If long rides, multi-day events, fast commutes and the feel of a real steel bike are a part of your life, the SOMA ES Frameset may be in your future. SOMA Fabrications builds bikes and equipment for cyclists who aren't caught up in the race bike world, and live in the real world, every day, where money is tight, cycling comes with a passion for time on the bike for pleasure and/or utility. You know- every day folks. SOMA builds steel frames for riders who enjoy the experience, with a focus on practical features and geometry, affordability, and clean design. You can buy a newly built, well-crafted steel frameset with a modern-ish 1⅛ headtube, 130mm rear spacing and the ability to hang new or vintage parts on it for under $600 complete with a matching steel fork, or under $470 without fork. And not just some random steel, but Tange Prestige.

For some the story will start there. SOMA uses the current heat-treated, butted Prestige CrMo for the front triangle, which lends itself to better torsional resistance in the more traditional design. For the rider this translates to limited lateral flex from hard pedaling action or aggressive sprinting the drops. Prestige has always been known it's smooth ride and and great feel, but the hardness of the steel also means performance does not suffer. The rear triangle is made with butted CrMo, which tends to ride a little smoother overall, limiting impact and vibration on the rider, and particularly effective with the longer chainstays. The selection and application of the steel and overall geometry deliver a bike that truly is Extra Smooth, and ideal for long hours on the bike. With clean welds, properly placed stops and bosses, the ES Frameset can be set-up with down-tube shifters or the most advanced mechanical road groups.

While head and seat tube angles are fairly common and well matched to a steel road bike, the ES lengthens the front-center and the rear chainstays. This equates to a longer wheel base than the more race-geometry Smoothie frame, and more comfort. Do you sacrifice the ultra-quick handling? Sure, but the ES is the perfect century, or long benefit ride bike. It won't beat you up and is a pleasure to ride day after day. You won't need to be aware of every twitch of the handlebar and carving full turns will be a pleasure. It is no pure touring bike either, it will still respond with authority to your input. The slightly taller than normal head tube gives you a higher cockpit starting point than a pure race design and doesn't throw off the handling' again reinforcing the rationale of the ES frameset.... Read More