Very nice review. Note that you can purchase the frame either in a steel version or a titanium version. I have the titanium version. In any case, I definitely recommend that people consider building their own bike from the frame up. I will definitely agree that this is a go anywhere bike. It also works well with flat bars or alt-bars (I have the Surley Mokito bar and love it).
I never got around to trying alt bars on my. I jumped down a few other rabbit holes with different frames (one custom and my current revel wayward) and have decided, that personally I am better off on a flat bar/alt setup and a mountain bike length reach. I really need to post about that bike.
I saw an earlier question about the Alternator dropouts. You can get dropouts for any arrangement you want (QR, through axle, fixed shaft, and even Rohloff with belt drive). You will need to ask your Salsa dealer for which dropouts are appropriate because there are at least four different types of dropouts and even some have sub-variations.
Pretty much, there are the q/r and thru-axle dropouts, just these will give you 141mm q/r or 148mm thru-axle. Add the reduction plates to get 135mm q/r or 142mm thru-axle. There is also the single speed plate (no der hanger) and the rohloff plate (for rohloff hubs). Both of which I think need to be used with the reduction plates.
Thanks for the review! Good to hear all the ways your using the Fargo. I am getting a Fargo Ti after cracking my Cutthroat frame. Will be setting it up with a suspension fork. How do you set up the alternator dropout?
I just came back from the GDMBR and decided like you it’s the best bike for me going forward. I need to pick a new drivetrain (wrecked mine in NM mud…) for road touring, daily road rides, all around and can’t decide on a 1x or 2x. I really got used to the simplicity of the 1x on the divide
I'm with you on wanting a 2x for the Fargo but the option on modern drivetrains just doesn't exist. I would have loved something like a 40/28 or even maybe a 42/30 or 28 for rings and something like a 11-42 cassette. But you can find rings those sizes or ders that can use that cassette with a 2x on the front. Do to this and just general fit issues I have been dealing with recently (hands going numb) I have moved to a different bike with a flat bar that fills a similar role at the Fargo (a Revel Wayward) but on that I am limited on front ring sizes even in 1x which is fine for where I am today but when I move next summer I hope a 36t ring on the front is not too limiting. I also have a gravel bike now that can take bigger tires to bridge the gap of what the Fargo offered as a fast tourer. But I am a person that loves to tinker with bikes and the Fargo is still my number 1 favorite just do it all drop bar bike. It is stable without being boring, pretty quick when needed, and very comfortable.
@@MongoDan thanks. Probably go with 12 speed sram 52 then. I just like to ride and not tinker. That may not give me a big top end speed but I ride more leisurely these days. Unrelated I prefer a flat bar and heard many put a Jones bar on the fargo, but I’ve also read that due to the high stack of Fargo the Jones bar is not a good option. But that’s another story for another day I guess.
@@pgreenx yeah, liking to tinker is a curse. Be glad you don't have it. As for the 12sp setup it works well but look into the garbaruk cassettes as I like the steps they have chosen from the last 3 large gears as it is a smoother transition into the 52t. The second to biggest is a 44t instead of a 42t. I know it is not cheap but I really enjoyed Sram AXS shift in the Fargo and other drop bar bikes, having the left and right shifter do the ups and downs is super intuitive and the whole group feels very refined/coherent on a bike like the Fargo. But with Rival and Apex coming in AXS much of the cost difference has vanished and I think they also have an Apex mechanical 12sp set up available now as well.
Thanks for sharing this. I have a Fully mtb and looking for the fargo to commute and explore. I was doubting if that was the good bike to put next to my fully, and your video convinced me to pick this over a pure gravel bike. I have 2 questions. What the name of your front light(back?). And I noticed you said in your other video you bike an XL. I am in between sizes and doubting alot. I notice the stem is short, but how tall are you? Tip for your video, make try using some bookmarks for each section. helps navigating the video. I know you moved on to a revel bike. Is that because you ride more offroad oriented?
I still stand behind my statement that the Fargo is one of the best bikes I have ever ridden. It is great for commuting and exploring. It is the bike I took for my first 100 mile ride on, solo no less, and it was certainly the right bike for that. A gravel bike might be a bit faster on pavement or smooth gravel but once it is any rougher than that I would put money on that the Fargo is as fast if not faster. The main reason I moved from the Fargo to the Revel Wayward is that I just like a mountain bike style bar better, I have inner bar ends on that bike to give a position similar to the hood position on the Fargo for when I need to change up my grip or want to be a bit more aero. I didn't want to go with a flat bar on the Fargo as the toptube and reach would have been far too short. Other than that, I use the bikes is fairly similar ways, the Fargo being a bit better on the road and the Wayward being better in XC style trails. One thing I haven't really shown much of on the channel is a custom frame I had made in which I was trying to build my "ideal" Fargo. It got very close and it was the bike that lead me to look for a mountain bar setup again as I still couldn't quite get the end fit I wanted. I am traditional a mountain biker and have a longer travel bike I use for real off-road days. I also maintain a fast gravel/road bike for those style rides. I am 6'5" and like a high stack on a bike. The current Fargo is meant to be run with a shorter stem than you would on a traditional gravel bike. I believe in this build I had a 80mm stem. The light in the video is a niterider lumina 600 (I think is the 600) that I run upside down on a plastic night rider to GoPro mount, it is still quick release as well. It has a great lighting up for communiting. I have since switched to the larger 1200 OLED version of the light and like it just as much in operation but has even more light. I put a link below for a 2 pack which is the same price as an individual piece, they go by a ton of different names but are all the same: Dreyoo 2 Pack Bike Light Mount Adapter Compatible with NiteRider Lumina and Lumina Micro and Mako Series, Bike Headlight Computer Mount Helmet Mount Adapter a.co/d/7p8sKur For the back, I either use to cheap USB rechargeable one or a Garmin Varia. I really like the Varia and 100% suggest them if you ride with a head unit. It adds a lot of information as to what and how many are coming up behind you. Hope this helps and feel free to ask anything else you might want to know.
Thank you so much for the reply. Today I have a test ride planned with the Salsa 🤞, took me a while to find a dealer here in Europe . @@MongoDan I saw people going for the salsa and flat bar, but then indeed with a 1 size up (to compensate for reach and stack). Keep riding, and posting :)
@@matriskie Yes it is possible to size up, but at that point you might have an issue with stand over height. The Fargo has a high stand over to help accommodate a larger frame bag. I right XXLs on the mountain bike side and can say that even the XL Fargo is about as tall as I would want a frame. Glad you here able to find one in the EU, they are rare in the US as well.
Hey Dan. I ride the same bike. Forest Service Green. I'm thinking about getting a carbon fork. I see they're all tapered but my head tube is straight. The Fargo never had a tapered tube. How did you remedy this? Thanks.
That is the cool thing about the 44mm straight headtube. You can still run a taper fork in it. If I remember correctly your Fargo has a canecreek 10 headset with a ZS upper cup (internal) and a EC lower cup (external). If that is true, all you will need to run a taper fork is to buy the fork an replace the lower race with the 1.5" version. Worse case, you will have to replace the headset with the proper one.
@@MongoDan Thanks so much for the video and the reply. I was SO confused. LOL. So many folks put the carbon on their Fargo but never mentioned how, with the tapered headset. And yes, it's still the Cane Creek. Not the original but CC none-the-less. thanks again. LOVE my bike.
@@themindunset glad I could help. If you have any other questions let me know. I have a que of videos I want to make, tech related ones normally coke quicker than most of the others.
@@MongoDan Do you notice a big weight difference with the carbon fork? I'm wondering if it's worth the expense for the rewards. I'm changing my wheelset too but I'm not able to spend a ton of money on all of these upgrades so, I'm trying to get the biggest bang for my buck. Thanks again.
@@themindunset wheels are by far the biggest bang for your buck. I would put money into a good set of carbon wheels over almost anything else on the bike. Light Bicycle wheels are a good place to start, something like their am930 rims on hope to dtawiss hubs. I have many sets from them and all have been golden. Good wheels not only perform better, they will also save you money in the long run due to much less maintenance that carbon wheels give (they are much stronger). The drive train would be the next location I would upgrade. And the fork being the last, though I do feel the fire started carbon fork is a good upgrade because it is literally half the weight and it stiffer on all the ways you want it to be.
I have never toured on it with panniers but it is fully equipped for them and many have used them successfully. I have loaded it up fairly heavy with anything cages on the fork, front roll, and a big seatbag and it rode great with the extra weight. I'm no lightweight myself it has to deal with that and the cargo weight haha.
@@MongoDan whats the weight limit for the bike? I'm 270 and 6'1 and currently ride a recumbent trike which has a limit of 330 but now looking for a 2 wheel bike for long tours like the transamerica route where I can easily fly with my bike in a standard bike box plus able to take trains and buses without having to take it apart and box it up. Looking at the kona sutra and the surly long haul trucker.
@@stevemullin1195 I my weight has been a bit all over the place the past few years, I'm currently about 290 and have been as low as about 250 while on the Fargo. I'm not 100% sure if there is a weight limit but it handles my weight just fine, even loaded. I have flown with mine a number of times almost with trails, busses, and ferries 🙂. For surly I would look at the ghost grappler. I really like the way a wider tire in 2.2-2.5" rides, it's a lot less wearing on rougher surfaces and seems to handle the weight better. It's also worth considering a flat bar bike, maybe not quite as fast aero wise but rides a bit better over distance in my opinion (which is ever evolving as I ride more setups) due to having more control.
Ah you noticed that! The rear der is a 11sp GX model that I am using with a road shifter. Obviously that should not work. What I did was take the cable "fin" off of a Rival 1x der and replaced the cable "fin" on the GX with it. This properly corrected the cable pull difference. The reason I did this is that I didnt want the housing loop off (can get snagged offroad) the back that the Rival 1x der forces you to have as they put the barrel adjuster on the der. I got around adjusting the cable with an inline cable adjuster near the shifter. I think this is a much better setup due to being able to adjust the cable tension while riding and no loop off the back of the bike to get damaged!
@@MongoDan You're giving me too much credit- you said in this video that you would make a separate video on the rear derailleur :) Anyway, thank you for the thoughts on the Fargo- I'm trying to prioritize comfort and the Fargo is likely my next bike.
@@chrisE815 yeah I did say that but never got around to making the video, than SRAM self solved all the issues with AXS. I have since moved on from the Fargo looking for the ultimate comfort. I had a custom frame made based off the Fargo with all the changes that I thought would make the Fargo perfect and I think I achieved that. But I have also since moved on from that as well to a Revel Wayward with an alt bar setup. So far this has been a better bike for me but I need to put it through it's paces this summer. I went this way due to never really using the drops and wanting better hand positions when not in drops. A 17 degree swept back bar and inner barends might just be an ideal setup for me. I get a good useable tops position while also still having the comfy good position from a road bar, it also created an unexpected half way position that allows me to ride with my hands very open which is nice for long flat areas when you are just cruising. If there is anything you want to know in particular about this setup let me know as I will make a video about it in the next 4 weeks for sure.
I bought a stock Fargo and changed only the gearing for the GRMBR this summer. Do you think sticking with the stock wheels for 3,000 miles is a bad idea?
@@pgreenx those should be ok (they are not the STp version), but for piece mind I would go for the KOM version or another quality alloy or even a decent carbon rim. The company call light bicycle makes great fairly cheap carbon rims. I find carbon rims last a lot longer and need less maintenance in the long run.
@@MongoDan Thanks - I have ENves on my gravel bike but they wont fit on the fargo. I really like them (lifetime warrantee) but dont want to spend the money right now. Will check out KOM. Thanks again
I have not and personally prefer to not use a kick stand. The normally they dont work great on loaded bikes and are even more unstable when off-road. Also they generally make a lot of noise and can be a hazard if you wreck (think long pointy rod). Center stands are a better option but I don't think the Fargo is rated with either a kickstand or center stand. Normally bikes that are have a mounting plate near the bottom bracket and have reenforced chainstays in the mounting area.
