Field Tested: 2014 Salsa Fargo Ti | Expedition Portal @expoportal

A couple years ago, perhaps suffering from a severe case of bikepack fever, I purchased a Salsa Fargo frame to serve as a project bike for Expedition Portal. It turned out to be one of the more enjoyable bicycles I have ever had the pleasure to ride. What I thought would only be a novel diversion from real bicycles evolved into a deep love of the Fargo with its seemingly endless possibilities. As winter arrived, my steel Fargo was replaced with Salsa’s new flagship model, the 2014 Fargo Ti.
Building on the success of their previous titanium Fargo, Salsa set out to relaunch the model with a handful of significant refinements. Most noteworthy is the redesign of the fork, now called the Firestarter. Constructed of carbon fiber with a sculpted shape worthy of wolf whistles, it is the one update to the Fargo which I feel has made the most noticeable difference to the ride quality. The new fork features 15mm thru-axle dropouts, a full carbon steerer, and to the applause of every adventure rider, Anything Cage mounts now positioned on the forward aspect of the fork blades. That latter refinement is a smart evolution of the Anything Cage as it moves them out of harm’s way should they, or the bag they contain, inadvertently contact the rotating wheel. The new frame and fork combo is also now corrected for a 100mm suspension fork for those wanting to push the Fargo into more technical turf.

Comments