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The Salsa Fargo Thread

2M views 6K replies 794 participants last post by  hankj 
#1 ·
Here's the Fargo in action. post yours when you get it here...



 
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#1,427 ·
Doug_ID said:
Marathon XR 50's (2.0?) Sad to say I think I got the last pair they had in the warehouse.
Fished around for a pair of these without success, tossed up between the Schwalbe Supreme 2.0s and the WTB Vulpine 2.1s and decided as I'll be touring onroad more than I'll be playing about offroad, bought the Supremes.
 
#1,430 ·
suspension dilemas

i think i need advice/opinions here..please .if anyone can offer perspective i'd be stoked!
so i'm putting on forks now, thats for sure, but i'm re thinking my setup.
was going to go with low weight bar bag and lightly loaded 'anything cages' on the rigid forks.
too late in the year for a custom frame bag other than diy (which i keep coming back to).... so, either a mtn or touring tango from Eric @ revelate with a third everything cage on downtube. looks like this could boost carrying capacity in that area with the smaller tango sized frame bag and additional drybag in the cage.
at the back i've moved back to rack idea because I think really i'm after versatility and the ability to further load the bike when necessary. tubus vega seems like the available one that i like, and its lighter than the other candidate, a wanderlust which are out of stock for a while i think.
not sure what to do in place of everything cages up front with the forks.
an omm rack at the front is too much, when all i'm after is the kinda loading i would have had with the cages. what i would have had in the cages would have been 3 season quilt and under quilt on 1 side and wbbb hammock/ tarp plus an mld trailstar tarp
could i use cages still do you think or is that just too dicey with slider forks? i would reduce the load in each cage if this was a possibility.
any thoughts on lightweight suspended touring setup for the fargo?

cheers folks
 
#1,432 ·
I saw the Fargo a couple of years ago in Dirt Rag and liked the concept but didn't pull the trigger since I was primarily into road biking.

Fast forward to 2011 and I'm thinking about a single speed 29er for its simplicity, ect., etc., etc., for riding the dirt roads and levees around where I live. I''ve spent the last week reading through this thread and it has almost changed my mind about the single speed.

I think I've pretty much decided that I need an XL. I'm 6'2" with about a 35" inseam, shorter torso, longer arms. I can't remember the measurements from my road bike at the moment but I would like to get bars up to level that I am seeing on most of your Fargos.

My question for everyone is this. Do I go for the 2011 model with the SRAM or the previous model with the Shimano SLX build? I've located an XL with the SLX so finding one won't be an issue. I wish I could have found one with the XT but such is my luck...always a day late and a dollar short.

All replies are appreciated, but if you do can you give me a little information to support your position.

Many thanks for the last few days of reading...
 
#1,433 ·
Previous model is more touring 29er geometry, no susp fork option, everything cages won't be compatible unless you clamp. If you are adverse to bar ends go 2011. I like my older gen Fargo but I have not ridden a new one. I have the XT and it is nice but I'm sure the SLX is fine. I suppose the hubs and other components may wear out sooner but I think that would take a long time. I guess I would let the price decide along with component preferences.
 
#1,434 · (Edited)
coalminer said:
I saw the Fargo a couple of years ago in Dirt Rag and liked the concept but didn't pull the trigger since I was primarily into road biking.

Fast forward to 2011 and I'm thinking about a single speed 29er for its simplicity, ect., etc., etc., for riding the dirt roads and levees around where I live. I''ve spent the last week reading through this thread and it has almost changed my mind about the single speed.

I think I've pretty much decided that I need an XL. I'm 6'2" with about a 35" inseam, shorter torso, longer arms. I can't remember the measurements from my road bike at the moment but I would like to get bars up to level that I am seeing on most of your Fargos.

My question for everyone is this. Do I go for the 2011 model with the SRAM or the previous model with the Shimano SLX build? I've located an XL with the SLX so finding one won't be an issue. I wish I could have found one with the XT but such is my luck...always a day late and a dollar short.

All replies are appreciated, but if you do can you give me a little information to support your position.

Many thanks for the last few days of reading...
You could also look for a 2010 frame and build it with 2X10 SRAM like I did. I purchased the frame from my LBS for $367 since it was discontinued and I wanted a 24" frame for my 6'5" height and 36" inseam. I used all the spacers and a 120mm 40 degree stem to get the bar height 1" above the seat.

I just took a ride tonight and it is always a dream. Great to have light a little later in the evening.
 
#1,435 ·
M Size Question -

Can someone with access to a 2011 size M frame tell me if this will work:

top of saddle 74cm from center of crank = top of bars level with saddle?

I'm hoping to get the LBS to find me a frameset to build up (or maybe a complete bike) - but want to be able to have the bars set low for dirt road / touring and then flipped up high for trail / mixed terrain.
 
#1,436 ·
mmeiser01 said:
Let me first say, I want one of those minimalist racks. Immediate need. Perfect for carrying a little extra gear up front. As you'll see in the following pictures I've been using Salsa Anything/Everything Cages, they worked with some heavy duty hose clamps, but they really weren't meant to mount on the first gen fargo fork or for the use and abuse I've given them.

So... where to begin. I road somewhere over 1500 miles in January (rain and cold killed my computer sensor) from Cleveland Ohio down the Eastern Divide finally wrapping it up in Charleston, SC on the 8th of February.

I posted some 300+ pics, the following are some of my favorites. I know I've probably overdone it, but it's so hard to limit. Sorry.


Blue ridge parkway


Fresh tracks, all to myself


After the storm


Endorphine overload


Good morning


this is the "why?"


Exiting the paw paw


Parkway after the storm, 17th take by mmeiser2


skyline drive


Blue ridge parkway


skyline drive


Built in the 1820's


IMAG2044

If you still want more, probably the best way to view the "crowd favorites" are at: https://www.flickriver.com/photos/mmeiser2/popular-interesting/
Wow nice footage
 
#1,439 · (Edited)
Front derailleur for MTB crank/SRAM Apex shifter combo?

I'm looking to run the current model SRAM Apex shifters (2x10) with a Truvativ Stylo double crankset (granny ring and bashguard removed) with a 34 tooth middle ring and a 44 tooth outter ring.

I need to find a SRAM compatable 28.6mm clamp front derailleur that will throw far enough to reach the 44 tooth outter ring. A search of online stores is proving fruitless and I need some help sourcing an appropriate derailleur. Can anyone suggest a shim/derailleur combo that would work?

A SRAM Apex front derailleur won't throw far enough to work with my Truvativ Stylo crankset, and if I switch to an SRAM Apex compact crankset (50/34 tooth) the 50 tooth ring tags the chainstay.

Help?
 
#1,440 ·
I don't know if this will help, but when I was building up my second Fargo last fall as a mountain bike, I had trouble coming up with a front derailer from my parts boxes. Some would fit but were made for 48t big rings, some would work except when the cage hit the chainstay, and so on. Anyway, I did have a fairly recent XT front derailer that had a clamp for a 1-3/8" seat tube but was otherwise just what I needed. I found that an ordinary headset spacer made a fine shim. Inside diameter is 1-1/8" and outside measures 1-3/8" which was just right for the derailer clamp. I took a 10mm spacer and cut it in two places, 180 degrees apart, and filed down the sharp edges of the cut. Makes a dandy shim.

I don't know anything about that modern Sram stuff, but I would think you could get a Shimano derailer to work since there are only two rings. Someone has probably tried it.

The mountain Fargo works out really well. I actually have a riser bar on there at the moment which is not necessary but it handles great and the shorter top tube (for drop bar optimization) hasn't been an issue. I've got two Weirwolf 2.55 LTs on it and they work fine. I didn't expect that to be a great rear tire, but it seems to get the job done. Since it's a rigid bike I don't use it on really rough trails but those big donuts make it right comfy on rocky stretches. As with my "touring" Fargo, it's all about the water bottles really. I don't have to use a hydration pack with either bike, at least on most rides. Packs have been messing with my poor old abused back and neck in recent years so it's nice to save the old bones for when I do need a pack when riding the gnarly stuff on my other bike.
 
#1,443 · (Edited)
KanzaKrūzer said:
I have a SRAM 2X10 on my 2010 Fargo and it works great.
Which front derailleur are you using?

The SRAM Apex front derailleur will throw are enough to cover the inner and middle rings on my Truvativ Stylo double crankset BUT to set the derailleur height corrrectly the cage tags the chainstay and won't work. If I remove the bashguard and replace with a 44t ring I can get the derailleur height set correctly but the throw isn't far enough.
 
#1,444 ·
bdstorer said:
Which front derailleur are you using?

The SRAM Apex front derailleur will throw are enough to cover the inner and middle rings on my Truvativ Stylo double crankset BUT to set the derailleur high corrrectly the cage tags the chainstay and won't work. If I remove the bashguard and replace with a 44t ring I can get the derailleur hight set correctly but the throw isn't far enough.
Drivetrain
Front Brake Avid BB-7, 160mm, 6-Bolt
Rear Brake Avid BB-7, 160mm, 6-Bolt
Front Derailleur SRAM X7
Rear Derailleur SRAM X7
Crankset SRAM 1400 175mm 28-42t
Bottom Bracket SRAM 1400 English
Chain SRAM 1030
Cassette SRAM 1050 12-36T
Shifters SRAM Apex
Pedals Shimano PD-A530 SPD Dual Platform Pedal
 
#1,446 ·
bdstorer said:
Do you know which X7 derailleur it is? High clamp? Low clamp? ..and is it a 28.6mm clamp or does it use a shim?
Sorry for all the questions.
I had my LBS build it up since there were no more complete 24" bikes available. I approved the build list, but did not ask for any more detail. Sorry I can't help at any greater detail.

I sold my road bike shortly after experiencing the low air pressure (29X2 Dureme with 50lbs back, 40lbs front) ride. The Fargo is not as fast, but there are plenty of bike paths around which are more relaxing than fighting vehicles for space on the roads.
 
#1,447 ·
My latest build: I've joined the Mary brigade:







Moments after taking these pictures, my right hand pedal pulled out of the crankarm. That left me to pedal home the remaining three miles with only one pedal--tough when you only have flat pedals, and no way to pull up on the pedal!
 
#1,449 ·
ill communication

I passed along some misleading information to this thread approx. 3 weeks ago:

"Be aware that Schwalbe is about to unveil some wider options in some of their tires.
When I called to bug them about all their 29er tires being out of stock, I was informed that at the end of March they will receive the new shipment of 2011 tires which will include widths not currently advertised on the site.... Thus my ordering the Fat Albert 2.4...":nono:

Well the order arrived on Monday and the Fat Albert 2.4 is a 26...apparently still not available as a 29er. To their credit, Schwalbe apologized and is offering a full refund.

There was a 29x2 dureme that came with that order and I immediately put it on my rear wheel. It handled really well on the Centennial cone trail and then hummed along nicely at 40mph on the 10 mile paved decent back down to Golden, Co.
 
#1,450 ·
varga said:
There was a 29x2 dureme that came with that order and I immediately put it on my rear wheel. It handled really well on the Centennial cone trail and then hummed along nicely at 40mph on the 10 mile paved decent back down to Golden, Co.
I run 29X2 Dureme tires on my 24" Fargo. 50PSI on the rear and 40PSI in the front. They ride like a dream on pavement, bike paths, and rails to trails.
 
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