I may have found the perfect touring bicycle for myself.
I cruised Salsa bicycles this morning. I know about the Fargo, it looked interesting. But I would expect better quality steel for the price. Then I looked at the Cut throat. WOW!!! A full carbon bicycle for $3K, with a carbon fork with bolt-ons for front racks. I've never seen a fork like that. Decent Scram equipment. Better drive train is available for another $1K. I hear Salsa is sold out until next fall. I called the shop I worked at 35 yrs. ago, They have one coming in as a floor model. My model, my size. They were wiling to put my name on it. I've changed my underwear since then, and am interested to hear from anybody with Salsa CutThroat experience. Twice the price of a LHT But at least 3 times as good.
Thanks!!

Pretty unique bike. I would set up my bike the same way if I was touring on it, with drop bars and 2.2" semi-knobby tires. I actually have a pair of those Teravail tires sitting around waiting for my next bikepacking trip.

It's definitely a unique bike. Very cool purchase if you can afford it. If not, definitely a good bike to use as a model for a long-distance, off-road touring rig.

Yes, an interest bike. An updated Fargo done in Carbon. Those fork mounts are for either water bottles or Salsa's Anything racks. Lots of other water bottles mounts also since its really expected to be run with a framebag and seatbag. Still, I just hate the thought of spending lots of $$$ on carbon and getting some chips or a crack. I'm just not there yet for carbon and my hard earned $$$$. Besides, the way I ride, carbon just ain't going to make me faster :-)

I wondered about the carbon decision too.

Glad you got that sorted, Where You going to go on your Tour ?

I made different choices .. last trip Ireland and Scotland , over 3 seasons.

It looks like a pretty natural step up from the Fargo. Fargo X9, for instance, features pretty comparable components for $700 less and is within 3 pounds of the Cutthroat X9. A cool bike filling in a high-end spot where the Fargo's frame wasn't really appropriate. What makes it sound like a particularly compelling option is more that it's getting very good reviews for ride quality (notably that it stays comfy even at high tire pressure) and friendly-for-mounting-stuff geometry than its raw specs, though.

Unless you want a bike optimized for road use, or you want triple cranks, or you want slightly longer chainstays, or you prefer the LHT's classic geometry, or you prefer the feel or look or repairability of chromoly, or you prefer more spokes so that you'll have an easier time in the event of a wheel issue in the middle of nowhere, or you want the peace of mind of using a bicycle with such a good reputation for long-term reliability that it basically doesn't depreciate, or...

(The LHT is not a high-end machine of absolute perfection in every imaginable way, but you've repeatedly attacked it while seemingly not understanding why people prefer it or, really, even what kind of bicycle it is.)

For a guy who apparently thinks Surly LHT is junk, it is a little funny that you have now bought a bike from Salsa, whose steel bikes are made from the same materials, by the same workers, in the same plant used to manufacture all Surly bikes, including the LHT (Maxway/Taiwan).

Hope you enjoy your new bike.

Would be interested to hear about the long term wear and tear with the carbon. I know they are popular with my mt bike crowd.

You are fortunate to have found the perfect touring bike. Perfect means different things to different people. I'd really appreciate seeing your evaluation after you have actually ridden it.

I was looking at the Cut Throat a while back. My Cervelo RS is great for lightweight touring on the road, but the 25mm tires limits it if I ever have to go off road. So I wanted lightweight bike with bigger tire clearances. My preference is for something like the Warbird.

WARBIRD CARBON RIVAL 22 | Bikes | Salsa Cycles

I'm looking at the new crop of "Gravel/Adventure" carbon bikes and think my next purchase will be one of those. The Raleigh Roker-Sport looks like a nice possibility.....46-34 x 11-34t gearing, carbon frame, disc brakes, 40mm tire clearance for $2.5k

Raleigh Bicycles - Roker Sport

I've been riding a Cervelo RS for almost 4 years and have taken it on three major tours....one across the US from Anacortes to Boston......and it's holding up well. The paint has some scratches, particularly on the underside of the fork and where my chain came off once, but that's all. Here it is on the top of Sherman Pass, WA

My carbon road bike is ten years old now. I've raced it, flown it to various countries under the tender care of airport baggage handlers, crashed it more than once, and ridden it for something in the region of 20,000 miles. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it besides a scratch or two. Obviously, it's not a tourer but then, neither is my Columbus Spirit road bike - it wouldn't take a rack either. I'd have no problem riding a carbon touring bike that was built for the purpose.

Sweet bike, been drooling over it for awhile. Basically a carbon Fargo with a larger triangle, looks like a nice size frame bag would fit in there. Love to see some pics and a review if you pick one up.

If I may try to explain my opinion of the LHT? The 1st person who asks me to I will delete this post.
The LHT is a good bicycle for what it's trying to do. There are some other things for about the same price, but nothing really better. The LHT is a lower end bicycle, lower quality steel and lower quality components, also real heavy. I don't like the way it handles, too slugish, too much like my $400 around town bicycle than my carbon road bicycle. There are some better frames and equipment in the $2K range Trek 720 or 920 and some other simular stuff. I said that for now I'm impressed with the Salsa fargo & cut throat. The Trek 720 fork bags are available as a separate item. And the Co-Motion and Lyndsky. Not to mention a custom Erikson at maybe $10K So yes there are much better bicycles out there. The LHT is a good low end bicycle. Nothing more. No reason to have an alter built for it. From here on out I'll try to shut up about it. You know my opinion, no reason to repeat it. Thanks !!

Nice Bike, I'd love to see one up close.

Wouldn't it be great if there was a bike shop that carried all of the Touring bikes available for test rides? Most of us have to trust reviews and online opinions for our Tour Bike choices. For that very reason I value your opinion. Last winter I built my first touring bike, a DT, and this winter I'm building a Surly Ogre. I have no real way of knowing if I'll like it any more than the Trucker, but they way I figure it, You can't have too many bikes.

Salsa makes some good bikes (I used to own one) and as a company they are GREAT marketers around the image of Salsa bikes. Good enough to command an significant extra premium for what ever they sell, because so many people buy into the marketing image they tout. If you can live without the image, there are much better values to be had from other manufacturers on comparable bikes.

When a company sells out of their bikes in the first months of the new year, the laws of supply and demand means they can charge a premium for the bikes they do produce. Any good marketer turns that scarcity into an above average margin by pricing at a premium.

I would love to just let it lie but I can't help but ask how many loaded LHT's you have actually ridden on a tour? Or for that matter, how many Salsa carbon touring bikes you've put through the touring paces. Frankly, it drives me a little bonkers the way you have such firm opinions on how you imagine these things will matter to you. Yes, we all are entitled to our opinions and you are too but when it comes with no practical experience it's worth about exactly what you paid to gain it.

I think I detect the germ of your problem with the LHT in that you imagine it will behave like your around town bike rather than a carbon fiber road bike and you really are sold on having the road bike experience on tour. Unless you are CC touring that just isn't going to happen without spending so much money trying to reinvent the experience, which is what you keep doing - talking about spending so much money to buy that "better" bike. As such, you are experiencing some backlash around LHT's because most reasonable people don't expect anything like that from a touring bike. Your expectation is out of whack with what it, and most touring bikes are about which is: strength, low gearing, attachment points, comfort.

Low quality steel? At what point does the quality of said steel impact touring performance. Real data, not imaginings. I believe the LHT reaches the threshold.

Steel vs Aluminum? Wanna repair your frame while on tour in far flung places... steel is better than aluminum (because more people can repair steel). That's it. If repairing isn't an issue either will do. From that point forward it's just knowing what bikes are built well more than what material they use. I believe the LHT is built well.

Carbon vs steel? Depends what is more important - light weight with fragility or moderate weight with strength. If you never plan to drop or hurt your bike on tour and if you imagine the few pounds you might save on frame weight will impact your overall tour, choose carbon. If you realize that the frame weight won't make that big of a difference and recognize that touring can be a little rough on bikes, choose steel.

Not better, not worse. Just different materials depending on the applications you will most likely find yourself requiring.

I'd be a little hesitant letting the deck hands stow my $4K carbon bike (if I had one) in the middle of this, about where my yellow pannier is, and would not be able to sit back and enjoy the ferry ride.

I didnt' know chromoly was low quality steel... Well you live and learn.

But honestly, if it was so low quality you'd expect it to be somewhat cheaper than it is but that stuff is seriously expensive especially when comparing to common carbon / spring steels.

I'd put the current crop of carbon wheels/bars/posts/frames, you name it, up against the best steel/alum out there. I'd have no concerns running carbon stuff today, 10 years ago maybe my opinion would be different, but the stuff out today is pretty incredible.

Who knows if the frame in question is well designed, the same can be said for steel, but I'd wouldn't be concerned with carbon from a major manuf assuming it was designed to be a touring bike....which looks like this is.

Awesome vid worth watching, the last bit with concrete is impressive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xreZdUBqpJs

I think it might look like a good, light, off road, long distance racing bike as well but would put it in a niche class as far as basic touring is concerned. I also would not hesitate to buy CF if the situation required it but I might hesitate at spending 4K for what I could do with 1K. You could say CF is needed in a race setting but is anyone here touring this year in a way where CF is needed rather than wanted?

Of course these things do appeal to people who imagine they are going to be as edgy in needs as to what top tier racers are.

Thank the good gods above. Now you can actually ride and all the advice you have been dishing out thats untested by you may actually be valid.

Sure. But to be fair to the Salsa people, it isn't marketed as a conventional touring bike. It is, effectively, a gravel racer that can handle a large framebag etc for fast on or off-road touring. It's only the "ideal touring bike" in the eyes of the OP and those who want to do that specific type of bikepacking.

And I must say it looks a highly entertaining bike. Not really my style of riding, but I'd like to try one nonetheless.

I feel that my 19lb Cervelo RS climbs and rides nicer than my ~25lb steel bikes....which are all still good bikes. I also notice the difference when carrying the loaded bike up stairs. I don't need CF to tour, it just makes my touring more enjoyable. Anyone that tours with 4x panniers will probably not find a CF bike optimal. Part of my motivation for going away from panniers and then finally racks was to increase my choice of bikes to tour on.