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Attention: 2012 Salsa Horsethief owners

11K views 47 replies 19 participants last post by  sdm74 
#1 ·
Please help out your fellow Horsethief candidates by posting your basic body measurements and frame size that you are using. There are a few of us who are in-between sizes and are having difficulty making a determination as to what size would serve best.

I would have purchased the Horsethief already if it weren’t for the sizing conflicts. At 5’8 and some change I’m right in between a small and medium. Salsa was helpful but gave the scripted answer to always round down when in-between. My BG fit guy compared my body and bike measurements with the published ones from Salsa. He recommends a small.

The fit program at Competitive Cyclists was used to make a self-calculation that I actually need a medium. I also had a conversation with a guy who rides a medium who is about the same size I am. He said that the small was way too small for him and strongly recommends that I get a medium.

So please share you sizing experience.

Thank you,
 
#30 ·
At 6'0" you are right at the top end of on a medium and bottom of the large. I'm also 6' and choose to ride the medium for two reasons - shorter wheelbase and slightly lighter. But the large could work too. Could also depend on your proportions. If you have a below average torso length or reach, I would advise holding out for a medium.
 
#31 ·
Something most people don't take into account is the gear they wear when riding. I stand 6' 1" with my riding shoes on and that makes a big difference when picking sizes, along with your build. Much more of a difference than an unnoticeable 7oz in weight and 5/8" of wheelbase.
 
#32 ·
@Zarf and the other Horsey fans on here...

What size 2013 HT 1 would you recommend for me? Based on the stats, I'm 99.99% certain I'd need a Large, but I guess I'd feel "mo betta" with others confirming that for me.

I'm about 6'1.5" tall. My natural inseam is about 34 - 34.5". I currently ride a hardtail 29er. It's a Giant in size XL. The ETT measurement on my Giant is right at 25". I run a 75 mm/17 degree stem, with a 711 mm low-rise bar.

What do you think? According to the size measurements on Salsa's web site, it sounds like a Large HT would be about right?
 
#33 ·
I am 5'11, 32" inseam and went with a Medium. It feels right everywhere except maybe ETT, where I could use a little extra length at times. Granted, this is my first bike in 20 years, so I'm used to 8000mm stems...

I would guess a large is what you would need as well. You have already looked at the geo charts on the web site...they tend to run about 1 size bigger than giants (what I test rode before getting the HT)
 
#35 ·
5'7 here and I ride a med Horsethief and a med Fargo, I was also riding a med Epic 29er prior to the Horsethief and I feel like the bike fits perfect I am running a Thompson X4 80 mm zero rise and Answer Carbon Low rise bars. I honestly didn't look at a sizing chart I went medium cause that's what I always ride.
 
#36 ·
Sorry to bring this back from the dead, but I'm having the same dilema.

I'm looking at a '13 HT ,and not sure if I'm a small or medium. Looking at their chart I'm right on the edge.

I'm 5'9 with a 31" inseam. I was going to go Medium, but the one I want is sold out and it's either S or L.

S = 5'5-5'9
M= 5'8-6'0

I looked at the specs, and compared them to the 17.5" Trek I ride now. The ETT on the Trek is about .75" shorter than the S HT, and the reach looks to be about the same. I'm having a hard time finding the published specs on the Trek to reallmpare.

Anyone have any imput on which way to go?

Seeing 6'0 guys on this thread liking Mediums make me think at 5'9 I'd be okay on the small, esp as these are supposed to be bigger bikes.

Thanks!
 
#38 ·
I'm 5'7" and ride a small 'Thief. It feels just on the edge of being too small sometimes, but because it's kind of a big bike and was my first 29er, I decided to size down for ease of handling. In terms of cockpit feel, I could probably ride a medium with no problem. I would say that, at 5'9", you would definitely need a longer stem or setback seatpost on a small.
 
#40 ·
Thanks for the info everyone!

I wish I could ride one or the other to see, but there are none available locally.

I'm taking a chance going with one without riding, and it looks like sizing will be a gamble too.
 
#41 ·
When looking at sizing, is the ETT the main thing to worry about?

And how is that measured? I started the tape measure at the center of the HT and measured a straight line to the center of the seat post. Is this correct?

And would a smaller frame have a chance of toe overlap? I'm starting to warm to the small as it has 1" shorter wheelbase.

My other dilemma is that while the HT1 is specced great, the 2 is 700 cheaper and I REALLY dig the color. Blue has always been my favorite color.
 
#42 ·
If you must get a 'Thief, I would take the time to get the sizing right, even if you have to pay a little more for it somewhere else. Have you written to Salsa? It seems to me like you need a medium. My small feels just on the edge for me and I'm 2 in. shorter than you. There are a lot of good 2013 closeout deals on other bikes comparable to the 'Thief in geo, etc.
 
#43 ·
Thanks for the input on the sizing.

I've looked at a bunch of LBS's, but nobody really has any great deals right now. Everything is just a few hundred bucks off, and on bikes I'm not that into. I can get a '13 Camber Comp or a Fuel EX for right around 2k, but they're pretty low end bikes, relatively speaking, and 2k is a lot of money to me.

Maybe because mtb is popular, but not hugea, around here. Three of the shops I went to didn't even carry any FS bikes, and one other only had 2 in stock, and one was a demo.

The HT's are on crazy discount because not only are they '13's, they're also the old frame design. The HT1 is on sale for $2,299. This had an original MSRP of over 4k. The HT2 is on sale for $1,600, and that was around 3,200 MSRP. These are crazy good deals, I can get way more bike for my money here than the typical X5/Recon/Elixer 1 bikes I'm seeing in that price range. Shoot, that's less than a Spesh with X5/Alivio and Suntour fork. Plus I can save the 100 and something I'd spend on sales tax at that price. I see lifetime tuneups mentioned a lot as a reason to go to an LBS, but shops around here don't offer squat in that regard. One free tuneup in the first 6 months is the standard offering. That's not much o a value-add to me.

And I agree with you, I'd probably feel better on a Medium. Better safe than sorry, and the M would prob be easier to sell later on if ever want to sell it.

So getting a M meant the HT2, and I'm good with that. The White Brothers fork seems to get good reviews, and I really like the blue & white color combo.
 
#47 ·
I just spoke to someone at Salsa. After asking about my riding style, local terrain, and size, he recommended the small, with the disclaimer that the best way to really tell is to throw a leg over the 2. Since that's not an option, I'll take his advice.

I measured the ETT, and on the Small HT it's 23.3". On my 17.5" Trek HT, it's 22.5", and has 100mm stem.

I feel fine on the Trek, and with a 80mm stem I'll be right about the same on the Salsa.

I think the Small will be nimbler, and the 1" shorter wheelbase should help with the tight trails around here. If I find I need a bit more stretch I can go with a setback seatpost, or even just move it back a bit on the rails.
 
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