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| Photo by Brett Simpson 2013 - http://www.brettsimpsonphotography.com |
So I've put more than a 1000 miles on my Salsa Fargo now. I've lived out of it for multiple days at a time. I've ridden it on just about every type of terrain I would choose to ride on it. I've raced it. I've toured on it. I've done a combination of the two. Short rides, long rides, in between rides, recreational rides, commutes, and pretty much every other kind of ride you would try on a bike like this, and probably some a lot people wouldn't. Now it's time to pass my thoughts on this workhorse bike on to all of you!
First off, lets go over the specs of the bike. The bike is a slightly upgraded Fargo 2. The only modifications I made to the stock spec were to replace the SRAM Apex shifters and Avid BB7 Road mechanical disc brake calipers with SRAM S700 road hydraulic shift levers and disc brake calipers. Yes, the ones that got recalled. Currently they have been replaced with SRAM Force 10 speed shifters and BB7S road mechanical disc brake calipers.
Specs:
Frame: Salsa Fargo - steel
Fork: Salsa Fargo Fork - steel
Wheels: Stan's No-Tubes ZTR Rapid rims built up on Salsa Hubs by Formula
Disc Brake Rotors: Avid Clean Sweep G2 rotors
Disc Brakes: SRAM S700 Hydro Road (currently BB7S)
Shift/Brake Levers: SRAM S700 (currently Force)
Front Derailleur: SRAM X9
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X7
Crank: unmarked SRAM X7 crankset
Seatpost: Cane Creek Thudbuster ST 27.2mm
Saddle: NOS 70's(?) Brooks B5N (same shape as current B17N)
Fender: SKS ShockBoard
Pedals: old Shimano pedals I bought off my buddy Rylan for $10, not sure of model.
So that pretty much covers the meat and potatoes of the build. I really really like hydraulic disc brakes (who doesn't?) and so when I had the opportunity to run a set on a bike with an offroad dropbar and still have integrated brake/shift levers, I couldn't resist trying it. Even though they were recalled, I have almost nothing but positive things to say about my experiences with them and eagerly look forward to my replacement set. The Force/BB7S combo gets the job done, but I yearn for my hydros every time I use the mechanicals. the only tricky thing about them was setting up the SRAM X9 front derailleur with them, as they are designed to work with a SRAM road front derailleur with Yaw technology. This means they lack a trim position. A little fine tuning, and little bit of cage bending and it worked like a charm though. When I rode the Fargo to The Great Gravel Gathering, it generated a lot of buzz among the riders I ran into, partially because the SRAM road hydro stuff was so new. I have to say I recommend them in this application, the increased power is greatly appreciated when descending on a loaded bike, and the better tactile feedback is welcome in off road riding. Modulation was great and they were reliable as can be for the time that I had them.
If I had to describe the Fargo, I would say it's the perfect bike geek's bike. It doesn't really look much like the bikes that were actually designed for the single use tasks that I used my Fargo for, but it did really well at most of them because it was designed to carry a light load and cover a lot of ground while keeping the rider comfy and happy. I loved commuting on my Fargo, my bags carried the the things I needed for work like clothes and lunch without being to bulky or slow feeling. At the same time, the 2" Continental Race King 2.0 are fast rolling enough to not feel like a huge detriment rolling on pavement, but feel solid enough on rough stuff that you can be confident if you want to take a little light to moderate level single track detour on your way. For touring, the bike handles well with a full heavy touring load and has every mount, boss, and feature you could ask for. I can't really think of a better off the shelf bike for mixed terrain touring in the US. For unloaded gravel riding, I can ride this bike all day long and come off the bike ready for the next day without any weird soreness or unnecessary fatigue thanks to the many hand positions offered by the Salsa Woodchipper off road drop bar. It isn't the fastest bike you could choose, but for big miles, or really really gnarly gravel roads, it's my weapon of choice. You can carry a max of 5 water bottles with mounts on this frame, which is pretty great if you do any rides with limited access to water refills in the summer. I personally prefer a filter and stopping more frequently to fill up so I'm not carrying all that weight. It's definitely a fun bike for bikepacking, which seems like what it was really designed for. It does best off road with a light load. A little weight on the frame seems to actually make it ride a little better on the rougher terrain, too much though and the bike becomes a handful in the rough stuff.
I didn't particularly care for the off road drop bar for single track riding. Here in central PA where I do the bulk of my riding, most of our single track is very rough and rocky, and I felt that I had to be in the drops to stay in control of the bike, which put me too low and out in front of the bike and made it difficult for me to keep the front end of the bike light and resulted in a lot of fatigue. Overall, I didn't care for the bike for unloaded mountain biking. It felt very springy, and also a little harsh compared to my El Mariachi Ti with a rigid steel fork and riser bar. It also didn't feel all that nimble. It's a different story if you load the bike up with 15 to 20 pounds in a frame/seat bag combo though, the ride softened up a little and felt a little more responsive. I don't normally ride the Fargo for primarily single track rides anymore but I would like to try putting an 80mm suspension fork on it and see how it does.
The most fun I have had with the bike is on really really long mixed terrain bike packing trips. I went on a nice 200 mile ride that spanned a variety of terrain from pavement to single track and I think it was the most fun I've had on a bike. It's really cool to never be held back by the bike when you want to go somewhere. The Fargo is now my go to bike for exploring. If I ever got rid of my Fargo, it would probably be to upgrade it to a Ti version, as I really like my Titanium El Mariachi. I could even see myself upgrading to a more current steel model with the alternator drop-outs and carbon fork.
Ultimately I can only highly recommend this bike for anyone interested in a bike for bikepacking or mixed terrain touring. The bike excels at this role. It has also become my go to commuter and gravel rig as well. If you are looking for an endurance steed that will go anywhere you want to go, look no further.
