Another Grand Randonneur from Seattle

Chris @ Rosebud sent us this excellent build he put together.

It strikes a nice balance between old and new style components. I especially like the Nitto Craft quill stem, Nitto Campee mini rack, fluted Honjo fenders, Green Mercia saddle and Grand Bois Hetre extra leger tires. Should be a sporty and fun little bike!

2014 Frame News: Soma Saga Disc Touring

Our heavy duty touring frame finally gets the disc treatment. It took a little longer than we anticipated, but we didn't want to rush things "just to get it out there." Some folks think that a touring frame should be easier to design since it isn't built for competition, off-road use, or features fancy lugwork, but that just isn't true. Each frame project presents its own design challenges.

Photos are of the second prototype. The fork and chainstays have been redesigned. The dropouts are totally new and they have proved pretty stiff.

We expect the first batch to be ready mid-March 2014. Geometry is same as the current Saga. (The cantilever brake model Saga remains unchanged from 2013.)

Dave's Tricked Out Rivendell

Dave sent over some pictures of his Rivendell Hunqapillar with a customized Soma Porteur rack.

In addition to the Porteur rack, this build features lots of nice Japanese parts. Nitto/Rivendell Bosco Bullmoose bars, Stainless Nitto Bottle cages, Sugino XD Touring Cranks, and a Nitto R26 chrome plated rear rack.

The IRD quill stem shifter mount keeps the Rivendell Silver shifters accessible without taking up handlebar real estate. Cork grips plus Newbaums tape allow for multiple hand positions.

He even added a special mount under the rack platform for a dynamo headlight.

We previously featured his Soma Grand Randonneur build a few weeks ago. I think they'll make a nice pair! Thanks for sharing Dave!

Review: Bicycle Times Goes Out with the Soma Pick-Up Artist

"The Pick-Up Artist is a great deal at $1,500. The list of compromises for the price is not long.

Less expensive steel makes a heavier overall bike, but what's a few more pounds when you are carrying 50? ... It's a solid design that has the added benefit of being easy to step over. The bike absolutely did ot wiggle side to side, even with a lot of weight up front.... The [front rack's] slimness is often an asset as the bike can squeeze between cars and other obstacles easily." Read the complete review in Bicycle Times Issue 29 or click here. (Oct. 2013)

Dayne's Custom Painted Double Cross DC

A custom painted Double Cross DC build submitted by Dayne. Here's what he had to say about the build.

"I removed the canti bosses and cable stops, filed them down just so and filled any dips. Painted this by rattle can in my garage and slapped on a custom badge. All Chris King components and a hybrid Shimano 105/XT drivetrain (due to the fact your 132.5mm spaced rear doesn't allow for a 105 crankset and a lot of torque coming from the rider, otherwise the crank arm will knick the chain stay). Had to scour the earth to find that fork, Tange lugged disc fork was dechromed prior to painting."

"I was drawing inspiration from the Rapha Continental bikes for this one, I just like red better than pink."

Thanks for sharing!

Built By Swift

A nice video from our friends at Swift Industries. You can check out some of their wares in the Soma Shop, or at your local bike shop.

Cafe Roubaix Shirts

If you weren't on the internet this weekend, well you'll probably read about it today.

Show your support for Independent Bicycle Dealers, and look good doing it. www.caferoubaix.ca

Dave's Grand Randonneur Build

The build is now complete and I'm looking forward putting some miles in. I just want to thank you and American Cyclery for the assistance and guidance on this build.

Cheers,

Dave Brandt

New IRD Drillium Levers

Some brand new levers from IRD showed up today.

They're calling these the Drillium ZST levers. The shape is similar to the old Campy Ergo levers, and they feature a quick release pin for bikes with wider tires. Pretty sharp! We'll be stocking these in the Soma Store soon.

2014 Juice Update

2014 Frame News!

Our new B-Side has been getting some circulation online lately, but we wanted to let all the 9er fans out there know we didn't forget about you.

Here's a few shots of the Brownstone Soma Juice for 2014. The geometry is unchanged from the 2013 model, but we're going with a tapered head tube to accommodate some of the newer forks on the market these days (Zero Stack upper assembly and an external cup 40.EC44 bottom assembly). Don't worry though, you can still uses a regular steer tube with the correct headset (Zero Stack).

These should be ready to ship in a couple weeks so if you want one of the first batch get in touch with your local Soma dealer and ask them to reserve one for you.

Wolverine Marin Trip

We took our Wolverine proto out to Mt Tam this weekend of a little "testing". Got some nice pics along the way.

Check out the full set here >>> www.flickr.com/photos/mannyacosta