The Bikes

2014 Salsa Fargo Titanium

DAAAAAAAMN, Gina! I fell in love with this bike well before it was even shipped (easy to do since they delayed the hell out of it). It was my background screen on my laptop for about two years, then it magically showed up at my LBS and won my heart in person. It was ridden hard for about a season or two after replacing my Gen 1 Fargo, seeing action in the Iowa Spring Classic, TransIowa v10, training for said TI, a few other races and hundreds other miles of midwest gravel before being replaced by the Salsa Carbon Warbird and later Pink, both more appropriate rockets for what I was doing at the time.

Now that I’m in the actual mountains, the surrounding areas provide the kind of terrain and “roads” befit a beast of this magnitude. The Fargo and I shall now be pushing both our limits in areas I have dreamt of tackling and in which the Fargo was meant to tread.

The Bike:

  • Stock SRAM 2×10 drivetrain
  • Avid BB7r Brakes (stock also)
  • Salsa Regulator Ti seatpost
  • Ragley Luxy Dirt Drop bar
  • Rear Thru Axle Alternator plates added
  • Selle Anatomica 1st Generation saddle
  • ESI RCT bar tape 
  • Sinewave Beacon Headlight
  • Thomson x4 110mm stem
  • Salsa Nickless Cage on downtube

Wheelset:

  • Front: Whisky Carbon Cross Rim/Son28 15TA Dyno hub
  • Rear: Whisky Carbon Cross Rim/White Industries XMR 142×12 TA Hub
  • Tires: WTB Riddler 700×45’s for review (Currently reviewing for mixed surface dirtbagging with high percentage of pavement/maintained gravel)

Pedals:

  • Crank Brothers Mallet
  • Looking for a few traditional flat pedals for review/comparison

Bags:

  • Handlebar:
    • Revelate Sweetroll w/Pocket
  • Seat:
    • Revelate Viscacha
  • Frame:
    • Porcelain Rocket Custom
  • Cockpit:
    • Revelate MagTank
    • Revelate Feedbag x2
  • Fork:
    • Salsa Anything Cage
    • Sea to Summit 7L dry bags
  • Misc:
    • Revelate Jerry Can seat post bag
    • JPaks Gravel Pak (which I gave to a friend and will be getting another asap)

The Kit

You never realize how much stuff you have on your bike until you have to sit down and list it all. The following stuff goes with me in some form or another whether doing some LobsterPacking for an overnighter, a week-long dirtbagging excursion, or an extended tour on the trusty Touring Bike Of Doom.

Electronics:

  • Garmin Etrex 35t gps
    • 4x backup rechargeable AA batteries
    • Energizer Charger for AA batteries (only on extended trips)
  • Bluetooth Earbuds (used mainly to listen to Judas Priest when I wanna cry)
  • Anker Power Core 13000 power bank
    • Looking to switch to two smaller units that can be swapped out between being charged and charging other devices OR a “smart charger” that can take a charge while discharging. Any help on finding said smart device or plans for building one at home would be greatly appreciated
  • Cell Phone
    • Current Apps used for travel:
      • iOverlander – great for finding boon docking/BLM sites, etc. more for motor camping, but has its merits
      • ACA Bicycle Route Navigator – Purchased ACA routes are downloaded to your phone, so no service needed to follow. Maps show bike-friendly camping, hotels, restaurants, bike shops. Great for the obvious: ACA routes.
      • Maps.me – Download maps for wherever you are at. Free. Easy. You should probably have this in your arsenal at all times.
      • Google/Apple Maps – the big box gold standards for navigation.
      • Uber/Lyft – Sometimes shit happens. You’d be surprised where you can find a ride share out there in the middle of seemingly nowhere. This has saved me more times than any navigation software
  • Light & Motion Commuter 750 rechargeable headlight (for backup)
  • Some cheapo head lamp from Amazon, usually strapped to the handlebar bag

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