Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Soma = crap

So, if anyone out there is thinking about getting a Soma Rush frame or a Soma track cog, be warned: You Get What You Pay For.

I've been using Soma cogs for the last year or so, with no problems, but the last three I bought were garbage. The first wore out very fast, in about three months. The replacement I bought for it seemed to be poorly made, like the teeth were too far apart, so the chain would slide back and forth on the cog. I was running this on a Surly hub, and when I tried to put it on my Phil hub, it wouldn't even thread on. I went and bought yet another cog, and the teeth were okay but after I installed it, there were tiny slivers of metal behind it, from the hub threads. I'm kinda stuck with it for now, it's the only thing I can get in 17t right now. Seems everyone and their dog is buying up the track parts. I'm still waiting for the new Surly or Phil cogs...

The main reason I bought a Soma Rush was because you can run a rear brake. I figured this would be handy for long road rides or if for some crazy reason I decided to go single speed. Well, the rear brake bridge was brazed on so crooked, that the brake pads only make contact at one corner, rendering the rear brake completely useless - I guess until the pads wore down enough to make total contact. And the fork is also brazed crooked, so the brake doesn't line up and pulls the rim to one side, which over time has caused the spokes on one side of the wheel to de-tension.

I've seen a few Soma frames from previous years, and they looked great, well made, etc. Whoever they source their stuff from now must be cutting corners. Ah, it feels good to rant. I'm going to go ride my sloppily constructed bike now, I guess...

i can't find an 18t eai or duraace cog anywhere either. eai told my lbs they were done with production till next season. sucks. what do they think, people use these things on a track?

hey, have you tried contacting soma about this? i don't whether or not soma's products are ultimately crappy or not, but it's possible that you've just had some bad luck with a few products that slipped through quality control. i don't think they're so massive of a shop to not be concerned about keeping customers happy.

So, if anyone out there is thinking about getting a Soma Rush frame or a Soma track cog, be warned: You Get What You Pay For.

I've been using Soma cogs for the last year or so, with no problems, but the last three I bought were garbage. The first wore out very fast, in about three months. The replacement I bought for it seemed to be poorly made, like the teeth were too far apart, so the chain would slide back and forth on the cog. I was running this on a Surly hub, and when I tried to put it on my Phil hub, it wouldn't even thread on. I went and bought yet another cog, and the teeth were okay but after I installed it, there were tiny slivers of metal behind it, from the hub threads. I'm kinda stuck with it for now, it's the only thing I can get in 17t right now. Seems everyone and their dog is buying up the track parts. I'm still waiting for the new Surly or Phil cogs...

The main reason I bought a Soma Rush was because you can run a rear brake. I figured this would be handy for long road rides or if for some crazy reason I decided to go single speed. Well, the rear brake bridge was brazed on so crooked, that the brake pads only make contact at one corner, rendering the rear brake completely useless - I guess until the pads wore down enough to make total contact. And the fork is also brazed crooked, so the brake doesn't line up and pulls the rim to one side, which over time has caused the spokes on one side of the wheel to de-tension.

I've seen a few Soma frames from previous years, and they looked great, well made, etc. Whoever they source their stuff from now must be cutting corners. Ah, it feels good to rant. I'm going to go ride my sloppily constructed bike now, I guess...

the issues with the cogs could be because maybe you're trying to use it with a worn chain? and the issue with your brakes, from how you described it sounds more like sloppy brake installation. have you taken it to a shop to have it looked at, or are you just spouting off?

especially with the front, did you ever consider loosening the brake bolt and turning the caliper by hand so both pads contact the rim at the same time? because that's usually how that problem is solved. and in the rear, are you using the correct type of brake bolt? i think the brake bridge on the somas use a recessed bolt, and if you're trying to use a regular through-bolt and nut, it could cause that issue. it could also be that you're using a crappy brake that wasn't manufactured correctly.

if you have already taken it to a shop and had it confirmed that you did, indeed get a lemon, why don't you just call up soma and work something out with them. i'm sure their warranty covers manufacturing defects.

I've got a soma doublecross frame that's been rock-solid. It's from 2001, though, so quality control might've slipped.

You talked to anyone at soma about it?

If this is true, that's too bad. I've been looking at Soma cogs. Anyone have the same experiences?

I feel another thread turnaround coming, like the velocity incident. If we learned one lesson, it's that instead of complaining on BF, go to the source (soma). Also, you should hope the people at soma are as cool as john black from velocity. Definitely consult them first before throwing down that slander. I have no beef with soma, nor do I hold them in any abnormally high regard, but seriously, there are people behind these businesses who do care most of the time. They didn't get to where they are by making inferior products. If you met half the people from any company, be it Phil, Velocity, IRO, DW, etc, you would be really impressed by these guys. So, good luck contacting them, and make it a friendly email or call, not a hateful one. The results will yield, trust.

Harris and American Cyclery both show EAI in stock.

I don't believe Dura Ace come in an 18.

houseoftrack.com has EAI cogs with the free, and rather prompt, shipping.

looking at my Rush's fork I can't really see how the brake could possibly be brazed crooked. The hole is right in the crown component, which isn't brazed on... it's kind of forged in. but anythings possible I guess. I'm interested in how you know your rear wheel is straight and the braze on is crooked? are you measuring distance from the chainstays in the front? Did you measure the brake mount's position on the front and rear or did you decide that they are crooked based on the way the brakes worked?

for the brakes to be as far off as you descibe the setup would have to be *very* far off -- no? As for the cog I'm not sure why you'd buy a soma cog anyway when you could get any number of proven brands at the same price. My LBS has a wide array of Dura Ace and other brands and there's also business cycles.

And most importantly: have you contacted Soma? Because if you haven't and you are just reporting your experience with a frame on this board as 'Soma is crap' then you're not doing any good for anyone.

houseoftrack.com has EAI cogs with the free, and rather prompt, shipping.

That's where I got mine, and they ship free to canada, but I'm rather unsure about the prompt shipping, unless 5 weeks and a series of unrelated answers from 3 people in the shop seems like prompt to you.

The main reason I bought a Soma Rush was because you can run a rear brake. I figured this would be handy for long road rides or if for some crazy reason I decided to go single speed. Well, the rear brake bridge was brazed on so crooked, that the brake pads only make contact at one corner, rendering the rear brake completely useless - I guess until the pads wore down enough to make total contact. And the fork is also brazed crooked, so the brake doesn't line up and pulls the rim to one side, which over time has caused the spokes on one side of the wheel to de-tension.

I've seen a few Soma frames from previous years, and they looked great, well made, etc. Whoever they source their stuff from now must be cutting corners. Ah, it feels good to rant. I'm going to go ride my sloppily constructed bike now, I guess...

how bout some pics?

Sounds to me like you don't know how to set up brakes, crooked frame bits or not.

No, really, the brake bridge is crooked. It's plain to see even without the brake installed. And yes, I know how to set up brakes. I'm not going to bother contacting Soma, I've got a custom frame in the works now...

No, really, the brake bridge is crooked. It's plain to see even without the brake installed. And yes, I know how to set up brakes. I'm not going to bother contacting Soma, I've got a custom frame in the works now...

ok, game plan. i pay for shipping and you just send me the frame.

damn, jamey... beat me to it.

If I get a bad product, the first people I call are the company that made it! Give them an honest chance to make good on their product, since humans are humans and sometimes mistakes are made. If they don't make good, then don't buy their stuff again. Its that easy.

I've got a soma cog on my beater fixie (bought because it was cheap, of course), and the machining is good, and the threads were clean and smooth. I mean, its still a 'budget' cog, but it seems like a basic quality product. If it wasn't, I wouldn't just whine about it on the forum, I'd call 'em up.

I just wish Chris King made their King Kogs in a track cog... Those things are machined works of art. :D

peace,
sam

houseoftrack.com has EAI cogs with the free, and rather prompt, shipping.

Not anymore (http://www.houseoftrack.com).

m.

"No, really, the brake bridge is crooked. It's plain to see even without the brake installed. And yes, I know how to set up brakes. I'm not going to bother contacting Soma, I've got a custom frame in the works now..."

i wish i had that kind of money to not even care if i bought a new frame and it wasn't proper....
this whole slander is very suspect... too incredible to believe, can you provide pictures of any of this? a cog that was forged improperly so it doesn't even run on a standard chain????

The Soma cogs are CNC'd and then chrome plated. They're a little stiff mating with the chain out of the box, but so are DX cogs that are stamped and chromed.

All Soma frames have lifetime guarantees (http://www.somafab.com/faq.html#war) against defects. I guess you could call me a Soma fanboy, but they have a good reputation with many of the riders in my area. I saw a full Ultegra Smoothie the other day, so that frame's brake bridges must have been straight.

"No, really, the brake bridge is crooked. It's plain to see even without the brake installed. And yes, I know how to set up brakes. I'm not going to bother contacting Soma, I've got a custom frame in the works now..."

i wish i had that kind of money to not even care if i bought a new frame and it wasn't proper....
this whole slander is very suspect... too incredible to believe, can you provide pictures of any of this? a cog that was forged improperly so it doesn't even run on a standard chain????

Yeah, that kind of money would be great! I'm so poor that if I pay more than 3$ for something and it isn't right I talk to the seller/manufacturer. If I bought an entire bike frame and it wasn't right, you better believe I'd try to get it fixed. Sure would be nice to just have money spraying out my butt though, then I could just toss it into the corner and get something else.

peace,
sam

Sure would be nice to just have money spraying out my butt though, then I could just toss it into the corner and get something else.

peace,
sam

Yeah, but think of the papercuts.

Not anymore (http://www.houseoftrack.com).

m.

haha pwned!

not enough time to call Soma but enough time to post. i'm not convinced. i've not had any experiences that point to soma as superhero level support people like iro, but I called them with questions and they were totally responsive and very helpful. but then i don't run a rear brake. I'm still having trouble seeing how the front brake hole could be off. if you said your fork was deformed or something I could follow, but since the fork has a crown I simply can't see how you would make that call without precise measurement.

That's where I got mine, and they ship free to canada, but I'm rather unsure about the prompt shipping, unless 5 weeks and a series of unrelated answers from 3 people in the shop seems like prompt to you.

perhaps they don't know where quebec is. recently ordered on Sunday and had my cog on Tuesday. bummer about the eai deal. hopefully phil will have their offering up soon.

Soma Cogs work fine here. I have used a lot of them and still do. I never hade a problem threading them onto a hub.

As far as the brakes go are you useing pads that have an angle adjustment on them or just a pad with a nut and the end and no adjustment at all ?

Tony

man.. on the off topic.. the house of track dude is out of control.. like, you want to believe him, but.. if hes so cool.. why does drama follow him like a stray dog? spelling skills would help his case.. is that snotty of me to say? oh well..

man.. on the off topic.. the house of track dude is out of control..

No, not really I just like run on sentences lack of puncuation and spelling errors cause eai seems to think we were just gonna roll over and die but the story will be different monday and it wont be pretty.

eai just plain sucks. they screw over their dealers, they publish and distribute a catalog once a year, and only give it out to a select few dealers, they change their prices at a moment's notice, and they're rude little bastards.

they have a lot of cool NOS stuff, and their cogs are pretty nice, but from a dealer/shop standpoint, they're just not worth dealing with, unless you're "down" with them.

I use - and like - Soma cogs. No probs at all. Nice & thick; they wear very well. In side by side comparison with Surly & Miche cogs the Soma is noticeably thicker in profile and at least as well-machined as the others.

there's a guy in DC who cracked a Soma frame and triend to warantee it... they're jerking him around and letting some japanese company decide whether it's warantee-able. it's BS. look, your frames really shouldn't crack from daily use.

I've used both Soma and EAI cogs.
The EAI cogs look like higher quality, but I haven't seen any differences in performance.

I just tried to order an 18t EAI cog from Harris (to go with my new 52t Sugino chain ring) and they don't have one.

Soma has a wide range of cogs for us big chain-ringers. I'm running 52/19, and had to go soma on the rear partly because of availability.

Phideaux wrote:

"I'm running 52/19..."

Fifty-two X 19 comes very close to my present set-up of 47X17, which comes out to about 72 gear inches.

Fifty-two X 18 will give me about 76 gear inches; perhaps too much.

If I decide to go back to 72 gear inches, I might try it with 52X19: I have this intuition that bigger gears have more mechanical efficiency than small gears of the same ratio.

I've come to think of 72" as the best compromise for both uphill and downhill.

I should probably order a Soma 19t cog and have it ready.

Soma has a wide range of cogs for us big chain-ringers. I'm running 52/19, and had to go soma on the rear partly because of availability.
The LBS here in DC has plenty of EAI 19 and 20's in stock... ?

Phideaux wrote:

"I'm running 52/19..."

Fifty-two X 19 comes very close to my present set-up of 47X17, which comes out to about 72 gear inches.

Fifty-two X 18 will give me about 76 gear inches; perhaps too much.

If I decide to go back to 72 gear inches, I might try it with 52X19: I have this intuition that bigger gears have more mechanical efficiency than small gears of the same ratio.

I've come to think of 72" as the best compromise for both uphill and downhill.

I should probably order a Soma 19t cog and have it ready.

52/19 is a good ratio. Its 73ish inches on my 27" wheels, and 72ish on 700c wheels. It gives a lot of skid patches (if you are into that thing), and big chainrings look cool, and wear out slower. I go about 17-18mph at 80rpm, which is a totally respectable speed for cruising at a moderate spin.

Nowhere around here stocks a full range of track cogs (that I know of), so since I have to order online 'availability' mostly relates to whether or not the place I'm already ordering something from has it, since I hate paying tons of shipping. ;)

peace,
sam

man.. on the off topic.. the house of track dude is out of control.. like, you want to believe him, but.. if hes so cool.. why does drama follow him like a stray dog? spelling skills would help his case.. is that snotty of me to say? oh well..
I agree. Plus, judging from the rants,there may be some mental illness thrown in.
Seriously though, House of Track does NOTHING to help the EITHER side of the bike business ( customer or retailer ) by making wholesale prices public. There is a reason shops charge what they do, and prices have alot to do with things like overhead.............y'now rent, insurance,, etc. Some guy working out of his basement in Vegas with a computer and a phone? ? Gimme a break................I doubt he has a serious retail space, and shoulda been dropped long ago. Yeah, and the spelling................

I like House of Track. I ordered a 15t Dura Ace cog, and they shipped a 15t EAI cog to me a couple days after the order. This was a month ago. Suites me just fine :p

I agree. Plus, judging from the rants,there may be some mental illness thrown in.
Seriously though, House of Track does NOTHING to help the EITHER side of the bike business ( customer or retailer ) by making wholesale prices public. There is a reason shops charge what they do, and prices have alot to do with things like overhead.............y'now rent, insurance,, etc. Some guy working out of his basement in Vegas with a computer and a phone? ? Gimme a break................I doubt he has a serious retail space, and shoulda been dropped long ago. Yeah, and the spelling................


I agree 100% all that selling the EAI stuff at wholesale does is make a few customers happy in the short term...but hurts everyone in the long run.

The House of Track guy does seem to have some overly dramatic dealings and events going on that he shares with the public regularly. Perhaps that is his marketing technique...Anyways, I am not too concerned with this guy, because if he continues to deal with his suppliers like he is currently with EAI, I wouldn't be surprised if other distributors start pulling the plug.

Our business doesn't have a retail space, but we do have storage, rent, e-commerce, hosting, insurance, and other expenses that although may not be as much as the similar expenses of a full shop, but we definitely have our expenses that need to be covered as well. Selling prices at wholesale to try to attract a few customers, while losing a supplier is something we would never even consider.

[QUOTE=checkthat]So, if anyone out there is thinking about getting a Soma Rush frame or a Soma track cog, be warned: You Get What You Pay For.

QUOTE]

Gee, not to sound like a broken record, but I have been trying to tell everybody this all along....

DW

I'm going to start building frames and sell them for $3,000 apiece. If they're priced that high, they MUST be super high quality!

I agree 100% all that selling the EAI stuff at wholesale does is make a few customers happy in the short term...but hurts everyone in the long run.

The House of Track guy does seem to have some overly dramatic dealings and events going on that he shares with the public regularly. Perhaps that is his marketing technique...Anyways, I am not too concerned with this guy, because if he continues to deal with his suppliers like he is currently with EAI, I wouldn't be surprised if other distributors start pulling the plug.

Our business doesn't have a retail space, but we do have storage, rent, e-commerce, hosting, insurance, and other expenses that although may not be as much as the similar expenses of a full shop, but we definitely have our expenses that need to be covered as well. Selling prices at wholesale to try to attract a few customers, while losing a supplier is something we would never even consider.

retailers like chris king, sidi, easton, mavic(those who make a very premium product) etc etc tend to have very strict policies about the prices at which you're allowed to advertise their products. -- partially to ensure that no shop is disadvantaged in the market, regardless of size. they want uniformity in pricing so that everyone can carry their products and not worry about being undersold by a shop down the street or by the internet. I wouldn't be suprised at all if they pulled the plug on a shop like house of track that advertises well below MSRP.

retailers like chris king, sidi, easton, mavic(those who make a very premium product) etc etc tend to have very strict policies about the prices at which you're allowed to advertise their products. -- partially to ensure that no shop is disadvantaged in the market, regardless of size. they want uniformity in pricing so that everyone can carry their products and not worry about being undersold by a shop down the street or by the internet. I wouldn't be suprised at all if they pulled the plug on a shop like house of track that advertises well below MSRP.

Agreed!

Just throwing in my two sense... I have used Soma cogs on all three of my fixies for over a year with no problem. They threaded fine, seem to wearing fine and have shown no signs of bad machining. FYI, I run no brakes and skid/skip, so they are under a lot of stress. Are they that much cheaper than the alternatives? Prices seem pretty compariable... http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/fixed-sprockets.html

eai just plain sucks. they screw over their dealers, they publish and distribute a catalog once a year, and only give it out to a select few dealers, they change their prices at a moment's notice, and they're rude little bastards.

they have a lot of cool NOS stuff, and their cogs are pretty nice, but from a dealer/shop standpoint, they're just not worth dealing with, unless you're "down" with them.

You won't pass up an opportunity to bash EAI, will you? You ought to heed your own advice to this threads starter; and, contact the distro and work out whatever issues you're having with them.

Seriously, the vehemence with which you make your accusations puts your credibility here on the line. You might want to rein in that mouth/keyboard of yours. Otherwise, you run the risk of having your opinions discounted, and you marginalized as just another disgruntled guy with an axe to grind.

You're doing yourself and the shop you work for a disservice by airing your issues in public. Whether it's personal or business, in the long run, you'll be better off trying to resolve your problems in a reasonable manner.

I like House of Track. I ordered a 15t Dura Ace cog, and they shipped a 15t EAI cog to me a couple days after the order. This was a month ago. Suites me just fine :p

This is the sort of "Walmart mentality" that is slowly eroding the quality of life in this country. Most of us are of modest income, and quick to jump on the bargain bandwagon. Sometimes we buy products of dubious quality, other times we buy from those of semi-dubious character, and oftentimes we manage to do both at once.No thanks, IUTP. hehe

[QUOTE=Halcyon Days]Seriously, the vehemence with which you make your accusations puts your credibility here on the line. QUOTE]

First/Last time anyone will ever say vehemence on BF again, agreed?

hey, have you tried contacting soma about this?


...why don't you just call up soma and work something out with them. i'm sure their warranty covers manufacturing defects.



You talked to anyone at soma about it?



And most importantly: have you contacted Soma? Because if you haven't and you are just reporting your experience with a frame on this board as 'Soma is crap' then you're not doing any good for anyone.


I wouldn't just whine about it on the forum, I'd call 'em up.
sam

I probably don't have to say it again, but your accusation is pretty flimsy if you haven't even made the effort to pick up the phone. I own a Soma Rush that I've been riding almost daily for the past year, and have nothing but good to say about it. The alignment is dead-on and the welds look great. It's been a durable, responsive, and comfortable ride. I know four other people with '04 Rushes and they all like them. If only for the sake of not making yourself look ridiculous, CONTACT SOMA. Hey, if they don't step up to the plate, then you can criticize them further and be completely justified.

i like bikes.

I have to agree with Ira. I just checked out my Rush and everything on it looks great. A b uddy of mine just got a double cross and has nothing but great things to say about that frame either.

i have to agree with shants. bikes are awesome.