Brain Fart: Salsa Fargo in for Test!
Posted: February 11th, 2009 by Justin SteinerTake a look at this nifty packaging.
 (click on photos for larger versions)
I’m sure by now most of you are familiar with the Fargo, but it’s basically a 29′er mountain bike with drop handlebars designed for adventure touring. The Fargo begs to be loaded up and paraded around the countryside with little to no regard to the surface condition of your chosen route. Check out Salsa’s Fargo page here.
I’m still in the process of getting my fit sorted out, and getting in tune with the bike, so for the moment I’m going to let the pictures do most of the talking…
Rear dropouts; ride and smile. And, fork with mounts for a rack and fender, and two bottle cages with straps to hold your bottles.
The complete Fargo comes with Salsa’s Bell Lap cyclocross handlebars for multiple hand positions on the long haul.
Finally, a couple of shots from around town:
Snowy, icy, cold ride for my first true off road Fargo experience which consisted of a 24 minute crit with some singletrack before and after the race. The WTB Vulpine Tires handled the conditions much better than I ever would have expected, thought the icy conditions really called for studded tires. Overall I was pretty impressed by the Fargo’s off road ability. Though the handlebars feel much better on road than off, having the bars nice and high certainly helped this bike’s off road prowess.
A couple shots from my commute. There’s quite a collection of graffiti along the way:
Took the long way home from work for this shot.
You’ll see the complete Fargo review in a future Dirt Rag print issue, but I’ll post some additional thoughts along the way, both here in the Dirt Rag Blog and on the Bicycle Times Website.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering if is appropriate or what the comprimises are by putting flat, MTB bars on the Fargo. Any plans to swap out bars?
February 13th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
That’s one of the things I’m struggling with right now, myself. I can definitely see trying some other bar combinations on the Fargo. I do like drop bars, but I’m becoming less and less certain about their use on this bike for my tastes. Will keep ya’ll updated on the progress. Any Fargo owners out there care to chime in with their thoughts?
February 13th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
the fargo seems quite similar to my older brodie romax, which doesn’t fit any traditional bicycle-type category very well. the bb is too low and the wheelbase to short for it to be a (traditional) cross bike (though it handles great on the trails), the handling too tight and aggressive for it to be a touring bike, the tire-clearance to small and the top tube too short for it to be a mtb/29er. it works best as a fun, fast, off road commuter. i’ve tried running it with flat/riser bars but the cockpit is too short, and i have to overcompensate with a too-long stem to get comfortable – i think the frame geometry is purposely suited for drop bars. i suspect you might run into the same issue, justin, but let us know!
February 14th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Justin:
I seem to be one of the few (so far) who prefer flat bars on the Fargo… I run Titec H-bars on mine, and I absolutely love em! I’ve ridden Midge drops on other bikes, and like them, too, but when in a pinch (off-road in a tough situation that requires the most control), I don’t want to be riding the hoods on drop bars… I want to be on the H-bars with hydraulic brakes. Pics of my Fargo: http://flickr.com/photos/16461051@N04/sets/72157611148254223/
BTW the Fargo is THE bike…
Peace,
BB
February 16th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Thanks for your thoughts, everyone.
boomforearl: Though it might not always be the perfect solution, I think the Fargo will accept flat, or alt-bars, much better than most cross bikes since they have been designed around very short stems. My 18″ Fargo came shipped with a 90mm stem, for instance. Going to a Jones’ bar shouldn’t require more than a 100-120mm stem for me, which will should be acceptable.
montclairbobbyb: That’s one nice looking Fargo! I, too, am hoping to slap some an H-bar on this rig. Have a call in to Jeff, we’ll see what he sends my direction.
March 5th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Justin:
Was that your Fargo in valet parking at NAHBS? If so, NICE BUILD!!!… it looks like it could be a cousin to my Fargo… Love those Jones bars (and the retro shifters!!). After talking to Maurice at the booth about my Fargo (we knew each other in college) he told me you were doin the Fargo review for Dirt Rag, and so I figured that must be yours… (And besides, the red Jagwire cable housings were a dead giveaway)… Correct?
Peace,
BB
March 19th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Sure was my testbike, BB.
Feels really nice with the Jones bar, even with a long (120mm, soon to be longer) stem. Look for updates in the future.
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Fargo. Nearly what I built two years ago:
http://www.speedgoat.com/gallery.asp?p=1079
I was looking for exactly what Salsa later created. Drop bars make it possible to move around. Yes they are iffy for 10% of off road riding, but this bike was for the other 80% of my riding. I sold my Teasdale Kona to put this one in the house and I’ve not been back for a replacement yet.
June 19th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
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