Posted a few weeks ago that I ordered a Juice from my LBS for my Wife. Well my work and her being out of the country had delayed the build. Now it's ready! My first impression apon seeing the frame was WOW! much better than expected for 400.00 the finish is flawless and very pretty, the red has a lot of metallic and really shines in the sunlight. Welds are tiny and even, I can't tell how well they penetrate but it's a fine job. Assembly was very smooth and I'm impressed with Soma's attention to detail. Three sets of cable guides plus a set for hydraulic lines. Standover 27" and Wheelbase 42.5" for the 16" frame. My Wife's 5'2" and it fit's like a glove with a 90cm stem. Excuse the poor photography skills and the cheap old camera. If she feels better this weekend we'll test it out and give a ride report.
Soma Juice Ready to Ride
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The frame is listed as 5.05 lbs. On a cheap scale I got 26.4 lb. but that was with a graphite seat post and titanium saddle, she wanted to start with the thudbuster after riding mainly a FS for 4 years. Fork weight was 4.4 lbs. Wheelset was 5lbs (about 2000 grams) XTR centerlock,TD-17, DT 18 ga.with aluminum nips,32 hole. The build is not a weight weenies dream but easily could go down to 22-23 lbssean350 said:
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489 Posts
Very nice.
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Can someone explain the rear spacing?
Can someone explain the rear spacing? It's listed as 132.5 for the rear. I thought most mt bikes were 135. Does that mean I'll need different hubs or something? Anybody see a problem with running a Rohloff Speedhub on the Juice?
Thanks.
P.S. Bike looks good!
Can someone explain the rear spacing? It's listed as 132.5 for the rear. I thought most mt bikes were 135. Does that mean I'll need different hubs or something? Anybody see a problem with running a Rohloff Speedhub on the Juice?
Thanks.
P.S. Bike looks good!
Well she was sick last weekend. Saturday we do the Tucson bike swap in the A.M. then a 25 mile desert double track in the afternoon. Sunday will be the test on Casa Grande Mountain about 12 miles of rugged singletrack. Will post Sunday eve. So far the only riding with it has been about 4 miles of trail thru a wash and her main comment was we got to lose the thudbuster.edouble said:
I've had my Juice up and running for about a week with a KM fork.
I did a 20 mile night ride for her maiden voyage on the most technical trail town.
Setup SS 32X18 in the twisty stuff she felt like an old friend.
Its a really cool ride in affrordable steel.
With discs and the KM fork it weighs in the high 23lbs.
I buzzed off the unnecessary frame braze ons and derailluer hanger.
Shes all SS now!
I did a 20 mile night ride for her maiden voyage on the most technical trail town.
Setup SS 32X18 in the twisty stuff she felt like an old friend.
Its a really cool ride in affrordable steel.
With discs and the KM fork it weighs in the high 23lbs.
I buzzed off the unnecessary frame braze ons and derailluer hanger.
Shes all SS now!
Would you consider stiffening up the Thudbuster with replacing one or both blue elastomer blocks with the black ones?cgcharlie said:
I found the lower density elastomer blocks give the TB too much motion, which actually bothered my back. The higher density block allow it to flex only when needed and I'm very comfy on the bike.
Just something to think about before consigning it to the parts bin.
anxiosuly waiting for a ride report/action pics.
trying to decide between a Juice or a Monkey. Either one will be replacing my FS 26er. Will be running it as a rigid 1x8 initially (with leftover parts from my FS)...
it'd be interesting to find out how the Juice handles, seeing that its chainstay length is a bit longer as compared to a Karate Monkey (though the Juice does have more stand over height), I'm 5'9" and would need a 16" on either one...
trying to decide between a Juice or a Monkey. Either one will be replacing my FS 26er. Will be running it as a rigid 1x8 initially (with leftover parts from my FS)...
it'd be interesting to find out how the Juice handles, seeing that its chainstay length is a bit longer as compared to a Karate Monkey (though the Juice does have more stand over height), I'm 5'9" and would need a 16" on either one...
First Ride Report
Went for a 24.5 mile ride. Mostly 2 track quad roads, 4 miles of singletrack, 2 miles of pavement on the way out and back. Major Problem, she's faster than me again. The 2 track is very dry with lots of sand right now and I had been able to drive away and wait for her to catch up, with the 29er her 120lbs. float over the sand and I ate dust for 2 hours. Since spring 2002 she's ridden a Yeti Kokopelli after the ride here's how she described the ride. Stable, Very smooth ride, More control, Fast, Soaks up bumps better, Easy to control, no twitch, Handles better than the Yeti, Did not notice any flex(120lbs). She's a former Ski nut and said 26 and 29 is the difference between long and short ski's 29er is the long, easier to control and more stable at high speeds. There's a 3 mile slight uphill climb on a dirt road and she was very suprised at how easy it was to maintian speed with the new bike. Tech ride today and I hope some photo's.
Went for a 24.5 mile ride. Mostly 2 track quad roads, 4 miles of singletrack, 2 miles of pavement on the way out and back. Major Problem, she's faster than me again. The 2 track is very dry with lots of sand right now and I had been able to drive away and wait for her to catch up, with the 29er her 120lbs. float over the sand and I ate dust for 2 hours. Since spring 2002 she's ridden a Yeti Kokopelli after the ride here's how she described the ride. Stable, Very smooth ride, More control, Fast, Soaks up bumps better, Easy to control, no twitch, Handles better than the Yeti, Did not notice any flex(120lbs). She's a former Ski nut and said 26 and 29 is the difference between long and short ski's 29er is the long, easier to control and more stable at high speeds. There's a 3 mile slight uphill climb on a dirt road and she was very suprised at how easy it was to maintian speed with the new bike. Tech ride today and I hope some photo's.
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sounds good!!!!!!
!. i paid $399 but was told it will now be $459 i think. your pics, the excellent reviews of the Soma Groove and the WhatMTB UK mags review of the KM all made me feel like this was a very good deal. i havent heard it on this forum, but WHATMTB UK felt that though the KM handled well, its rear end was very harsh. harsher even than the aluminum bikes on test. This is my fav mag, they have steered me right many, many times.i dont want a steel bike that rides like cheap alu. plus the small front triangle (not really a triangle but you know what i mean) usually means less flex. im a big guy and ive found that bikes with sloping TT's and compact frames are much better at handling the power i put down. i have bikes with open front tiangles (insert KM) flexing like wet noodles. the Juice wins here too.
here's my build up (when i get the frame)
frame -20 in Soma Juice
fork- white bros bw.8
wheelset- bontrager race rims w/ nukeproof hubs
tires- bontrager xr's
brakes and levers- sram 9.0sl
shifters- sram 9.0sl (8spd)
stem- az racing 100mm x 5 degree rise carbon
handle bar- syncros 1in riser
post- syncros hardcore 27.2 x 425mm
saddle- sdg bel air
derailleurs- sram 9.0sl
crank- truvativ stylo team 180mm w/ raceface rings
pedals- time ATAC
cassette- shimano xtr
actually your pictures kind of sealed the deal for me so i ordered my Juice last saturday. just before the price increasecgcharlie said:
!. i paid $399 but was told it will now be $459 i think. your pics, the excellent reviews of the Soma Groove and the WhatMTB UK mags review of the KM all made me feel like this was a very good deal. i havent heard it on this forum, but WHATMTB UK felt that though the KM handled well, its rear end was very harsh. harsher even than the aluminum bikes on test. This is my fav mag, they have steered me right many, many times.i dont want a steel bike that rides like cheap alu. plus the small front triangle (not really a triangle but you know what i mean) usually means less flex. im a big guy and ive found that bikes with sloping TT's and compact frames are much better at handling the power i put down. i have bikes with open front tiangles (insert KM) flexing like wet noodles. the Juice wins here too. here's my build up (when i get the frame)
frame -20 in Soma Juice
fork- white bros bw.8
wheelset- bontrager race rims w/ nukeproof hubs
tires- bontrager xr's
brakes and levers- sram 9.0sl
shifters- sram 9.0sl (8spd)
stem- az racing 100mm x 5 degree rise carbon
handle bar- syncros 1in riser
post- syncros hardcore 27.2 x 425mm
saddle- sdg bel air
derailleurs- sram 9.0sl
crank- truvativ stylo team 180mm w/ raceface rings
pedals- time ATAC
cassette- shimano xtr
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