I currently have a 2012 Horsethief, and my wife has a 2011 Spearfish. FWIW, I also used to own a Trek EX with split pivot (that they call APB). I also regularly use a Spesh FSR – so, I’m very interested to see what these new Salsa’s are going to ride like.
IMO, the current Horsethief is a superb bike for the UK – relatively light frame weight, rides really well (once shock pressure is dialled in) and tolerant of grit & muck, so pretty low maintenance. However, for the terrain and way that I ride, there were a couple of things that I think would improve the bike – better performance under braking, and slightly shorter chainstays. TBH though, I only really notice these things once I get back on the Horsethief after riding the FSR for a few days – and both things can be compensated for to some extent.
Having ridden the Trek split pivot, I know that it was definitely up there with the FSR for braking grip – and I didn’t really notice any of its single pivot-ness. I’d like to see how the shortened chainstays affect the descending stability of the new Horsethief, as the current model is really good in that respect (and yes, the current one can still be manualed, even with a heavy fork and 1kg tyre! – just don’t ask me to do a massive ‘coaster manual’ :wink:)
Anyway, I’m really looking forward to trying the new Horsethief – anyone know expected release dates in the UK?