Salsa

2013 Horsethief 2 Complete Bike

We take extra care to ensure your bike arrives ready to ride. Our meticulous build and testing process takes about 4 business days before your bike is ready to ship.
This attention to detail guarantees that your bike will be easy to assemble on arrival. Please note that most bikes do not come with pedals. To make the most of your new bike right away, be sure to select a pair of pedals when checking out and we will include them with the build!The Salsa Horsethief is a great choice for those who are looking to go big on big wheels! The Horsethief shares it's design with the wildly popular Spearfish. While the Spearfish is geared toward the spandex and heart rate monitor crowd, the Horsethief begs for body armor and boardwalks.

Salsa''s Devour geometry has slacker angles and a longer top tube than you would typically find on an XC bike. You will want to run a stem that is 10-20mm shorter than you would typically use and helps give the bike better balance in the really bumpy stuff.

The engineers at Salsa build bikes for real world riders and realize that many of todays multi-link suspension systems need a lot of maintenance to perform as intended. The following measures have been made by Salsa to make both the Spearfish and Horsethief perform as well on day 2,000 as it did on day one.

Pivot Minimizing Suspension A 120mm rear travel version of Salsa''s link-actuated single pivot design. The Horsethief uses a simplified one-piece rear triangle with shaped stays and a shared pivot link design that reduces pivot points and hardware. This creates a lighter and stiffer rear end with fewer wear and maintenance points. 

Shaped Seatstays Shaped Seatstays are used in favor of a rear pivot on the 1-piece rear triangle. A rear dropout pivot (if present) would only rotate 1-degree during full suspension compression. Salsa choose eliminate this pivot point and instead transform the 1-degree of rotation into a slight 5.3mm deflection of the seat stays tubes. The seatstays are shaped and sized appropriately to handle this small amount of deflection and has a fatigue life far beyond the lifespan of the frame. The result is a lightweight, one-piece rear triangle with a single pair of bearings at the main pivot. 

Extruded, CNC''d Shared-Pivot Link Short and compact, the dog-bone shaped link features a shared pivot where the shock and seatstays meet the link. This removes a shock pin from the system and keeps the link small and light


Key features of the 2013 Horsethief Frame are:

• ZS44/ZS56 Tapered Headset 
• 73mm Bottom Bracket
• ISCG-05 Mount for easy installation of an aftermarket chain guide
• Dropper Post Hose Guides to make your Reverb look like it actually belongs on the bike.
• Maxle 142 x 12mm Rear Dropouts for maximum rigidity

Some things to consider when building the Salsa Horsethief frame are;

The longer top tube means you are going to need to run a stem that is 10-20mm shorter than what you are used to.

Wide Bars are key, with the slack geometry and 29" wheels you are going to need some leverage.

The Headset uses a ZS44 upper cup and a ZS56 lower cup.

The Bottom Bracket is standard 73mm English threaded. The bottom bracket shell also has welded on ISCG-05 tabs to make mounting chain guides a breeze.

Recommended Suspension Fork travel is 120-140mm.

The Rear Disc Brake mount is 51mm IS and has a max rotor size of 185mm

The Rear Hub on the Horsethief uses a 142 x 12mm Maxle. If you are trying to use your older 135mm standard mountain hubs, take a look at some new wheels, because they aren''t going to fit. DT Swiss does make a conversion for the newer 240s hubs so if you have those you may be in luck.

Key Upgrades for the Horsethief 2 over the Horsethief 2

Fork: White Brothers Loop TCR tapered 120mm
Rear Shock: Fox Float CTD w/ Boost Valve 
Wheels: Stans Flow Ex
Cockpit: Salsa Pro Moto 2
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X.9
Crankset: SRAM S1000 24/36t w/MRP Guide
Brakes: SRAM Elixir 5

WARNING: Cycling involves risks. To ensure your safety, have your bike and its accessories assembled and serviced by a professional mechanic. Do not alter your bicycle or its components. Always adhere to the instructions and warnings provided, including those found on the manufacturer’s website. Inspect your bicycle thoroughly before each ride and always wear a helmet.