I want to like Soma but their prices are crazy and their customer service (in my experience) is very lacking.

Surly frames are too expensive too, but I at least feel like they won't fight me on a warranty issue and I've had far less problems with their products.

 

I want to like Soma but their prices are crazy and their customer service (in my experience) is very lacking.

Surly frames are too expensive too, but I at least feel like they won't fight me on a warranty issue and I've had far less problems with their products.

Really? I just posted elsewhere that I thought the price was decent. What are some comparable frames that are cheaper?

 

Still has some really old school geometry. Short front end, looooong chainstay, short wheelbase. Probably good for a bikepacking bike or for people who like that old school XC feel. Too heavy to be considered for serious xc racers. A friend of mine cracked two Juices in a year, so I don't trust them any more.

 

The updates look great for bikepacking (mounts galore) and general trail riding (better geometry), but I'm not sure they add much for single speeders compared to the last version. 148 boost means you won't be able to use a single speed hub and you don't even get any wider tire clearance than the previous version. Steeper seat angle is good for seated climbing on a multi-speed but might be a negative for a single speed. Other than the slacker head tube angle, I think I prefer the old version for single speed. Makes me real glad that I got it on clearance a few months ago.

 

Short front end

What is that? Is it similar to stack? How does it affect the feel / ride? Thanks.

A friend of mine cracked two Juices in a year, so I don't trust them any more.

Was that the pre-2018 Juice? I've read that that had a well known problem with the dropouts that was fixed with the 2018 model.

Still has some really old school geometry...Probably good for a bikepacking bike or for people who like that old school XC feel.

That's exactly what they claim too.

The latest Juice 29er hardtail frame feature practical updates to its feature set and geometry without diving too deep into progressive geometry. Seat tube angle is slightly steeper for easier climbing, but it isn't super slack and low. It is a bike you can still ride with "old-school" techniques, but also can be ridden with a modern technique if you pick the right size and parts.

On this lively steel frame, you'll find lots of braze-ons and bosses for utiliity, sliding dropouts for versatility, and industry standards like 148mm Boost hub spacing and English threaded bottom bracket shell.

We wanted this to excel at rolling terrain and long days in the saddle exploring or bike packing. Not everybody wants or needs a bike optimized mainly for descending black diamond trails.

 

What is that? Is it similar to stack? How does it affect the feel / ride? Thanks.

my experience has been consistent with most folks who move up to a bike with a longer front-center. you feel more "in the bike" than "on the bike." the bike leans into corners instead of steering in corners. no more "hanging off the back" of the bike, but you can stay centered. more stable at speed. less nervous, defensive riding to keep from going over=the-bar on steep downward terrain. wrangling the bike takes a slight bit more body english but it rails through stuff much better at speed.

however, for the way one is likely to move while bike-packing, the rider is likely to move more slowly and need to pick through lines instead of blasting through everything. that's probably better suited for something like the Juice.

Was that the pre-2018 Juice? I've read that that had a well known problem with the dropouts that was fixed with the 2018 model.

I think my friend broke the older one, then the new one. one cracked at the seat tube and the other broke at the "improved" dropouts, IIRC. it took months and months for Soma to provide a replacement frame. the forum has been full of cracked Juices over the years.

 

I think my friend broke the older one, then the new one. one cracked at the seat tube and the other broke at the "improved" dropouts, IIRC. it took months and months for Soma to provide a replacement frame. the forum has been full of cracked Juices over the years.

Is that common to all Soma frames? I have been eyeing a New Albion Privateer to replace my Cross Check (mostly cause I want more stack height and I am tired of the tower of spacers).

 

Thanks for the detailed response. Yeah it seems like Soma has really leaned into the bikepacking aspect of this bike, and somewhat the more mellow old school XC riding.

I'm 200+ pounds and bought the 2018 frame specifically to build a single speed in the future for mellow trails. Hopefully the frame holds up to my weight.

 

It's built for a suspension fork. You can get a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 for $250 now.

A $1000 Karate Monkey at least includes a color matched fork so I'd say the prices are a wash.

So I guess no bike frames exist for non-crazy prices?

 

It's built for whatever fork you want to put on it.

A Kona Unit frame is $700 with the fork. IMO that would be a more tolerable price.

For a thousand bucks I'd prefer to have a square bottom bracket shell with clean threads, a square head tube, straight dropouts, a properly reamed seat tube, etc. All of which I've had problems with on recent frames. Surly's used to be pretty good but have gone down hill in the last few years.

Buy whatever you want. I'm not trying to change any opionions, just sharing my experience.

 

Buy whatever you want. I'm not trying to change any opionions, just sharing my experience.

Sorry, I was just asking for other frames because you said the price was crazy. FYI, the Kona Unit looks nice but isn't actually for sale, I think that's just an outdated listing and price.

 

After the previous one broke (pretty sure it was the dropouts that failed), a friend of mine waited several months to get a warranty replacement Juice. He had it a very short while until this in spring 2021.

It looks like they fixed the dropout problem because that didn't break first.

 

That's the old, old model that was replaced in 2018.

Juice 2017 [Archived] - Soma Fabrications

 

Have you bought one of these frames yet?

 

No, I purposely bought the previous 135/142 model on clearance when I learned that it was being discontinued. I'm eventually going to build it into a single speed and want to use a single speed hub. They don't exist yet in boost spacing and they have wider and better centered flanges than boost hubs. Plus as it turns out I didn't even sacrifice any tire width as they surprisingly both support 2.4 inches.

 

Well, they at least use decent tubing as opposed to no name, plain 4130.Tange heat treated tubing is a notch above Surly or Kona steel which is why it's 6.2lbs. Doesn't sound light in a world of aluminum and carbon but that's competitive with any 853 frame and certainly lighter than most standard steel frames that are at least a lb heavier. Kinda crazy how heavy modern steel frames are with CEN standards. I used to think anything above 5.5lbs was heavy. 4.5lbs was a light steel frame. 6.2lbs is on the light side for modern steel.
Looks like a crack in the HAZ of that weld got too hard.
I have a soft spot for the brand offering products less for the flashy side of the sport and more for what a lot of people actually do on their bikes which is old school exploring trails not necessarily at break neck speed.
The prices seem competitive considering the use of brand name tubing and braze ons. External cable routing is also a plus for this type of bike.