• Start Here
  • Articles
  • Travel Bikes
    • New Touring Bikes
    • Touring Bike Info
    • Folding Bike Info
    • Tandem Bike Info
  • Gear
    • Bike Gear
    • Travel Gear
    • Gear Lists
    • RTW Gear List
  • Stories
    • Blog
    • Photo Galleries
    • World Diaries
  • Travel Tips
  • Videos
CyclingAbout.com
  • About
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Log In
  • Start Here
  • Articles
  • Travel Bikes
    • New Touring Bikes
    • Touring Bike Info
    • Folding Bike Info
    • Tandem Bike Info
  • Gear
    • Bike Gear
    • Travel Gear
    • Gear Lists
    • RTW Gear List
  • Stories
    • Blog
    • Photo Galleries
    • World Diaries
  • Travel Tips
  • Videos
Share
You are reading
The New 2017 Salsa Marrakesh Touring Bike

The New 2017 Salsa Marrakesh Touring Bike

August 9th, 2016

Unveiled last year, the 2017 Salsa Marrakesh is undoubtedly one of the best off-the-shelf touring bikes in the world. I had to include it in my list of the 8 of the Best Touring Bikes!

This is for a number of reasons:

The geometry. The Salsa Marrakesh is the first touring bike that uses two different frame geometries based on whether you’d like to use a flat handlebar or a road handlebar.
The gear range. This long distance touring bike uses a touring crankset (48-36-26t) with a mountain bike cassette (11-34t). This yields gears for all occasions, even with four panniers (21-121 gear inches).
Rohloff compatibility. People who are after the maintenance-free nature of a Rohloff internally geared hub, will be happy to know that the frame is ready!
The price. This US $1599 bike is 5-10% more than comparable touring bikes (Trek 520 Disc, Surly Disc Trucker, Kona Sutra) but is still a bargain when you consider its features.
Tyre clearance. This touring rig is ready for 29×2.00″ offroad tyres if you wish. Or if you like fenders, you’ll still be able to squeeze in 700x40C.
The steel frame tubing. The Marrakesh uses triple-butted steel tubing that is normally reserved for much more expensive bikes.

The 2017 Salsa Marrakesh Bikes

For 2017, there’s been a shake-up with the colours, the rims are all now tubeless-ready and the bikes come with Panaracer Pasela gumwall tyres. Let’s take a closer look at the bikes and colours.

2017 Salsa Marrakesh

The 2017 Salsa Marrakesh Dropbar in orange.

As I briefly mentioned above, the 2017 Salsa Marrakesh is available in two different frame geometries. Normally you would have to go up a size or two to achieve a long enough body position on a bike with flat handlebars. With the Salsa Marrakesh however, the dropbar frameset is both short and tall, which offsets the longer overall reach of a road handlebar.

There is a centre kickstand plate on all Marrakesh models that will fit dual-leg stands like the Pletcher Twin, or single-leg stands like the Pletcher Optima Flex.

2017 Salsa Marrakesh

The kickstand plate on the Salsa Marrakesh touring bikes.

The handlebars are Salsa’s own Cowchipper model. The bars are designed for touring, offering quite a shallow profile and 24 degrees of flare in the drops. The handlebar flare helps gain additional leverage over a front end load, allowing you to stabilise the bike a bit better at speed.

2017 Salsa Marrakesh

The Salsa Cowchipper handlebars flare out in the drops.

The 2017 Salsa Marrakesh Dropbar has two colour options. Either the ‘look at my shweeeeeet touring bike -orange’ or ‘fly under the radar -black’.

2017 Salsa Marrakesh

The Salsa Marrakesh 2017 Dropbar in black.

All Marrakesh models come standard with the Brooks B17 saddle. This has got to be the most popular touring saddle of all time, so it’s great to see it available on a stock touring bike.

2017 Salsa Marrakesh

A Brooks B17 saddle on the Salsa Marrakesh saves your upgrade $$$.

The flatbar version of the Salsa Marrakesh is longer in the top tube to offset the shorter handlebar reach. When sized correctly, this results in a similar angle at your back, neck and shoulders between the different Marrakesh handlebar models.

2017 Salsa Marrakesh

The 2017 Salsa Marrakesh Flatbar in blue.

The cockpit of the flatbar Salsa Marrakesh is pretty sparse and ready for accessories. Thumb shifters are a great option for an off-road touring bike, as they are so incredibly simple, and short of a nuclear blast – completely fail-proof. Other than the cockpit setup and longer frame geometry, the Marrakesh flatbar shares all the same parts as the dropbar model.

2017 Salsa Marrakesh

The handlebar setup for the flatbar version of the Salsa Marrakesh.

My only critisism of the 2017 Salsa Marrakesh is the proprietary rear rack. Salsa had to do it in order to use the Alternator sliding dropouts, but the aluminium rack available has a capacity of 27kg (59lbs) compared to a steel Tubus rack at 40kg (88lbs). I’m sure this is a conservative estimate, but it’d be great if Salsa could make a Tubus-comparable model in steel.

The 2017 Salsa Marrakesh Flatbar is available in the aqua blue above, or a rather retro minty green.

2017 Salsa Marrakesh

The Salsa Marrakesh 2017 Flatbar in Green. Image: BikeRumor.com

The stock grips on the flatbar are Salsa’s own ‘Adventure By Bike’ lock-on model. I’d highly recommend trying out ESI Silicone grips if you can! Silicone grips dampen vibrations like nothing else. They also don’t get sticky or hard over time.

2017 Salsa Marrakesh

Thumb shifters for all of the Salsa Marrakesh bikes.

Want To Compare This Touring Bike With Dozens of Others?

Check out The Touring Bicycle Buyer’s Guide which compares touring bike steering, sizing, gear ratios, specification, pricing and more. This guide is updated annually with the latest models at no extra cost!

Bicycle Touring Book Sample Page 74-75

The Touring Bicycle Buyer’s Guide helps you compare touring bikes, side-by-side.

Helpful Resources

All About Touring Bike Brakes
Frame Materials for Bicycle Touring
How to Select Touring Bike Gearing
Understand Bicycle Frame Geometry
What’s the Difference between Cyclocross and Touring Bikes?

Touring Bikes Overview

2016 Advocate Lorax
2016 Basso Ulisse
2016 Bianchi Volpe and Lupo 2016
2016 Bombtrack Beyond
2017 Bombtrack Beyond
2016 Brodie Elan Vital
2016 Cannondale Touring
2016 Cinelli Hobootleg Geo
2017 Curve Grovel V2
2017 Diamondback Haanjo EXP Carbon
2016 Fuji Touring
2017 Fuji Touring
2016 Genesis Tour de Fer
2016 Giant ToughRoad
2017 Giant ToughRoad
2016 Jamis Aurora and Aurora Elite
2016 Kona Big Rove
2016 Kona Roadhouse and Sutra LTD
2016 Kona Sutra
2017 Kona Sutra
2016 Marin Four Corners
2017 Marin Four Corners
2016 Masi Giramondo
2016 Niner RLT9
2016 Rawland Ulv and Ravn
2016 Salsa Deadwood
2017 Salsa Fargo
2016 Salsa Marrakesh
2017 Salsa Marrakesh
2017 Salsa Vaya
2016 Specialized AWOL
2017 Specialized AWOL
2017 Specialized Diverge
2017 Specialized Sequoia
2016 Traitor Wander
2016 Trek 920, 720, 520 & CrossRip
2017 Trek CrossRip

  • Tags
  • 2017
  • salsa
  • salsa marrakesh
Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest

Alee Denham

Alee is a bike and travel addict who has cycled through 80+ countries and doesn't really have any plans of stopping. Along the way, he creates technical resources, in-depth reviews, inspirational videos, how-to guides and more. If you've learned something from him, you can support his mission to create the best bike travel content HERE.

Related Posts

The New 2019 Salsa Warbird Light Touring Bikes New Bikes

The New 2019 Salsa Warbird Light Touring Bikes

The New 2019 Salsa Journeyman Light Touring Bikes New Bikes

The New 2019 Salsa Journeyman Light Touring Bikes

The New 2018 Salsa Marrakesh Touring Bike New Bikes

The New 2018 Salsa Marrakesh Touring Bike

The New 2018 Salsa Fargo Ti Frameset New Bikes

The New 2018 Salsa Fargo Ti Frameset

Eurobike 2016 Coverage: Bicycle Touring, Bikepacking and Adventure Gallery Bike Gear

Eurobike 2016 Coverage: Bicycle Touring, Bikepacking and Adventure Gallery

The New 2017 Fuji Touring Bike New Bikes

The New 2017 Fuji Touring Bike




CYCLINGABOUT on INSTAGRAM
Recent Articles
It's Bike Pushing, Not Bike Riding: Techniques and The Ultimate Hike-A-Bike Setup

It's Bike Pushing, Not Bike Riding: Techniques and The Ultimate Hike-A-Bike Setup

Ask Me Anything: Trailer vs Panniers, Rohloff vs Pinion, Stories of Theft, Injuries, Finding Parts In Remote Areas

Ask Me Anything: Trailer vs Panniers, Rohloff vs Pinion, Stories of Theft, Injuries, Finding Parts In Remote Areas

Photo Gallery: Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route – Southern Section

Photo Gallery: Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route – Southern Section

Video: Fighting The Wet Season // The Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route [EP.10]

Video: Fighting The Wet Season // The Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route [EP.10]

The 2019 Ultra Endurance Bike Racing Manual – By Apidura

The 2019 Ultra Endurance Bike Racing Manual – By Apidura




  • Start Here
  • Articles
  • Travel Bikes
  • Gear
  • Stories
  • Travel Tips
  • Videos
  • Back to top

CyclingAbout is here to help you travel the world by bicycle! We can assist you with all kinds of resources, advice and inspiration. If you've learned a thing or two from us, consider supporting our independent resources HERE.

© CyclingAbout. All rights reserved.
Produced by CyclingAbout Media