Bombtrack Hook EXT vs Salsa Cutthroat

Both published charts held against each other, on the specs that decide what the bike carries.

The short answer

The Hook EXT takes the rack path; the Cutthroat takes tire clearance and dropper compatibility. Which matters more is your route, not a scoreboard.

Assembled from the differences below rather than written over them, so it cannot drift from the table. Every figure is the manufacturer's; nobody here has ridden either bike.

Where they differ

4 of the 7 things we can compare come out differently. The rest are close enough not to decide anything.

Widest published tire

9mm more on the Cutthroat
Bombtrack Hook EXT
40mm on 700c / 29in, 52mm on 650b / 27.5in
Salsa Cutthroat
61mm on 700c / 29in

The frame figure, not the fork's — forks are routinely cut for more rubber than the rear triangle. Loaded, tire width is also seat-pack clearance: a big tire and a sagging pack compete for the same space.

Rear rack

Hook EXT is the one you can bolt a rack to without hunting for parts
Bombtrack Hook EXT
Bolts straight on
Salsa Cutthroat
Needs an extra part — Rack-Lock seatpost collar

Read from each maker's own mount wording. An adapter is a real cost the price tag does not mention, and 'not published' is not the same as no — it just is not something to buy a rack on.

Dropper post

only the Cutthroat publishes dropper routing
Bombtrack Hook EXT
Not published
Salsa Cutthroat
Compatible

A dropper cannot be strapped to, so fitting one rules out almost every seat pack and leaves rail-mounted bags at a fraction of the volume. It is a capability and a constraint at once.

Chainstay

20mm longer on the Cutthroat
Bombtrack Hook EXT
425mm
Salsa Cutthroat
445mm

The gap between seat tube and rear axle, which a rack, panniers and your heels all share. Longer is more room for a load; shorter is a more compact bike. Which you want is a preference, not a winner.

Side by side

Including the rows where the two are level, because a spec that doesn't separate them is still a spec you might be checking.

Bombtrack Hook EXTSalsa Cutthroat
Frame bag space1698 cm²1681 cm²
Widest published tire40mm on 700c / 29in, 52mm on 650b / 27.5in61mm on 700c / 29in
Rear rackBolts straight onNeeds an extra part — Rack-Lock seatpost collar
Fork cargo mountsPublishedPublished
Frame bottle positionsnot published as a count3
Dropper postNot publishedCompatible
Chainstay425mm445mm
Sizes55
FrameSteelCutthroat Carbon

Drawn to scale

Largest published size of each, built from the charts rather than illustrated. The front triangle is the part that decides frame bag fit.

Salsa Cutthroat — 60cm. Front triangle ≈ 1681 cm² · effective top tube 600mm · seat tube 584mm
Salsa Cutthroat in size 60cm, drawn to scale from Salsa's published geometry. The shaded area is the front triangle — roughly 1681 cm² of space for a frame bag. Wheels are indicative; frame lines are accurate.
Bombtrack
Hook EXT
Price not published · 5 sizes
Full geometry and which bags fit →
Salsa
Cutthroat
$3,599 · 5 sizes
Full geometry and which bags fit →

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