Salsa Spearfish V4 Review: Planting a flag in endurance XC

Josh Weinberg and Jared Nelson

I didn’t crown a “bike of the year” for 2025. Nor did my colleagues at Escape. We tend to take our time with bike reviews, going more in-depth than some other media, which means we spend more time on each long-term review published on the site and strive to review a selection of new bikes we feel our audience will be most interested in. Thus, without riding all bikes in a given category, we don’t have the authority to determine a winner. That said, however, I would rank the Salsa Spearfish quite high on any such list.

Like other bikes Escape has recently reviewed, the Spearfish is a legacy model that underwent several changes from its previous incarnation to make it more capable and versatile. Spec'd with 120 mm of front and rear travel, ample bottle and gear mounting points, and a revised suspension platform, the revamped Spearfish is claimed to be a well-rounded “endurance XC” platform that excels on race courses and adventure rides. And if that's what we want to start referring to these bikes as instead of "downcountry," I'm all for it.

Though the bike fits my particular riding style and checks a lot of boxes, it isn’t perfect. But before I dig into those details, let’s take a look at the most recent iteration of Salsa’s shortest travel full-suspension mountain bike.

Salsa Spearfish V4

A mainstay in Salsa’s evolving lineup since 2011, the Spearfish has undergone quite the evolution over the years. The newest 4th-generation model – released around the 2025 Sea Otter Classic – aligns with many of its category peers, performing similarly to trail bikes of yore on a modern, light-ish-weight carbon-fiber chassis and short-travel suspension components.

This crop of bikes is ideal for a wide swath of riders, including me, who split time between XC-style racing, endurance missions, and all-around fun on the trail; this style of bike is a solid option if you're looking for a single MTB that excels across multiple use cases. While bike brands continue to label their shortest-travel bikes as “XC,” there’s a lot of variety within a category that's become loosely defined. Still, there are plenty of bikes that lean more towards XC racing, with aggressive front-end geometry, relaxed seat angles, and narrow tire clearance. On the flip side, there are others that are essentially light trail bikes. The Spearfish is planted right in the middle, which is a big part of the reason I got along with it so well.

The short of it: Salsa’s shortest travel full-suspension mountain bike gets a makeover with more squish, longer and slacker angles, better kinematics, and endurance-focused accoutrements.

Highs: Wide selection of component spec options, competitive pricing, excellent short-travel suspension performance, multiple gear and bottle mounts (at least two bottles fit in each frame size), and inclusive sizing from XS to XL.

Lows: Can't select frame color from among options, press-fit bottom bracket won’t please everyone, included Teravail Camrock tires lack necessary traction for some environments.

Pricing: Salsa Spearfish C DLX GX Transmission (as reviewed) – US$6,999.00 / CA$10,049. International costs (outside North America) vary by region because dealers set their own pricing.

Frame details

For the current Spearfish, Salsa used a new carbon fiber layup that is claimed to offer rear-end stiffness similar to that of the previous version’s Super Boost (157 mm) rear hub spacing, now with the more commonly available standard (148 mm) Boost spacing, and comes in at a lower weight (especially in its higher-end frames). The Spearfish now comes in two frame types: Deluxe (DLX) and Standard. Deluxe uses more high-modulus carbon fiber, meaning its layup can be tailored to reduce both deflection and weight more than in the Standard frame's blend of carbon fiber, which prioritizes strength.

Salsa claims to have reduced the frame weight by over half a pound (225 g) from the previous version across all sizes. Salsa claims the frame weighs 1,940 g, including headset cups and hardware in size medium. My GX Transmission-level review build in size XL weighed 25.8 lb (11.7 kg) with supplied Teravail Camrock tires and 26.15 (11.8 kg) lb when changed to Clifty tires.

The Spearfish frame itself also appears to have visually undergone a diet. Tubes are sleeker, and the lines are straighter. One of Salsa’s objectives in redesigning this bike was to make it even more suitable for bikepacking, which explains the two top tube mounts. Whether trying to fit water bottles and gear or a full frame bag, designers unkinked some of the tubes and tucked the in-line shock even closer to the top tube to maximize front triangle space. For reference, claimed fitment is two bottles within the frame on sizes XS and small, with up to three on the larger sizes.

As you can see in my photos, I opted for two large bottles plus a small frame bag for tools and snacks. For me, this is a substantial selling point and a method I prefer over fiddly internal storage options – of which the Spearfish has none. Salsa accomplishes this partly through its choice of suspension technology, and while there might be a slight tradeoff in rear-end plushness compared to other suspension designs (more on this later), the roomy triangle is such an important feature for a bike meant for endurance riding.

There is one aspect of this big ‘ol triangle that I don’t love, however. Present in other Salsa designs as well, there is a bend in the downtube where it intersects the bottom bracket that forms a fairly substantial shelf (or “belly” as it is also referred), extending beyond the footprint of a water bottle. On the one hand, it is largely responsible for the generous triangle, but it also tends to collect mud and gunk. And, at least in appearance, it might be more susceptible to rock strikes than other designs with a straighter down tube.

Salsa scored another point with Spearfish’s cable routing. On the non-drive side of the head tube, the internal, sleeved cables (shifter, brake, dropper) enter through individual sculpted ports and exit along the chainstays for the rear brake and derailleur (for mechanical drivetrains).

Down around the bottom bracket, the wide press-fit shell allows the chainstays to be tucked inside the seat tube, and cables run completely inside the frame (see diagram above) rather than popping out to route around the seat tube. This results in a visually pleasing, clean appearance while simplifying setup and maintenance, with internal tubes that keep the housing accessible without the fork installed. There’s also an option to route a remote lockout internally, with housing exiting the top tube near the front shock mount.

Component Spec

Salsa tends to do well in making its bikes inclusive across use cases, sizing, and pricing. In offering a category-leading six frame sizes, it pairs that with four build kits and a DLX carbon frame-only option for $3,500. There are two top-tier options, specced with SRAM XO and GX-level transmissions, costing $11,000 and $7,000, respectively (the XO is equipped with Flight Attendant suspension as well), each with the DLX carbon chassis.

Eagle 90- and Shimano Deore-spec’d bikes have the standard carbon frame and cost $5,400 and $4,000, respectively. There's also a Shimano SLX-equipped carbon and two aluminum Spearfish models still listed on Salsa's website, but take note: While visually similar to the V4, they're 100 mm travel options in the prior generation of the frame.

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