Spearfish Stories

Designing a bike that rides as brilliantly as our latest Spearfish takes more than a computer and obsessive attention to suspension and geometry. Sure, you can model it all out in an office, but you never fully know what you’ve got until you put tires to dirt.

The validation of real-world ride testing is a key part of our development process on any bike, and our product team tested Spearfish on terrain from New England to Nevada. But we also sent two of our athletes — Britt Mason and Matt Acker — prototypes of the bike to put through the paces and gather feedback.

The Rides

Britt Mason started off big by racing the Spearfish at the UCI XCM World Championships for Team USA...and the Adventure Racing National Championship just a week later. She took advantage of Spearfish’s cargo versatility with these two starkly different events:

“While both events took place in Snowshoe, WV, the conditions and demands were drastically different. For Worlds, my Spearfish setup was as light and fast as possible, given that we had support on course. At Adventure Racing Nationals the following weekend, the bike was loaded with bags and gear to be fully self- sufficient for 12+ hours at a time.”

How’d it go out there for Britt? “I put my Spearfish through the wringer that week with some of the worst conditions possible, and the bike handled exceptionally in both events with zero issues. Taking home a women’s national championship and top five overall finish with my team was icing on the cake.”

Matt Acker put his prototype against one of the hardest single-day mountain bike races in existence: Marji Gesick 100. “The Spearfish performed admirably and I thoroughly enjoyed using it on the technical racecourse. It was one of my better performances at this event and I credit my late surge in the final hours to a bit of freshness gained from not fighting the bike all day. This bike truly does a great job of blending trail bike capability with cross country high performance.”

How does it compare to the previous generation?

Matt: The lighter frame combined with modern geometry trends makes Spearfish both speedy on the flats and climbs while descending confidently and is easily maneuvered in tight spots. The lower center of gravity makes the bike feel quite a bit nimbler than the longer wheelbase might suggest. Having 120mm of travel front and rear makes for a well-balanced bike that takes the hits and keep charging. Climbing is pleasant and efficient thanks to the Split Pivot rear suspension design and I found the steeper seat tube angle to also help in that area. It’s definitely a refinement of previous generations of Salsa full-suspension bikes and really highlights how far the design team has come in providing a top- level product.

Britt: The new Spearfish is noticeably lighter than the previous generation, due in large part to the advent of the carbon rear triangle and reversion from Super Boost to Boost. This makes the bike feel nimbler and more responsive, accelerating faster, picking through technical trail sections with greater ease, and increasing its climbing capabilities. With 120/120 suspension, you get increased rear travel from previous iterations, making the new Spearfish feel that much more confident descending and in chunky terrain. The wheelbase is longer, giving the rider a stable platform that is still incredibly responsive when you want to put down power and push the pace.

The Split Pivot suspension continues to be a mainstay in performance for the Spearfish. The bike feels very connected to the trail when pedaling, and the active braking keeps you in control on descents and in corners.

Who do you think will love this bike?

Britt: The Spearfish is made for endurance riders looking for a bike is made to be efficient both climbing and descending, and one that keeps working with you on long days on the trail. It’s a true endurance XC MTB that can lean in to the downcountry space because it rides bigger than it is. It is a do-it-all platform that can handle all sorts of riding and racing, from rugged backcountry to flow trails and everything in between. This bike succeeds in all sorts of race formats, from backcountry endurance, to XCO, to stage racing and adventure racing, and it’s equally comfortable and capable on all day rides and bikepacking adventures.

Matt: Being a light and efficient platform, I think riders across the whole spectrum will appreciate how easily this bike goes uphill and how fun it is when the trails point down. This bike is for anyone looking to get a bit rowdy at times without paying the price on the uphills in the form of a hefty rig. While this bike will keep up with the pack at the toughest races and events, it will also serve the casual rider well on short sunset laps on your local trails. It’s a bike for the endurance rider looking to cover IMBA epics and 100+ mile backcountry traverses. This bike highlights the golden age we’ve entered where a lightweight high-performance bike doesn’t have to feel frail or noodly but rather stiff, reactive, confident and fun.

Anything else you want to add?

Britt: I have spent about 500 hours on the new Spearfish platform in the past year, riding and racing it across the country in all sorts of terrain and conditions. I have put it to the test in the high alpine Rockies, East Coast rocks, rolling hills in Michigan, and countless hours in my beloved home trails in the Patapsco River Valley. It continues to perform everywhere it’s taken me, and not only is it reliable, fast, and efficient, it is a downright blast to ride. This new version of the Spearfish puts Salsa back in the race market of XC bikes, and I cannot wait to spread the good word.

Matt: Aside from all of the performance advantages this bike just looks good! I’m very pleased that the design team was able to keep at least two bottle mounts in the triangle, and I appreciate the subtle changes like the flush-mounted top tube bosses to keep things clean. The increased standover and subsequent extra space for a dropper is nice, and the move to Boost 148 spacing opens up a much broader range of hub/wheel options too.

Spearfish is ready for your late-night marathon laps, your all-day bikepacking adventures, and your laid-back trail days with friends. Are you ready? See more of Spearfish here and find yours at your local Salsa retailer.