OK, So, for the future I am looking to save up for and then build up a long distance off road tourer thingy, and I have narrowed it down to 2 frames
Surly troll (would be fitted with some form of drop bars)
Or a salsa Fargo (also with drops)

Now I know the pros and cons of both, but which would you choose and why?
Atb
Ben

If you're going to run drops then go for a Fargo. You might find the TT too long and the HT too short on the Troll, you might also have to run a very high, short stem.

The Fargo's designed for drops so those issues don't exist.

I'd go for the Fargo, err, I did go for a Fargo!

x3 Fargo. If drops are your game you'll love the Fargo. It was the most comfortable bike I've owned, just get the size right :)

I just ordered a fargo so fargo.

To throw in a spanner - Singularcycles Gryphon 8-)

Cheeky Monkey wrote:To throw in a spanner - Singularcycles Gryphon 8-)

No rack eyes or it would be Top of the list, I love singular bikes more than almost any other (charge freezer ti)
And I wouldn't trust anyone to braze any eyes on either

There are rack systems that don't need eyes, Bikepacking gear doesn't need any and there are plenty of very competent, pro frame builders who can weld stuff on.

Just messing with your head

Gryphons are lovely though.

I will say that one attraction of the Fargo was it's plentiful braze-ons and I merrily added a rack and mudguards when I first got it. They lasted about three rides and then I fitted Bikepack.eu soft luggage so only the fork mounts are used for bottles.....and monkey cages could do that on normal forks!

Another consideration with drop bars is the gear shifters. I soon got the hang of bar-end shifters but they can be a pain as you have to be careful how you lay your bike down (or crash!) as the angled drops can lead you lean the loaded bikes weight right onto the shifter, also during some WRT pushing I was starting to get annoyed with getting jabbed in the ribs by the shifters. It does depend on the gear you're in as to whether they poke out or not!

Overall I do still love the bike, its fun to ride and I don't miss suspension half as much as I thought I might. With a second set of wheels with skinny tyres on its alright for road riding as well.

Ben98 wrote:And I wouldn't trust anyone to braze any eyes on either

This is pretty simple (on a steel frame) to someone who knows what they are doing. I had bottle bosses welded into my forks and half a chainstay replaced (due to chainsuck damage) and it's been used for bikepacking, general riding and thrashed round a few trail centres since.

I vote fargo if you want drops which has the added bonus of being brown!

If they did a flat bar version of the fargo I'd be very tempted but as it is I might just have some more bottle bosses fitted under my downtube instead

Brothersmith is running Jones bars on his Fargo. :)

Are there any 26" drop bar steel mountain bike frames about? I would worry about getting 29er parts in far off lands?

Are there any 26" drop bar steel mountain bike frames about? I would worry about getting 29er parts in far off lands?

I assume you'll be wanting discs? So how about a Surly LHT disc ... Think I'd be more worried about finding brake spares than 29" wheel parts though.




Or one of these maybe ... proper lovely.

Personally would go down the Fargo route but I am biased as I already own one. The troll is a pretty special piece of kit but the dropouts are a pain in the arse for getting the wheel out if you are running it geared. Either way I would avoid bar end shifters and go for STI's, the luddites will tell you that they will break in the middle of nowhere and you will be eaten by wolves due to being stuck in one Gear but the convenience of nice shifting far outweighs any downsides and when was the last time you heard of a broken one? I run mine with the widest salsa bell lap bars available and it is really comfortable and surprisingly good off road in the tight and twisty stuff and really stable when loaded up.

If you are sti phobic then you could try and get a set of kelly take offs. I had one on a road bike for a while, way better than a bar end shifter.

johnnystorm wrote:Brothersmith is running Jones bars on his Fargo. :)

Fargo loaded by Brother Smith, on Flickr

You have to run a 130mm stem to get same position but it works well for me.

If you want versitality go Fargo. I have built it up into several different guises from drop bar tourer, to monster cross, to mountain bike and if I only had to have one bike this would be it. A change of tyres or wheels is all you need to change its purpose. The best thing I can say about it is that I am actually thinking about selling my beloved Soda as I tend to to choose the Fargo for 90% of my riding.

Be sure why you want it though. For me the initial USP's are the bits I have got rid off. I wanted drops but after a year of them on my Fargo I just couldn't get on with them. I have small hands and to reach the brake levers from drops I had to mount them so low down the hoods were useless as a hand position. Also because you set them up so the drop is roughly the height of your normal bars put the tops too high for me to use. Lowering the position of the drops just made things scary! I did like the angle they put your hands at though, comfy with what felt like more control. The fact my hands were always on the drops though gave me numb hands after a while. Jones are best of both worlds.

The other USP was the fork mounts. Unless I am going for a week or so I never use them and i have currently swapped them out for some Niner's.

You know your front mudguard is back to front yeah?

What drops did you use?

restlessnative wrote:You know your front mudguard is back to front yeah?

Really! :D

I have a small frame and when I first got rny Fargo i constantly got spray in the face. The back to front muky nutz guard solves it

Cheeky monkey, I tried WTB's first which admittedly do have a deep drop at 100mm. Then switched to Midges but didn't find them any better. Woodchippers weren't on market at time, having seen them since though I think I would still have same issue with hood position.

Brothersmith wrote:I have a small frame and when I first got rny Fargo i constantly got spray in the face. The back to front muky nutz guard solves it

ok, so long as it's a lifestyle choice and not a mistake that's cool

Good spot though, and its the sort of thing I would do