The event in Kansas was attempted and for reasons of poor health was cut short for me a bit. This post is about the Fargo and how it did in the brutal, rocky, dusty conditions in the Flint Hills of Kansas. I will recap from the same photos I used last week in this post so there will be some continuity to this discussion.

The Course: The Dirty Kanza 200 is a gravel, dirt, and pavement ride through the Flint Hills region of east central Kansas. If you think of Kansas as flat and boring, well……you need to go here! At any rate, the roads are a mixture of flint gravel, bed rock out cropping, small drops, (up to a foot and a half), water crossings with sharp rocky bottoms, straight up dirt double track, and a bit of pavement that traverses a course of 200 miles over tall hills with long, steepish grades that can end up in climbs of up to three miles. The wind, which is always around out there, was especially wicked this year with gusts at times of over 40mph and temperatures that hovered in the mid 90′s for most of the day.

dscf4342

The Set Up: The performance of the entire set up was spot on. Not one hiccup, skip, or worry was experienced at all. This was a great thing, obviously, but was a small surprise as well, given the super rough sections that Dirty Kanza’s course covered this year.

dscf4343

The Banjo Brothers top tube bag was a big success. It held whatever I tried to jam into it and didn’t flop around, even when I inadvertently unleashed one of the stem straps. No worries, I reattached it on the fly and it wasn’t a mistake that caught me out. I should mention that the Salsa’s extended head tube design makes one of these sorts of bags a great fit.

dscf4344

My “found” seat bag performed flawlessly as well, never coming loose at all, staying stable, and not falling apart. The Fargo was weighted just right, I thought, with this load here and the water on the fork blades. It felt very balanced.

dscf4345

Here is something I found pretty interesting. The Edge Composites wheels with the American classic hubs didn’t flinch, flex, of fail me in any way. The WTB Vulpine tires might possibly be the best rocky, dry, hard pack conditions tire I have ridden in terms of speed, durability, and climbing. A quick note: The course had several low water crossings that featured rocky bottoms. After each one I crossed, the casualties along the roadside from pinch flats were numerous. Not a problem for the wheels and tires I rode, and I slammed through every water crossing at speed and with impunity. I would definitely trust this set up for any long trip, adventure, or race. (And yes- I was using tubes)

dscf4346

The carrying of water on the bike instead of on my back was a great improvement in an event like this where a full suspension bike is overkill, too heavy, and slow. The Fargo arrangement, with two bottles on the fork blades, is no problem at all to steer. In fact, I didn’t notice any improvement after I emptied the bottles on the fork blades. The steering felt exactly the same to my mind. My only regret is that I didn’t mount a sixth cage under the down tube. As for retention of bottles, I would recommend that you use the available braze ons for a toe strap to hold the bottles in on the fork blades, or use a Cat Eye cage like I did, which was perfect for on the fly water bottle grabs and the cages never showed any signs of ejecting the bottles. Even over the rough, rocky drops and downhills that Kanza has on offer.

Conclusion: The Fargo exhibited the nice frame cush that I felt it had on my rides at Interbike. The frame rides better the harder you push it. The Fargo climbs great, out of the saddle sprints are straight forward matters. No surprises, no odd sensations. The drive train I was using is pretty much the same as a Fargo Complete, and it performed spot on. Shifts were crisp and were accomplished under power. The brakes were excellent, (but that has a lot to do with a careful set up on Avid mechanicals). No fade, plenty of power.

What would I change? I would go with a titanium seatpost next time, or maybe a Cane Creek Thudbuster, the course is that rough, but most likely a titanium post would suffice. I would go with the full compliment of six cages and bottles. Otherwise, I would change nothing. I was super pleased with my selections on equipment and the Fargo is a no brainer for this event. It could be set up as a “fast” bike with skinnier rubber, (although I seriously question that choice), and you could go even more minimalistic than I did to lighten the rig even more. Still, whatever you decide on equipment, to my way of thinking, you can not find a more efficient, comfortable way to hang a rider on a bicycle for this long, rough, and grueling event than a Fargo. Whether you are racing, touring, or riding for fun, the Fargo excels at this sort of thing. I can not think of any better bike for a mixed terrain ride than the Fargo from Salsa Cycles.