The 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 trail number was about 41mm. Trail can be low as 34mm depending on the tire and frame size you get. For comparison, the average trail on a performance road bike is 55-60mm. 

Check out the video to see what he thinks of the GR as a road bike and gravel bike.

The Grand Randonneur Disc is one of our most unique frame offerings. Its tubing is skinnier than our other 700c frames. It is designed for 650b tires, not 700c. It requires a quill stem, which is consider antiquated by some. But it is also designed for more wet weather capable disc brakes and modern thru-axle hubs. 

Even with the updates, it still aims to replicate the classic randonneur bicycle with its low trail geometry(higher fork offset) designed to carry a front rack bag or bar bag efficiently and comfortably on randonnées -- timed, but not competitive, long distance, self-supported road ride events. While these events have unique rules and restrictions, these days you can ride just about ANY road-capable bike you choose. It doesn't have to be steel or look vintage. Your gear doesn't have to be carried in the front. The bike you choose can have rim brakes or disc brakes.

So does that mean the classic rando bike is obsolete?
Hardly. We think it is an awesome day-ride set up where you carry snacks, small lunch, rainshell and other gear in a front bag which gives easy access without dismounting your bike. And with the Grand Randonneur's low trail geometry, this set-up works exceptionally well. That is not to say normal road bikes cannot carry a front load safely and efficiently with practice, but on the Grand Randonneur steering with a front load is less jerky and more pleasant.

Some highlights of the review:
- Found the 1" headtube/quill stem set added some comfortable flex over common 1-1/8" headtube/threadless stem set ups
- Low trail handling not as noticeable as on other low trail bikes he's owned/tested.
- Low trail handling was noticeable on climbs where the steering wandered less than higher trail bikes.
- "The perfect road bike (not racing bike) for most people"

Disclaimer: Soma sent the bike at no charge to The Path Less Pedaled. The Path Less Pedaled does not take payment for reviews. Soma does offer a store discount to "Team Supple" Patreon supporters of the Path Less Pedaled channel.

Soma 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.

Plers Beiks!!!

Soma Valhallen. You've heard the name perhaps, spoken quietly in dimly lit speakeasies and alleyways. Who is this mythical warrior and what's with all the empty hair spray cans? We'll get to that.



The soundtrack for the video is Tape Waves and was used without permission, because it was already downloaded on my phone and it's a cool song. Maybe check out their Bandcamp and order a physical media. Now back to the story.

Eons ago, when I was just a wee lass, I wanted a downhill bike. I worked at a shop in Reno called Bicycle Bananas and we sold a crapton of Iron Horse Sundays because Sam Hill was blowing up the UCI downhill scene. That bike was way out of my budget and I thought I was too cool for full suspension anyway, so I ordered up their top of the line hardtail the Waka Gashira. The thing was a beast, with a 1.5 fork (no tapered steerer tubes in those days). It was my dream bike. I rode it all over Reno and up in Lake Tahoe at the Northstar downhill resort. But after a season I was moving to Seattle and in need of some cash, so I sold the bike and that was that. But I never forgot how fun it was to ride a hardtail with a big ass suspension fork. Before long the company hit a rough patch, Sam Hill signed with Specialized and the Waka Gashira became a forgotten relic of the Pinkbike archives.

http://reviews.mtbr.com/fox-shocks-2013/fox_float_34_ctd

Flash forward to 2011, I got a job at IRD (Soma's parent company) and I came with a mission to restore the Hooligan Hardtail to it's rightful place in the pantheon of Gnar-shredders. It took a while to convince them that we needed another mountain bike frame in the line, especially since I was all hot and bothered for those weirdo 650b DH tires Pacenti showed off at NAHBS in Sacramento. For a while it looked like it would be just a pipe dream, but finally Fox introduced some long travel 650b forks and we were back in the game.

The Pacenti tires never did make it to market, but by the time we finished the geometry for our new bike WTB had announced their 2.8" Trailblazer tires and we knew it was only a matter of time before more manufactures got on board. We asked our buds at Panaracer to pretty please make us a 650b plus tire and before long they came out with the Fat B Nimble.

The project got put on hold for a couple years while we developed the Sandworm, which is more of a do anything adventure bike, but in 2015 we revisited the idea and decided to include some new interface standards that would enable our frame to offer more tire clearance and add strength and stiffness to the rear triangle.

We decided for the first time we would use a press fit bb on one of our frames. There are a lot of opinions about why you would or wouldn't want one of these, but our reasoning is pretty simple. A PF30 bb shell will let you run just about any cranks you want. Prefer threaded Hollowtech bearings? No problem, just pop in a euro adapter. Want to run single speed? No worries, there's an EBB option. Want to use a belt drive? Ok, get a Sandworm, but still, it's pretty versatile.

We also decided to hop on the BOOOST thru axle bandwagon. Why you ask, when our other frames already fit chubby tires? Two reasons. Firstly, it allowed us to use conventional hollow chainstays, which saves weigh and saves you money. Secondly, we decided to push the envelope and build in clearance for true 3.5" tires. There aren't too many options in that size yet, but the way things are going I don't think we'll have to wait too long.

So you want to know about the name? Fine. It's kid of dumb, but it's my favorite part. Remember back in the 90s when Cartoon Network was really good? I do. There was this show called Dexter's Laboratory created by Genndy Tartakovsky and Hanna-Barbera. Seth MacFarlane worked on it. It was kind of a Rocky and Bullwinkle for kids with social anxiety. In the grand tradition of self aware cartoon series it included references to all kinds of pop culture that was mostly lost on the sober viewers at that time. One bit they had was called the Justice Friends, a parody of the JLA/Avengers which featured the characters living in a sitcom apartment with classic hi-jinx and slapstick galore. I had really wanted to do a frameset named Odin, like our handlebars, but I guess somebody already thought of that. So I checked to see whether anybody had registered the trademark for the viking god of rock, and it turns out that nobody was using it. And Van Halen is ok, I guess. We should have frames in stock this summer.

Rawland Ulv 650B+ Dirt Drop

Sean over at Rawland Cycles finally loaned us the prototype Ulv 650B+ trekking bike.

The frame is a little on the small size, so I swapped out the cockpit and the seatpost to approximate a slightly longer frame.

Normally with the Gator bars I would go with an even shorter stem, but for this bike an 80mm feels about right.

This frameset is designed around large volume 650b tires, and comes stock with the Panaracer Fat B Nimble.

Since the Ulv is a low trail bike, it works great with a loaded mini rack. We mounted the Ostrich F-702 handlebar bag to the Rawland Raido Verks rack.

The bag straps directly to the bars and rack tombstone and since the bars have such a generous amount of sweep there's no clearance issue on the hoods or in the drops.

We went with the Ostrich S-2 seatbag for a bit of extra storage space, since I'm running bottle cages in lieu of a frame pack.

This bike comes standard with wide range 1x11 Sram Rival components. We've used this kit for a number of Wolverines, so it was a welcome sight for this adventure focused build.

Rawland uses solid steel plates to keep the Q-factor very low without resorting to Boost specific cranks or a heavy chainstay yoke. The Panaracers have a decent amout of clearance mounted to WTB Scraper rims.

Although it's built up as a 1x11, it does have a cable stop should you ever want to run a wide range double or a MTB triple crankset.

Rawland specced their own Raido Verks 12mm thru axle hubs for these builds. The updated graphics were inspired by Runes, and carry the tradition of Norse mythology that has been a theme of Rawland's models since the original Sogn was announced in 2007.

The Sram Rival disc brakes are unbelievable. They offer so much control with a fraction of the hand strength required to stop mechanical discs. While not an aftermarket option, Rawland used post mount brake mounting to ensure backwards compatibility with mechanical calipers like the Paul Klamper should you ever need to swap them out.

Rawland plans to release 100 complete bikes this year, but we can expect framesets to be available through shops after the first run is delivered.

Hands On Wheels x Rivendell Appaloosa

The world renowned Rich of Hands On Wheels and Riv fame dropped by to pick up some dynamo hubs an let us snap a few pictures of his excellent Appaloosa build.

For those of you who don't subscribe to the RBW list, the Appaloosa is a newer model from Riv. Featuring extra long chain-stays and a slack seat tube, these bikes are definitely designed to handle a substantial load.

The Sugino XD is a staple of most Rivendell builds. Seen here in the wide/low double configuration with complimentary bash ring.

It looks like some miniature ponies pranced up and down the tube at some point.

Bucking the trend of reinventing classic lug designs, the fork crown for this model is distinctly industrial. Braze ons at the tops of the fork legs offer more front rack mounting options.

Clearly this bike belongs to a collector of classic Japanese components.

Give me platform pedals any day.

What happens when your customer bails on their custom wheelset? New wheels day.

Classic Riv cockpit: Nitto Albatross x Technomic

The legendary Suntour Command shifters. Way way ahead of their time.

The classic Riv trunk bag never goes out of style.

;-3

One does not simply use any old rear derailleur with Suntour shifters. Not if you're into indexing anyway.

Taken from a classic illustration apparently.

The Nigel Smythe fender flaps with a healthy amount of buse.

If you see this sticker on your rim you can rest assured that you are in good hands... yeah, I'm sorry too.

But seriously, this guy knows wheels. Hit him up if you need somthing special built up (cuz we don't do that) and he'll sort you right out. Thanks Rich!

http://handsonwheels.com/

Kogswell 650b

Pictures from last weekend's campout are in the works. In the meantime, check out this classic Kogswell build submitted by Greg in Seattle. 38mm Soma New Xpress tires FTW.

For the uninitiated, the Kogswell P/R was one of the first modern low trail production frames built around 650b wheels. Based on experimentation by Bicycle Quarterly using vintage French touring bikes, it offered an affordable way for people to experiment with the then "obsolete" wheels size, and it's flexible configuration allowed it to be set up for touring, randonneuring, or commuting with an internal gear hub or as a single speed.

Like most Kogwells, Greg's wife's P/R is built up with a mix of classic MTB parts and modern throwbacks like the mammered Honjos, IRD Defiant triple crankset and the Nitto M-12 mini canti front rack. The untimely demise of Kogswell was what originally inspired us to develop our own 650b frame set, the Soma Grand Randonneur. These days the options are plentiful in 650b land, but we still appreciate what Kogswell did to kickstart the low trail market way back in '06.

2016 San Marcos Eroica Build

You already know how we feel about 650b tires. If you don't just google 650b and it should become immediately apparent. You can call it 27 point whatever if you like. So when we decided to introduce a new size for the San Marcos frameset, we went with 650b wheels.

As you may know, the San Marcos was designed by Rivendell and uses their lugs, but with Tange Prestige tubing like our other frames.

The current crop comes with a more Rivvy, frenchified fork, that we think looks great. Overall it's similar to the late Bleriot of yesteryear, but with a few nice features like front rack eyelets and a kickstand plate.

It's not low trail. That's kind of the point. The San Marcos doesn't need a front load to stabilize the steering, but it will still accept one as long as you remeber to steer the thing.

All the 650b San Marcos frames also fit Soma's Cazadero gravel tires. Now you can really have one bike for road riding, touring, brevets and commuting around town.

Even though the San Marcos is probably the coolest frameset we've ever made they just don't sell enough units to keep the project alive. So if you think you'd like to own one of your very own to keep and cherish forever and ever, you've got until the current batch runs out to make up your mind. Once these are gone, that's it. The San Marcos will be going to join the XO-1 and the Saluki in the place where awesome bikes go when they don't get the love they deserve. But don't worry too much, cause we still have a few.

More pictures of the builds from this post can be found at American Cyclery's Official Flickr account.

American Cyclery

2016 Grand Randonneur

The Soma 650b, low trail, randonneuring frame gets a fresh paint job for 2016. Our friend Dean Santos, who always wanted to get one, volunteered to build up the sample frame for our photos.

Frame	Soma Grand Randonneur 55, White
Fork	Soma Grand Randonneur low-trail fork
Headset	IRD Roller Drive Sample
Stem	Soma Sutro Quill Stem
Handlebars	Nitto Grand Randonneur 45cm (Used)
Bar Tape	Cardiff Brown Leather
Brake Levers	Dia Compe Grand Compe 202 Non-Aero
Shifters	Dura Ace 7700 9 speed
Brakes	IRD Cafam II
Front Derailleur	Dura Ace 7700 9 speed
Rear Derailleur	Dura Ace 7700 9 speed
Pedals	Test Pedals
Cranks	IRD Defiant Wide-Compact 170mm
Chainrings	46-30t 94BCD
Cassette	Shimano HG95 11-25
Chain	KMC 9 Speed
Seat Post	Soma Wazikashi
Saddle	Brooks Team Professional Brown
Wheelset	Suzue Sealed Bearing Hub on Araya TX510
Tires	Panaracer Col d'Lavie 650bx38

The Story Behind the Build

By Dean Santos – I’ve wanted to build a Grand Randonneur, ever since I heard the project discussed when I used to work at Merry Sales. I don’t know if it’s the lure of the 650b tires or the low-trail geometry, or even the mystique of riding thin tubes and experiencing planing. There’s just something about this bike that made me want one… really bad. 

The Pondering

While in college, I rode a commuter bike I got from a trade. I had it built up the way Grant Petersen would have: Fat Wald basket up front, leather saddle, a Cardiff saddle bag, fenders, wide 32mm tires, and a Nitto Albatross bar for a nice upright riding position. It was my go to bike for commuting, urban exploration, Bike Party, and general tomfoolery. I often packed the front basket to the brim. On longer rides, I start feeling the fatigue of trying to keep the front end straight under load. I find that after a certain point, the effort needed to keep the front in control goes up as you load more weight. This made me dig more into Jan Heine’s findings on low-trail geometry and its benefits regarding front load handling.

 

The Opportunity

One fateful day, I dropped by the Soma headquarters to pick up some parts and saw the sample white Grand Randonneur laying on the floor. The glossy white with red panels elicited the same kind of excitement reserved for bacon-wrapped hot dogs after a bar crawl in the Mission. It was my size and the stars aligned. I wanted to build it.


The Build

I immediately began thinking about the parts I had in my parts bin. I wanted to go full retro with non-aero brake levers, etc. In my bin, I had a Nitto Grand Randonneur bar that I used on a Schwinn touring bike I rebuilt, a Soma Champ Elysees rack, leather bar tape, and even a randonneur bag from Zugster. And of course I had to use the Dura Ace 7700 parts I had found in the trash behind a bike shop. The build sheet took longer to finalize than I care to admit.  
One of parts I wanted to try out was the IRD Defiant crank with a unique 46-30t gearing, but that choice became a headache when matching it up with the Dura-Ace short cage rear derailleur. The maximum chain wrap capacity of the Dura Ace derailleur is 29T. With a 46/30 crankset, the biggest cog I can use to make the derailleur work was a 11-25t cassette. Even with a 30t chain wrap, I have to be mindful not to use the 30t/11t combination. The decision to keep the Dura Ace derailleur was based purely on its bling bling factor. 

The whole build took about eight hours to complete. I did not cut any corners and I meticulously adjusted and set every aspect of this build.

I’ve been riding this bike as a commuter for the past two months and I’m really happy with the way it rides. On my 10 mile one-way commute, I like how mild-mannered the geometry handles. It’s not as snappy as my other carbon bikes, but the ride quality of the Grand Randonneur is on another level in comparison. It reminded me of why I love steel and why there’s a place for it in my stable. I get more compliments on this bike than my Santa Cruz Stigmata CC.

 Thank you to Passion Trail Bikes (Belmont's premier mountain bike shop)  for letting me borrow a stand and helping me cut and rethread the fork steerer a little shorter.

Cranks, saddle, rack, and front fender installed.
The rear fender is not done yet. This is about four hours worth of assembly.
I like to take my time for proper builds and not cut any corners.

The leather tape I had lying about looked a little dried out.
I revitalized it with some Sno-Seal and finished it off with
a mixture of paraffin wax and beeswax (heated) to waterproof
the leather tape. The wax also gave the tape a darker
color which matched closer to my Brooks saddle.

Chainring spacers were used to space out the fender
The fenders look ugly with having a gap between the wheel
and the fender. I had to drill holes on the fenders to install
it like this.

Water proofing the bar tape.