surly ,soma simple stuff ?

[Fixed]

bro i got nothing bad on them and i dig simple stuff ( surly... soma .). that gets cats around but how good are they? am i wrong to think soma is better . i have never been on either


cheers

[twin]

I really. like my LHT however I have not checked out the Soma

[stevep]

i sell soma, they are built w/ tange prestige tubing..which is a premium tubing...pretty light for steel.
the surly will be heavier per size but will cost a little less...

neither one will bust.

[bigbill]

I commuted on a Smoothie ES in Hawaii for almost two years before it broke at the rear dropout. After a little back and forth and other turmoil, they replaced it. Until it broke, it was a great bike and the paint really held up well in the tropics. When I stripped it down to send back, everything was rust free. The frame that broke was a Reynolds 631. The replacement is a Tange Prestige. While waiting on the replacement and still living with one car, I bought a Gunnar for commuting so I never built up the replacement. I am considering getting it out and posting it over in classifieds since I don't see it replacing the Gunnar.

[Boundgear]

My surly steamroller has around 60K miles on it and I still love it.

Surly complaints-
It isn't "real" track stuff (which it isn't, nor does it pretend to be). Bad paint, but long lasting paint. Round blade fork.

Soma downs-
It isn't "real" track stuff (same). Soft sloppy metal. Iffy hit/miss quality issues. Not worth the price difference with a surly. bad paint.

I've got no experience with soma, cuz, well, my surly won't die...

[Oakely-Erik]

Its hard to beat the Surly price and the fact that I can run 38c tires on the Steamroller.

[csm]

big bill.... what size?

[flickwet]

My LBS sells Surly and I have purchased a 1x1 and a Crosscheck. My crosscheck was purchased to replace my Bianchi Axxis frame which I corroded out Yes thats right my perspiration is so caustic that it seeped down and dissolved the frame at the bottom bracket. My crosscheck has lasted 2 years I find that the powder coat seems a bit thin, I will replace it with another but will definatly lay up a couple of coats of clear to protect the paint and decals better. My crosscheck has a lot of surface rust at the BB and the paint has worn off in a couple of places. But I gotta say the bike lives on the back of my Isuzu trooper for 6 months of the year and sees about 3000 miles of gravel and dirt towpath and 3 or 4 cyclocross races a year. My 1x1 has actually held up a little better. She's built up with fenders and serves as my winter and slop bike. I love that bike far more than I ever imagined I would. A year ago I pulled one of my hamstrings off its mount in my pelvis so that it rolled up in a little ball just above the back of my knee. I was on my 1x1 in a week and used that bike to ride and heal. Its my simple bike, platform pedals, Scott bars, Avid front disc and a blue Chris king disc hub with a surly ss hub in the rear. The powder coat on the 1x1 seems a good bit tougher than the green of the cross check, no surface rust but i did inadvertently blow some of the decals off with a power sprayer once.If my LBS (CC of Peninsula) carried Soma I'd be tempted, but you know their top tubes are pretty long in comparison to the seat tubes,better for some worse for me. I could go on and on...oh I see I have. Like my Crosscheck, Love my 1x1 treasure my Colorado

[72gmc]

I have a Soma Double Cross hanging in the basement. Good utilitarian frame, not sexy, paint like an eggshell. Surly was in one of their "whoops no Cross Checks" periods when I needed a new commuter frame, but I like both. It's good when companies make smart stuff for what it's made for--and lots of options on top of that, like the bars in the Soma store.

[bigbill]

big bill.... what size?

It's a 60cm and hasn't even been prepped. It is still in the box, silver with a black steel fork. I inspected it at the shop and put it back in the box.

[staggerwing]

I ride a Surly Pacer, as a commuter, simply because a fellow forumite posted said frame at a too good to pass up price. I don't quite drink the koolaid, but Surly did get a lot right. It has a tough, powdercoat finish, that seems well applied. Geometry and handling are neither twitchy nor sluggish; at least on this model. It has generous spacing for larger than racing tires, and even fenders, if you like 'em. This seems to be an oversight on 95% of the stuff today. Welds appear clean and well done. Tubing is 4130, although supposedly double butted, at least in the main triangle. As an engineer, I really don't have a problem with this...4130 is still good stuff, it's the structural backbone for many a classic airframe, and still used in homebuilt circles. The Pacer is a little under square, or shorter in the seat tube than the top tube. Although it makes the frame fit more people, in my case, there is a generous amount of seatpost showing.

The Somas have nicer steel, which could mean as much as a 1 pound lighter frame than an equivalent Surly. They also seem to have a larger set of frame sizes. On the downside, I don't think they offer a steel fork for all frames and the wet paint is not likely to be as durable as the Surly powdercoat. Still, a Smoothie ES is what I was looking at before the Pacer popped up.

Both brands are well thought out, and fill niches that are not served well by other brands. That said, if you are patient, and know what you are looking for, you can find many an interesting frame (on e-bay, craigslist, this forum, and other places) for what a Surly or Soma frame would cost at your LBS. The Surly's, in particular, seem to hold their value well, and are easy to pass on.

Just to toss another name into the ring, Salsa has some interesting options too. I'm going to look for a Casseroll, at end of season. I missed out on last fall's blowout.

[IXXI]

I am loving my Surly Karate Monkey 29er-- totally, utterly made me believe in mtn biking again. So damn fun I felt guilty.

I didn't think anything could outdo that feeling until...... my Big Dummy came in. Swear to Dog, *that* bike has opened my eyes to a whole other biking experience-- I use it all over town, hauling a couple of my girls, hauling groceries... it is freaking fun like I cannot explain. For those experiences alone I am really impressed with the what-if-why-not philosophies happening at Surly.

[Boundgear]

I'd also like to big up the salsa casseroll. I was/am very excited about the quality and design of the 2008 version. Good work on Salsa's part. I hope that they are as good as they look. I'm probably getting a custom from a local builder, so..... It's kinda off the list for now....

[bhungerford]

I've been commuting on my Cross Check since February, and so far i really like it, it's not a race bike (although i think it's good enough for some one just starting out to give racing a try on one), but it doesn't pretend to be either, it's just a good middle of the road kind of bike. Over built to last, not flashy, so probably won't get stolen, and the quality of the welds, paint, ride, geo, etc is pretty darn good for the price. the only bad part about it is that it was made overseas and shipped here on a big giant gas guzzling boat.

Definitely worth checking out.

and i've never ridden a Soma.

[Chad Engle]

My LBS has two Salsa's hanging in the shop, much nicer paint than the Surly's. Very good looking, atmo.

[dwightskin]

Even simpler is an out of the box Bianchi.

The Bianchi Volpe, San Jose and Pista are pretty similar to surly and soma but come complete.

[Michael Maddox]

Even simpler is an out of the box Bianchi.

The Bianchi Volpe, San Jose and Pista are pretty similar to surly and soma but come complete.

Did someone say "Pista!?"

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