# One year with the Salsa Fargo



## Outsider (Jan 1, 2007)

After having had the Salsa Fargo for almost a year I'm ready for a retrospective:

I ordered a Salsa Fargo frameset in December 2009. In the middle of January a bare frameset arrived.









It did not take long to build it up. I did some rides, made some adjustments and rode some more.









Soon the Fargo got clothes.









The real shakedown ride took place in the beginning of February. This bike was bought for overnighter use.


















The winter continued with some nice winter rides...




































...and the occasional overnighter.



























In April the winter was over...


















... and spring came.









The summer started in the end of May with unusually warm weather. Overnighter time.



















The summer saw more Fargo overnighter action.




































During the the rest of June and July, I mostly rode my Hifi 29 FS bike, but I did not neglect the Fargo entirely. In the end of August I did a last summer overnighter with the Fargo.













































In September the fall came...









... and a fall overnighter.






















































After this the Fargo has mainly performed commuter duties. The winter arrived early this year and the conditions are much more suited for the Fargo's fat cousin that I bought. This winter I will mostly be on the Pugsley, but the Fargo will still some occasional rides during the winter.









During the first few months the Fargo saw some small changes, but the configuration has now stabilized to the following:

XXL Fargo 2010
Hope Pro II hubs with Mavic TN719 rims wearing big rubber.
Tiagra 9-speed STI brakes/shifters with 26/36 chainrings and 11-32 rear cassette and XT crankset.
Salsa Woodchipper 25.4 mm, the wide version. This is the key to riding in technical terrain.

This was the first year. The next year will see similar use. Thank you Salsa for making this bike. The Salsa Fargo is the perhaps most versatile bike available, and if I could have only one bike, this would be it.


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## dru (Sep 4, 2006)

That is an awesome pictorial, riding experience and bike!

I have an El Mar. so I'm not impartial, just sayin'....

Looking at your name and the scenery I'd guess you are somewhere in Scandinavia?

Drew


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## elrancho66 (May 31, 2007)

dru said:


> That is an awesome pictorial, riding experience and bike!
> 
> I have an El Mar. so I'm not impartial, just sayin'....
> 
> ...


Great fotos, looks like you have the right tool for the job at hand, congrats! What bars are you running?:thumbsup:


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## Fat Bob (Mar 5, 2004)

elrancho66 said:


> Great fotos, looks like you have the right tool for the job at hand, congrats! What bars are you running?:thumbsup:


Salsa Woodchippers 25.4 x 46


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## Outsider (Jan 1, 2007)

dru said:


> ...
> Looking at your name and the scenery I'd guess you are somewhere in Scandinavia?
> 
> Drew


Correct, I'm in Southwestern Finland.



Fat Bob said:


> Salsa Woodchippers 25.4 x 46


I started out with the On-One Midge bar, but found it to be too short in the drop part. The Woodchipper is far superior and is a really good bar for off-road use. The 25.4 mm version has a nice spring to it.


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## dru (Sep 4, 2006)

Finland seems very much like parts of Canada I live in. Territory like your photos show is maybe a 3 or 4 hour trip away from my town. Most of Ontario is like that, except the south. You have lots of moose, bears, wolves, red deer/elk in Finland too?

Drew


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## Hermosa (Aug 21, 2007)

What an excellent post. Thanks so much for sharing. The sunset lake shot is brilliant.


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## Outsider (Jan 1, 2007)

Thanks for the comments.



dru said:


> Finland seems very much like parts of Canada I live in. Territory like your photos show is maybe a 3 or 4 hour trip away from my town. Most of Ontario is like that, except the south. You have lots of moose, bears, wolves, red deer/elk in Finland too?
> 
> Drew


We have bears, wolves, lynx, elks etc. in Finland as well, though not in the same numbers as in Canada and USA. Due to hunting the predators are very careful near humans and you seldom see them. There are wolves and bears in the area I usually do my longer rides in, but I've never seen one there.


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## Space Robot (Sep 13, 2008)

Nice! I want one...


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## JeffSkisMontana (Sep 7, 2003)

*Beautiful Pictures.......*

.....and great post...very helpful and informative.....really like the pic of the mushrooms on the trail.....Will you be using the Pugs for camping excursions in the future or just for snow riding? Ride On!


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## jimbowho (Dec 16, 2009)

Enjoyed the shot's. Very cool! < pun. Can't figure out the wheels. Some shot's look like 650b and 29" Your not into fat tires?

Elaborate please!


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## mdrauh (Nov 25, 2010)

Awesome. I ordered a Fargo frame and fork for my dad and will be helping him build it once I get home from work in a few weeks. I'm stoked already and this thread just made it worse!


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## johnnyb (Jan 21, 2004)

*my Fargo*

Hey thanks for the nice writeup and review. You definitely are getting miles logged in on it. I got my Fargo this last summer and been taking it out for longer rides (over 30 miles). The extra waterbottles and racks lets me put every thing on the bike and leaving my back dry. I was planning on drops but its very comfortable with the Jones bars; more of an upright feel to it but can rip on singletrack too. I mounted friction shifters upside down on the horns. A fairly easy reach with the rear derailleur, but the front shifter takes a bit of pull to get into the big ring.

I have a Monocog for shorter rides with a similar setup, but singlespeed. With these two bikes I've been happy taking in Northern California trails. I have a suspended bike, but I like the Fargo best for exploring.


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## Outsider (Jan 1, 2007)

JeffSkisMontana said:


> .....and great post...very helpful and informative.....really like the pic of the mushrooms on the trail.....Will you be using the Pugs for camping excursions in the future or just for snow riding? Ride On!


Currently we have so much snow that the Pugs is the clear choice. Outside the snow season for excursions on varying terrain including roads I will use the Fargo most of the time. Last year I had to ride home in a hurry 80 miles straight on asphalt when I ran out of time. That would have been less fun with the Pugsley. For pure singletrack use I will experiment with the Pugsley during the summer as well.


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## Outsider (Jan 1, 2007)

jimbowho said:


> Enjoyed the shot's. Very cool! < pun. Can't figure out the wheels. Some shot's look like 650b and 29" Your not into fat tires?
> 
> Elaborate please!


The wheels are 29" with tires varying from 2.1" to 2.4" in the pictures. I'm about 6' 4" and the frame is an XXL, so that might make the wheels look a little smaller.

I'm into fat bikes as well. In October I built up a Pugsley, and since the snow season started in the middle of November this year I'm getting a lot of time on it.

The 2011 Salsa Fargo has had some changes and is even more versatile. Now it can take a 80 mm suspension fork and has a slightly higher BB, so it should be even more capable offroad. I'm very satisfied with my 2010 Fargo, but the 2011 titanium Fargo really looks very much like my dream bike. A few years down the road I might have one...


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## beagledadi (Jul 18, 2004)

Very cool :thumbsup:

Matt


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## Mellow Yellow (Sep 5, 2003)

Great post!


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## dormilon (Dec 28, 2007)

Nice!

Thanks for shrare this experiences.

Happy new year from Spain.

PRM


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## henrymiller1 (Apr 25, 2008)

Very nice report. Beautiful pictures. i think i'll be looking into some new salsa bars. they look comfortable. I don't do any trips or Randonneur rides. Sorry for question. Why is the frame closed in? Thanks.


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## ThreeD (Feb 7, 2008)

Now you can do a write up next year on your Pugsley


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## Outsider (Jan 1, 2007)

henrymiller1 said:


> ...
> Why is the frame closed in? Thanks.


Do you mean the black thing in the middle of the front triangle? That is a frame bag with a capacity of around 9 liters. It enables pack some heavy stuff in the middle of the bike with a low center of gravity, meaning that it does not affect the handling of the bike much.


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

Nicely chronicled adventures with the Fargo! Beautiful country, and as mentioned a great sunset shot over the lake!! Thanks for sharing!!


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## beakaye (Jul 26, 2009)

*Awesome pics....*

Thank you Peter for sharing your great adventures......I am currently building a 2011 Fargo and looking forward to similar fun.....I would love to see Scandinavia some day! Cheers, Brian


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