Dear Bicycle Times-bound Buena Vista: It was fun while it lasted

Dark, sleek, a touch frisky...we will miss you

Check out the Soma Eurotrip Fenders look nice over Soma New Xpress 700c's in Terra Cotta... The rear wheel is a Soma Iggy Wheel w/ Sturmey Archer Wide Ratio 8 speed hub. Needless to say this setup is perfect for wet winter weather...

The Soma Electric Saddle in Dominatrix Black adds some edge. The cable routing is right hand to front brake; it's cleaner and what Karl at Bicycle Times requested. The handlebars are our Soma Sparrow Handlebars in the 560mm length with Cardiff Julian Leather Grips in Black. The shifter is a Sturmey-Archer 8 speed twist shifter. Brakes are Dia-compe 610 brakes. It's set up pretty upright, but they can easily go less upright by flipping the bar and moving it down one spacer.

So long Buena Vista!!

Are Track Brakes Cool?.....

Or are they an abomination? Or maybe a cool abomination?
These are track brakes made to install onto track bikes not equipped with brake mounting holes. Made by Dia-Compe, the BRS-101 track brakes actually are standard reach-- offering 43mm to 57mm of reach....though because the actual placement of the caliper itself is somewhat flexible, that brake pad reach number loses some of its relevance. Just nice that there is wider range than available on a short reach road brake.

I can't in my right mind see these as awesome additions to anybody's whip. They will undoubtedly spoil a track bike's pristeen looks. You not only have the brake caliper, but additional mounting plates and hardware.

BUT if you have a brakeless track bike and your boss says "no brakes! no job!", you have three options: get these brakes , get a new bike, or quit your job. In the interest of giving the working cyclist in that unenviable position an option, the SomaFab Shop will pick up a few of these.