1983 Salsa Custom #18
This Salsa was the 18th mountain bike made by Ross Shafer, while he was directing tandem frame production at Santana in Claremont, CA in 1983. It was made specifically for his wife at the time, and shows a lot of one-off features. A great amount of care and attention went into this bike, and now 30 years later the bike stands as 100% original, including the Tri-cross and Ground Control tires, Unicanitor saddle, Spanish STROH cable housing, and Grab-On grips. The frame is stout. The toptube is the same diameter as the downtube at 1.25 inches in diameter. The extension of the stem is also 1.25 inches and much larger than a traditional Salsa roller stem. On top of that, the stem is a direct mount to the fork steerer, and it has a really wide front face plate. The handlebars are aluminum but practically solid, and the fork blades were likely designed for a tandem. As with other early Salsas, the bi-plane fork crown was machined from a solid block of steel. The paint is named "pooftaflage," and was inspired by a quilt that hung in a group household in Santa Cruz, CA, known as "Hut Otis", or more commonly known as the hut, where Ross lived on occasion. The paint is actually pearlescent and hides much of the smooth fillet work, especially around the fork crown and BB. This bike has been many interesting places, and was part of the 1983 Pearl Pass Tour in Crested Butte and more recently was part of the History of the Mountain Bike exhibit at the San Francisco Airport and participated in the 35th Pearl Pass Tour. This bike now resides in the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Fairfax, CA.
More information about Salsas can be found on the Salsa Photo Archive page.
More information about Salsas can be found on the Salsa Photo Archive page.
The Build
Year: 1983
S/N: SM018 Frame: Salsa Custom Fork: Salsa Bi-Plane Stem: Salsa Direct Mount Headset: Tange Steel Bottom Bracket: Phil Wood Cartridge Bearing Handlebar: Salsa Moto Shifters: Shimano Deore XT M700 Front Derailleur: Suntour Compe V Rear Derailleur: Shimano 600 Long Cage Brake Levers: Shimano Deore XT M700 Front Brake: Shimano Deore XT M700 Rear Brake: Shimano Deore XT M700 Crankset: Sugino AT Chainrings: Sugino 26-36-46 Pedals: KKT Hubs: Specialized / Phil Wood Cartridge Bearing Rims: Ambrosio Durex Tires: Specialized Ground Control 1.95 Specialized Tri-Cross 1.50 Wheel QR: Specialized / Campagnolo Seatpost: SR Laprade Saddle: Cinelli Unicanitor Seatpost QR: Modified Campagnolo Grips: Grab-On MTN-1 Chain: Shimano UG Cogs: Suntour Winner Pro Freewheel Bottle Cage: Specialized Portage Strap: Pfotenhauer Custom Extras: Silca Pump |
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