Salsa Fargo, Best Commuter Bike Ever?

My usual commuter workhorse is my Surly Long Haul Trucker. It’s a great bike and handles everything that I throw at it. Every once in a while I ride my Salsa Fargo in to work though. It’s a nice change of pace and the more I ride it I’m convinced of one thing. This bike is the ultimate commuter bike.

My LHT has a 26″ wheels and they are pretty comfy, but the Fargo’s 29ers blows them away. I only run the tires at about 45psi and they make for one nice ride. It doesn’t feel much slower, although I think it is. There are a couple of climbs on my route, and the Fargo does feel like more effort is needed to get the wheels moving. However, the ride that the tires provide is more than worth it.

I love how much higher it feels than the LHT. Thanks to the higher bottom bracket and the seat/bar position, I have a better view of the road, even while using the drops. I think I spend more time in the drops on the Fargo than I do on the LHT.

I use an Old Man Mountain rear rack to mount my Arkel panniers. With the Arkel’s I can carry everything that I need for work, well, probably for 4 days. They are a bit overkill. Now with the fenders installed, the Fargo is the perfect all-weather commuter.

I think the best part of riding the Salsa Fargo around the city, is just the amount of looks it gets. Everything about it is overkill as a commuter. It looks more like a tank than a bike, and scares small children. Everyone that looks at does a double take. I guess that’s what makes it a fun bike to ride.