tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12252461340937312112024-02-09T00:03:28.184-08:00The Soma Fab BlogWe at Soma Fabrications design and produce bicycle frames, components, and accessories for the every day cyclist.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger747125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-62801736787546102352024-01-09T15:07:00.000-08:002024-01-09T16:15:20.993-08:00Our Riff Hardtail Frame Gets An Overdue Update If you've known Soma Fabrications for a while, you know we don't go by model years.We don't want to refresh our frames every January just to say we have this new thing to plop in front of your eyeballs. We don't like being forced to adopt every trend or new standard either, some of which we feel is planned obsolescence. We think changing colors every year is basically making folks who just Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-63493570262965948632023-08-17T12:47:00.002-07:002023-12-06T11:18:11.318-08:00Adventure Cyclist Reviews the Soma Jawbone B-Type Bikepacking Frame Northern California native Corey got a chance to review our Jawbone earlier in the year for Adventure Cycling Association's print mag for members, Adventure Cyclist.We don't want to print the whole review, but here are some highlights:[UPDATE: Adventure Cycling has the review on their website as of October 30.]The B-Type is for parts-bin tinkerers, single-speed devotees, and world tourers Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-75452071195079626892023-03-23T17:50:00.005-07:002023-03-23T17:51:36.363-07:002023 Colorways for the Soma WolverineNew Wolverine 4.1 A-Type Build by Jon Bobel/Beat CyclesThe Wolverine, our gravel/monster cross model, is almost 10 years old!For its 10th birthday, we decided to bring back the popular Pumpkin Orange paint we introduced the model in. It just has a sunny, positive vibe that we always loved. The Pumpkin Orange is going on only the A-Type, non-belt-drive model that has adopted more modern hub and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-16230653086995978932022-10-17T16:00:00.012-07:002022-12-20T21:47:35.069-08:00Meet the Adventure-Ready Soma Jawbone Over the years, we at Soma have been truly amazed at how the modern bicycle has allowed all types of folks to travel the across continents and be immersed and mesmerized by the great outdoors even as much of humanity is often living in more and more in urban and suburban sprawl. Whether you enjoy the camaraderie of a weekend bikecamping trip or are hooked on doing week-long solo Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-12367206273524426302022-08-24T16:23:00.003-07:002022-08-24T16:34:14.969-07:00The Soma Gullwing Bar: The Answer to One of the Most Asked Questions on Bike ForumsThere are inventions from the 20th century that - when you first look at them - you aren't sure whether they are super cool or a little wacky. The "gullwing" feature on 1950's era Mercedes 300SL is one of those inventions. Of course some of these 300SL's go for over a million dollars to collectors and then there is the Delorean and the new Tesla, so maybe cool has won out.The Soma Gullwing Bar isUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-88220595169242889572022-08-24T15:14:00.001-07:002022-08-24T15:14:19.967-07:00New Alt Bars: Soma Clarence II and Hwy 17 With long-distance gravel events and bikepacking continuing to gain popularity, Soma has decided to add functionality and comfort to two of their most popular handlebars, the Highway One and the Clarence.These bars will be sold with custom-designed extensions under the names Highway 17 and Clarence II.The extensions can be angled up/down just like other bar ends or extensions, BUT alsoUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-44124841839158940452022-08-16T18:39:00.019-07:002022-08-17T17:43:10.489-07:00The Smoothie HP: New "High Protein" Endurance Road Frame Our Smoothie road performance frame model is as old as the Soma brand itself. It started out with a classic looking level top tube design and a curved unicrown fork. The tubes were a combination of Reynolds 631 and 4130 butted chromoly . It was an affordably-priced, solid road frame aimed at commuters as much as at seasoned road cyclists.First generation Smoothie. 2001Later iterations included a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-51860803940166955932022-07-07T17:31:00.007-07:002022-07-08T09:17:06.789-07:00Cape to Kapp: My New Definition of "Beauty" Teresie Hommersand's recently wrapped her "Cape to Kapp" adventure, finishing her ride at the North Cape in Norway. Four years in the saddle, across 25,000 kilometers, through 26 countries. Distance and time are just two of the measures of a journey. Maybe the most memorable parts of any journey are the people you meet along the way and Teresie has made so many friends and have had to rely Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-4766043505776802852022-06-22T12:22:00.007-07:002022-08-29T22:16:27.754-07:00The Path Less Pedaled Channel Reviews our Grand Randonneur Disc Frame Russ Roca's Path Less Pedaled channel embraces the non-competitive side of bicycle riding...especially touring and gravel riding.We sent him a 49cm partially built bike with gearing he is partial to on his rides in Missoula. We weren't able to get him a set of wheels, but Russ was nice enough to swap in DT Swiss set off of his personal Crust rig. With the wider 50mm tires Russ used, the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-60264626001851105602022-03-09T17:53:00.010-08:002022-03-10T11:40:05.138-08:00Cape to Kapp: Prejudices Everywhere (Kindness Too)Teresie Hommersand's recently wrapped here Cape to Kapp, finishing her ride at the North Cape in Norway. Four years in the saddle, across 25,000 kilometers, through 26 countries. Distance and time are just two of the measures of a journey. Maybe the most memorable parts of any journey are the people you meet along the way and Teresie has made so many friends and have had to rely on the kindness Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-42646735467663794822022-03-09T15:39:00.003-08:002022-03-09T15:40:20.661-08:00Our Dream Riser Bikepacking Handlebar Gets Some Siblings The original Dream Riser Bar hit a chord with bike packers and other riders with its comfortable 25° sweep, which not only keeps your controls away from a big handlebar bag, but just feels very natural. It also had an unusual 50mm rise to help get the bars up, which is sometimes better for all day exploration.The two new versions are significantly different.• The Dream Lowdown has a 20° Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-23254632277305971202022-02-17T11:15:00.001-08:002022-02-17T11:19:04.719-08:00Cape To Kapp: Reflecting on Sexism on the Road and Her Own Socialized Views on GenderTeresie Hommersand finished her multi-year trek from South Africa to Norway this month to spectacular joy and feelings she couldn't quite put into words. She wrote this piece for us before that focusing on some of the things that pretty much wiped the perma-smile off her face and made her feel small and alone. Initially you wouldn't think this could not happen to a woman who has already braved Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-31282646195055594992022-01-18T16:54:00.004-08:002022-03-09T15:46:48.978-08:00Cape to Kapp: Crossing Off "Crossing the Arctic Circle" Off the Bucket ListTeresie Hommersand grew up near Stavanger, a city known as the oil capital of Norway. She remembers eating supper every evening off plates with the logo of the national oil and gas company on them. Somehow she became the "green sheep" of the family. She has lived in Uganda, Oregon, and Australia. Learn more about her 13,700 km ride going from the most southern part of South Africa to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-20735085334937353372022-01-03T14:26:00.009-08:002022-01-03T14:58:40.068-08:00Cape to Kapp: Bicycle Touring in the Norwegian WinterTeresie Hommersand grew up near Stavanger, a city known as the oil capital of Norway. She remembers eating supper every evening off plates with the logo of the national oil and gas company on them. Somehow she became the "green sheep" of the family. She has lived in Uganda, Oregon, and Australia. Learn more about her 13,700 km ride going from the most southern part of South Africa to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-27769285728771248832021-12-29T17:30:00.001-08:002021-12-29T17:35:37.915-08:00The Soma Buena Vista Honored with "Most Supple Bike of 2021" Title The Path Less Pedaled is a YouTube channel and blog that has been showcasing the non-competitive side of cycling for over 5 years now. The channel focuses on gravel riding, bikepacking, bicycle tourism and just riding #partypace.In the strange year that was 2021, TPLP looked for unusual and unexpected bikes that could excel in gravel. And we were very happy that he asked to try one of our Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-12985152084462926432021-04-09T17:08:00.014-07:002021-04-14T11:29:00.348-07:00Our Randonneur Frame Set Gets More Grand It took years of requests from our customers, but the Grand Randonneur frameset finally gets the disc brake treatment. We went with the IS disc mounts front and rear, because at the time we did not have a good looking flat mount solution for the curvaceous 65mm rake fork. But don't fret, there are still a few good road brake disc options in IS/Post Mount and since we went with a new Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-5686333708331399612020-10-02T17:49:00.011-07:002020-10-02T19:58:38.424-07:00Soma Double Cross: A Significant Update for 2021 When we launched Soma with just four frames back in 2001, the Double Cross was always meant to be our most versatile frame, the one that flew that "jack of all trades" flag: Commuter, long distance road, light touring, trail riding and CX racing. It fit tires up to 700 x 38mm with fenders at a time there were hardly any performance tires in that size. You could build it with drop bars or Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-43415571744992879212020-09-01T22:08:00.001-07:002020-10-16T16:04:35.137-07:00Meet Karina our First Russian Brand AmbassadorWe at Soma don't really go looking for Brand Ambassadors all that often. However we recently picked up Planetarki.ru as a our distributor in Russia. Since Soma is totally new to this huge country, a brand ambassador seemed like a good move. Konstantin of Planetarki connected us with Karina, who may be the only woman working as a bike mechanic in Moscow, maybe all of Russia. She also runs her own Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-38963409882239809692020-04-08T15:10:00.001-07:002020-04-08T15:17:56.801-07:00Cape to Kapp: Facing The Pandemic in the Middle of a Solo Tour
About 147 weeks ago, Teresie Hommersand began her solo bike tour from Capetown, South Africa. Her destination is Kapp, Norway (thus Cape to Kapp). Of course with all these types of endeavors, the journey is more important than any destination. Wish her well and learn more about her 13,700 km ride going from South Africa to Norway and her charity crowdfunding campaign on her Facebook&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-32879101138635910232020-01-23T13:15:00.001-08:002020-01-23T13:19:29.357-08:00I Was Running Out of Water
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The SOMA FURTHER BOTTLE is the largest bottles designed to fit Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-91111680347315692042019-12-03T11:12:00.001-08:002019-12-03T11:34:30.511-08:00Riding to Honor My Dad
By John M. Gruber
Last week was Thanksgiving. Naturally I
reflected on what I have to be thankful for and this year my thankful
thoughts drifted toward memories of my dad. My dad passed away just over
a year ago after a three year struggle with ALS.
One of the many things I am thankful for related to my dad is that he
instilled in me a love for cycling. I have memories of him helping meUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-10929149923941058842019-08-19T16:36:00.000-07:002019-08-19T17:12:31.676-07:00Soma Wolverine V4 A-Type Reviewed by The Path Less Pedaled!If you have been curious about the Wolverine, especially the A-Type which has a significant design changes over the previous generations. you should check out The Path Less Pedaled's YouTube video.We tried hard to equip the frame with the parts we thought he would appreciate. See if we got close.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-19357757910549456542019-07-22T12:13:00.000-07:002019-07-25T14:56:27.614-07:00Decompressing and Reflection After Months of Letting the Road Lead the JourneyBill Heimann is a veteran tourer and retired bike shop owner. Every time he goes out he sends back a few paragraphs via e-mails to his friends and family whenever he reaches a new town and has some rest time. No public Instagram. No Facebook journal either (even though he participates on Facebook cycling groups.).This most recent tour was to pedal from Athens, Greece to Norkapp, Norway with no Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-26442342846357943262019-07-10T13:32:00.001-07:002019-07-10T13:32:02.971-07:00Handlebar Shape Database is a Very Helpful Tool
Chip Marten's labor of love, WhatBars.com is a database of currently made handlebars showing specs like rise, sweep, and drop and overhead views, so you can overlay our Clarence Bar and Osprey Bar to see their subtle differences. Database includes mainstream brands like Bontrager and Zipp as well as bars from custom frame builders like Ahearne and Sklar.
Be sure to check it out next Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225246134093731211.post-14059179527383022242019-05-08T11:01:00.000-07:002019-05-08T11:04:06.641-07:00Experiencing the Geographical Majesty and Hospitality of Nepal
Born and raised in the Sonoran Desert of Tucson, Arizona
Elliot Dumont loves traveling by bike. His trips include the Arizona Trail,
Continental Divide, Colorado Trail, Mongolia, Nepal, and Baja among many
others. Cycling has always been a staple in his life, since
since middle school and it is where he finds himself to be the most
comfortable. For this trip Elliot wanted to take a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0