Salsa Spearfish

 Saturday I headed down to the Southern Spokes Bicycle Festival.  There was a good crowd of industry reps and it looked to be a promising weekend.  Salsa was there with there 2013 fleet.  I had not planned on riding, but had some extra time.  New bikes and new trails, I could not resist. 

I picked out a Salsa Spearfish to try out.  This would be my first ever off road ride on a full suspension bike.  I joined a small group of guys and we hammered the single track for about 45 minutes.

Not sure what to expect, I gave the bike a work out.  It was smooth.  It climbed well and took the edge off of the rooty sections.  It was smooth and stable in the corners.  I was hoping there would be some sort of rock garden, but there was none. 

 So now my conundrum.  Lightweight, stiff and responsive? or rear suspension? 

As I attempted to ride down Pilot Rock Trail on Sunday, I pondered this question.  I walked several sections that are totally rideable.  I told the wife I was scared, she said I was cautions.  That makes sense.  So,  would a full sus make me less cautious?  Probably not.  That is one reason I am leaning toward staying with a hardtail.  

Simple, less maintenance, lightweight. 

The Salsa is a great bike, and for the right person, will do great things.  For instance Chris Strout who has done really , (impressively) well at two 24 hour races this year.  He rides the Spearfish and is not to be taken lightly when he lines up on race day.  (pretty cool that he is a nice guy too).

So, we'll see what the future holds....