Salsa Fargo

[Catrin]

I am in love... again. Stella is jealous but I told her that she will always be first bike in my heart and that she can use a playmate :)

http://www.salsacycles.com/images/zoom_fargo_bk.jpg

I've been looking at this bike for a month, since someone on this forum posted the link as one of the bikes she has been looking for. I am not planning on purchasing until much later in the year, but the Fargo will certainly fit the riding needs that Stella (Trek 7.6 FX) isn't so suited for. I just hope that the fit will work out, I know it has a different geometry than my Trek.

And....there is a local dealer :)

[Tri Girl]

I want that bike!!! From the moment our eyes met, I was in love!!!! Maybe one day, but until then, I'll live vicariously through your quest to acquire the Fargo. What a gorgeous bike!!!:D

[Chicken Little]

Man, that is the bomb. I would grab one in a second if I walked past it. Beautiful.

[HillSlugger]

The info says up to 6 bottle mount locations and the picture shows 5; where would the 6th be?

[Catrin]

I want that bike!!! From the moment our eyes met, I was in love!!!! Maybe one day, but until then, I'll live vicariously through your quest to acquire the Fargo. What a gorgeous bike!!!:D

I called the local dealer today and had a good talk with him - if nothing else I had to figure out how much money I will need to save! They do have financing, but it would be nice if I don't go that route. I figure that I need to have at least a couple hundred miles on Stella before I start mixing up my bike geometry :p

I REALLY don't want to wait though, this bike spoke to me in that very first picture I saw of it a month ago. I've looked at Jamis bikes and a few other steel frame touring bikes (none were 29ers though) but this one just calls my name and wants to keep Stella company :D

[DebW]

The info says up to 6 bottle mount locations and the picture shows 5; where would the 6th be?

I think the pump is on the 6th mount.

[Tri Girl]

...but this one just calls my name and wants to keep Stella company :D

Yeah it does!!!

[Catrin]

Yeah it does!!!

You...enabler you... and what a nice quality it is :D I also found out that the dealer takes the same finance card that my usual LBS takes. I am going to wait, I am going to wait, I am going to wait :p

BTW, I really like that I can use both 700 and 29 tires on this bike. The local dealer told me that Salsa is going to release a road bike version of the Fargo soon - I wonder if that is why the price dropped between 2009 & 2010? He didn't say they were REPLACING the Fargo with a road bike version, but simply releasing one.

[HillSlugger]

I think the pump is on the 6th mount.

That makes sense. Duh! :o

[Catrin]

I WAS going to head to the local Salsa dealer today to see if the Salsa Fargo fits me...before I get too much head over heels in love with it... then the snow started flying. Perhaps Friday. I am not yet confident enough to try and ride a totally new bike in a snow covered parking lot - and doubt the store would let me anyway.

[Catrin]

I made it to my local Salsa dealer today and tried on a medium size Fargo (that was the smallest they had in stock). I am in lust....errr...love...errr...take your pick :0

First of all the medium is just too large for me, there was -0 clearance between me and the top tube (it touched). For the right leg position though we had to raise the seat, it certainly wasn't a problem that way. The Fargo, as you can tell:

http://www.salsacycles.com/images/zoom_fargo_bk.jpg

has road bars. I didn't seem stretched to get to the hoods, but to actually reach the brakes it was an issue. Note that I have only been around flat bars.

The SHIFTING however, that completed my falling in love. The bar end shifters are MUCH smoother and even quieter than my Trek 7.6. The small gears shifted like butter (they are indexed), and the 3 rings were also smoother to shift as well. It took far less force than my trigger shifters. I wouldn't be able to keep fingers close to both at the same time though, which I do like about Stella.

And can I sing the praises of the steel frame? It isn't THAT heavy, and there are beautiful, lugs? down where the wheel drops in? The paint is beautiful...indeed there is NOTHING not to love about this bike outside of the seat. I would not leave the store with the stock seat, that is obvious.

Ok, now I just have to pay off some debts, save some money, and hope to purchase him this summer - after I find a 16-inch (small) version somewhere to try on for size. It costs too much to not check out the fit - though it seems apparent that the small frame will likely fit.

[Catrin]

Ok, I seem vocal today :)

The Fargo has bar end shifters. Stella, my Trek, has trigger shifters that are right next to my brakes so all I have to do is to move my finger. To move from the brakes to the shifters on the Fargo I would have to move my whole ARM. Has anyone had problems with the distance between brakes and shifter levers with this kind of set-up?

[WindingRoad]

Wow, that is one kick a$$ bike! Where did you go to try out that bike if you don't mind me asking cuz I DO need a medium, :D

[KnottedYet]

Ok, I seem vocal today :)

The Fargo has bar end shifters. Stella, my Trek, has trigger shifters that are right next to my brakes so all I have to do is to move my finger. To move from the brakes to the shifters on the Fargo I would have to move my whole ARM. Has anyone had problems with the distance between brakes and shifter levers with this kind of set-up?

Nope.

I've got bar ends on my Surly, brifters (Campy) on my Waterford, downtubes on my Giant, and triggers on my Kona.

No problem. I actually like the bar ends more than the brifters and downtubes. They are on par with the triggers as far as my happiness is concerned.

[Catrin]

Wow, that is one kick a$$ bike! Where did you go to try out that bike if you don't mind me asking cuz I DO need a medium, :D

Indy Cycle Specialists - http://www.indycyclespecialist.com/

You won't find the Fargo on their site, but of course they do have at least one ;) It is indeed one kick a$$ bike! I start saving NOW :p

The LBS guy told me that it can go on single-track as well, which I had assumed given the description. I don't know that I will choose to do that, but it is good to know!

[BikeShopGirl]

Please do it! I need to hear more about your experience on it. Everyone I know that rides a Fargo are guys over 6 foot.