Last winter I saw this frame on Craig's List and snagged it right away. I'd had a Soma Double Cross year ago and sworn at myself for selling it.
My goal was to build this up as cheap and light as I could for a backup bike. I pieced it together with decent components a sweet wheels. My main bike is a Trek Top Fuel 9.8 full on race machine, but wanted a backup, a steel comfy rig and I knew it would be nice.
I rode for a good part of spring then started racing and riding the Trek. Low and behold I cracked my Trek frame at the Butte 100 race. After finding out about my cracked Trek I decided to race my Soma at the next weekend's race (Knobby Tire Series Finals) near Boise. The bike rocked! During the race I kept thinking, "man I'm racing this thing" and went on to 4th overall (1st Expert).
I since rode it for a month while i waited for my new swingarm and had a blast with it. All I can say is this is a fun, simple, and easy to ride bike. If you know that going in, you'll love it as much as I do.
Submitted by
rybow203
a Cross Country Rider
from Medford, MA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2010
Strengths: Relatively light, cheaper than full suspension, and the great ride of real steel!
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
A very nice do-it-all hardtail. I ride mostly on rocky singletrack and it definitely rattles my teeth less than an aluminum hardtail. It climbs like a champ and descends with confidence. It's done everything from downhill trails at Vermont ski resorts to hauling 35 pounds of groceries with a rear rack. No complaints so far, from me or the frame!
Submitted by
rbaldinellii
a Cross Country Rider
from Tyler
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2009
Strengths: Steel frame. Good geometry. The ride is excellent.
Weaknesses: Low bottom bracket. Frame size runs a little small.
Bottom Line:
With this setup, the bike weighed 23.8 lbs. I was surprised to say the least since that really wasn't my goal. The bike rides wonderfully smooth. It is just a joy to ride. I have noticed that I have crank strike every once and a great while. I also feel that the frame runs a little small. I bought the 19" frame, and I'm only 5'8". Usually I ride and 18 or 17. But even with these small issues, I think you can't go wrong with this frame.
Bike Setup: XTR shifters and rear derailler, XT front derailler. 15G Cranks, Rock Shox Sid Race, Crank Brothers Cobalt Wheels, and the list goes on.
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Submitted by
Brandon
a Cross Country Rider
from Seoul Korea
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2008
Strengths: Good fit and finish. Paint still doing good, but a few nicks and tics here and there.(mostly from crashing or crashing}. If you have been riding as long as I have and tried all the fads (extra-lite Alum, Carbon,) Go back to that old feeling of steel, it will be like riding something new.
Weaknesses: None to speak of.
Bottom Line:
Ok, I have ridden this bike over 4500 km this past year. I have 3 bikes and this one is the one I ride on the weekends when I put on the most miles(km) behind me. I love this bike.(I built it myself.) I have no complaints. The rear is soft and compliant and it climbs well. Gets a little light on the front on the steep stuff, but proably due to seat height and that big ole brooks seat. I have the best of the best on my bike and the frame is one of the least expensive aspects of the bike. It is functional and comfortable and gives back what I put into it. It is set up like a long haul XC bike and I sit pretty upright, but that works for me since I ride 60% bike path/road and 40% xc. It has never let me down. I have a 8kg non suspended rocket the (Author) and a single speed slider, grinder that I put together. They all get my love all week long. I do not have a car here. Just do not need it. But when the weekend comes I "Groove" it as much as possible.
Similar Products Used: Cannondales {the old school stuff}, Trek, Author(non-US brand)(columbus airplane tubed light and stiff)
Bike Setup: Full xtr drive line, hope mini moto f&r, custom wheels on hope 2 hubs, ritchey wcs carbon cockpit, fox 100 rlc, big old comfy Brooks B17.
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Submitted by
chris
a Cross Country Rider
from manchester
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2008
Strengths: nice paint and craftsmanship, sloped top tube gives great stand over height, frame geometry allows sharp steering.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
Great frame. The craftsmanship is very nice (welds and paint are solid). Top tube is perfect length for me and gives plenty of space on stand over height. Great bike for tight singletrack and gives a solid feel while riding it.
Bike Setup: Easton Monkeylite bar, Easton EA 50 stem, Thomson seatpost, Avid BB7 brakes, LX front der., XT rear der., Marz. MX pro fork (80mm), XT hubs laced with Sun Rhyno lite rims.
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Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2007
Strengths: Price-bang for the buck- well made steel frame.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Wow, for $200 you can't beat this frame anywhere. So smooth, light and nice paint. I have this set up as 1x9 and it is now my favorite ride.
Strengths: Great value. Smooth riding steel frame. Good Geometry. Not super heavy.
Weaknesses: Could have better paint, chipped off fairly easy near chainstay and dropouts. Drop outs-tough to get the skewer to drop out easily.
Bottom Line:
Great riding frame. Great Value. Steel is a great material for making bikes. The more I ride steel frames the more I can feel the difference between steel and other materials.
Bike Setup: Reba, Thompson SP and Stem, Easton Bars, WTB saddle, XT hubs, Velocity Areoheats, Kenda Small Block 8's, Avid BB7, SRAM X9, LX Crank
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Submitted by
Brandon
a Cross Country Rider
from Seoul Korea
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2007
Strengths: Very nice fit and finish. Super paint job! Light and Strong. Nice to go back to steel. Love the Blue!
Weaknesses: None as of yet.
Bottom Line:
I ride the city/trails of Seoul, Korea and ride 150km+ a week rain or shine. After being jarred to death from every little road bump on a columbus airplane tubed (light, but very stiff) I was looking for something a little less rigid. I did not want FS, so I went back to where I orginally started. STEEL! I could not be happier. The price was right and the setup works well. There is enough give from the steel to soak up the road chatter, but strong enough to keep me planted on the nonpaved stuff. Overall I am happy and I have not seen another one in Korea, so I get the oogles and the where did you get that???
Similar Products Used: cannondale, other exotic material/tubed frames
Bike Setup: Full xtr drive line, hope mini moto f&r, custom wheels on hope 2 hubs, ritchey wcs cockpit, fox 100 rlc.
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Submitted by
Frank Longtine
a Weekend Warrior
from Casper, Wyoming, USA
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2007
Strengths: EXCELLENT finish quality, very light. More upright riding position, very comfortable. Down tube cable routing is excellent and bucks the cookie cutter trend of top tube routing. Reinforcement collars on the head tube show attention to detail. Braze ons for rack, reinforcement for disc brake.
Weaknesses: Frame wasn't chased & faced from factory. Breeze in dropouts won't allow me to remove my wheel without removing skewer nut first. Maybe my derailleur is too old, though. Rear brake cable requires the use of adapters to allow housing guides to be used as housing stops. Numbers 24 and 44 on seat tube refer to (Giants?) baseball team jersey numbers- no big deal, but I'm not a sports fan and I didn't like it. But not enough to not buy this frame.
Bottom Line:
An excellent value for the money. The best finish I've ever seen on a production bike, bar none. Great riding position for those looking to ride, not race. I suppose you could race this bike, but it seems from the catalog that the bike is purpose built to be comfortable. It succeeds. Buy this bike if you want a comfortable bike you can commute with, or just ride for enjoyment. You may want to keep looking if you want to race, though.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Stumpjumper (1993), Bridgestone MB-1(1987)
Bike Setup: SunTour XC Pro drivetrain, hubs, & seatpost, Cane Creek headset, Avid SD7 brakes, Brooks B17 Champion Special saddle, Surly 1X1 fork. Kind of a mix of retro-grouch and modern components.
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Submitted by
Bill R.
a Cross Country Rider
from Stratford, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2007
Strengths: Light(for steel), paint, finish, old school styling
Bike Setup: XT Drivetrain, Manitou Skareb Platinum front susp., Race Face evolve xc post, Answer pro taper bars, Continental explorer tires, Bontrager rims.
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Submitted by
Larry Pelowski
a Cross Country Rider
from Frmington Hills
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2006
Strengths: Quality for the money, details, paint and graphics
Weaknesses: none yet
Bottom Line:
Excellent value, after riding a full suspention for the last seven years, this brings me back to why I originally got into MTB. Simple is better, and steel is real, only 1/2 lb. heaver than ti.
