Gary's Soma Juice

Attached are three I-phone snaps of my new Soma Juice at the Benicia State Recreation Area. The bike is so much fun, and a very different experience from riding my old rigid 26er.

I highly recommend the semi-custom route, where one’s choices of a frame and components are guided by an expert--in this case, mountain bike practitioner and skilled mechanic Tom Hurlbut of American Cyclery in San Francisco. I had a fit issue that had to be accommodated--note the uncut steerer tube, available for further adjustment if necessary. No off-the-shelf bike can give you everything you want and nothing you don’t. Of course it’s more expensive to buy the components a la carte, but the result in my opinion is worth the extra expense, and I doubt I’ll be replacing anything any time soon. And not least, it’s steel!

GARY K. HEPPELL