Esker Japhy vs Salsa Beargrease
Both published charts held against each other, on the specs that decide what the bike carries.
The short answer
The Beargrease is ahead on frame bag space, tire clearance and fork cargo mounts. Nothing here goes the other way.
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 6 things we can compare come out differently. The rest are close enough not to decide anything.
Frame bag space
106 cm² more on the BeargreaseFront-triangle area at the largest size, computed from stack, reach and seat angle. It is what decides how much full-frame bag you can run, and a frame bag is the one place weight sits low and central.
Widest published tire
46mm more on the BeargreaseThe 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.
Fork cargo mounts
only the Beargrease publishes somewhere to bolt a cageCage mounts on the fork blades. This moves weight low and off the bars, which is where a heavy bar roll does the most to the steering.
Chainstay
10mm longer on the BeargreaseThe 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.
| Esker Japhy | Salsa Beargrease | |
|---|---|---|
| Frame bag space | 1523 cm² | 1629 cm² |
| Widest published tire | 71mm on 700c / 29in | 76mm on 700c / 29in, 102mm on 650b / 27.5in, 117mm on 26in |
| Rear rack | Needs an extra part | Needs an extra part |
| Fork cargo mounts | None published | Published |
| Frame bottle positions | 2 | 2 |
| Chainstay | 430mm | 440mm |
| Sizes | 4 | 5 |
| Frame | Quad-butted 4130 chromoly steel | 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.
