With gravel expanding towards several different use cases (surely we’ll be seeing some defined sub-genres soon?), we’re seeing bikes crafted to straddle the lines between race and adventure. One of which is Salsa’s new Flyway. It’s built to be just as comfortable at speed as it is when loaded with cargo.
However, the Flyway is taking a clear step away from the road-inspired race gravel bikes with a more progressive geometry. Seen on bikes like Rat Bike’s Dad Rat, and the Mondraker Dusty, Salsa has graced the bike with a long reach and short stem. It then takes a page out of the mountain bike book with a slacker head angle as well as a low bottom bracket, all in a bid to add stability. Short chainstays are then thrown into the mix to sprinkle some response into the gravel bike’s ride. Then, symmetrical dropped chainstays and a steeper seat tube angle have been included for efficiency on the pedals, says the brand.
2026 salsa flyway bar (Image Credit: Salsa)
In numbers, that means that a LG-size bike gets a 600mm effective top tube, a 422mm reach, a 70.5-degree head tube angle, a 75-degree effective seat tube angle, and a 425mm chainstay.
The Flyway is available in two carbon layups with two frame weights. First up, the Deluxe layup promises lightweight, strength, stiffness, and ‘ride quality’, with little to no compromise in between. Salsa says that this frame in its ML size weighs 1,050g. The Standard frame features a new carbon layup for the brand that “prioritises performance and minimises weight”, weighing 1,200g.
Much like other bikes in Salsa’s lineup, the Flyway utilises the brand’s Class 5 VRS, or Vibration Reduction System, design. This means that the seat stays are bowed outwards while the chainstays are vertically compliant to add a level of comfort to the frame, all while combating lateral flex, for pedalling efficiency. Salsa says that the system on the Flyway makes it 20% more compliant than the Warbird.
2026 salsa flyway bag (Image Credit: Salsa)
As for other frame features, the Flyway dons correction for 40mm suspension forks, an IS52 headtube for internal cable routing (so yep, headset cable routing), UDH compatability and a T47 threaded bottom bracket. The frame can fit up to 50mm tyres, while the fork ups the clearance game up to 57mm. There’s then a plethora of mounts with up to three for bottle cages on the larger frames, mounts for a frame back, top tube mounts, Lowrider front rack mounts and the bike is rear rack compatible with Salsa’s own kit. Of course, there are mounts on the fork too.
The Salsa Flyway is available as a frame-only option in the UK, priced at £3,000.
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