ExPo Build Project: Salsa Fargo

[SOAZ]

If not used, cheap new frames might include the Surly Ogre or the funky Origin8 bike like the one Steve Reynolds commutes on...not that he commutes. Give him hell for that one, when you see him. Speaking of Steve, you might ask him what he's got planned for his Kona Unit frame he's not using now. Who knows, maybe that has potential. It does have a hanger and cable guides.

...and I have some sweet Pearlizumi arm warmers I could throw in for free.

Haha, Oh I will definitely give Steve a hard time on that one!!! Those Fargo frames are pretty! I think on Monday a trip to the LBS is in order to see what sort of price I can get on a frame. WAIT, are they super sweet lightly used arm warmers???? I AM IN!
Haha! See you at expo senor! If the missus isn't going and you'd like something waiting for you in Flag to make life a little easier let me know. (beer, food, etc etc) I'll be heading up earlier in the week to do some prep on the driving course etc.

[Flounder]

Well, I said it would be part of this project. I said I'd strap a number on this bike and take it out on a proper race course. Mission accomplished, but not entirely successful.

I found a race I thought would suit this bike, the Barn Burner 104 in Flagstaff, AZ. The course was all service road, mostly pretty tame, but also home to some pretty rough and rocky sections. Trying to knock down 104 miles at race pace on what amounts to my commuter, touring, and adventuring bike was for lack of a better word - stupid. Okay, perhaps not entirely daft, but sweet fancy Moses did I feel like a whipped pig after the first 50 miles. The Fargo is a wonderful machine, don't get me wrong. She loves a good challenge, but I think she's best left unadorned with race digits. Ultimately, the Fargo can handle the task of racing, but it's just not designed for fast performance riding. Maybe an ultra, ultra race with a tempo more akin to an epic saunter. Putting it on a start line and sprinting it to the front of a group of hot-bloods, it was just out of place. Like a Defender 110 on a WRC rally course, it was just begging to get off into the sticks where it could slow the hell down.

But, it was worth a try.

Commuter? Check.
Daily singletracker? Check.
Touring bike? Check.
Race whip? ......semi, sorta, kinda check.

RaceFargo.jpg

[sandalscout]

Regardless, good on ya for giving it a shot! Awesome!

[LawnJockey]

How is your Fargo doing? Your experiences sound like mine. My Fargo keeps getting reinvented, right now it is set up for fully loaded touring.

[Flounder]

The project Fargo is still rockin'. It's currently in commuter mode once again, although I'm ready to mount up the knobbies again and use it for some winter time exploring.

[LawnJockey]

Cool. I will have to post some pictures of mine. It is a Fargo II. I got rid of the compact double and put a tripple on it with the granny being 22T. Geared for climbing trees. It also has a Brooks B17 saddle. Front and rear Surly Nice Racks, heavy but bomb proof. Bar end shifters and interupter brake levers. Crank Bros Candy pedals. Planet Bike fenders and Marathon tires. It is in loaded touring mode right now.

I trashed my road frame a few months back so the Fargo is my daily ride, that is when I am not going crazy on my Van Dessel Gin and Trmbones CX bike. I used the Fargo elk hunting in Utah this year. With the closing of more and more forest roads the use of an off road bicycle can really enhance your hunting. I also have an older Litespeed 26" mountain bike and I go to say there is a big difference riding over washboard on a 29er. I don't think I have ridden the Litespeed more than a couple times in the past two years.

The Fargo is a cross between a tank and a burro. Salsa likes to say it can do it all. It is true, even though it is a bit heavy and sometimes a bit slower, like an old Power Wagon.

[LawnJockey]

I finally got around to taking a couple of pictures of my Fargo:

photo-4 copy.JPGphoto-4.JPG