Back in late 2022 I got my first custom built bikepacking rig, based around a Soma Wolverine frame and a Rohloff Speedhub – you can read the full breakdown of that bike here. Unfortunately, that bike came to a sticky end after my abortive Ride 35 adventure on the East Coast of New Zealand ended up in Taupo. You can read the full adventure here, and the specific demise of the bike here. With that bike mostly damaged, I decided to replace it with a Salsa Fargo and recycle some of the key parts.
It’s always really tough considering what new bike frame to build a new bikepacking rig around when you can’t get a chance to ride them first. I did a heap of research and used a number of different Generative AI tools (Grok, Copilot) trying to compared the geometry and riding style of my Soma Wolverine with the Salsa Fargo. It’s pretty tough getting an accurate idea, but in the end I liked what I was reading about the Salsa Fargo and chose that. Whilst originally designed for dropbar configurations, I was pretty keen to keep the Surly Moloko handlebars that I really liked from the Wolverine and this would make it easier to keep the Rohloff drivetrain system as well. With a steel frame and a carbon fork, it’s a super versatile bike:
Fargo is our versatile steel or titanium bike with drop bars and mountain bike features. It’s designed for adventures ranging from rugged gravel rides to long, self-supported bikepacking trips.
Here is the finished bike out at Waitapu Wharf just outside of Takaka in Golden Bay:
Despite the damage to my Wolverine, I was able to recycle a fair number of parts from that bike and so similar to my original post on the Wolverine, I’m going to break down a bit of the bike build:
Key Components
Some other features of the custom build that I was super happy with on the finished product include:
- Rohloff Speed Hub (red)
- I was able to recycle this from the original Wolverine and combined it with a new Gates Carbon Belt Drive. Over thousands of kilometres on the old bike, the Rohloff and Gates combination never let me down and I’m looking forward to many more adventures on the new Salsa Fargo.
- Brooks B17 leather saddle
- I kept this from the old bike too, but with a few new scuffs on it from the wear and tear of three and half years on the Wolverine and a fair knock when it came off the roof of the car during the accident. Good seat, largely happy with it.
- Son Dynamo (red anodized)
- I liked the Son Dynamo on the Wolverine but I was very keen to get it with a thru axle configuration for the new bike, so I replaced it with the same anodized red colour but a thru axle configuration. Same great power generation, easier wheel alignment.
- KLite Front and Rear Light (adventure configuration)
- I replaced the Son Edelux II on the old Wolverine with the KLite front and rear light combination. I’d heard about this from a few bikepacking magazines and people were very complimentary of the lighting and I was keen to add a rear dynamo-powered light as well so this was a great combination. I opted for the Adventure Configuration which would prioritise a wide spread of light at lower speeds, with an “auto high beam” that would shine further ahead when the bike exceeded 20kph – clever stuff. KLite also has a configuration that gives you a charging option as well but I chose not to get this. I had previously had the Sinewave Cycles Reactor (red anodized) – USB charging port in stem on the Wolverine, but honestly rarely used it, so decided to save some money and just do the light combination.
- Favero Assioma PRO MX | MTB Power Meter Pedals SPD®
- In mid 2025 I had replaced the red pedals I originally had on the Wolverine with the Favero Assioma Pro MX power meter pedals. They’re great, highly recommend.
- Surly Moloko Handlebar
- I retained this – great handlebar, lots of hand positions, really like it. I did toy with some dropbar configurations for the Salsa Fargo like the Salsa Woodchipper Handlebar – Salsa Cycles, as the bike is originally intended to be a drop bar configuration. Perhaps I’ll give that a go at some point (will need some thinking in how to handle the Rohloff gear switcher at the handlebars)
- Panaracer GravelKing SK TLC 50mm with brown walls (running tubeless)
- At the time of the Wolverine demise, I was running G-ONE R PRO Line | Schwalbe in 45mm configuration. They were super fast rolling, but lacked grip in some of the muddier stuff. I opted for the rebuild to go back to the original gravel tires I got on the Wolverine, the fantastic Panaracer GravelKing Semi Knobbly with tubeless configuration. I chose the 50mm which seem really wide compared to 43mm or even 45mm I’ve run in the past, but they’re wide and ride great.
Here are some photos of the bike at Totaranui Beach after an 85km ride including a 300m climb to get to the remote bay across some great gravel:
I want to give a shout out to the great crew at Goat Cycles who patiently worked with me as I figured out the specs in the transition from the Soma Wolverine to the Salsa Fargo. They’ve done a great job building it for me and I’m super happy, anticipating thousands of kilometres riding on this new rig!
