Friday, October 23, 2015

My Opinions Of The Salsa Fargo

Salsa Fargo Review
Greetings fellow bicycle enthusiasts. I have yet to do a product review and thought I would give it a go with a review of my 2012 Salsa Fargo. I purchased the Fargo two years ago and although I have not kept track I would guesstimate that I have put well over one thousand miles on it. It has been used as my main bike packing mule. I have ridden it on all types of terrain. We have travelled through snow, on gravel roads, dirt roads, single track, and on parts of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. I have also slimmed down the tires and used it as a daily commuter. I am not a tech guy or a mechanic so I will primarily focus on the way the Fargo has ridden over the last two years. The technical specs can be found on the Salsa website.




The Fargo is a great off road touring/adventure bike. It has performed flawlessly during multiple overnight trips on gravel roads, dirt roads and rail trails. The gearing is perfect for the ups and downs of gravel travel. I have found it to be a very relaxing ride on gravel roads. The bike handles incredibly well over gravel and dirt. The bike is also a great climber on long hills. The 29 inch wheels role gently over rocks, roots and most anything else that I have come across on the road or off.

The Fargo performs very well when loaded with gear. I have travelled with panniers and other bags strapped to the back rack. I have strapped tents and sleeping bags on the handle bars and the frame. There are plenty of places to connect water bottles and other accessories. In fact you can spend a small fortune on Salsa Anything Cages and bike bags that are specifically designed for the Fargo. However if you are on a limited budget, you can purchase a rear bike rack from Nashbar for twenty dollars or less and it will haul any throw together bag you can strap on. The bike rides incredibly well and is very stable when loaded down. I can’t say that you don’t notice the weight when loaded but I can honestly say that it is not a distraction even on long steep climbs. It is not a particularly fast bike but it is not designed to be.

Riding the Fargo downhill is a lot of fun. The drop bars are very comfortable to tuck down and let it roll. I have ridden the bike on multiple mile downhills on gravel and paved roadways in Colorado and it was incredibly comfortable and easy to control. I would not compare it to a road bike however it was a close second given the big tires and basic mountain bike design.



Although the Fargo has been functional on single track, it is not designed for true single track terrain. It does well on long slow climbs and flat single track riding. It also does well on single track downhill as long as it is not real technical. However I have found that the drop bars and the bar end shifters are not ideal for extended single track riding. The bike does not do well in technical settings either. Some of this may be personal preference; however for me the design of the bike is just not suited for riding over large rocks on tight trails. This being said, it can be ridden on pure single track trails. You just have to understand its limitations. Quick shifting is going to be challenging, riding in a flat bar position is going to be somewhat narrow and braking is not ideal on tight quickly changing terrain. It is possible to change the handle bar configuration on the Fargo but losing the great touring options of the drop bars it not worth it in my opinion.  

When reading reviews on the Fargo I have often seen the question “is it a good one bike for everything?” Or “if I could afford only one bike, should I buy the Fargo?” Those are difficult questions that are largely based upon personal preference. I would say that if the majority of your riding is going to be off road touring, and you are going to ride single track on occasion then the answer is yes it would be a good “one bike” to own. However if you are looking for a bike to strap on the back of a car and head out to hammer down some great single track, and then ride an occasional off road tour, I would not recommend it as your “one bike.”

Overall the Fargo has been a great bike that I still find very enjoyable to ride. Mechanically the bike has performed flawlessly. The cable disc brakes are easy to maintain and perform very well even on steep downhill terrain. The 3x9 gearing set up provides a huge range of options while out touring over a variety of terrain. The wood chipper drop bars flare out slightly and are incredibly comfortable providing numerous options for hand placement while on long distance rides. I have found the stock WTB seat to be very comfortable however, to each his own on the saddle end. The bar end shifters work well while out touring and allow for more open bar space for the purpose of strapping on gear.

When used as a daily commuter, the bike also performs very well. I have ridden it with the large tires and I have also thinned it down and placed some 700c tires on it for the purpose of gaining a little additional speed. It works fine both ways. I am using it now for a daily commuter with the larger tires on board and it works fine. It is incredibly comfortable on pavement. Keep in mind however that my daily ride is only a couple of miles each way. If you were travelling greater distance and looking for a daily commuter specific ride, a road bike would probably be a better bet. That being said, the Fargo is an incredibly fun bike to ride, that I would not hesitate to ride to work over multiple miles of pavement. The shorter wheel base and large tires however will make for a little longer ride to work in the morning.

The Fargo is a great bike. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a well constructed multi-purpose bike. Just understand its design before you spend the thousand plus dollars on it. If you are looking to be the king of the single track then you might want to look elsewhere. However if you love off road touring that can handle the occasional single track then I cannot think of a better bike for the job.

Enjoy the Ride


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