Introducing Two New Soma Tires

We are excited to introduce the Shikoro and Supple Vitesse 700c road clincher tires. Both come in widths that serve categories from racing and raining to touring and commuting (23, 28, 33, 38, 42c). Both utilize a mostly smooth all-road tread pattern and a High Mileage high carbon rubber compound. And as usual, we've tapped Panaracer's Japanese factories to produce these for us to ensure a high quality product.

The Shikoro is aimed at a wide range of riders that value efficient and comfortable road performance with durability and robust puncture protection. The bead-to-bead Dense Weave Polyamide breaker provides protection against both tread punctures and sidewall cuts. It offers better protection than the Hypertex casing used on our New Xpress tires and smoother ride quality. The tri-layer 4HD casing offers a nice balance of low rolling resistance and rigid support needed in cornering. We anticipate the Shikoro will be pressed into service for mostly training, club rides, and gritty commutes, but won't be surprised to see folks using them on gravel races where there's a lot of pavement. Available in folding and steel bead.

Soma Shikoro (700x28c shown): "Shikoro" is the term for the neckguard on a samurai  helmet.

Shikoro 700 x 42c

The Supple Vitesse is aimed at cyclists valuing a premium ride quality above all else. The heart of this tire is it supple tubular casing, which offers a high level of vibration absorption and road feel, plus very low rolling resistance. You will find the wider tires to be remarkably plush, but not slow at all. And discerning riders should notice the narrower models will be as fast and positive feeling as  high end tires marketed specifically for racing. We offer an SL (superlight) model as well as an EX model, which has a thicker tread for longer tire life. Skinwall and folding bead only.

A lightweight tubular casing offers the supple speedy ride of a tubular – but in a clincher design.

Five sizes and two tread thicknesses to suit a variety of riding needs.