RIDER PROFILE: Norma Herrera of the Calfornia Bicycle Coalition

Norma is a proud new owner of a Grand Randonneur. She is currently getting ready the California Coast Climate Ride. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, specifically East L.A. And has lived in Oakland, CA for two and a half years.  

What kind of riding do you do? If you have one, what is your favorite ride route?

I've been car-free since 2010 and don't like waiting for public transit so bicycling is my #1 way of getting around. 

I also really enjoy night-time group rides, though I haven't been doing too many here in Oakland. Believe it or not, L.A. has a huge bike culture and those people are some of my best friends. 

I need to do more bike camping. My old bike (a late-80's single-speed conversion Bianchi) didn't really allow for too many camping trips. I'm excited to get some racks on my Grand Rando...I anticipate a lot of bike camping this season.

My favorite ride route is actually my commute to work. I get to ride alongside the water by Jack London Square and it's always really calm and quiet. Great way to start a work day. I also like to ride the Iron Horse Trail.

What kind of bikes have you had before or still have? If you have a ton, just share the most memorable.

My aforementioned Bianchi has been my only regular bike for five years. It was actually given to me by a really good friend, so it's not my size but it has done me really well.

However, my most memorable bike is this thing: 

Meet GOAT, a 70's Schwinn cruiser cut-up, flipped and welded onto a unicycle wheel. If you've never built a freak bike, I highly recommend it.

What made you choose a Grand Randonneur and/or how do you like it so far?

It's by far one of the prettiest bikes I've seen and one of the few that comes in my size. So far, I'm loving how easy it is to ride...going from a SS to gears is one of the most life-changing experiences I've ever had! And having a bike that can handle dirt and gravel is amazing. 

Norma's got her 49cm Grand Randonneur  built with Soma Three-Speed Bars.

What you excited about doing, trying or going in 2015?

I'm definitely excited about the Climate Ride in a couple of weeks (you can donate to my cause here.) It's the first time I'm doing a multi-day, hundreds of miles tour and it's especially exciting, because I'm doing it on behalf of my organization, the California Bicycle Coalition.

I'm also excited about working in bike advocacy and all the exciting things we're getting done. More people on bikes = positive change in our society. 

Is there an activity, hobby or cause that you are involved in now that you would like to share?

For the time being, my biggest cause is getting more people on bikes. I volunteer for all sorts of events when I can (Save the Bay clean-ups and Sunday Streets are two of my favorites) I also am starting to work on a huge build project for Burning Man, which is very exciting. 

What's on heavy rotation on your MP3 player/streaming service?

Lykke Li, Hot Chip,  and Sia.

RIDER PROFILE: Vincent Lo

Photo by Mel Saldonido

We met Vincent on Facebook after he shared some beautiful photos of his Smoothie build.

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Vincent Lo, AKA VLO. Somehow the whole VLO thing got me into the VELO things. I have Midwest/Southern roots, and lived in San Francisco for about 6 years. Currently, I am living in Orange County, California.

What kind of riding do you do ? 

If you have one, what is your favorite ride route?: On the weekdays, I commute to work about 30 miles a day, 15 miles each way. On the weekends, I will ride with my local bike shop on some club rides or with some friends on more remote rides. I love riding in the city/metropolitan areas like LA, where there are a lot of cars and obstacles that you have to be aware of and dodge to make it to your destination. Keeps me focused and my senses heightened.

What types of bikes have you owned or still have? 

 I currently have 5 ridable bikes, and probably another 5 frames and parts that I have yet to build up. Top 3 are 2014 SOMA Smoothie Shimano 105, 1987 Panasonic DX-5000 Shimano 600, 2010 Mercier Kilo WT. I have a high-end carbon bike too, but my true passion is in steel bikes. My favorite is the SOMA Smoothie because it's fun to ride, comfortable, and handsome. 

Details: H+Son TB14 on White Industries T11 wrapped with Veloflex Master 25,
Shimano 105 5600 group, Brooks B17 saddle and handlebar tape. Photo by Vince Lo
[click on image because its worth the zoom]

What made you choose a Smoothie and why did you custom build it as you did?

What started out as building a low cost, do-it-all, everyday commuter from random parts and take-off's from my other builds, this SOMA Smoothie quickly became a pet project after seeing how beautiful and well built the frame was. I couldn't let it be any ordinary commuter anymore (i.e. one that I would ride everyday, to and from work, lock up at poles, get beat up and scraped, and risk it getting stolen). While keeping the “do-it-all” attitude, it be came a capable, agile boy racer that would tear through urban streets and tackle the highest mountains. The build pays homage to the city of SF, from which the SOMA brand originates from, and my first destination in my California life. Like the city, which has an eclectic design and architecture fusing Victorian and modern eras, this bike combines the look of the golden years of cycling with modern amenities and comfort.

 So you are a graphic designer and you obviously do some photography.
What are some of the more interesting creative projects (professional or personal) that you are working on?

By day, I am a graphic designer for a "black business bag" company, and by night, I take on cool random freelance projects (many of which I cannot mention at the moment). I am also trying to start my brand of cycling jerseys and accessories, which I am calling VELOPRIME.

What you excited about doing, trying or going in 2015?

Still seeking the big adventure in 2015. Last year we did the 4-day hike on the Inca Trail in Peru. We'll see if we can top that this year.

Is there an activity, hobby or cause that you are involved in now that you would like to share?
Sneakers. It's a bad addiction. I have a continuously growing collection of retro runners, Air Jordan's, Air Max, Dunks, all that good stuff. If money isn't spent on bikes, it's on shoes.

See more of Vince's photos here

What's on heavy rotation on your music player? Are MP3's still around?? I just stream stuff: AH.fm, Groove Salad, Dubstep Beyond... and Taylor Swift. I can't start my day without Taylor Swift. Don't judge :D

What food or drink would you miss after the zombie apocalypse? Mexican Coke and burritos de lengua [Editor: Coca-Cola from Mexico contains real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. Available at many Hispanic grocery stores.]

Racing the Boggs 8-Hour on the B-Side

by guest writer,  Uri Friedman, owner of  Swell Cycles

Boggs is an 8 hour mountain bike race that takes place every Spring in Cobb, a tiny 5 x 5 mile town

100 miles north of San Francisco. Over the years, it has become one of my favorite bike races because of the beautiful location (of which you can camp out for 1 or 2 nights before and after the race), fun course, and awesome fellow riders. With just 2 months of opening and running our (Will Rose and I) new shop, Swell Bicycles, I thought the odds pretty slim that I'd have the opportunity to continue my love affair with Boggs for the 4th year running. Plus it sells out hella quick, and just like every year, was sold out within weeks.

That was until a friend Sasha Magee, who races for Super Pro team, came by to check out the new shop and mentioned he was racing as part of a two-person single speed team but his partner had broken their collarbone and, der, could no longer ride. We knew what we had to do: Enter the race together and make an epic team name that would be hard to forget: Short Guys with Russian Names.

Now I had one month to dial in a sweet ride and get some extra dirt miles in to prep. I have been a loyal rider of 650b wheeled mountain bikes for several years, but as a necessary contribution to the bike shop starting gods, I sold my uber limited Ridley Ignite carbon single speed bike, and thus was without a mtb bike in which to race with. Knowing my criteria for a ride: steel frame, reasonably priced, sliding drop outs to allow for single speed, and good looking. The B-Side from Soma Fabrications was the first option that came to mind as it meets all the requirements and is designed locally by the savy folks at Merry Sales in South San Francisco.

Within a day of picking my new the B-Side up it was built up and slaying trails on Mt. Sutro. I was impressed with how well it handled and the confidence I immediately felt. I could believe how well it cornered! I was set.

Fast forward to two weeks later and Sasha, his partner Kelly and I were on our way to Boggs Demonstration Forest on Boggs Mountain, near Clear Lake. After 3 hours on some windey ass streets, we drove through Cobb, where the streets seemed to be filled with tough looking men and even tougher women. With several hours of sunlight left, we set up camp and chowed down. I brought me some quinoa, steamed vegetables, and avocado and while it was tempting to hang out with the Super Pro crowd and drink into the night, having been my 4th year at this race, knowing full well what the next morning feels like with a Super Pro party under my belt, I opted to retire early. The night after the race seemed a better option for campfire time, anyways.

The 5:30am alarm came as early as I expected. My typical pre-race meal is a 24oz. smoothie consisting of green juice, coconut juice, yogurt, flax oil, chia seed, avocado, and brown rice protein mix. I also ate a Nana Joe’s Swell bar to add some solid food with more carbs and fats. The next most important part of my morning is getting a huge cup of coffee brewed. Fueled up I begin doing reps of the start climb to get warm. 

The race start is similar to a pack of Tasmanian Devil's traveling together complete with mini tornado of dust surrounding us. 

My first lap goes pretty well and I’m feeling strong. Then something happens over lap two where I gradually start feeling sluggish. I exchange with Sasha and return to camp to stretch, change, and eat. Crucial to a racing on a team is never loosing track of your calculation of when you teammate will come through ready to exchange. Checking my chain I’m relieved to discover it wasn’t entirely me sucking. Turns out: my chain tension was a bit on the tight side and I get to work readjusting it.

After the second exchange and I stop by to check the standings. I’m pumped to see that we are currently third in our category and second place is really close. And when Sasha rolls in and he has just barely gotten us in front of the former second place team!

We have now done 5 laps each and I wait for Sasha to roll though and see if he’s ready to keep going or wants to switch. Sure enough he has crushed his lap and put us back in the 2nd place spot but wants to exchange. The motivation to hold on is strong and I begin the lap right behind Matthias Behrens, solo single speed racers extraordinaire. His pace is perfect and I follow as best as I can and finish my lap with plenty of time to spare to retain our position in 2nd place!

This marks my third podium at Boggs, all in the two-person single speed category. While the competition has gotten stronger over the years, thanks to Sasha’s strong riding Short Guys with Russian Names are on the podium. Beers, food, and shenanigans around the campfire follow.

Sunday morning came, and we started it off right with a big ol' plate of fried eggs, toast and avocado. A group then meets up for a lil' recovery ride around the park. I feel so fortunate to be in such an amazing place and able to enjoy not 1 but 2 days of world class riding and hanging out with friends before returning to San Francisco. Want to hear more about Boggs or interested in bike racing? Come by the shop at 41st and Irving St, or holla at us on ze book of Face. 

Rider Profile: Andrew Wracher, Bedrock Bags

Exploring the White Canyon complex in southeast Utah

Andrew Wracher is an avid cyclist and camping enthusiast living in Durango, CO.  A couple of years back his love of the outdoors and bikepacking led him to start designing and handmaking his own frame and bike packs. He calls his business Bedrock Bags. Earlier this year he became the owner of a 2014 Soma B-Side, our 650b hardtail frame.

What kind of cycling do you enjoy most?

I enjoy bikepacking in and around the Four Corners, as well as riding local singletrack around Durango during the workdays.

For the folks who might not know, what is "Bikepacking"?
Bikepacking is a unique form of bicycle touring that typically relies on rackless pack systems to travel lighter than traditional bicycle touring. Traveling without traditional racks and panniers allows the rider the option of traveling on rough terrain such as mountain single track or rough four wheel drive roads. Bikepacking can range from a recreational overnight to a 500 mile race on the Colorado Trail.
 

Andrew's B-Side frame does have rack eyelets, but in bikepacking
participants usually forgo conventional racks. Build highlights: 120mm travel
Fox fork, Stan's No Tubes wheels. Michelins in front, Schwalbes in back.

Great shot! See more of Andrew's
photos on Flickr.

You seem like an individual that can't get enough of the great outdoors. Why is that/where does that come from? What other outdoor activities are you passionate about.

I started backpacking at a very young age with my family. Since then being outdoors has become a way of life. It's just something I need. Canoeing, fishing, kayaking, rafting, cycling, backpacking, surfing...It's all a way to interact with and explore the world we live in. It doesn't get much more complicated than that.

What do you like about your Soma B-Side?

For bikepacking I wanted the ability to run adjustable dropouts in case the derailleur failed. If I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken derailleur I can run a single speed setup to get home. I also wanted wheels that would roll efficiently while maintaining stiffness. 650b (compared to a 29er) allows for greater clearance between the rear wheel and seat as well as a slightly larger main triangle. This is important for making room for bikepacking bags. The B-side is a great bikepacking platform. 

For my backyard single track I wanted a bike that could turn on a dime and manual off a drop with out feeling like a tobaggon. Short chain stays and fun geometry really make this bike a blast. Efficient, fun, flickable, steel, trustworthy. What else do you need?

What kind of research do you do come up with your designs?  

At first I just looked at what everyone else was doing. Lately I rely on my own experiences in addition to input from some seriously talented cyclists that are at the top of their game. To be honest, the feedback from these folks is invaluable. Almost daily some small detail of one of my bags is tweaked or refined to improve the product. 

I love providing people with the gear they need to explore places they have never been to. My part is small, what people do with it is incredible. I don't have a big fancy job, but if people can do great things with something I have made...well, that feels pretty good.

Do you have a background in sewing or industrial design? You didn't just wake one day and found you had a talent to make bikepacking bags, did you?

Open road in the Valley of the Gods, Utah

I have been sewing outdoor gear for my own needs for the last ten years. When I think of a new design I can see it in three dimensions. I can literally spin it around in my brain like I'm watching a video. One day I made a set of bags because I wanted to give bikepacking a shot and they worked out alright. I showed them to a friend who was the new owner of a bike shop (Velorution Cycles) and the rest is history.

What is your most sought after creation currently?

 At this point it is a tie between the Entrada Handlebar bag and custom frame bags.

[Soma did not provide a B-Side for his review. Andrew did not provide us any free bags to wrangle an interview, though we wouldn't refuse one if he offered. We are totally grateful to Andrew for the interview and sharing his photos.]

Soma Buena Vista Fashion Shoot Photos

We are quite happy to see Iva Jean Clothing showing off a Buena Vista mixte bike in the latest promotion of their upcoming line. Iva Jean made a splash in the cycling world with chic tailored clothing that looked great at the office and functioned well on a bike. Her new line of minimalistic, versatile staples will be sewn in Seattle.

The previous line had been funded personally, through a line of credit from a fellow bike enthusiast, and a 2013 Kickstarter Campaign. In order to grow Iva Jean, they need your support.
Your contributions will fund:

• Sourcing and purchase of fabric and product hardware
• Production of six new styles including the City Legging, City Trouser, Raglan Short and Long Sleeve, Racer Tank and Tunic
• Continued development of new garments.

Please check out her Kickstarter page for the details and support them if you are so enticed. 
(Soma did not provide this bike for the shoot. The Buena Vista happens to be Iva Jean creative director, Anna DeOtte Kaufman's personal ride. It was built by Back Alley Bike Repair in Seattle. For 2014, the BV is available to bike shops as a frame set or complete bike.)

Look familiar?

Via http://www.cyclelicio.us

Pushing The Pedals (In Cuba)

Yes. The guy is carrying a cake while gravel grinding it to some customer's home.
The photographer followed him for over a mile and  he never faltered.
I smell a possible race event idea.

Happy Friday everyone. Just wanted to share an up and coming bicycle blog. I met Daniel, the writer, when he was working at American Cyclery in S.F. He is now in the Czech Republic of all places. Most of his articles are regarding touring or bike camping.

One of his latest posts was guest penned by his girlfriend. She went to Cuba, a place I have always been interested in checking out. Here are a couple of photos. Visit Pushing the Pedals to read more.

S.F. Bicycle Music Festival - June 23rd

What's different about a "bicycle music festival"?
1) The human-powered P/A system, which besides being the most fun and green way to amplify a live concert, also transforms every song into an audience participation song, and radically democratizes the concert-goer experience (the power to amplify the people onstage rests entirely in the will of the people offstage; democracy at its healthiest you might say!).

2) Bicycle-mobility of the entire festival: the entire audience/band/stage/crew completely packs-up everything they bring (stage and musical equipment too) onto bicycles, and travels as a large group to the next festival stop. There are no sag-wagons or equipment trucks hauling the amplifiers and other heavy gear – everything is hauled by bicycle.

3) Pilgrimage-style sequential venue schedule: Unlike other festivals where bands are scheduled to play overlapping slots on stages that are set-up just around the corner from one another (often resulting in overlapping sound), the Bicycle Music Festival unfolds like a delightful treasure hunt: in a linear and adventurous journey-form, with only one meaningful development in the plot unveiled at a time, and stages located a full bike-ride away from each other.

Go here to check out the line-up

Lit-Up Alley Cat III: St. Louis

This is the first year we will be sponsoring this night event. Organized by SpokeSTL

Da NAHBS Pt. 3

So much to see. We saw a lot of generators with wires going internally into the racks they were mounted on, we saw lots of Enve forks, and Iris bottle cages, extended seatmasts were everywhere, and carbon Gates drives, too. And we saw many more CX bikes than we expected to see.

Here are some more things that really caught our eye:

 Cykelmaguren Copenhagen makes city bikes, hubs and wood grips, but "brake levers" which are
beads strung across two metal clamps was what first captured my attention.

This Kirk Lee frame was done for a client who wanted an Atlas theme (He was a fan of
"Atlas Shrugged" I think). At first I thought the graphics were digitized, but everything was
handpainted. The headtube image glows and the supporting light rays and stripes
looked great.

While he's no Atlas, Don Walker (NAHBS founder)
has no problem owning this headtube.

NAHBS sophmore Demon Frameworks won an award for this incredible road frame.
Blurry pic doesn't do it justice.

Custom dropout on the Demon.

This frame set from English is missing half its fork and half its stays. The designer
says it rides just like any other bike despite missing some tubes.
He had to do some engineering to get the hubs to work for this unique design.

This Ira Ryan utility bike was amazing for more than one just its design.
If you look closely the bike and the 2-wheel trailer was equipped with
at least three Chris King headsets(see below) and three Chris King hubs. Whoa!

Da Nahbs Pt. 2

More Pics from Sacramento.

 Comotion's 29er Tandem

Victoria Cycle's Randonneuse

 Fatback Stainless Fatbike

 Sunrace Driven Rear Deraileur

 Celio's Road

Rock Lobster's SS Cross

Pereira's 650b Randonneuse

Ira Ryan Trailer Hitch

Swift Industries Ozette Bag

Ride Like A Kid Again

We first started offering the Rush in 2001 when Soma was just born. Back then the whole fixed gear thing was still waiting for the starting gun to go off. In 2004 we started using the Tange Prestige tubing, and in 2010 we switched to the Tange dropouts. Two years ago we added our current head badges featuring the Sutro Tower. It still features the pure track geometry and killer styling that’s made it a favorite with riders for 10 years running.

I think the reason that the Rush has remained such a favorite is that it’s just good clean fun. Sure there are fancier track frames out there.  But when you ride a pure track bike the only thing that matters is what’s in front of you.  You may have only one bike, or you may have 10+ bikes, but when you ride the Rush you’re 10 years old, school is out and you can go wherever you want. It's not about how much your bike weighs. It's not about driving two hours to ride for 45 minutes. It's not about doing bar spins and 360s. It's not about getting sponsored by a soda company. It's about riding as far as you can without stopping. It's about riding all night. It's about pedaling so hard you throw up. It's about riding down the biggest hill you can find. It's about riding in the rain, and the snow. It's about riding in the hot sun with no hands while eating a burrito. It's about practicing track stands because you're friend need to catch up. It's about riding a bike when everybody else thinks your crazy for riding a bike. It's about riding until your tires have holes in them. It's about riding for the sheer unadulterated joy of being on a bike. So let's take back the streets.

Seattle taking back the streets!

The Zlog fam is keeping it fresh in the Northwest. Ride on homies.


Drop Bars Not Bombs from ZLOG on Vimeo.

Meet Freebird Velo's New Bike, Mabel!

 

Jennie who blogs and screen-prints t-shirt under the moniker FreeBirdVelo just sent us pics of her newly completed ivory [color retired for 2012, sorry] Double Cross. What caught our eye first were the custom panniers by VeniceVelo. She writes: "Thank you for making such an amazing, affordable product. I haven't ridden steel since my first Mtn bike 20 some years ago and it's awesome to ride. Couldn't stop smiling."

On  her blog she muses: "I knew she was going to be a special bike because on the way home there was a full moon. The kind where you expect to see a witch or Elliot and ET flying across. It was then that I agreed upon Mabel as her official name. Actually her name came about because I was kind of hungry and I was thinking about donuts. My favorite is a maple bar, her frame has a similar color to the icing. Also, she's steel and kind of heavy, she's not going to take shit from anything, so Mabel sounded like a big 'ol southern lady. Perfect."

RIDER PROFILE: Ben Evans

Road to the Peruvian Andes. Photo: Jeremy Jensen

Ben Stuart Evans caught our attention when he sent us some breathtaking photos (shot by his riding partner Jeremy Jensen) of his epic trip riding from Oaxaca, Mexico to Caraz, Peru. They estimated to have ridden 3000 miles and gained a total of 50,000 vertical feet. They did these all on fixed gear bikes – Ben on his 2006 fiery red Soma Rush. He took his Rush [he says 'the Rush took him'] over countless mountain passes, through jungles and deserts, cities and hamlets, past glaciers and erupting volcanoes. They even did a 300-mile sailboat voyage across the Caribbean in hurricane season. What also struck us is that Ben is not just a simple adventure seeker, but has a passion for social work/public health. He was doing community health work in Oaxaca before his trip. On Dec. 4th he left the States to do work in Ecuador.

What's your name, age, and education background?

Benjamin Stuart Evans, 27 y.o., Masters of Public Health, Masters of Social Work; hometown St. Louis, MO

Jeremy Jensen; 29 y.o., Bachelor's in Construction Management; hometown Flagstaff, AZ

At the equator.

What kind of work have you been doing the last couple of years? Has it been more work or more exploring this past year?

My work over the past couple years has been a mish-mash of small jobs related to my field of study and totally unrelated work. I graduated in 2009 and immediately left Portland, Oregon for Oaxaca, Mexico where I worked with a couple of non-profit organizations. One of them, Puente a la Salud Comunitaria (Bridge to Community Health), works with families and farmers in rural Oaxaca to reincorporate a native grain, Amaranth, into the diet, agriculture and local markets of the region. My work with Puente, like my work with another organization that focuses on creating a space for children to lead their own community projects, was split between helping with organizational redesign and preparation for field work. I also taught English for a bit. One thing that I loved about each of those jobs was the ever-changing work environment--one day would be an hour-long meeting, the next would be a 16-hour day in the field. Since moving back to the states in December 2010, I've gotten my Wilderness EMT and worked on a fire crew with the Forest Service. [Editor: He is currently spending the winter in Ecuador working with a farming co-operative to identify mechanisms of social marginalization that affect their communities and thinking about how the co-op can start to address those inequities.]

Working with a non-profit in Oaxaca, Mexico

What is more satisfying/rewarding? Social work or riding?

Ay, I don't think I can quantify that one. They sort of feed off of each other. I'm a person who really needs that physical outlet, so I think I'm better able to tap into my creativity for work when I'm riding regularly. The flip side is that I am more motivated to ride when work is tough and I have ideas to process in the saddle. In that sense, work and riding are complementary for me, and mutually rewarding.

Canyon del Pato in Peru. Ben's "touring bike" is a 2006 Soma Rush. Photo: Jeremy Jensen

How did you train/prepare for long distance riding?

Honestly, my training was pretty sorry and Jeremy didn't train at all. I just tried to be in the saddle for at least 2 hours at a time a two or three days a week and ride really hard with weight for about a month leading up to the trip. We knew that the first few weeks of the tour would whip us into shape better than any training regimen, so we didn't worry about it too much. And frankly, sometimes, a midday mezcal was a bit more enticing than sweating up a mountain pass in the Mexican sun.

What ride/tour mistakes did you make you can tell us about to help aspiring touring cyclists to avoid?

Beware of expensive niche gear! I spent a lot of time and money researching the "best" racks for my handlebar bag and saddlebag, only to toss both of those pricy gadgets into a roadside trashcan when they failed two weeks into the trip. Keep it simple, bombproof and versatile when selecting gear. Use gear that you can replace or fix on the road (i.e.: broken plastic brace, not so fixable), gear that can serve a number of purposes, and then carry at least a couple of the most basic "refacciones" (spare parts; ex.: adjustable metal clamps, heavy weight zip ties, duct tape!) to get you through the most barren stretches of riding on your trip.

Avoid trip and route planning like the plague: I know it's hard not to plan, but seriously, just fly by the seat of your pants. The greatest fun on our tour was giving in to spontaneity 100% and enjoying the flexibility of riding for the journey, rather than the destination. Destinations change. Cranking through the rolling hills of Southern Mexico, Jeremy and I were stoked to be on pace for a 150 mile day and bent on making it happen when someone pulled over to chat with us roadside during a snack break. That someone ended up inviting us to stay the night on his brother's extravagant colonial hacienda just behind us--one of the most memorable events in 10 weeks on the road. We thought of the trip as a holistic adventure, not just a cycling one, and were repeatedly rewarded for that outlook. So take a load off, and forget the plan--the unforeseen will probably be far more spectacular than anything you can devise.

Sailing toward Cartagena, Columbia. Photo: Jeremy Jensen

Why did you choose to ride fixed? Just riding a geared bike would've been challenging enough.

We rode fixed out of necessity and love... which I realize sounds super cheesy, but it's fitting, really. Have a conversation in confidence with anyone who rides fixed and they'll explain to you the romance in it. It's just a special way of riding. We both had fixed gear bikes and no money to build anything different, but we had this amazing trip idea; it was going to happen. And we did it because we love riding fixed, it's simply an incredible feeling. The bike becomes a part of you. I'll be watching a sci-fi movie and people are jumping into futuristic robotic suits and using crazy mechanical body extension tools and such, and I always think, "Yeah, I already know what that's like." Jeremy had rode fixed from Bend, Oregon to San Diego the summer before, so when I asked him if he wanted to ride to Peru with me, we were both pretty decided on doing it fixed from the outset. The simplicity of it is so appealing on a long, remote tour. There's so little to break on the bike, and we matched our gear ratios so that we could sync pace and draft. And we never worried that we were in the wrong gear. It was the only gear! [Editor: Though he loves riding fixed, he did share that there are difficulties and unique challenges with touring on essentially a track bike, like carrying enough food/water or not having the comfort of fatter tires when riding gravel roads. Mr. Evan's views expressed in this interview are his own and are not necessarily those of Soma.]

Xinjiang Traffic Jam

Eleanor Moseman and her Soma Saga made their way into the city of Urumqi this week -- in Xinjiang Province in Western China.
And she shared this video on her Facebook page. (Gets more interesting at the 50s mark)
The place is generally very arid so I am surprised to see all the snow. You may remember this is the place with all the riots a couple years back between the native Uighurs and the Chinese. Xinjiang is also where they filmed The Kite Runner, though that was in a different city. "After 10,000 miles toured and 3 years lived in China, Urumqi gets my vote for the best city with night markets and street food."

Winning Entries for our Anniversary Photo Contest

Mamuang Thai House names his Buena Vista "Cha Yen". This won the "Staff Pick" award.
He has chosen a Soma Lauterwasser Bar as his prize.

A big thank you to all to submitted entries. You all will receive one our 10th Anniversary Posters. We must also thank those who helped vote for our winners. We enjoyed seeing all the awesome photos and the interesting bike builds.

Bum Arrifin took this shot in Singapore. It received the most "Likes".
Bum is going to get a Soma Porteur Rack w/Fence.

Manny Acosta shot this on theroad going up Mount Diablo (SF Bay Area, CA - East Bay).
This got the 2nd most likes.