Why 32-Inch Wheels? Ride Impressions From Our Team
We’re often asked how we prototype and test brand-new bikes, especially when factoring in something relatively new like 32-inch wheels. Fargo 32 came about when Salsa’s product and engineering teams asked themselves, “Where will 32-inch wheels fit the Salsa rider experience and make it better?” Read on from our Engineer Allison Schmitz and Senior Product Manager Joe Meiser, to learn about their favorite Fargo 32 experiences in bringing this bike from the drawing board to dirt.
Allison Schmitz, Engineer
I think one of my favorite experiences was the very first ride on 32″ wheels because I also did some back-to-back testing with the 29″ variant, so it really cemented the newness of the experience. I never had the 26″ to 29″ mountain bike experience, so I feel like this was my rite of passage as a bike engineer. But the stoke was high on that first ride. My husband and I went down to the Minnesota river bottoms, and I got to experience a trail I’ve ridden many times in a new light. I was able to try new obstacles without second guessing myself. I also got through the overgrown sections quicker with less effort and fewer bug bites, which makes riding the river bottoms in the heat of the summer way more enjoyable. And that sums up the Fargo 32″ experience for me – unlocking new lines, abilities, and access.
I also enjoy riding the Fargo 32 to Theodore Wirth Park and hitting some of the green mountain bike trails. I’m frequently biking through that park on my Flyway (whether that’s to get to gravel or around the Twin Cities) but taking the Flyway on singletrack has always felt a little too spicy of a side quest. Now with the Fargo, I can ride on my favorite trails but also peel off onto the singletrack with confidence and excitement. This bike glides down flowy sections and propels up short punchy, gravelly hills. It excels on different terrain and new adventures.
Want to learn more about Allison’s and our engineering team’s design philosophy? Click to read about how a small size came to be.
Joe Meiser, Senior Product Manager
I've been riding the Fargo 32 Ti since March of this year (2026) and 32″ prototypes since March of 2025.
When we first saw the Maxxis Aspen tires and felt that 32 was going to be a “thing” we immediately got to work prototyping and testing. My first ride was on a mixed-wheel Fargo using a Fargo 29″ frame and a Supertramp fork from our friends at Wilde bikes. I was able to add a 32″ front wheel while maintaining head angles, seat angles, and bottom bracket height using that shorter fork. Right away I realized that toe overlap was going to be a design constraint, even on my size LG frame. I used a headset from Wolf Tooth, another great Minnesota based company, to slacken the head angle two degrees for toe clearance. With that change, the front-end handling experience felt awesome, but the back end didn't feel balanced with the front end. So, I extended the Fargo chainstays from their shortest position at 450mm to their longest at 462mm. These changes brought out the confidence, speed, and capability of the MX wheels. Parallel experiences on our MTB prototypes led me to believe that perhaps the slacker head angle that drove longer wheelbase and longer chainstays (driven by tire diameter) complemented the increase in confidence, traction, and speed that we were experiencing. That would all be proven out as Allison, our engineer on the project, built and tested 29″ and 32″ SM prototypes and I would get to experience that when I received the Fargo 32 Ti XL size frame.
Getting to work on the Fargo 32 project has sparked serious nostalgia. I was on the team that developed the first Fargo in 2009, designed for riding and racing the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Fargo was designed to give riders multiple hand positions while racing or bikepacking on a mix of gravel and singletrack. It was inspired by early drop-bar mountain bikes. I had pictures of Jackie Phelan on drop-bar Cunningham Bikes, early Matt Chester Ti single-speeds, and John Tomac racing DH on drop bars above my desk while we were working on that project. After riding nearly every iteration of the bike, and even racing it in the Tour Divide, it was serendipitous to once again be on the development team for this sixth generation of Fargo.
After all the design, testing and validation of Fargo 32 frames, including a size SM, I received a preproduction XL Fargo 32 frame in March 2026. This coincided with a decision to race Unbound 200, and nearly all my training and ride time this season has been on 32" wheels. As a 6'2″ rider, I was able to match the fit from my Flyway very closely. The handlebars are roughly 40mm higher than my Flyway due to Fargo's purpose as a drop-bar mountain bikepacking bicycle. The Fargo’s higher stack is a feature we often hear riders excited for. For me, it means getting my hand position on top of the hoods in a relatively neutral position. With that position comes the ability to reach the drops without getting too far forward on the bike and straining my neck and back. This is a position that provides a ton of confidence on rough gravel roads and singletrack. The Fargo’s higher stack is one of the attributes that makes it excel, and Allison was able to maintain stack relative to saddle on all sizes of the Fargo 32 when compared to the Fargo 29.
Right away I noticed the longer wheelbase, slacker head tube angle and longer chainstays on the Fargo 32. The bike was super stable and held speed incredibly well; with a titanium frame and 2.2" tires I was setting PRs on segments that I've ridden on a carbon road bike with 30mm tires and aero wheels. That's wild! It was especially rewarding to share the bike at Sea Otter. We received a lot of curious questions from riders, media, and industry folks at the event. I had the privilege of commuting to and from Laguna Seca on the bike that week, and on one of those rides an industry friend looked over at me, coasting downhill and declared "I'm spinning 200 watts just to keep up with you coasting on that thing!" Each experience like this became a realization that the pros of the bigger wheel were greater than the additional rotating mass when compared to a 700c bike.
Testing ground: Heywood
Two weeks out from Unbound I rode the Heywood gravel race in Northfield, MN as a test event. Heywood has taken the place of Almanzo, one of the early gravel races that was on my calendar annually in those early days of gravel. I've raced it with temps in the 90s and 40s with rain; in fact, my favorite portrait was taken at the finish of that race with 40-degree temps. That picture reminds me that I'm happiest with mud on my face after doing hard things with great people. What a privilege to be able to bring that experience to others as a product manager in the industry! This year's Heywood was a warm one, mid-80s with wind and I was pleased to get a bit of heat acclimation for Unbound. We rarely get temps in the mid-high 80s before June and I had been training for the heat by over-dressing on training rides.
I went out with the lead group at the Heywood. My plan was to push for the first hour, see how the pace settled in, and then determine if I was going to stay on depending on my power numbers. As we got to the climbs, it became clear that I wasn't going to be able to stay in the front group. I might be able to last until mile 40 but the remaining 70 miles would have been incredibly difficult. I decided to back off my pace and join a second group so that I might have a better day. As the day settled in, what I noticed most was the Fargo 32's ability to get away on descents and flats. I learned to allow myself to drift back on climbs, especially against the carbon gravel super bikes around me. I would catch up to riders on the descents, often pass them, and after three or four rounds of climbs and descents I found myself riding off the front of that group and all alone by mile 60. Testing my fitness and logging this ride experience at competition pace gave me a confidence boost heading into Unbound.
On to Unbound
Unbound has been a proving ground for Salsa gravel products since 2010. I was excited and nervous to line up for my ninth attempt. It had been eight years since my last ride at Unbound, the inaugural XL in 2018, and the Heywood was the first time I'd ridden more than 100 miles since 2019. I had no idea how my body would perform past 100 miles, but I did have years of experience to draw on and my Salsa colleagues to support me. Throughout the week we had in Emporia leading up to the 200 my numbers looked good, I focused on getting good sleep, eating and hydrating well, stretching and mobility work, and visualization exercises to mentally plan for the race. I focused on defining what “my race” would be, what process success would look like, and planning to make friends with the pain cave when I found it at some point in the race. I had a plan and, perhaps more importantly, I had planned to adapt that plan as needed.
Along with my preparation and an incredible support team at Unbound, I had the privilege of riding a bicycle that so many of my colleagues have put their time and energy into. Frame, fork, wheels, tires, handlebars: all these things were imagined and designed by my colleagues, specifically for use on terrain like the Unbound course. 2026 is a historic year for Unbound: its 20th year and the first year that 32" wheels have been raced in the events. Along with two pros on prototype bikes, I was able to ride Fargo 32 in the citizen race. This was my second time riding a Fargo at Unbound (my first was around 2012), and while Fargo isn't a typical choice for racing gravel, it was the perfect choice for the diabolical conditions that day.
The advantages of the Fargo and 32" wheels became apparent the moment the rain started falling — and the rain came early. The entrance onto the first double track of the Flint Hills was muddy from earlier rainstorms and already torn up from the men’s and women's pro races. Out on the Flint Hills, approaching rainstorms can be seen for miles in the distance. It can be difficult to judge how quickly they are moving and whether they will intersect the course or already have. Fortunately, I evaded storms and the kind of mud that builds up on tires and clogs bikes until after checkpoint one, 40 miles in. After that it was rain off and on all day until the afternoon heat and humidity came. I preferred the rain.
It is completely understandable to anticipate the rain with dread, especially if it comes with high winds, thunder, and lightning. I've been exposed in the Flint Hills before and was once literally blown off my bike during Unbound. So, it was quite a relief when the rain wasn't as cold as anticipated and didn't come with wind and lightning that I know others experienced. There was still the potential for mud to contend with, however first was Texaco hill and the rocky creek bed that infamously ended a few riders’ days. I approached the rocky creek with a several riders and quite a bit of caution. I've entered these areas overly aggressive in the past and flatted on several occasions. Beyond the creek bed were 4-5 riders who had unfortunately made that mistake. As I slowed and carefully chose my line, it was obvious that the 32" wheels and 2.2" tires were an advantage through the rocky terrain, and I ended up riding away from the small group I had been riding with.
At one point before checkpoint two, I remember the rain falling in puddles ahead of me and the distinct shape of each large rain drop as it landed. It was beautiful, really: I was completely soaked but I was also cool and comfortable and hadn't run into any bike-clogging mud. My Merchant Cycles paint stick remained stowed in my top tube pack. During these storms I remembered a trick I had learned over years of gravel races: the water will usually flow down the most solid road surface. The flowing water cleans tires, and the soil underneath doesn't typically build up on the tires, so I rode through these ribbons of flowing water whenever I could. I saw other riders clearing mud from their bikes, but that moment never came for me — Fargo 32's tire clearance played a significant role in this.
There is a stretch of grassy double track where all of Fargo 32's capabilities came together to shine during the 2026 Unbound. A small crowd of spectators had gathered at the turn onto this road. Spectators always gather where the action (or carnage) is, and I had some intuition around what was coming when I saw them. The grass on this road was knee-high, with two tracks where the water had pooled, mixed with the dirt and grass to form a mixture that looked like it was made for building a thatched house. Riders were walking, pushing or carrying their bikes; I expected to do the same. Once again though, the mud didn’t build up on my tires. But it made for a slick, rutted trail and holding a line and maintaining traction were difficult, especially as fatigue set in with the afternoon heat. Yet I dismounted only once to get around another rider who was walking while I crossed a small drainage and dabbed another time on this short stretch of road. I've thought about this part of the course for weeks now. I attribute my experience on it to Fargo 32's 480mm chainstays, long wheelbase, and stable handling along with 19-21 PSI of tire pressure in the Teravail Cannonball 2.2" tires. I passed several riders on this short section of road simply because I could ride where they had to walk.
As I neared checkpoint three, fatigue had set in. My shoes had filled with sand from walking a flooded section of course under the train tracks and had left little room for my feet. My neck and shoulders were sore, and my lower back was tired. And while the day was taking its toll, I was very much on pace for the race I had planned. My teammates shared how consistent my splits were, filled up my bike for the final stretch, emptied my shoes of sand, and sent me off. As I turned off the rail trail onto the last series of climbs in the Flint Hills, the pain cave appeared. I slowed to a grind, made plans to ride the final 40 miles in four hours, and settled in. I focused on each pedal stroke, the next climb, recovering, and simply moving forward. “This too shall pass” became my mantra for that period, and as the weather cooled and the climbs subsided, I transitioned into a state that keeps me coming back to Unbound and gravel racing. Particularly at Unbound I've experienced a state of flow and euphoria where my body feels strong and the last 20-30 miles come with a feeling of power. Knowing what I am about to accomplish, what it has taken to get to that point in the day and months of preparation leading up to it — it all washes over me.
As the group I was riding with crossed under the highway back into town I gave what I had on the last climb and finished strong. Waiting at the line were my colleagues, teammates and crew for the day; they played a significant role in getting me to my second-fastest Unbound 200 finish. I am so grateful for their encouragement and support. When Tim Mohn, owner of Merchant Cycles and one of the original riders of the inaugural Unbound, asked how my day was I said, "I had exactly the day I wanted."
Everything that could go well, went well. The things that were out of my control, I adapted to. Fargo 32 isn't a typical gravel race bike, but it was exactly the right race bike for that day. Fargo's versatility, mud clearance, stability and comfort over miles of rough gravel roads stood out. Much has been said and written about Unbound 2026. With conditions that led many riders to call it one of the most challenging ever, I had one of my best days. Fargo 32 played a significant role in that, and I'm so excited to release this project from our team into the world so that others can experience 32" wheels, Fargo 32, and the confidence that it brings to mixed-surface rides from gravel to singletrack, loaded with gear or not.
