I'm getting a bike company to build me a salsa fargo ti with a rohloff belt drive and its going expensive but will last a lifetime. I'm getting the exact bike the mechanic has just differant colors. So glad i went with these guys and knowing the mechanic already owns one and knows what i need to build a rohloff salsa ti set up is such a good feeling.
Daniel, Thanks for the great content. I too have a Salsa Ti and absolutely love it. Every time I take a ride and come home I just stand back and say "man I love the ride of this bike". Mine is a 2018 and I did bite the expensive bullet and went the Rolhoff/Gates belt route and have NO regrets. My rig has cable activated Yokozuna Motoko brakes with their compression-less cable housing. The whole set-up requires zero maintenance while giving a smooth quiet compliant ride. You are also so right about having the right bike shop, if you go with a Rohloff you should for sure talk with Neil at CycleMonkey in the SF bay area, he's the NA distributor for Rohloff and knows his stuff.
Wow. Great info. Thank you. I'm not sure I'm going internal hub now. I have a sinking supicion I'm just going to replace the cogs and stay with SRAM but I am so busy it really doesn't matter. As long as it works. GRX looks good but it's pricey.
Great vid, I bought the 2022 Fargo Apex1 (dark green)... The feel geometry riding experience of this bike is far far beyond any other bike I've owned and I've owned quite a few love the Fargo maybe I need a TI frame haha!!
Completely agree regarding bike shops, I eventually was so frustrated I just bought the manuals and tools and now I build and maintain my own bikes. If one wanted a photography parallel, it's kind of like printing - there's just something about doing it yourself that is really rewarding to me personally. Bikes and photography - if you just add in music (preferably guitars) - you'd have the perfect channel! Thanks.
What a great video. As a kid and teen I rode my bmx bike all the time and everywhere. I had a mountain bike in my early 20s but didn't ride for nearly 20 years. Last summer I was going to get a bike. After almost buying a mountain bike I decided to go with a BMX cruiser. It's been quite fun. I love the fact that I only have one gear which really gives me a workout. The downside is that the bike is not made well for off road riding. After watching your video i did a little research into salsa and noticed they had a single gear bike as well.... Looks like I'm adding something to my want list for down the road. On another note ... I just completed a magazine thru blub with all of my favorite Portraits that I've done over the last 20 years. So stoked about getting it in my hands. Thanks for all you do for the RU-vid community 🙏✌️
Single speeds are awesome.Simple and low maintenance. A single with carbon belt would be ideal in my mind. I did a ride once with an OLD guy, really OLD guy. He had a single speed folding bike with 40,000 miles on it. He'd ridden it around the world basically. Way to go on the Blurb front.
Similar experience with bike decisions and so happy I took my time buying a bike. I bought a Fargo steel frame and had it built it to accommodate my needs...such a good bike for a traveler travelling single track, gravel and tarmac.
Daniel Milnor I love the look of the Fargo Ti frame but have never ridden one and it was out of my budget..but super happy with the steel frame, I wish RU-vid allowed shared photos in the comments....super happy 😊
Very pleasantly surprised and inspired by your bike Life episodes, and had planned on checking out the Salsa and priority bikes, but fate stepped in and I got a Schwinn Tempo (an 87 in remarkably good condition) for a fraction of the cost of a new bike. Excited to get peddling again! Thanks!!
I went with the Rohloff and Gates belt using the Gebla shifting system with Sram Force. I had Cycle Monkey in the Bay Area build it for me. Very happy with my Fargo. FYI, I travel a lot and also had couplers installed but the fork is too long and doesn’t fit in a checkable travel case.
Damnit Ryan. But hey, one less than optimal item mixed in with a multitude of good......My only question about the Rohloff is that I do a lot of pretty standard road rides where I'm shifting nonstop. Seems like the shimano GRX might be better. If I was touring, the Rohloff would be grand.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 what's nice about the Rolhoff is the very wide gear range and the gears are equally space apart which makes shift very consistent and easy to tune while riding with jumps of 2 or 3 gears at once no problem
I came inches from being ran over by cars and busses multiple times. Believe it or not, some them were - and I quote - "teaching me to be careful cycling on the streets because they are dangerous". Just after my second ironman (meaning I used to ride A LOT), I decided I had one too many people I knew die from traffic "accidents" and just stopped. Now I stick to running.
It's dangerous in most places. I quite riding a motorcycle for the same reason. Someone would nearly kill me then roll the window down and lecture me. However, with 1000's of miles of gravel road it's not an issue. Lyme really impacted my joints so running is great but the pain penalty is too much. I did a 30k last year and was okay but took me a while to recover.
A really nice video! I love biking. A gravel kind of bike is really intriguing though at the moment I only do road cycling, live at sea level, flat surfaces and not much off road nearby so it's all for training, fun and feeling good. I really agree, biking would improve the lives of everyone, not only the planet. Sailing and biking, the two best means of transportation invented by man, one is old as heck now and the other is getting there but still the two best ways, clean and efficient. And I really think that biking would take the edge off of some of those angry frustrated drivers (I haven't had things thrown at me but more or less everything else, including functioning as a front mascot on a transport car last year (where my prior bike saw the end of its life).
Sailing and biking is ultimate combo. Agreed. Gravel is a lot of fun. I have a morning ride that's about twenty miles. About 2/3 tarmac and 1/3 gravel.
Steel version is much cheaper. Also, getting ready to do a five bike film, suggestions. Salsa Journeyman is on the list. It's awesome and less expensive.
Much truth in this video! Thanks Daniel. Salsa is an intelligent, quality company. Great products that are reasonably priced. And I love the "one bike" concept. While I do have a quiver, my bike that gets used the most is the go anywhere, hybrid. I got seriously into photography and bikes in the late '70's. Number one thing is fit. It's MUCH better to be on an average bike that fits vs a super bike that does not fit. Like you, titanium was the wonder material I've always lusted after; too good to be true. That with an odd body shape (short legs/long torso) helped me justify a ti Seven. Completely opposite buying experience than what you went thru. Love the bike talk. Keep riding!
My buying experience was not optimal but I've been to so many bike shops over the years I was somewhat expecting it. My preferred shop is a rarity in my experience. We have several good shops here in New Mexico, thankfully. Seven is fantastic. I looked at their Expat model but just couldn't afford it. They also supported a solid project titled Cycling Silk which I thought was well done.
It's been so long since I've done this film Chris I can't remember what doc. There are SO many now I'm not sure where to start. And many of them are really solid. Ride The Divide is awesome.
I just tried to figure out how many miles on this thing based on the tires I've done through. I've had it for ten years and Think I'm about 15,000 to 20,000 miles in. I want better components but otherwise the bike has been great.
When I worked in a bike shop, the one bike I wanted for no good reason was the Salsa Fargo. You are correct that it is a great all around do everything bike, especially in titanium. Well, it's not going to be fast on long rides, but everything else. Salsa, Surly and a few other brands are all from the same company, QBP, here in Minneapolis, and made to last. Surly is all steel frames, and Salsa is their carbon, aluminum and titanium brother. Titanium is a great investment and you can always swap the components in perpetuity. Two wheels good, my brother. For your bike, I'd recommend Surly Extraterrestrial 700x x 40mm tires when your Schwalbes wear out. Schwalbe makes wonderful tires, but many compounds are prone to puncture. Sorry you had a shitty experience with dealers. That shit wouldn't fly here in Minneapolis.
I've been riding Schwalbe for ten years and have yet to have a puncture.Wait, I lied. Racing Ralphs, which were as thin as a napkin, flatted nonstop. Buy my tour tires, referred to as the unflatalbe tires, have been stellar. And I mean stellar. They are heavy as Hell, but impervious to anything including goatheads. And you are correct, not going to win any races but many is the Fargo a fun bike.
Dear Mr. Milnor, my name is Kody Milnor, and I am a long time fan of yours. I’ve been following your channel for a long time, and I have a question for you. I am simply curious as to how you got your start in the world of photography, leading you to be the the photography icon, and the general photography Guru that you are today. While I am but a humble human being, and not the God-like creature I see before me in your videos, I am simply wondering. Is it possible for a guy like me? Sincerely, your biggest fan.
I am still a little shy about cycling in Arizona due to a local yahoo running me off the road with his car and then pulling a gun on me. I thought it was a little over the top considering that I was just riding down the road on the shoulder and never even saw this guy until his fender was pushing me into a ditch. I am alive and that is what counts. This can happen anywhere, and it can happen to people in cars too. I am dedicated to riding and I always try to remember that most people are decent and don’t want to kill all cyclists...
Yes, there are crazies out there. Radicalized Americans. Often the gun-loving type who tossed logic and fact out the window a long time ago. I grew up around some of these folks. I've been called names, had bottles thrown at me, etc. Rolling coal is another favorite. The guy who centers his life around his diesel pickup. Oddly enough, my experience in cities has been that female drivers are far more aggressive than men.
Hi, Lovely video, great words and love the honesty! Just get out and ride :) Hey, was actually wondering what size frame you have there and what frame bag you are using as i am wanting to make a frame bag for a Large Fargo Ti but havent actually got the bike in front of me to get the dimensions etc... Any help would be great! and i will keep dreaming of owning a Ti bike till then.. Cheers!
i am considering the steel version of it, have ever thought about adding a suspension fork to it ? i have seen a few fargos with them. thanks for the great vid
I have but am not sure which I would go after. That is the one thing that could really help, especially on washboard roads. I would love a lock out however as I do a lot of road miles. And, I'd still love to have cages on the front fork.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 i ride a lot of gravel roads and specially in summer, riding every day my wrists really started to hurt. thats why i would consider getting one with a suspension fork. ideally with the lock out option. the other bike i really like is the Mone La Roca, they are a small custom bike company. gotta make up my mind :)
I’m looking for a similar style bike. Do you have a single or double cog on the crank? I’ve seen several people with the Fargo running a Rohloff hub and belt drive.
I keep hearing how the Fargo is so much more more mountain/ dirt oriented that it is simply a mountain bike. As I have hear also of people road riding them ,any input would be helpful. I have riden my Trek520 on a lot of different surfaces with 38 marathons and been pretty happy. But the fargo is supposed to be more friendly on the lower back and can be all purpose..as I've heard. So my thoughts are to let go of my CannonD MB and Trek 520 and have a single space in garage for one bike. So Salsa Fargo ,here I come. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Noel, I too had a 520! Loved that bike. The Fargo feels more adventure oriented. It's more nimble and will take a wider range of tire. Also geared lower. It is the Swiss Army Knife of bikes. I do road rides, gravel, single track, etc. Often in the same ride. I have chosen to go with one wheel set with a do-everything tire, but if you had two wheel sets it could be even better. And I love the titanium but it is pricy.
Wow, saddle is so personal. My Salsa has what I would call a fairly spongy WTB mountain bike saddle, but it also has a Thudbuster seat post so it's VERY cushy. My Bianchi has a seat designed by the devil but it was a race bike so understandable. I would go to a shop and FEEL as many as you can.
Oh yes, I will try some options in person for sure. My Cube (not comparable to the Salsa) has come with a pretty nice saddle but in the last year, I don’t know why, it’s a pain already after 10km. I think I need a super soft seat like yours. Thank you so much Daniel!!
Dan, I appreciate the videos you put out there and I appreciate your sense of humour. And your knowledge in photography and visual media more generally. But I'm wondering what are you trying to do with this channel. You started off talking about photography, and this is what attracted me in the first place. Then you drifted to books (also very nice), yoga, photo gear. Now it's about bikes and biking. What next? Don't you think you're spreading yourself too thin?
Hey Florin, I made a huge mistake by being solely focused on photography for twenty-eight years of my life. This channel was never about one thing, nor will it ever be. I finally have a balance in my life, so all of the things I'm involved with will be a part of this channel. Photography isn't enough anymore, at least for me. If I had to guess, the channel will be about photography/bookmaking as well as the adventure side of my life. Also, I have no goal with this. I'm not here to game anyone by creating content that will attract the masses. There are already so many people doing that there would be no reason for me to add to the mix. My next film is about printing photographs, followed by a film about AG23 and then I'll do a film about having chronic illness as many folks have asked me about this. Never know what will flow out here.
Anything that gets people on bikes is great with me. Least inspiring are the mtn bikers who power uphill then ride down. Most inspiring, people who haven't been on a bike in years who are out riding due to the assist from the Ebike. I like to ride with my wife but isn't a strong rider. Her heart is there and she LOVES to go and the second she got on an Ebike she said "Now I can ride more with you." So, overall it's love/love.
Yes, you are WAY beyond anywhere I will ever be. Speaking of epic. Do you know the "Cycling About" channel on YT. He seems like he's got a cool plan as well.
Hola @@DANIELMILNOR505 anyone can do what I do, as I’m not the strongest or fastest cyclist (I’m only persistent). In fact, I don’t even consider myself a cyclist… I’m just a photographer who travels by bike. I know about Alee’s Project but I don’t really share his point of view (trying to “sell epic adventures”). On the other hand, no matter who their sponsors are, riding “off-road” with a touring bike & panniers isn’t the best idea… and a rigid aluminum frame isn’t more comfortable than a steel one 😉
@@federicotheironlyportrait Hey, he's on a bike. For me, all that matters. I cull through the rest to connect with the locations and landscapes. And heck, if Koga gave me a bike, I'd take it. Those things are badass. That ride he is on, Patagonia to Alaska would be insanely good, but i'd probably go the opposite direction..
Hey @@DANIELMILNOR505, I totally agree Koga makes great bikes if you're touring on pavement... but even if they offer to sponsor my project, I would never say they're the best option to explore remote locations, when I know they are definitely not. There're other riders really making epic routes in their way down from Alaska (www.highlux.co.nz/) and if I ever have $6000 to spare, I'll invest them in a custom made Ti bike (fireflybicycles.com/mountain/)
Daniel Milnor KLX 250 💫💫💫 I just purchased a royal Enfield Himalayan as it’s like a film Leica body to me , simple, mechanical and no tech really. If only I could use the Himalayan in the Himalayas right now !
