Salsa modernizes the Fargo – their original affordable adventure bikepacking bike – giving it a few simple tweaks to make it a better bike than ever. The Fargo is one of the longest-running dropbar 29er mountain bikes, built for all types of off-road adventure riding. And now it gets a long-awaited brake update, plus an updated carbon fork with new anti-wear protectors to keep aggressive, abrasive mud from grinding away at your fork.
2025 Salsa Fargo dropbar adventure mountain bike updates
The Salsa Fargo has been around for a long time – in steel since late 2008, and in titanium since 2011. It’s truly an OG adventure and bikepacking bike. And it’s hard to argue with an almost indestructible metal bike for heading off the beaten track with a bunch of gear strapped to your ride. The most recent chromoly Fargo was really last updated in 2017, repainted for 2020, and thanks to its modular rear end, just gets a few bolt-on updates now for 2025. And those same updates also come to the titanium version, which introduced us to new Salsa graphics in 2023.
So, what’s actually new?
New Alternator 1.0 Flat Mount dropouts
Since 2014, the Salsa Fargo features modular rocking Alternator dropouts that let you run single-speed or geared drivetrain setups. But they also have allowed Salsa to update the new frames, bolting on new flat mount disc brake compatibility. That opens up many more bike build possibilities for the latest gravel bike groupsets, including a new 1x GRX complete build Salsa now offers.
New Cutthroat Carbon Deluxe fork spec
The other update is a switch to the Cutthroat Carbon Deluxe fork, which was just updated for Salsa’s carbon bikepacking-racing gravel bike last summer. Salsa describes the slimmer Cutthroat fork as “visually lighter” but the important change is that it also features flat mount brakes for the same modern dropbar groupset compatibility.
One of the coolest things about the new Cutthroat Carbon Deluxe fork if you routinely ride in nasty, muddy conditions… is its unique abrasion-resistant plates. Inside of each fork leg next to the tire’s tread, these plates protect the carbon fork against wear from grinding sticky mud through the fork.
Tech details
- triple-butted size-specific either chromoly steel or seamless 3/2.5 titanium frames, depending on which model you want
- new Alternator 1.0 Flat Mount adjustable rocker dropouts (still compatible with QR, Rohloff, or Gates, too)
- Cutthroat Carbon Deluxe full carbon tapered steerer fork with internal dynamo routing -100mm suspension corrected
- flat mount disc brakes
- Alternator 1.0 Flat Mount adjustable rocker dropouts
- Boost spacing – 12x148mm rear & 15x110mm front thru-axles
- 27.2mm seatpost (no dropper routing)
- 73mm BSA threaded bottom bracket
- 1x or 2x compatible with band clamp front derailleur
- belt-drive compatible with split driveside dropout
- 29×2.2″ or 27.5×3″ design tire size
- 29+ x 3″ max tire on most sizes (S-XL, not XS)
- 2 or 3 standard bottle cage mounts, 3-pack mounts on each fork leg, plus front & rear rack mounts
- no fender mounts on the new fork
- 5 sizes available (XS 27.5-only, S-XL)
2025 Salsa Fargo – Pricing, options & availability
The newly updated 2025 Salsa Fargo is available either as framesets or one complete build. If you want to build up your own dream dropbar bike, pick from the $1200 gunmetal gray ‘black’ steel frameset or $3100 raw titanium frameset.
Or let Salsa kit the brass-colored complete bike out for $3000, built up with a 1x 12-speed mechanical Shimano GRX 610 groupset, a Cowchipper bar, WTB i25 rims on Shimano hubs & 29 x 2.2″ Teravail Sparwood tires.
For those who still prefer post mount brakes & the Firestarter fork, the 2024 steel Fargo frameset is still available for $1000 or in a $2600 Apex 1 build for the time being.
Drop into your local bike shop to have them order you one up.
