This is the personal blog of Paul Petch a self professed outdoor addict, reformed graphic designer, picture taker & IT geek living in Christchurch NZ. While you are here why not subscribe to my tweets, Flickr, RSS and Vimeo?
Say hello to my Salsa Fargo adventure touring bike
WoOt! Today, after some months of research and hunting for a bike to do some touring – I laid down the cash a 16″ (small) Salsa Fargo! It was love at first sight and within a few turns of the cranks I knew it was the bike that I’ve been looking for to do some serious exploring! This will be my first 29er too- which will be a great experience I’m sure.
First impressions were that the paint work and frame finish is first class- and a car park stomp test gave a very positive “twang” with the skinny cromo tubes. With the big wheels it felt great and accelerated pretty well- if not kind of foreign, but the “fit” felt awesome due to the bars that I’m sure will help clock up some comfy KM’s :D Toe overlap, which was a concern was also fine and with a chunky 2.1″ tyre that was very cool.
Of course a carpark test is just that so I’ll leave it there and comment some more once I pick it up in about 6 weeks and give it a proper ride (yes….6 loooong weeks :D) Anyway, here are some pics (please excuse the lack of bar tape and HUGE fork steerer- and the fetching white plastic “test” pedals :D)
A big thanks for his time and help also goes out to Kev at Bicycle Business.
**Update 17/06/09** I’ve added another image of this beauty…..I’m obsessed I tell ya! ;)
Talking of impressions- here are mine after a few weeks of riding the Fargo.
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Congratulations on picking up a Fargo! It’s good to see this hitting NZ. Can’t wait to see some ride photos soon!
Hey Joseph :) I think that only a few Fargos made it to NZ so i’m lucky to find one- especially in my size. I’ll be sure to post up some ride photos and thoughts once I pick it up. From your photos I see that you have had some real adventures with your Fargo. Do you have any advice when it comes to what racks etc to buy for it?
Good to see that the trails are drying up nicely over there! Happy trails!
Bike looks mean Paul. I am loving the colour and frame decals. I have an old Salsa v-brake booster. It’s a work of art as is that frame. I reckon that thing would be a blast around Bottle Lake – especially with the drop bars. You might need to do something with that steerer though. WTF? It looks like they’ve left you with the option to run drop bars and a mtb bar at the same time!
It does have a nice paint/ decal job that’s for sure :) As for the steerer- it is 100% factory uncut…that’s for sure! Obviously it will be cut down once I’m fitted on the bike- and will sit relatively high being a tourer and due to the drop bars.
Fargo’s aren’t available in the UK yet – and I’m finding it hard to come to terms buying online without a test ride. I’m 5’7″ or 171cm with 29″ inseam. Is the small a good fit for you? My Gary Fisher is 17.5 and is a sweet fit. Thanks.
Hey Al,
I’m 5’5″ and it fits just right. I’d be wary of toe overlap though if you are running a show size larger than a UK 7. It’s interesting that they have not landed in the UK yet….is there no importer of Salsa or is it just this particular model?
I’ll measure my inseam tonight and pop you an email.
Cheers.
Hi Paul
Can I ask how tall you are. I’m looking into getting a Fargo and I’m not sure which size will suit me better, a 16 inch (small) or n 18 inch (medium). My height is 173cm with an approx 81cm stand-over. My current bike a 54cm Kona Dew Deluxe is perfect for my size.
Regards Giovanni
Hi Paul
Sorry, didn’t see that you answered what I wanted to ask in Al’s reply, my screen must be set too bright. Also just came across your added picks with the slicks. love the way you have made it look. The more I see this bike in owners photographs, the more I want to have one. The bike photos on the Salsa website don’t do them much justice. Very nice ride – you must be very happy.
Regards Giovanni
Hi Giovanni,
No problem :) The slicks work really nice and the bike still seems to be very robust (as per my up and down the gutter shenanigans). I’ll be alot happier once I can get my hands on a set of OnOne Midge bars though, as the Stock Salsa Moto Ace Bell Lap are blinkin awful. I’m just going to write up my initial impressions and the only thing I’m going to change are the bars.
How close are you to laying down the $$ on one of these beasts? :D I’d be keen on your experiences and thoughts with it…..I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed.
Hi Paul
Sorry for the delayed reply, been swamped with work – must pay the bills. As far as laying down the $$, I have to see how much I need to give uncle Kevin (our PM/taxes) first before I can shall out for a new bike. I’m hoping it’s enough this time round as last time (a few years ago) I came short, really short and settled for a Kona Dew Deluxe. Great bike for the money but a bit low in spec and hate to think how much it will cost to up spec it. I also like to have an option to run skinny and fat tires – like the Fargo can.
Paul what don’t you like about the Bell Lap bars. I was about to buy a 46cm wide bar for my Kona a few months ago until I worked out the price for a set of Shimano ST2200 STI’s (compatible with the Kona’s 8 speed) and bar was going to cost more that half my bike. I canned the idea as to not spend the money and wait until I can buy a more versatile bike. Though my impression of the Bell Lap bars were that they would be great. What size bars come with a 16″ or did you have a choice.
P.S. No shop in Victoria has a Fargo for me to see according to the Australia distributor, there are also not many in the country but they do have a few 16″ and 18″.
Regards Giovanni
The Kona Dew Deluxe (http://www.konaworld.com/09_dewdeluxe_u.cfm) looks like a great ride for a good price! A choice to run skinny or fat tyres too? very nice indeed:) Shame that it’s not steel though!
Talking of costs- yes! Pricing for STI is plain ridiculous isn’t it? I’m going to swap the Bell Lap bars out and keep the thumb shifters I think…as I can’t afford to be swapping to STI at that price. I’ve fell in love with the thumbies anyway…who would have thought that! They kind of go with the style of the bike, and you don’t feel like rushing anywhere anyway…you just cruise :D
No choice for size when it comes to the Bell Lap bars as far as I’m aware. This post (http://www.mountainbikingnewzealand.co.nz/2009/06/20/salsa-fargo-first-impressions/) explains why I’m not fond of them. In a nutshell, they are to long and trap my knees as well as hitting the top tube.
I’m stoked to have got a hold of a Fargo, and the low stock is the same here in NZ. Infact, I imagine world wide. It’s a gem for sure.
Any adventures planned for the new bike? or is it a urban/ commuter bike? I imagine that you could take it off road with big tyres too?
Cheers for taking the time to reply. If you are ever this way, please shout out…ok?
Hi Paul, didn’t get the option to reply under yours.
The Kona is great for commuting and good for a bit of light “groomed” off road trails as well. I have a set of Panaracer Cinder X 700c x 35mm Knobby tires which work beautifully off road as the semi slicks don’t have enough bite. The Kona does have a limit to the size of tyre I can fit, a 700c x 45mm would be the max as the front fork can not clear a large tyre circumference, though width wise not a problem. And yes the Aluminum frame is a little harsh.
It’s good to read your review as I suspect I would have the same issue with the Bell Lap bars not having ridden a Fargo or anything like it with drop bars. Pity as I think the widest bar width (46cm) would have been better if they came as stock, I suspect the larger frames do judging by the pictures over the web.
While your waiting on the Midge bars have you tried rotating your bars upwards so that the bar is level and see if that helps. Or considered cutting off 10mm to 15mm off the bar ends might help with the knees bit seeing that the bar-cons act like extensions.
As far as comfort on the hands go Specialized make some really good gel pads that go under the tape which is like having comfy hand grips, and BBB has their long foam grips or this one that I can across the other day from ESI Grips (http://www.esigrips.com/Silicone_Road_Grips.htm).
I should stop dreaming and take the steps at getting one. Need to dodge the wife first and that may not be easy. It has all the right level of gear as far as I have seen and your bike looks great.
Regards Giovanni
It seems to be under my comment now….sweet! I’m keen to try out some other tyres too in the future and in particular the Schwable Marathons. I hear nothing but good things about them.
Funny thing about the Bell Lap bars of late- I’ve opted to turn the Salsa stem around the right way and raise them up more. I’ve also fitted the Salsa bar tape to give some comfort over that of the Charge stuff- that is utter shite. This stuff is so comfy, that I’ll not even need gel inserts- but will look into it for the next set of bars (cheers for that link too!!)
Now that the bars are higher it is a lot more comfy to ride over all and I’m slowly but surely getting over the potential top tube contact. Rocking them forward (upwards as you suggested) more has also increased comfort at the brake lever area (hood?) and made them closer to feeling “right”. I’m still keen on the Midge bars- but i’m happy to wait until late July for stock to reappear online….*fingers crossed* I could cut them down a tad- like you have suggested….and I’m sure that the extra length at this point won’t be missed either. I’ll consider that for sure if the Midge bars are not going to eventuate.
My next niggle to fix is the layback post….I find myself sitting on the tip of the seat more than I should be so it has to go. I’ll get a cheap, but super comfy BBB post ($35) as per my GT Peace and then look out for a Thomson. I may even leave the BBB on the Fargo, as the one on the GT has been awesome with “just” enough flex to aid comfort. I’m just such a brand whore…… :D
Any more questions that you might have, please shout out…..anything to help a potential “fargonaught” :D
Enjoy the Kona- it’s a sweet little commuter.
after seeing one of your pic’s i had the urge to do some photoshop work to it
http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj307/ukalipt/?action=view¤t=pauls_fargo.jpg
Nice :D I’ll have to have a play in PS when I get some spare time. Was it just a filter you added? or levels black magic?
ha.. trade secrets…
only two filters
distort > lens correction
other > high pass
then a fair bit of contrast/hue/brightness etc layers
Holy crap- I thought that was spam when i read it :D lol. Great tips….I’m onto it.
Picked up my size 16″ yesterday – it fits great – pleased I went for the 16″. (am 171cm with 75cm inseam) Fitted a Tubus Logo for some touring capability – the plan now is for it to carry me from Biarritz to Barcelona at the end of the month.
Nice! Double nice that the fit is perfect :) That trip sounds like fun….I’m so jealous that it is Summer in your life :D Have you got any photos of the Salsa Fargo? Maybe you could add them to the MTBNZ Flickr group? If you want to blog about your adventures- shout out and I’m sure I can work something out here on MTBNZ for you :) Enjoy!
[...] of commuting, this is now the job of a new addition the stable – the Salsa Fargo. The beauty of the Fargo is that it’s suited to road and off road touring. It can fit chunky [...]
Hi Paul
Good to hear your able to dial your self in a bit better. Regarding your seat position, I went through a similar thing with the seat on my Kona. I had my seat in a position where I was sitting too far forward in the saddle which is not a good thing for your seat posts clamp bolt.
After a few weeks of riding like this the bolt that screws thru the clamps snapped, well sort of exploded under me. Now I’m not that heavy (70kg) and lucky for me I was hovering lightly over the saddle when it happened.
In my case all I need to do is replace the bolt itself ($5), but the 10km ride standing up to my bike shop, the only one open after 5pm kind of hurt my legs a fare bit to the point I almost couldn’t make the rest of the 16km trip home. I would strongly recommend repositioning your seat and a quick check before your next ride.
As far as Fargo goes, I can get one with out much problems here in Victoria (Australia) as Dirt Works have a few in stock. I will most likely have to order it through my local bike shop without seeing it first which I’m not too comfortable with at the moment. Sizing it up first is a must as I’m not sure if they are willing to bring in a 16″ and 18″ for me to choose from. Seeing the responses that you have had, I’m going down the 16″ small size path but am not all convinced as the 18″ isn’t that much larger over all. Going to see if they can fit me on something similar at the bike shop to make that all important call.
Regards Giovanni
Greatings from Singapore.. An excellent site there.. How do you manage to check the traffic? I mean I been using wordpress stats for WordPress any suggestion you can recommend for Joomla?
Hey there. Thanks for the feedback :) I track visitors with AWSTATS that comes as part of my hosting through Cpanel. I’ve tried Google Analytics and other WP plugins and nothing seems to come close to AWSTATS for what I like. I hope this helps you out :)
[...] of commuting, this is now the job of a new addition the stable – the Salsa Fargo. The beauty of the Fargo is that it’s suited to road and off road touring. It can fit chunky [...]
[...] some serious research and advice I’ve decided on the Salsa Fargo :) and you can read about my first impressions in this post [...]