Been riding the Fargo daily to work now for a couple of weeks and really enjoying this bike.
It ticks all the boxes on what i wanted which was a drop bar commuter with disc brakes that has off road ability and looking forward to Sunday rides around East Lothian and further afield in the coming months...
The Fargo is a no brainer concept.
A drop bar 29er with disc brakes and rack mounts means a very versatile bicycle. As happy on the road as off it. It can be loaded up with panniers of shopping mid week after work or camping gear at weekends for micro adventures and maybe something bigger in the future...
Spec;
2012 Salsa Fargo 2 frame set size medium (18"),
Halo 29er Freedom rims on Hope pro 2 hubs,
Halo Twin Rail 29er 2.2" tyres, Continental tubes with Stans juice,
Salsa 46cm wide Bell Lap Handlebars,
Surly 100mm stem,
Crane Creek Headset,
Shimano Sora STI 9 speed brake/shifters,
Shimano Sora 9 speed front mech,
Shimano Deore 9speed rear mech,
Shimano 170mm lenght Deore Crank set 44,32,22t (36t middle now),
Shimano LX 9 speed cassette,
Sram PC 991 9 speed chain,
Sram BB7 Road calliper's and 160mm discs,
Brooks leather bar tape,
Brooks B17 saddle,
Carbon seat post (unbranded),
Time At ac pedals,
extras;
Topeak 29er rear rack (pair of Karrimor waterproof panniers),
Epic Designs (now named Revelate) frame bag (a Surly Pugsley 18" bag which fits!),
Cateye Commuter trip meter,
2005 Hope HID light with the later Hope HID smaller battery,
Tacx bar end commuter lights,
Cateye rear light,
Electron front light (used as a blinky/back up),
Topeak Modula Java bottle cage,
Still to get a rear rack mounted rear light, i like to run two lights each end in winter,
I already had the 29er wheels and tyres,
Headset,stem, rear mech,cassette were removed low mileage from the Moonlander,
Brooks saddle a present from friend Tom for a weekend hire of my pugsley for a highlands bivvi trip,
Carbon seat post was used when i found a spare stock Surly Moonlander post not long enough,
Lights have been on loads of bikes over the years and the Surly pugsley 18" frame bag has now been fitted in 6 different 18" frames,
Wide bars were fitted for more control and comfort as i am broad shouldered. I went for a bar height set up for riding mostly on the brake hoods. Most off road riding this bike will see will be gravel tracks and easy trails...
The Halo Twin Rail tyres will provide enough grip for where it will be off road. They also give a real comfy ride when dropped in pressure to around 40 PSI. Running at 60 PSI for commuting...
The Topeak Module Java cage is ideal as can fit my small flask, ideal having a coffee when out riding...
170mm cranks were bought as i read about the low BB height of the Fargo,
Clipped in again after years riding flat pedals. My old Shimano MT90 boots have seen better days and i need a new pair before winter...
Brooks saddles need no intro... this is my sixth Brooks and i love em. Got a rain cover for it too...
Cateye Commuter trip. I only bought this over a basic trip for the temperature!...
A bit of overspend on the basic budget spec but i thought seeing as i plan to keep this bike for years and use it daily to splash out on leather bar tape.
The Tacx bar end lights are bright but a bit fragile but can be unscrewed for offroad riding at weekends...
I don`t like the ugly stainless rails on the rear rack so will probably make my own.
Blackburn racks are strong and not too heavy and the mudgaurd centre will help keep road water off,
though it will need a home made extension for winter...
At last a daily work bike with a Hope hub. Love these hubs and now have six of them...
Shimano Sora STI shifters are not supposed to be compatible with Shimano MTB cranksets so i really should of used Shimano Dura Ace 9 speed bar end shifters with the Deore drive chain.
Using a Sora 9 speed front mech and removing the plastic spacer that should always be fitted between the external BB bearings and frame i seem to have got round this!,
Did take a lot of fiddling around with BB on and off and front mech setting to get it all working...
Starting again i would just go for Bar End shifters, this would also allow a swap to the Salsa Woodchipper style of bar which is shaped for riding mostly on the drops...
Replacing the 32t middle ring for a 36t has made the gearing for my needs near perfect, ideal into strong head winds and climbing. Deore chainrings are on all my shimano crank bikes as nice and cheap at £12 each...
BB7 brakes are great, more than powerful enough and these like my other bikes BB7s will get fitted with Superstar sintered pads which are ideal and a bargin at £23 for 4 pairs..
A detour home after work!, using an old byway for what it was intended for...
A - B transport...
Not been as excited about riding a bicycle since i got my Surly Pugsley nearly 5 years ago, this bike again opens up new avenues of cycling here in East Lothian...
I'd have a Fargo in a shot if I didn't already have my Amazon.
ReplyDeleteThe Woodchippers work fine with STIs. I got mine for off-roading but find them equally comfy whentouring. Your bar-end lights will be off at the "wrong" angle mind :-)
The rack extensions: Have you considered one of those seat clamps with rack drillings? It gives a shorter/less weird angle to the extensions.
I never realised STI shifters would work ok on WCs Colin as all the pics i see always shows Bar end shifters!, i just thought the angle would be all wrong.
ReplyDeleteGood idea about those seat clamps with the rack holes, thanks! -:)
The Fargo is looking so good... I have to get the Trucker rolling. Those rack supports don't work for me but I think the curve they use is the best balance for the frame. Could they be replaced by a curved mudguard/rack support, carbon effect??
ReplyDeletei will try the seat clamp option first then maybe wrap them in neoprene to act as a splash gaurd...
ReplyDeleteYep get the LHT rolling Ped -:)