Fargo Gen I: Winter Project - Status Complete!

Thanks to Grannygear, I have refreshed the Fargo Gen I.

 Bonus: Bikes Of 2022: Salsa Cycles Fargo Gen I:

This post will also serve as my "End-Of-Year" post on the Fargo. No need to duplicate this in a dedicated post in the series I have going on with my bicycles I used in 2022. Okay, with that, on with the post.

 A little over a week ago I told you all about these new wheels I received from my friend in SoCal, Grannygear, that I picked up for a song. The post is here in case you missed that.

That kicked off the idea of refreshing the old, worn out drive train. It really needed it, because the parts had been on there for so long I cannot remember when I changed anything on that bike last. 

Another reason I should keep log books on my bikes, eh? 

Well, that hasn't happened yet, so I went with my measurements and my intuition and just bought a new chain and cassette anyway. I already had installed a lightly used Shimano XT crank last Summer with 48/38/28 chain rings. I decided to use a new Shimano 11-36T cassette, (thanks 29"ers!), and a new Shimano 9 speed chain. 

I bought the cassette because with a 28T granny, I would have two gears lower than 1 to 1 with a 32T and 36T choice. The Shimano chain, because it shifts better on Shimano stuff than SRAM, and mostly because it came with 118 links instead of 116, like most SRAM chains do. 

The original XT rear derailleur handled the 36T cog with ease.

This chain length is important. Nowadays, with the dominance of 1X drive trains, the difference in chain wrap from lowest gear on the cassette to the highest is all the chain has to accommodate for besides the single front chain ring. With a double or triple chain ring crankset, that gets a bit more complicated to figure out. 

It also takes, typically, a little longer chain than a 1X system will. I knew from my old set up with the 34T largest cog that the old chain was maxed out in terms of length. I knew that going up 2 more teeth to a 36T would require at least two more links. A SRAM chain wasn't going to cut it, and honestly, I didn't know if a Shimano one would either! 

As it turned out, the Shimano chain was at least one link too short. But to be completely comfortable and safe, I wanted to add two links more. Why not? I was going to have to add at least one more anyway.
 

The XT crank set has an unusual 48/38/28 chain ring set.

I scoured all my cast-off bits of chain and only found a nearly complete KMC 9 speed chain with its quick link. 

Years ago at a Frostbike dealer only show, I met an Asian man at a KMC chain booth who adamantly insisted that KMC made Shimano chains. He was pretty amped about that, so that always stuck with me. So, I figured that, if he was right, a KMC 9 speed chain should play well with a 9 speed Shimano chain, despite their differences in appearance. 

The quick link worked perfectly, and I was able to use the Shimano chain pin on the other end of my two-link graft. All seemed on the up and up, so I tested the combinations and "big to big" was just fine. Small to small was even okay! Whew!  Not that I would ever- nor should anyone ever- use the extreme cross-chain choices, but in the rare instance where you lose track of where it is you are at on the cassette and front chain rings, you won't rip off the derailleur if you should forget and go "big to big". 

I almost gave up on mounting these tires.

Now as for tires, I decided to take off the SOMA Cazaderos from the old wheel set and install them on the "new-to-me" wheel set. Cazaderos have, in my experience, been difficult to get to set up tubeless. Panaracer makes these tires for SOMA, and they act a lot more like the Panaracer made Rene Herse tires. In other words, they are a pain in the tookus. I almost gave up on them for the Fargo. 

They were just a bit looser than I'd like. The previous wheel set, based on the ever so slightly larger diameter Stan's wheels, worked okay with these tires. I'll see how it goes with the Rovals, but if I can wear these out, or nearly so, I will not buy them again for this bike, no matter how nice they ride. And they do ride nicely. 

So, with that all set up, I decided to hit the neighborhood for a test ride. There is a cemetery near me that has some short, steep climbs so I tested the bike there to make sure I wasn't going to detonate a chain or have some other catastrophic failure right out of the box. Besides, I am still battling the back end of this cold, so I cannot get out for a longer ride just yet anyway. The good news? Everything worked as it should.
 

And the full-monty. I think it looks pretty nice, even with the "shouty" wheels.

And there it is! The newly set up Fargo. I probably will tweak out the handle bar set up a bit by lowering the stem on the steer tube. It's a hair too "sit up and beg" for my tastes and needs at the moment, but I will admit that this is rather relaxed and comfy the way that it is. 

The Fargo is now all ready again for adventures. When I'll get to do those, I don't know just yet. The Winter weather we are sure to get will have a big say in this, and as I said, I still am not 100% out of the woods with this cold.