Tributary Tales
Glacier National Park
The warm morning sun was just showing itself over the mountain peaks behind the lake. The cold, clear water was still, as if awaiting a rock to be skimmed across in an attempt for a new record. I brought my cup of steaming-hot coffee to my lips and smiled: I was really here in Glacier National Park on the shore of Lake McDonald.
My journey here was nothing shy of a miracle. Ten years ago, I weighed almost 400lb, hadn’t been on a bike for 25 years, and was in real danger of an early death.
Read Nick's backstory at Bicycling.com.
I started cycling, only a couple miles at first. Then I progressed to events like Unbound Gravel, The Mid South, Lutsen 99er, and my favorite of all, The Maah Daah Hey 100. What a journey of discovery and better health I was on.
But life happened, and after a massive heart attack and knee replacement surgery, I believed my cycling days were over. My newfound love became a memory, and I resigned myself to watch, support, and assist. Not happy in this role, I found new ways to stay active: walking, building furniture, and just moving.
But did I dare to cycle again? With the help of a dedicated professional, I was able to outfit my Salsa Cutthroat with special crank arms and pedals that allowed me to ride — kind of. It wasn’t pretty, but I was moving forward.
Fast forward to 2024. I had always wanted to ride Going-to-the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. I mentioned this to my wife, Crystal, and within an hour we had booked a room in the lodge at Glacier and two Amtrak tickets to get there. I love action.
But what about the bike? I’d never be able to ride that road on my Cutthroat. Of course Crystal had an idea. As a former ambassador/athlete for Salsa, she reached out to Mike and Jill on the marketing team and asked about borrowing one of Salsa’s new ebikes. One week later, a demo Salsa Tributary was at my doorstep and my life was about to change.
This bike makes sense for me. It’s a beauty of a machine with sleek lines, tires intended to explore, a dropper post for easy access, and a suspension fork combined with powerful and smooth pedal assist thanks to its Bosch motor. Adventure by Bike was possible again.
Rain, sleet, and fog encased us as we pedaled up Going-to-the Sun Road. Smiles affixed to our faces, we set off toward The Loop, our turnaround point. We passed waterfalls, active glaciers, and the mountain sides coming to life. The Tributary didn’t miss a beat and made the steep climb enjoyable. Adventure game on!
Day two in the park was even more memorable as we rode a gravel double track road from Apgar Village towards Polebridge. The Inside North Fork Road was closed to vehicles but with wildflowers just blooming, signs of bears everywhere, and eagles soaring, we were off on another adventure. We pedaled through loose gravel, around sweeping turns, and into alpine meadows; the e-bike made this possible for the old Marine to enjoy.
Kansas
A week later we were in the truck headed to Emporia, KS for the grandest gravel event of all: Lifetime Unbound! Not ready to ride the actual event, I went to be with other riders, offer support, and perhaps do a couple shake-out rides.
Thursday morning, I was asked to ride sweep on a no-drop ride. My job was to make sure no riders were left behind, and it turned out to be the highlight of my day. I met a mother and son duo who had made the journey all the way from Long Island, NY to be part of this celebration — their first gravel event. We pedaled along at the back, exchanging stories, marveling at the Kansas countryside and enjoying the day. I learned that John was a military history buff, so we deviated slightly from the route so I could show them the Emporia Veteran’s Park. It was also an opportunity for the son, a young commercial airline pilot, to experience what the Tributary was all about. All he could say was “wow” as he rode the bike.
Overall impressions
The Salsa Tributary fits exactly into Salsa’s lineup of adventure bikes. Burly enough to handle rough roads, agile to be fast and aggressive, and just a comfortable bike to enjoy. It will win no speed contests, but this bike is intended not for sprints but rather “hey, that’s a cool-looking road, let’s see where it goes.” Bravo Salsa!
The Bosch mid-drive motor’s 85Nm of torque handled everything I could throw at it and asked for more. Readers looking for detailed specs can find all that here, but what I can say is that this bike does exactly what Salsa says it will: Adventure by Bike