Soma 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 flat bars with no one giving you grief.  

It was based off the cyclo-cross bike, because that was the category of bike that could adapt to all of the above the easiest, but in the last few years, we have seen the gravel bike really shine as a "do-it-all" platform.
They have a slightly lower bottom bracket height, so that improves their on-road handling loaded or unloaded over a CX bike. Their slacker head angles reduce toe overlap with beefier tires. And while early gravel designs started out twitchier handling than CX bikes, many of them now have longer wheel bases and slacker head angles, so they are easier to manage in deep gravel.

The new Double Cross is unabashedly "gravel" and we tried to put it squarely between "racing gravel" bikes and "backcountry bikepacking" gravel bikes. We didn't want to alienate those who love the Double Cross for its agile, unloaded handling on smooth trails and pavement. 

What did we change:

1) Head angle is half a degree to one degree slacker, which puts the trail number at about the same as mid-90's XC bike. Chainstay length remains the same to keep things agile.

2) Bottom bracket drop is 4mm lower on most sizes. ( The largest sizes keep the 66mm drop in case long-legged cyclists want to run 180-185mm crank arms.)

3) New color matched fork: We wanted to add 3-pack mounts and a simple unicrown fork design clashed less those mounts than the previous lugged crown, curved blade design. We specced a smaller diameter Infinity tube than our aftermarket straight blade CX fork. It is stiffer and lighter than the lugged crown fork. It will fit a pannier rack too, just not with cargo cages mounted.
As before, the fork is optional. 

Other options: If you are OK with a black or chrome fork, you can opt for our Lugged Crown CX fork, our low trail Champs Elysees fork, or our All-Road Carbon Fork.

4) Added a third water bottle boss to the downtube. This used to be as unfashionable as having a kickstand, but thankfully no longer. 

5) Slightly more stack on some sizes.

6) We debated whether to jump to thru-axles, 44mm headtube and flat mount brakes. We even asked for your opinions on social media. We decided to run with the tried and true standards (QR hubs, IS disc) for at least one more generation. This allows for customers to use parts in their garage and just allows for a lighter, more nimble bike.

7) We ovalized the top tube so it is wider than tall. It is better for shouldering the bike in cyclo-cross, but we mainly did it to eek out some torsion stiffness in the front triangle.

8) It has more peripheral clearance for 650b x 47mm tires. Will fit up to 700c x 45mm tires with 1x drivetrain. 

9) MATTE PURPLE: After 8 straight years of black and shades of gray and silver,  we wanted to have something fun this year. 

Available October 4, 2020.

Meet Karina our First Russian Brand Ambassador

We 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 bicycle discussion group on VK (Russia's equivalent to Facebook) where she has over 2000 members. A few may have joined to find out who is this woman who imagines herself a real bike expert, but most have no problem with her and are happy to swap experience and knowledge with her. We are honored to have her on board.

Hello! My name is Karina Simonova. I grew up in a small village near Smolensk, at the age of 18 I moved to St. Petersburg to study. There, in a big city, I realized that the best way to get around is a bicycle. So I bought an inexpensive used bike and used it as my main transport. It often broke down, and I, a poor student, had no money for maintenance and repairs. So I had to learn to fix it myself. At first, cycling friends helped me with simple questions, but I mastered more complex repairs myself.

A few years later, I got a job as a salesperson in a bicycle shop. A year and a half ago I moved to Moscow - there I found work as a bicycle mechanic at Mosgorbike.   I am responsible for repairs and warranty service. Rumor has it that I am the only professional female bicycle mechanic in Russia.

 

In order to discuss the issues of repairing my bicycles and share my experience with a wide audience, I organized a community called Karina's Garage on social media. Here I post reviews on bike parts, hiking cycling equipment, and raise not-so-simple topics of women's biking.

 

Over time, various companies began to contact me to test various bike components and write reviews about them in Karina's Garage. Since last summer I have been actively cooperating with the PLANETARKI.RU company. PLANETARKI.RU recently became a distributor of Soma in Russia and they offered me to become an ambassador of this brand in Russia. I got interested because Soma gravel bikes have always impressed me. I have long dreamed of a good steel frame for gravel and touring, and this dream came true in the  Wolverine. The difference with the bicycles I had before is enormous. The Wolverine is like medovukha (an alcoholic drink made with honey) -- strong, but sweet, too. With her, I can handle the asphalt and gravel roads of Russia and abroad. And I am glad to share my experience with Soma products where ever I ride.

 

From the moment the bicycle appeared in my life, work and hobbies have merged into a single whole. Bicycles at work, bicycles at home. My precious vacations also involve cycling! I have traveled in Russia from the White Sea to the Black Sea, was in the Caucasus mountains and Tsimlyansk Sands. I saw bears in the North and itched from insect bites in central Russia. I have participated and volunteered with the Russian ultra-distance self-supported bikepacking race Tour Unite, based on the legendary Tour Divide. 

I dream of starting my own workshop– the name for which I suppose already exists (well, you know what I mean)  and  I wish to have more travel opportunities. I have a bad temper, I draw mediocrely, I sing terribly, but I love my cat and my bicycles with my whole heart. In appreciation to those who will read this boring story to the very end, I drew a picture that depicts everything that I love so much - moving forward, my cat and my new bike Soma Wolverine.

Cape 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 page and Instagram.  The last time we posted one of her travel stories she was just leaving Africa by crossing the Suez Canal. Thru 2019 and this year she has gone thru Turkey, Greece, and is in Europe now. This is her account of touring thru Austria and Germany in the midst of nation-mandated security measures to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Unforseen Challenge

Amongst the many challenges I thought I might face cycling solo from South Africa to Norway on my Soma Saga, a pandemic was never one of them. None of us saw this coming, but now it's affecting our lives in various ways and to various degrees.

Teresie's Soma Saga in front of a blocked off bicycle bridge in Austria.

Uncertainty

I was in Austria when the first regulations intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 came into force. The plan was to stay a little bit longer in the country, but with all the uncertainty and the possibility that I would not be allowed to cross the border to Germany next, I sped up to avoid getting stuck. As I approached Salzburg, the border city, I got news that the next day the German chancellor was going to give an update on the situation in Germany and possibly implement even stricter rules. I then decided it was best to cross the next day. But how?

Strategy and Butterflies

All the borders were already being checked by the police, and only goods and commuters were allowed to cross. You were only allowed to travel, if you had a darn good reason. Does what I do fall into that category? I looked into other options. Finding places I could cross that was still not controlled. I found a walking path through a neighborhood. Friends told me about small bicycle bridges across the river that borders Austria and Germany in this area. Others said I could cycle through the forest at night. I just had to make sure I didn't stray into the military area nearby. In the end I decided to cross at a police checkpoint, after I learned that it was illegal and you could risk high fines, if you tried to cross the border in any other way. I had butterflies in my stomach. It would be one thing to be told I couldn't cross, but it would be another thing to be told me I had to get on a plane and fly back home. After all my two and a half year tour across continents was to avoid flying because of climate change.

Border Crossing

I arrived at the border. 'Hi!'. They were nice. 'What you're doing is certainly unusual and a bit tricky to categorize'. 'Is there any ways that you can get on a train?'. 'I'd rather not'. After about 10 minutes of the police trying to understand my situation and them thinking long and hard about if it qualifies as a transit or not, they said it was ok. 

'You can continue'. 

Woo-hooo!!!!!!! What a relief. So happy. 

I had the biggest smile as I took my first pedal strokes in Germany. Not long after I came past the mentioned bicycle bridges I considered cycling across to avoid the police check point. They were completely blocked and the Austrian army was even patroling this normally sleepy riverbank in their army vehicles. So surreal, and so glad I crossed the border in a legal fashion.

Shut-Down

However, now the real challenge began. With everything closed, I had limited access to water, food was ok, but finding a place to charge my phone was problematic. I've spent a lot of time in churches lately, charging my phone, as this is the only place that's open. Because of the charging situation I've also reduced the usage of my phone to pure navigation and absolute minimal communication with others. Pretty much all toilets are closed which is not a problem in itself if it wasn't for that this part of the world hardly has any wild nature, only wide open farmland or people.

It has been more of a challenge to find places to set up camp for the night.

Unlucky

I was hit hard by a cold spell and the illegal camping was made worse because of minus degrees and frost. Wild camping is not allowed in Germany so I had to pack up first thing in the morning so no-one would see me - before my sleeping bag and tent had a chance to dry. You can also forget about breakfast. It's too cold to stand around and eat. Before the coronavirus I used to stay with people, camp in their gardens and have the most amazing time together. Now at night I've been hiding out in bird lookout towers, behind tool sheds, at closed campsites and next to unfinished buildings. The enjoyment is to a large extent gone.

Sadness

I'm cycling through a new country but I'm not learning anything about it. I'm not engaging with people, only observing limited life in public. I didn't have a proper, meaningful conversation or connection with a fellow human being for a whole week. It makes me really sad. I've long ago realized that I could never cycle from South Africa to Norway without truly connecting with people along the way. I might be physically strong, but if I'm not happy, if my heart is not in the right place, I could not manage this.

The importance of people

I've learned this through countless, beautiful and most precious experiences along the 20,000 kilometers I've cycled to date spread out over two and a half years. But now, for the first time, I'm also learning it through not having this anymore. Because of social distancing. I am genuinely and deeply mourning the loss of these beautiful meetings with fellow human beings. When it boils down to it, they are what has kept me going this whole time.

In Slovenia, she rarely had to camp outside as locals invited
her into their homes.

Safe haven and the way forward

Right now I'm so thankful for finally having reached a good friend and to be staying under her loving and caring roof. Going forward, I'm preparing myself for rougher days. For longer periods of only cycling with a few select 'safe havens' (friends) along the way up to Denmark.

I know other people have it way worse than me during these times, but this is how I'm currently experiencing cycling from South Africa to Norway on my Soma Saga. 

I Was Running Out of Water

The SOMA FURTHER BOTTLE is the largest bottles designed to fit securely in standard water bottle cages. 38 oz. Over 1.1 liters. Still squeezable like other bike water bottles.
Ideal for bikepackers w/full-suspension bikes that only have a single set of water bottle bosses.  A must-have for those who go on super long rides and don’t like hydration packs.
Here is why Jon Severson requested Soma to take on this little project.

By Jon Severson, founder of Monstercross News and guest contributor to Cyclocross Magazine

It’s been awhile since there has been more than an incremental gain in any bicycle related component outside of a few exceptions. So when I teamed up with Soma Fabrications awhile back, my goal was to see what could we do that would change how people ride or make it more fun? Ideas for new types of frames, tires, and more were flowing, so I went for a ride to sort them out and do a little trail-based thinking. 

In a series of rides analyzing terrain and the frame of an existing bike, I kept thinking the bike needed some tweaking to make it perform better for me, but later I discovered one other thing was holding me back on each test ride. It was not the width of my tires or rims and while subtle tweaks to frame geometry or more fork travel would definitely make incremental gains across the terrain, there was something far bigger. 

I was running out of water. 

With just one bottle cage on the frame, my initial thought was well we’ll just add a 2nd bottle inside the triangle and that’s an easy fix. Yet still, on some frames this would only fit a small bottle and on the smallest sizes, that wouldn’t even be an option.  And for me, throwing a bottle under the down tube only to get covered in who-knows-what and not being able to grab it while riding is a no-go. 

Some would say just add a hydration pack, but I dislike riding with something on my back and cleaning those bladders isn’t as easy as tossing a bottle in the dishwasher. Those tiny bite valves can’t deliver water fast enough on a 95-100 degree day here on the Southern Front Range either. 

I listened to many other riders regarding hydration on long training rides, gravel rides, and bike packing. Their frustrations were very similar to my own: “Not enough water,” “don’t wanna leave my bike in front of a store to get more water”, “don’t wanna carry a heavy lock, so I can go into the store to get more water,” and “not a fan of hydration packs”. 

One late evening I had this nagging question, “Why are all bike bottles basically 20/22oz or 24/25oz?” Well, small bottles are easier to use and lighter for races where you have aid stations, support crews, or domestiques. The old argument against bigger bottles was “Well, that’s how it’s always been”. And while a couple half hearted efforts into the 33oz-ish size have been made, they had issues with leaking or too stiff a plastic or both. They were also VERY hard to find on top of it all. So the decision was made, how big could we really go? 

So for the last year I analyzed existing bottles, bottle cages, bottle cage materials, looked at non bike bottles, talked with consumers, and begun the design process. I knew the last thing the industry needed was a new standard, so I worked with existing bottle cage standards as the starting point. Next, who’s gonna be using this primarily? Well, it’s a daily driver-type product vs race day first and foremost. Yeah, I have little doubt that you’ll see riders in the lead packs of the Dirty Kanza or SBT GRVL, etc... sporting these bottles on their 140-200 mile journeys. But the guy racing a crit even in Cat 5 isn’t gonna be using this; he’ll be using the quicker to grab small bottles designed for races where seconds matter.  No, this would be the bottles people would be using every day where extending time on the bike matters more than shaving seconds off each lap. 

With this purpose in mind, I began looking at how we could get the most volume possible, while still being easy to grab from the cage and use while pedaling. The lower portion of the Further bottle is just ever so slightly bigger than the average bicycle bottle, so we could be sure to fit 98% of the bottle cages that hold bottles by slightly squeezing them. Next, how big around can we go up top? Got to thinking there is no good reason to make the top of the bottle the same diameter as the bottom other than tradition. So, we went as big as we could possibly go without compromising your ability to grip it. This helped to shave a little height, too. Too much height could create fit issues on some bikes. 

With two Further 38oz bottles I can ride 40-45 minutes longer without stopping to refill compared with having two 25 oz bottles

After all is said and done, the Further 38oz is 170% bigger than a 22oz water bottle and 152% bigger than a 25oz water bottle. In an era where most advancements are saving grams over the last gen or increasing stiffness in a product that was already plenty stiff, I’d say we made a significant gain in an accessory that’s been overlooked for decades. 

But what does that really add up to? For me personally at 230lbs, using the Further Bottle over my normal 25oz bottle allows me to add 20 minutes to my normal after work ride. On a long gravel ride, two 25 oz bottles were good for a little over 2 hours – maybe 2.5 hours on a cool day. With two Further 38oz bottles, I can ride 40-45 minute longer without stopping to refill. Smaller riders will get even better results. 

So guess you know now why I named this bottle the Further Bottle, because it allows you to ride further. That’s something beginners or pros will appreciate every day.