Friday, December 28, 2012

Belt Drive Analog

Submitted by new Soma owner David.



Here's what he said about the build.


Hi Chris, Evan, and Steve,

You were all quite helpful to me in the process of building my belt-drive SOMA.  I thought you might enjoy a few photos of the completed project.  One photo shows the bike in with street tires and no fenders and the second shows it with fenders and studded snow tires (which is how I am riding it now).  It is turning out to be an awesome commuting machine!

Chris, you did a great job both from a mechanical and aesthetic point of view on splitting the frame.  I will certainly recommend your work to others!

Evan and Steve, thanks for the advice and parts.  It turns out that SOMA and the Gates belt-drive are a nice pairing.

Hope you all have a Happy Holiday!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Soma Juice 1x10 Hardtail Build

Have a look at Daryl's snappy looking Soma Juice.






View the full set at www.darylwatkins.com/somajuice/

Lovely Bicycle!: A Soma Buena Vista Redux

Lovely Bicycle!: A Soma Buena Vista Redux: Over a year ago, I wrote about a 650B Soma Buena Vista mixte that a friend built up for his wife. It was a large (58cm) frame that I was...

Friday, December 14, 2012

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Brand Spankin New Soma Caps














Hot of the presses!

In honor of our favorite team, we designed this new cap in our home town colors. Made in the USA by Pace.

These will be available soon in our webstore, and in bike shops everywhere. Maybe not in Detroit though...

Monday, December 10, 2012

All Built Up: Buena Vista 2013 - Pearl White

Our new Pearl White mixte built up for cruising about town. Features a 1X10 drive train with SRAM X5 shifter. 39t up front. 11-34t in back. Soma Deco Rack. Soma Oxford bars. Suzue RXC vintage looking wheelset, Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy tires. Tanaka hammer finish aluminum fenders, and Cardiff Cornwall saddle. Build courtesy of American Cyclery.







Friday, December 7, 2012

Ready for some Holiday Cheer: Soma Buena Vista

American Cyclery custom painted this mixte to show off how willing they are to offer customers something unique.
Spec. highlights: Sparrow bars,  cable housing in four highlighter colors, flower pedal, Origin-8 saddle, Osaka bell, Pake straight blade fork(stock color). Visit them for a test ride.
Super cute flower pedal


Sparrow Bars with Oury grips

Outside of Green Pawz Pet Boutique, which uses mostly  organic
and environmentally-friendly products to pamper your pets.

All Built Up: 2013 Double Cross Disc


Built with 105 STI's and rear derailleur, the new Sugino OX601D cranks,
and a smattering of Soma  parts.

Build courtesy of American Cyclery. They chose blue bar tape here.
It will look dapper with black, navy, or Bianchi celeste tape as well.


Decent clearance with Ritchey Speedmax 700 x 41c's.


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

In The Works: Saga Touring Disc Frame


[ UPDATED NEWS HERE]

Since we've started producing the Saga touring frame, we have gotten to hear a lot of great stories from adventurous folks regarding where they've taken their Sagas. We love hearing them all. It is the excitement in their words and voices that encourage us to keep on making Soma frames.

We also like hearing feedback on our products as well. One of the early suggestions was to do a disc version. That idea was not something that didn't cross our mind early on with the Saga, but general touring wisdom said having mechanical trouble with a disc brake would be more problematic and likely than having problems with cantilevers. That still holds true somewhat, but it hasn't stopped people from asking. More and more enthusiasts are tackling terrain where disc brakes would definitely serve them better. One rider shared that he popped a tube because his rim overheated due to extended braking on a long descent. That would never happen with a disc-equipped machine.

So here we are. Feast your eyes on the first prototype in all it caramelized orange glory. (Color and design details not finalized, though geometry will probably be the same as the current Saga.). We have no production date for these, but it will definitely be part of the 2014 line.




A Clarence alt bar on a tourer? Why not?

Whoops. A cable guide on the fork would be nice.



Monday, December 3, 2012

Sugino OX601 Cranks

Brand new goodies just in from Japan.


The OX 601 cranks are a more affordable version of Sugino's Multi BCD (Bolt Circle Diameter) cranks, which allow you to mix and match with a wide range of chainrings.



These are ideal for anyone who wants a super stiff outboard bearing crankset, but wants the flexibility to run a super low climbing gear and a mid range big ring.


 Modern ramped chainrings for smooth shifting even between large jumps.


They are also a good choice for cross racers who prefer a particular gearing, but can't find it in a stock configuration.


 Looks clean with the granny gear tucked in behind the big ring. No need to run a bash ring to take up space.


The chainrings are sold separately  giving you a huge amount of customization right out of the box. BB is included with the crank arms.

Coming soon to the Soma Store and a bike shop near you.

The Compact Plus+ is a double crank set
design with a 110 and 74 bolt circle which
opens a wide array of chainring combinations.


• Cold forged aluminum alloy
• Low 145mm Q-factor
• 24mm oversized BB axle
• MB-608-II BB cups included

Shimano 10/9 speed compatible and SRAM
10-speed compatible. CNC-machined. Pinned
and ramped.


The Sugino OX601D with its
Compact Plus+ spider design
allows set ups that mimic the
wide ratios of TA Specialties
Cyclo Touriste cranks.
The rings can be mounted to
either the 110mm or 74mm
bolt circle.


It allows you to break free
from the stock 50-34t set up
everyone offers and explore
a great hill-climb set-up like
46-30t (as discussed on Bike
Hugger) Thirteen possible
combinations.