Thursday, April 12, 2012

Oh Canada




To anybody looking for Soma in the Great White North, we hear you! Here's a few shops that carry our stuff.

In BC

www.mightyriders.ca/

www.dream-cycle.com/

www.whoanelliebikes.com

www.superchampionshop.com/

In Alberta

www.redbike.ca/

www.campionecycles.com/

In Ontario

www.ucycle.com

www.hoopdriver.ca

In Quebec

www.bikuriousmontreal.com

www.brakeless.ca

www.bellevillecycle.com

www.cooplashoppe.com


If you're a shop in Canada and you want to carry Soma Fabrications contact Merry Sales and fill out a dealer application.

http://www.merrysales.com/contactus.html

New(new)Baum'sTape


We got a couple boxes of new Newbaum's tape. The new colors are Celeste and Dark Blue. These are colors that people have been asking for for a while and Newbaum's came through with the goods. They look real nice.


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Stem Shifter

Do you have fond memories of your old 10 speed with stem shifters. These are not those shifters. These shifters are the same quality shift levers as the IRD Power Rachet levers. Fantastic smooth, low resistance shifting up where you can reach it easily but not in the way if you're bars are getting crowded. Plus it doesn't hurt that they look great. Check it out!



Hinged clamp for easy removal and adjustment. Fits 1" quill stems.

Upright Bars

Upright bars are great. It's such an easy solution for so many people who's bikes either don't fit correctly or are too aggressively positioned for the kind of riding they do. And it's relatively easy to find a setup that works given the range of options that are available today.

For mountain bikes it's easiest if you pick bars that you can use with the existing brake levers and shifter, although that's not to say you have to. The original moustache bar was made for a mountain bike after all.

By Far and away the most popular is the Soma Oxford. It's based on a classic design and offer a generous back sweep and an a small amount of rise.

I think they feel best in the riser position with the ends tilted down slightly. Some people prefer to slip them over for a slightly more aggressive, weight forward position. You can use them with revers levers or bar-cons down the road.

In the same vein the Sycip Wonder Bar and the Nitto Albatross offer similar positioning.



The Soma Moustache II and Lauterwasser bars are more forward reaching options if you want to have more hand positions but don't necessarily want to be more upright.


If you more or less like your weight distribution but you need a more ergonomic hand position the sparrow and the Clarence bars are good options.


For road bikes you can always use any of these bars with a short pull brake lever, but I prefer the feel of a moustache bar with a road brake lever. They even work well with integrated shifters!

I set these up with the tip of the brake lever in line with the bottom of the "drop" like old school road bars.