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

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.

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

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?

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