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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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#4,793 ·
Since I don't have two wheelsets, I plan to just leave the 3" Knard on the bike for long periods of time. The only negative (beside extra weight) is that if I use platform pedals, sometime I get some toe-rub during sharp turns if my feet are too far forward on the pedals. Otherwise it rides great. I think that the new 29+ Salsa "Deadwood" uses the same carbon Firestarter fork: Salsa Cycles
 
#4,794 ·
Fargo vs Deadwood

Sorry for continuing with all the noob questions...

With Salsa introducing the Deadwood, does that now make current Fargo owners consider changing bikes?

The guy at the bike shop pointed out with the Deadwood's 29+ platform, it is even more versatile than the Fargo- at least in the off-road touring genre. (This was his opinion)

I believe his main point was that you can put a smaller tire, like a 2.4", on the Deadwood's WTB Scraper rim if you are tired of the 3" Knard, but you're only gonna go so big on a Fargo, particularly on the rear. Plus the Deadwood has thru-axles front and rear, if that matters to anyone. Converting the rear axle to a threaded thru-axle is not an inexpensive endeavor, by the time you purchase the adapter plates AND a new hub.

As it stands, a shop has offered me a 2015 Fargo 2 in BombPop Blue (not my favorite color, :)) for $1800.00. For that money, I could sell the carbon fork if I tire of it, and buy a RockShox Reba RL and still have less invested than if purchasing a Fargo 2 Suspension to begin with...

Seems like a pretty fair deal to me....

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
 
#4,797 ·
The guy at the bike shop pointed out with the Deadwood's 29+ platform, it is even more versatile than the Fargo- at least in the off-road touring genre. (This was his opinion)
Yeah, I can get with that assessment. The Deadwood will do anything the Fargo will do, but the Deadwood is also more capable of doing some things that wouldn't be as enjoyable on the Fargo.

With Salsa introducing the Deadwood, does that now make current Fargo owners consider changing bikes?
As much as I love my Fargo, yeah, a voice in the back of my head keeps nudging me toward a Deadwood in the future. I'm becoming more and more sold on fatter tires for bikepacking, as I see few if any downsides, and some significant pluses.
 
G
#4,795 ·
I've not seen one Fargo Carbon fork for sale and that makes me think most folks find it better than whatever alternative they were considering. Mine's a 2013 (brown with orange bits) and I've left it essentially stock. Could have picked up a surly ECR and fit it like the Deadwood but didn't, so that answers the first question for me. It's a interesting concept though. I'm actually in the process of pulling the Fox FL off my paragon in favor of a rigid carbon fork, so I'm doing the opposite of what you're considering, but what we need/want change over time and that's what keeps the LBS open.
 
#4,798 ·
If I want fat, I'll stick to my Pug. Having experienced 29+, I think 29x2.3 or 2.4" is a sweet spot. Maybe 2.2" for more hardpack/road oriented bikepacking trips. And of course, 27.5+ is a good option for Fargo's as well (without lowering the BB).

NDT: I would have jumped at that deal as well! Wish I could find something like that around here.
 
#4,800 ·
New Bicycle


Here's my 2015 Fargo 2, Medium. I'm 5'11"; you can see that seat post is maxed out. A size Large with a little shorter handlebar stem would've worked very well also, I believe...but after riding both a Medium and a Large, I still felt like the Medium was the way to go.

I'm curious to see how the carbon fork performs. Not that I am any great aficionado of premium bike parts...

Now to add 5-10 lbs of pedals, lights, bags, racks, water bottle holders, etc.,...I'll be good to go. Lol
 
G
#4,802 ·
I'd start with the bar being higher than your seat (when adjusted) with the stem turned upwards. That way you can find the perfect height and trim the fork a second time later (doesn't take much) if needed. I don't think you will find any steel spacers, usually their aluminum or carbon fiber. Not a lot of weight difference, so it probably comes down to appearance and cost. I don't care what my spacers look like so I wouldn't spend the money. If I cared, I'd probably buy multi-color spacers or spacers the color of the accents on my bike before I'd worry about buying carbon.
 
#4,805 ·
I agree. Mine was assembled and really it's too short. Leave it full length and play around with different spacers above and below stem until you get it right. Also keep in mind this dropper bar is different than a typical road setup. It's intended to be used in the drops, which means most will want the bar higher than lower. It took me a while to get it dialed in.
 
#4,807 ·
I have a Fargo Gen 1 XT and I have a question about some equipment for touring. I plan on riding down Highway 1 from the BayArea down and want to outfit my Fargo. Up until now I have used it as a gravel grinder but I think it will make a fine loaded touring bike for this trip. My questions:

1. Which tires would you you for a (light) loaded touring down highway 1 (no offroad)? Light because it is only 3 or 4 days.

2. Which front rack would you add to the bike? Is there one that fits well? I have the Salsa rear rack but not sure about which front to get.

Cheers!

GG
 
#4,808 ·
Like Keski shows here on his blue Fargo, those Schwalbe Super Motos are really fast and comfortable. You could go lighter, I suppose, and do any Schwalbe Marathon series tire, but smaller tires will lower the already pretty low BB height of a Gen 1 Xt Fargo. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, just be aware of that.

I'm not into racks, so someone else can pick up that end of your question.
 
#4,813 ·
Salsa was shipping boxed bikes with uncut steer tubes up until last year. Now they come with pre-cut steer tubes and star nuts installed. From a dealers standpoint, I get it. (If the LBS stocks more than a few Salsas, it can save a LOT of labor time which is costly to the LBS)

I know many hate that they don't do that anymore, but I imagine it was a dealer driven decision. Oddly enough, Surly still sends their bikes with uncut steer tubes, at least they were a month ago or so. (NOTE: I work at a stocking Salsa dealer and we special order in Surlys)
 
#4,816 ·
My New Fargo 2

I went to my LBS to test ride a 2015 Fargo 3 (green), but he also had a Fargo 2 (gray). I couldn't leave without the Fargo 2.

I was really wishing that I had a fully rigid 29'er on the DK100 earlier this year and on some other extended gravel rides. Just something more comfy on the B roads and easier gearing for the rollers. I'm hopeful that the Fargo will accomplish both.

 
G
#4,817 ·
I went to my LBS to test ride a 2015 Fargo 3 (green), but he also had a Fargo 2 (gray). I couldn't leave without the Fargo 2.

I was really wishing that I had a fully rigid 29'er on the DK100 earlier this year and on some other extended gravel rides. Just something more comfy on the B roads and easier gearing for the rollers. I'm hopeful that the Fargo will accomplish both.

You gain some weight with the fargo, but I think the ride quality is worth it. I run between 22 and 40 miles of commuting several times a week with an even mix of gravel, crushed lime and pavement. The fargo seems to do great at all of those. The only change from stock I've added are fenders, a brooks saddle and double handlebar tape. Otherwise it's been a kick to ride.
 
#4,823 ·
Ok...here are a few pics of my 2015 ti Fargo.



My last Fargo was a first generation frame build which was always a little too couch-like in the handling department on single track and it was short-lived in my stable. The new version is a little better but still pretty soft around the edges which I supposed is what makes them great for longer off-road touring. The bike is currently set-up tubeless and I am experimenting with a Selle Anatomica saddle which is pretty comfortable but comes with a weight penalty. I did change the stem out for a slightly longer 110MM Thomson X4 with 15 degree rise, although I really need a 25 degree stem to get the bars where I like them.

Other than that, the bike is basically still equipped with the stock "Ti Fargo Complete" build kit. I love drop bar mountain bikes and have been riding that way off-road for the past 10 years. Unlike many Fargo owners I have no intention of bikepacking or touring with my Fargo but do like a fast mix of single track and double track rides in the 15-50 mile range. If I keep the bike I will put it on a diet and go with a lighter Middleburn 1x crank and a set of On-one Midge bars with a single bar-end shifter. I also plan on investing in a lighter set of platforms and probably lose the RR's in favor of a faster narrower knobby and still need to decide if the Selle Anatomic is worth the weight penalty.
 
#4,824 ·
Fats for the Fargo

A while back some folks were asking for recs. for some wide rubber. I decided to try the b+. Got a pair of the WTB Trailblazer 2.8 and mounted onto some Velocity Blunt 35 27.5 rims. These fit nicely both front and rear, but I already knew that after reading Guitar Ted's article on the same setup. These tires are huge, way wider than any 29er tire I have seen. Overall hight is a little less than my 29x2.2, but about the same as my 700x42 Conty Speedrides I run most of the time so bb hight was about what I am used to.

I was just on Cape Cod for a week and got to do a bunch of fire road riding along with some single track and even some beach riding. These tires were so much fun everywhere. The fire roads there are very sandy of course so the wide tread was great and I think something like a 2.2 would have had some trouble.

So I think if you are going to get new wheels anyway the B+ is the way to go to get some fat rubber on the Fargo. I found some Velocity Blunt 35 rims built on some XT hubs for just a little more than the tires cost! Of course the Trailblazers are not cheap.

TT
 
#4,903 ·
A while back some folks were asking for recs. for some wide rubber. I decided to try the b+. Got a pair of the WTB Trailblazer 2.8 and mounted onto some Velocity Blunt 35 27.5 rims. These fit nicely both front and rear, but I already knew that after reading Guitar Ted's article on the same setup. These tires are huge, way wider than any 29er tire I have seen. Overall hight is a little less than my 29x2.2, but about the same as my 700x42 Conty Speedrides I run most of the time so bb hight was about what I am used to.

I was just on Cape Cod for a week and got to do a bunch of fire road riding along with some single track and even some beach riding. These tires were so much fun everywhere. The fire roads there are very sandy of course so the wide tread was great and I think something like a 2.2 would have had some trouble.

So I think if you are going to get new wheels anyway the B+ is the way to go to get some fat rubber on the Fargo. I found some Velocity Blunt 35 rims built on some XT hubs for just a little more than the tires cost! Of course the Trailblazers are not cheap.

TT
Did you have the wheels built or buy them complete? I'm thinking of trying this out...
 
#4,825 ·
Finally!

Well I pulled the trigger on the medium Fargo I rode the other day. It's the new X7 model. Reach wasn't as long as I thought, and with a stem change to 60-70mm I think this will be good to go.

Much preferred because I can get the bars above the seat, unlike the small.

Wasn't sure about the lime green when I first saw it on the website, but it appears just a bit darker in person and is metallic. Really looks striking with the black components and I love the minimal logo treatment on the downtube.

Can't wait to throw some bags on this and go exploring on the BRP and surrounding fire roads. Been wanting one of these for YEARS....
 

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