Salsa Spearfish Dreambuild test: What makes this downcountry bike special!
Jan Timmermann
· 26.01.2026
With the Spearfish, Salsa breaks out of one corner and jumps into the next. The Americans are known for reliable adventure bikes and have made a name for themselves primarily with gravel bikes and bikepacking specialists. The new Spearfish is exceptionally powerful, with 120 millimetres of rear suspension travel and a sporty carbon frame, it is aimed at the cross-country and marathon course. But it wouldn't be a real Salsa if the Spearfish only worked in the high-powered racing circuit. With its various build options, the XC fully is also aimed at fans of racy MTB tours and even wants to poach in the fun trail bike segment. As we all know, so much variety only works if the equipment is right. Our test bike therefore goes all out. Beautiful, light, expensive: How good is the Dreambuild of the Salsa Spearfish really?
Salsa Spearfish Carbon Deluxe Dreambuild in detail
- Range of use: Cross Country / Marathon / Downcountry
- Price: 12,299 euros (custom build) / 3499 euros (frame)
- Suspension travel: 130 / 120 mm
- Wheel size: 29"
- Frame material: Carbon
- Weight: 11.2 kg
- Special features: Deluxe carbon construction, split pivot rear triangle, variable suspension travel (over the length of the suspension elements), 3 bottle cage mounts, tool mount, top tube mount, Dreambuild custom construction
Take a closer look: This is the Marathon Fully from Salsa
The Salsa Spearfish was designed to conquer the toughest one-day and multi-day races on the planet. The chassis is designed to deliver efficiency and comfort even after the ride has been going on for eleven hours. To achieve this, Salsa relies on a concept that the developers call "Endurance XC Geometry". A long reach and a slack steering angle should predestine the Spearfish for long, rough routes. A long top tube and a short stem are combined here. The variable frame platform also allows the bike to be adapted to different terrains. A flip chip in the shock eyelet provides options for fine tuning. Compact chainstays and a steep seat angle promise to keep handling sharp on twisty and steep trails. The deluxe top model of the Spearfish utilises the most advanced carbon construction that Salsa has ever developed. The Americans save around 255 grams on the frame compared to standard carbon.
120 millimetre split pivot rear triangle
Unlike many modern XC interpretations, Salsa does not rely on a so-called flex stay, but on an additional rear triangle bearing in a split pivot design, in which one of the pivot points is at the height of the rear wheel axle. This means that the rear end not only behaves efficiently under power input, but also remains active under braking. Salsa promises full support in the second half of the travel. 120 millimetres of travel are available at the rear end. This can be combined with a 120 mm suspension fork for marathon use or - as in our case - with a 130 mm fork for downcountry use. With shorter suspension elements, the Spearfish transforms into a thoroughbred racer with 100 millimetres of crumple zone at the front and rear. The geometry of the respective set-up can be customised using a flip chip, which influences the bottom bracket height and steering angle. The maximum tyre clearance is a standard 2.4 inches.
Full load
The Salsa Spearfish naturally comes with all modern MTB standards, such as a Boost rear triangle and a UDH derailleur hanger. While the two smallest frame sizes already have two bottle cage mounts on board, the sizes MD to XL even fit three water bottles. On top of this, there is a tool mount for storing a repair kit and an additional mounting point on the top tube to which a bag can be firmly attached. The optimised Salsa Spearfish 120 Carbon Deluxe Frameset is not cheap: at 3499 euros, the frame kit makes a big dent in your personal budget.
The bike rolls into the BIKE test in a customised dream build. This includes a large kit of Wolftooth parts. From the headset to the grips to the dropper remote, the charismatic brand parts shine. All fastening screws on the frame have been replaced with coloured tuning models, while lightweight carbon parts from Race-Face reduce the weight. Fox Factory suspension with 120 millimetres of travel at the rear and 130 millimetres at the front is designed to tame the trails. The gears are changed by a Sram XX Eagle AXS Transmission assembly and the carbon rims from Crankbrothers are centred around sinfully expensive Industry Nine hubs. In total, the Salsa Spearfish weighs 11.2 kilos and costs 12,299 euros.
Equipment
- Suspension fork: Fox 34 Float SL Factory
- Shock: Fox Float SL Factory
- Gear system: Sram XX Eagle AXS Transmission, 1 x 12
- Gear ratio range: 520 %
- Brakes: Formula Cura X, 180 / 180 mm
- Seatpost / Stroke: Fox Transfer SL Factory, 100 mm
- Wheels: Crankbrothers XCT 29 Synthesis Carbon / Industy Nine
- Tyres: Teravail Drawpoint Grip-Compound Light-Trail / Camrock Fast-Compound Durable TR, 29 x 2.40
How the Salsa Spearfish rides
Still in the workshop, we notice a problem with the Dreambuild. Due to the long reach values, Salsa recommends frame size L for riders up to 191 centimetres tall. At the same time, the seat tube is extremely short at 455 millimetres. With the Fox Transfer SL installed, the seat height of testers around 1.90 metres cannot be reached at all. The minimalist 100 millimetre dropper adjustment range is obviously out of place. For classic L-shaped riders, a dropper post with twice the travel would easily fit into the stubby seat tube. Some people might even think about even more in order to really utilise the advantages of this geometry concept, but some manufacturers are limited by the 30.9 mm seat tube diameter of the Salsa.
Apart from that, we felt comfortable on the Spearfisch right from the start. The riding position is sporty and stretched and the low front end invites you to scrub up the kilometres. However, the fact that the Salsa doesn't move forward quite as easily on flat terrain as other marathon bikes is largely due to the moderately rolling Teravail tyres. The rear suspension pitches slightly when pedalling and crunches noticeably when pedalling out of the saddle, but can be calmed down using the three-stage shock platform.
The traction at the rear is impressively good and one of the clear strengths of the Salsa Spearfish. Trail ramps and rough forest tracks are exactly what this marathon bike is made for. The system expertly transfers power to the ground on technical climbs and is extremely comfortable. When things get really steep, the front wheel starts to bob discreetly - a combination of short chainstays, a slack steering angle and the sensitive levers of the short, wide cockpit. Speaking of which: In the test setup, Salsa combines a 40-millimetre stem with a flat 800-millimetre handlebar with a thick 35 mm clamp. Although the pairing creates a very direct steering behaviour, it is also noticeably stiff and passes on vibrations to the rider. Even the thick Wolftooth grips don't help.
Surf'n Turf
The Salsa Spearfish wants to be meat and fish, race and trail bike at the same time. As our tests of similar approaches (for example Specialised Epic 8 or Kona Hei Hei), it depends heavily on two ingredients whether the recipe really tastes good in the end: brakes and tyres. The customised build of our test bike relies on a compromise solution. The Formula Cura X brakes in combination with 180 mm discs can offer good deceleration performance per se. However, their pressure point is less defined than that of many of the competition's stoppers, meaning that greater manual force is required and long descents become strenuous. In addition, the filigree carbon lever is not particularly stiff. Unfortunately, the exotic Teravail tyres were also of little use on the downhill. While the grip in the dry is still good, wet grip and braking traction are below average. In our opinion, a combination of a more aggressive trail tyre at the front and an established race model at the rear would have been better.
As the trail descends, the long main frame and sensitive suspension ensure safety. The smooth ride is worthy of a trail bike. The rider is well integrated into the bike and can confidently hold the ideal line - as long as they know how to manage the low cockpit. The Salsa masters fast downhills, although larger features and tough root trails put the Spearfisch in its place: The 120 millimetres of travel are noticeably faster at the limit than larger trail bike systems with ten or even 20 millimetres more crumple zone. At the same time, the Salsa trumps the vast majority of marathon full-suspension bikes in terms of suspension reserves. The Fox 34 is light, stiff and, with Grip Sl damping, is slightly higher in its travel than models with Grip X damping. Its sporty, defined character is a perfect match for the Spearfish.
I haven't had as much fun on flowing trails for a long time as I did with the geometry concept of the Salsa. A low standover height, defined suspension and extremely compact chainstays boost the fun factor. Tough trails push the downcountry bike to the limit. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
The Salsa Spearfish sets off fireworks on gentle to varied trails. This is when the progressive geometry can fully utilise its handling strengths. The super-short 431 millimetre chainstays turn the 11.2 kilo bike into a manual machine. The uncomplicated character invites you to pull away at every crest. Salsa does not allow the compact rear end to grow with the upper frame sizes, which may not please all bikers. With a size 48 shoe, the heel even came into contact with the Sram Transmission suspension from time to time - that's how short the rear end is. Despite its sensitivity, the suspension also offers good feedback from the ground and supports the Salsa's playful instinct.
Data from the BIKE test lab
At BIKE, we go to unprecedented lengths to test bikes. We are the only trade magazine in the world to operate its own test laboratory. The data obtained supports our impressions from the practical test. When it comes to geometry data, we don't just rely on the manufacturer's specifications, but also use the laser measuring device ourselves.
- Total weight: 11.16 kg (without pedals)
- Wheel weight: 4155 g (incl. tyres, tubeless milk and valves, cassette, brake discs)
- Impeller inertia: 3136 kg x cm² (the lower the value, the better the acceleration)
- Frame stiffness front / rear: 5.6 / 19.1 N/mm
- Service friendliness rating: 6.5 (out of 15 maximum points)
Conclusion Salsa Spearfish
In this dream build, the Spearfish is neither a consistent racer nor a fully-fledged trail bike. Nevertheless, I had a damn good time on the Salsa, because the recipe of progressive geometry and lightweight construction ensures plenty of riding fun on tours with a high proportion of trails. On top of this comes impressive long-distance suitability. It's a shame that this exotic bike is so expensive in Germany. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
Pro
- Wide range of use from marathon to tour to trail
- Progressive geometry with a high fun factor
- Sensitive chassis with good feedback
- Numerous screw-on points and assembly options
Contra
- Extremely short seat tube makes it difficult to choose the right dropper post
- Short chainstays in all sizes don't suit everyone's taste
- Tyre choice convinces neither through grip nor through smooth running
- only available in Germany as an expensive frameset
Jan Timmermann
Editor
