Soma Rush to Go ‘Full Monty’ with Removable Decals

In 2010 the Soma Rush track frame will be upgraded with nicer Tange track dropouts and have fully removable decals. Our graphic vision from the beginning was to go with extremely subtle decals, because we had heard many people didn’t want to be “rolling billboards”, but even with our low key graphics, we’d get requests for decals the owner can peel off. So in 2007, we released frames with removable downtube and top tube decals (with just the headtube and seat tube logos being permanent). The immediate response was positive. But after a few months, we’d started getting e-mails again requesting us to make ALL the decals removable.

At Soma, we always welcome customer input. But we were kind of torn with losing every speck of recognition on our most popular frame. It’s a pride thing.

We were so unsettled about this, we decided to consult a well known sports marketing company for a solution. They interviewed employees from a dozen bike shops they deemed “most influential and which best dimensionalized the fixed gear paradigm”
Their findings? They concluded that the track kids weren’t really after bikes with NO decals. “After taking off the original decals,... the majority of them apply a whole bunch of other stickers back on. These kids just like putting on decals and then peeling them back off. It’s like that bad habit of picking at the scab on your shin.”

Since they charged us a crapload of money,
we knew they were right.
Here is the unofficial reveal of the new graphics scheme for the 2010 Soma Rush. Each Rush frame will have 110 individual, removable, vinyl decals on the frame. (We calculate we can fit 130 on the 59 and 61cm). The kids can peel stickers to their hearts’ content. The marketing company estimates, “21% of the decals will NOT be thrown in the garbage, but actually end up stuck to a lamp post, mailbox or sideview mirror. That should help generate the critical guerilla marketing you’ve been lacking.” Freakin' genius.

Expect the new frames to drop in October.

[Update: Yes this was an attempt at April Foolery. We are happy to report that the 2010 Rush will really have all-removable decals, BUT just a sane & 'environmentally responsible' amount. There will be a new color... not sure what yet. And we are most likely using Tange's new track ends.]