What's a Pescadero Anyway?

The Low Down on the new Pescadero frame set:

• Road sport/Endurance road geometry
• Fits tires up to 700c x 42mm
• Designed for Paul Racer centerpull brakes and 73mm dual pivot caliper brakes
• Coming in late March 2017

A pescadero is a fishmonger if you didn't get that far in your high school Spanish class. It's also the name of a charming town down the coast a bit between SF and Santa Cruz. The town began as a rancho like so many of the historic communities in California did, but nowadays it's one of a number of eclectic little villages along the scenic Highway 1. Since the Fog Cutter was inspired by a trip to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, we wanted our newest all-road bike to go with the theme of NorCal beach destinations.

TIG-welded using Tange Prestige heat-treated double-butted chromoly steel

So what's the deal with this bike anyway? As you may know our ES road sport frame was originally called the Smoothie "Extra Smooth", because it fit wider, more comfortable tires than our Smoothie road race bike. Believe it or not, it was the first Soma I ever bought back when I was first greasing chains and patching tubes at the local bike shop. And it's a great bike. It's been largely unchanged since we launched it aside from a new coat of paint every few years, but I would guess there are probably hundreds of ES that still get ridden every day.

Well we got to thinking, wouldn't it be sweet if the ES could fit the new 42c Supple Vitesse road tires that we make. Unfortunately 57mm road brakes max out at about 33mm wide tires. That was huge only a few years ago, but things change and sometimes you just need more in your life. As it turns out, the brakes were the only thing holding us back so we went ahead and made a frame set that fits 67mm reach brakes and voila! Without changing the geometry or the handling we were able to reinvent this classic Soma.

Designed for Paul Racer centerpull brakes in mind! Fits up to 700 x 42mm tires or 38mm with fenders

And I have to say, it rides great with these tires. If you've never ridden the Grand Randonneur 650b x 42mm tires then you might think a 42 would feel like a beast, but you'd be dead wrong. They're super fast and plenty light (perhaps the lightest tires available in this size).

If you can't afford the splendid Paul Racer brakes, these Rivendell/Tektro 73mm reach caliper brakes work well, too.
We positioned the brake bridge in a way to keep the pads high in the slot to minimize arm flex.

Some people feel that long reach caliper brakes just aren't quite responsive enough. I can't say I agree with that, since I've been riding them for years, but to those people I'd say you have two options to consider.

Option 1 is just go for the disc brake friendly Fog Cutter and embrace the future, man. But if you're the wool wearing, pipe smoking, Robert Burns reading type of cyclist consider...

Option 2. Centerpull brakes! Remember those? Mafac, Weinmann, Dia Compe? Even Shimano used to make them. Anyway, Paul Components up in old Chico, CA makes some and they are just bitchin. Great stopping power, tons of fender clearance, stiff as a metaphor and boy-oh-boy do they look nice. We even included a special cable hanger in the back so you don't have to use one of those dangly ones.

But wait, there's more! We got those rack eyelets, baby! It'll take a front and rear Champs Elysees rack, a Porteur Deluxe up front, a Nitto Mark's rack or one of these new Gamoh jobbies that's in the pictures. Now remember I said it's exactly like the ES, so it isn't low trail. We might do a different fork some day but for now this is it. That said, it rides great. If you want low trail you probably already know all about that stuff, so I won't bother getting into it here.



What else? Uh, Breezer-style hooded dropouts. Groovy fork blades. This sweet blue paint job. What more do you want? These will be coming in March I think. Hopefully. Anyway, if you want one your LBS can pre-order one through Merry Sales and you can just kick back and listen to some Electro Swing or whatever the kids are into these days. Cheers y'all!

Coming Soon! The Fog Cutter

You may have a seen a social media photo of a new model we've been testing  earlier this year. We weren't too forthcoming with details, but we are ready now.

We call this new project the Fog Cutter.
The idea behind the name (besides that we get a lot of fog where we are) is how after getting up at the crack of dawn to do some miles your mind feels like it's in this fog, this thick fog made of eye gunk, but then you start to turn those pedals and your face gets that first blast of cold air, and you pedal some more, get into your rhythm, and you feel the stiffness in your knees melt away and as your bike and your body is cutting through that dewy morning air you feel that fog leave your body, too and you begin feel pretty good again... Yeah that's kind of what we had in mind.

New bike smell mixed with sea breeze.

Pre-production sample shown. Actual fork will sport matching paint and straight carbon blades. The sample build is sporting New Xpress 700x35c. Production design will fit slightly larger tires.

The frame roughly follows the geometry of our ES road sport / endurance frame, but it is designed with disc brakes. We could've just left it at that, because that's basically what some customers have been asking for. Since we were leaving the confines of the mid-reach caliper brake, we decided to increase tire clearance where we can. We ended up adopting the fork length and chainstay design of our Double Cross frame, but have kept the angles and lower bottom bracket of a true road frame. Because it is design around a CX disc fork, it opens up a few more options for aftermarket forks than the ES ever had. Our optional matching fork will be carbon; lighter than steel, but our spec is definitely beefy enough to commute on daily.

We think the Fog Cutter is near perfect for bike for fondos and credit card touring. It's also killer for all weather commuting, because it fits disc brakes and tires up to 38c with fenders, and is welded with Tange Prestige heat-treated Chromoly tubes to soak up asphalt chatter day after day.  As with almost all our frames there are mounts for a rear rack and fenders. MSRP: $479.99 (frame) $219.99(carbon fork with alloy steerer) Available in about 4 months.

The seat tube decal is insprired by the Pigeon Point Lighthouse.
Stay at the hostel if you are ever in the neighborhood.

Guide to 650B Conversions on Soma Frames

Jason's Double Cross Disc 650b Conversion

[Parts of this article as been updated to reflect model changes] We get a lot of questions whether our 700c (or 26") wheel frames can be converted to 650b/27.5" tire size and what would the maximum tire width they can use, if it is possible. So we thought it would be nice to make a post covering this over our current line.


Model: Double Cross Disc    Convertible?: Yes
The Double Cross Disc (pre-2020) makes a great 650b conversion project. It's bottom bracket height is about the sames as our Grand Randonneur 650b frame, which means you can swap in 650b tires as narrow as 33mm and not worry about pedal strike while road riding. For light off-roading we'd recommend using tires 38mm to 47mm. You won't be gaining much in tire clearance as the Double Cross already fits 700 x 42c; maybe 3 - 5mm more. What you will gain is the ability to run fenders with 650b x 42 tires and more stable handling because of the lower bottom bracket. But a lower bottom bracket also means you need to be more careful about pedal strike on dirt trails.
Maximum tire fit with fenders: 650b x 45mm  
The 2020 Double Cross has a 4mm lower BB drop, so we recommend 650b tire at least 42mm wide. (updated 1/22)

Model: ES, Stanyan, 
Convertible?: Yes
The ES has been a popular bike for 650b road conversions. You would need to switch the brakes from 57mm reach brake to 73mm reach model such as the Tektro R-559. (Some rims may require 76mm reach brakes)
Bottom bracket height will be lower than with the average 700 x 23c tire no matter 650b road tire you choose, so avoid cornering like your doing a crit. We recommend 38mm to 42mm wide tires. Max tire fit with fenders: 650b x 38mm

Model: Wolverine 
Convertible?: Somewhat
Nearly any 700c disc brake bike can be used for a 650b conversion project. The Wolverine is no exception; however in our opinion there is very few compelling reasons to do.
It already fits up to 29 x 1.95" tires. Going 650b will not allow wider tires. Its bottom bracket height is more like a road bike than a cyclo-cross bike, so it's on-road handing is pretty good. Using a 650b x 38/42 will lower the bottom bracket height further where you may gain advantage in stability some desire for on-road loaded touring, but of course you'll also be reducing cornering clearance and off-road capability. Using 650b x 2.0" you get the about the same BB height as 700x32c CX knobbies ( just enough for some off-road fun). We recommend nothing smaller than 650b x 38mm. Best reason to convert is to be able to fit 2.0" tires with fenders. (updated 2/18)

Buena Vista Disc with 650b x 50 Cazadero tires

Model: Fog Cutter, Buena Vista (Disc)
Convertible?: Yes
Nearly any 700c disc brake bike can be used for a 650b conversion project. Using a 650b x 38/42 will lower the bottom bracket height slightly where you may gain advantage in stability that some desire for on-road loaded touring, but of course you'll also be reducing cornering clearance. We recommend nothing smaller than 650b x 38mm (updated 1/22)


Model: Buena Vista (Rim Brake)
Convertible?: Yes
42cm size (designed for 26" wheels): It is doable, but there isn't a compelling reason to do besides trying a larger, narrower, higher pressure tire. You would need to swap to 57mm reach road brakes, if the 73mm reach brakes you already have don't work. Bottom bracket will be raised, but it is a non issue in this case. There may be additional toe overlap with the front wheel. Max. tire size: 650b x  33  (fenders will not fit. This is a limitation of the brakes used; not the frame.)

The larger Buena Vista sizes are designed for 700c wheels: You would need to swap in 73mm reach brake like the Tektro R-559 or Dia-Compe 750's. The frame has a low bottom bracket height to begin width, so stick with 42mm wide tires to avoid pedal strike or just learn to check your pedal position when cornering.

Model: Saga Disc  
Convertible?: Somewhat
We don't recommend converting the 700c models, because it will lower the bottom bracket height too much to ride safely.
For the 26" wheel model, it is quite doable without much consequence. A 26" x 1.95 tire has almost the same diameter as a 650b x 42b. However running a 650b x 1.95" knobby will definitely take away the possibility of using fenders.

Model: Juice    
Convertible?: Somewhat
You can swap in 650b wheels on any disc brake 29er, but there isn't a compelling reason, except maybe you want a lower bottom bracket for road/commuter use. But your center of gravity will still not be as road-optimal as on our our Grand Randonneur frame or CX frames. Pre-2018 Juice does not have clearance for a 27.5+ (i.e. 27.5 x 3.0" tires) conversion. 2018 and later Juices will fit 27.5 x 2.8" tires. (updated 1/22)  

Model: Rush  
Convertible?: No
There isn't enough clearance for 38mm wide tires. You might fit 33mm tires, but in our opinion there isn't compelling reason to convert it. Bottom bracket won't be high enough to run this as a fixed gear after conversion.

Model: Pescadero    
Convertible?: No
The Pescadero already uses long reach road brakes. A 650b tire would require even longer reach rim brakes which don't exist. (updated 2/18)

Model: Soma Saga (Canti)    
Convertible?: No
Most cantilever brakes don't offer enough adjustibility to fit 650b rims. Some have had luck using brakes with long slots. We do not have an official brake recommendation. (updated: 6/16)

Model: Smoothie   
Convertible?: Somewhat
According to one Smoothie owner, there is just enough clearance for 38mm wide tires with 23mm wide rims. We cannot confirm this is so on all sizes of Smoothies though. (updated: 6/16)

Model: Double Cross (Canti)    
Convertible?: No
Most cantilever brakes don't offer enough adjustibility to fit 650b rims. Some have had luck using brakes with long slots. We do not have a brake recommendation. (updated: 6/16)