The small bike manufacturer Salsa Cycles believes that a bike can be more than just a bike: it takes you to new places, other people and to new insights about yourself and the world around you. So it's a point of honour to build a special bike for the longest off-road cycle path in the world.
It's good that they can draw on a long history of experience with the 29er concept. After all, the freaks at Salsa Bikes were among the first to fit the smooth-running, fat tyres to mountain bikes - which in the USA are basically just stable touring bikes - and were able to experience the advantages in terms of grip, smoothness and riding comfort first-hand.
The Fargo 2 is logically designed for maximum simplicity and versatility: The triple-butted steel frame (easy to repair if broken) can be fitted with a rigid or suspension fork. Single, double or triple cranks can be fitted to the bottom bracket, and the rear triangle can also take single-speed or derailleur gears up to 10 gears. For brakes, a decision was made in favour of mechanical disc stoppers: they can be adjusted without tools, are easy to maintain and work reliably and powerfully even in dirty and wet conditions.
The full-length article from issue 5/2013 is available as a free PDF download.
