Salsa Fargo - Gravel Trip Report

I'm super excited about this new bike. I went on my first gravel ride yesterday and had a blast. The Fargo was very comfortable and handled rough roads very well. The bike felt light and responsive. I climbed hills with ease and hit 30mph on a flat spot at the end of the ride. I felt like I could have riden all day. I definitely have a new addiction to gravel riding. I've already got some new routes mapped out. All the good things I read about the Salsa Fargo are true. I love this bike and can't wait to ride it again.

Salsa Fargo added to the stable!

As if adding a complete singlespeed to my collection of bikes wasn't enough, I decided to add another new bike. A 2011 Salsa Fargo. This bike is a real jem. A steel frame/fork, with SRAM components. The Fargo is loaded with mounts for fenders, racks, bottle cages, and their proprietary "Anything Cages". The Salsa Woodchipper handlebars are a treat. My bigger frame loves the width these bars. The geometry provides a comfortable upright ride for the long haul. As this bike is brand new I haven't put it to the test yet, but plan to in the next couple days. I'll be back with a ride report.

The Stable is Growing!

I recently completed my singlespeed/fixed gear conversion. I think it turned out pretty nice. It took me alomost 2 years to complete, but the total time spent on it was about a weekend. I just really dragged my feet about the paint color scheme. I finally got motivated again about the project and decided to get it powder coated instead of trying to paint it myself. I found a local company that did it for $60 and had it done in a week. I had bought an Origin8 crankset for it that was annodized green and I had wrapped the bars green also. The wheels I laced up were all black. I wanted the frame to complement the green and black but not take away from it. I decided to go with a white frame and black fork.

The only original part left on the bike is the saddle. It says Panasonic across the back paying homage to what it used to be. I added a front brake based on my lack of ever riding a fixed gear bike and not knowing how to brake by skidding the rear tire. I intend to learn and maybe someday take the brake off, but for now it's like my training wheels. It's there for my safety. I had read on Sheldon Brown's site that if you are using a flip flop hub to start with the fixed gear side and get used to that. I really have to disagree with that. I am going to flip it over to the freewheel side of the hub and get used to that first.

Our midwest weather has not allowed me to get it out and ride it yet so still waiting to take it out for a good test ride.