or vibrations. Salsa’s decision to spec the small 500Wh battery was interesting – especially since the overall bike weight was still the joint highest. But for riders who want to choose between lighter overall weight for shorter rides or larger battery capacity for the longest rides, it’s a neat approach. For many riders, the range extender will be a vital piece of the puzzle in order to ensure they have the range to last the duration of a ride with bigger battery-equipped bikes.

The Bosch system is a very solid performer, although the drive unit fitted to the Salsa Notch felt slightly less powerful than some of the other bikes on test, even though the output was turned up to the maximum on all. We’re unsure if this was a factor of the overall bike weight; suspension platform, or if the 500Wh battery has a reduced discharge capacity. It’s also possible that it was either due to drive unit variation, or all in our head. It was still a solid climbing system when it came to it. Drive unit noise was about average in the pack.

CLIMBING | The Salsa Notch’s seating position was comfortable for all of our test crew, and even left Drew feeling in the most commanding seated position of all of the bikes. Even so, with its fairly plush suspension and heavy overall weight, the Notch was amongst the less lively climbers in the group. This was less notable on the fireroad climbs, but when it got technical the Notch could be a bit of a handful.

DESCENDING | Salsa developed their Notch with steep and gnarly terrain in mind, and that’s exactly where the bike shone during testing. Some of the crew complained about the supple suspension and high weight, which detrimented agility. The Salsa was another bike that needed some gradient to come alive. For others though, the comfortable ride and reasonably well-balanced geometry were appreciated.

Most notably, the Salsa felt like an eMTB that was made to take some abuse. It provided confidence to send some of the larger features in Howler bikepark, and didn’t cause too much concern when charging hard through the rough. This makes sense, considering the Notch is rated for a 200mm travel dual crown fork and can be bumped up to a 180mm rear end. Given that it’s not a particularly lively bike in its stock configuration, we’d likely opt to go for this long travel conversion to maximize the capabilities going downhill.

The Salsa Notch Deore build spec felt to be mostly solid, however the Shimano Deore brakes had their work cut in slowing down this bike and burly rig, and got a little overwhelmed at times. Otherwise, the rest of the spec was up to the task and did little to hold back the performance of the Notch.

FINISH AND VALUE | The Notch frame is cleanly executed, and was one of the higher quality aluminum frames in our shootout this year. This helps to offset the relatively poor spec list for the money on this Deore level build, which at $5,999 falls short considerably of the parts equipped on the Polygon Collosus N8E. That said, aside from the Shimano Deore brakes, everything performed well enough that we’d likely run it until it wore out or broke.

Typically Bosch-equipped bikes retail for more than comparable Shimano EP801 bikes too, accounting for some of the value gap. Similarly, Salsa bikes are sold through a robust dealer network and as such come with after sales support that will likely surpass the abilities of direct-to-consumer brands, which is something worth factoring in.

The Wolf’s Last Word

The Salsa Notch is a solid aggressive enduro eMTB, but will not be the most inspiring bike for riders who don’t have gravity-fed descents to unleash its capabilities.

WHO’S IT FOR?

As the heaviest bike on test, and with a smaller battery that will force many riders to equip it with a range extender and further add to its weight, it’s likely to be best served for winch-and-plummet style eBiking or for riders who have a high priority on stability and comfort for this price point.

Price: $5,999
Weight: 57.8lbs (26.2kg)
Website: Salsacycles.com

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 eMTB SHOOTOUT SPONSORS

Without their support, we would not be able to make this series possible.

FOX RACING

SCHWALBE TIRES

HOWLER BIKE PARK