well the steal certainly makes sense on trail for the same reasons it does on potholes. maybe most people figure they're not riding long enough to do joint/brain damage, so rattle the bones for a little stiffness and 1 lbs less (or just skip lunch before you ride or only fill your camelback half way). all right, then as awesome as the price is, and as much as a want to try an <$100 sette frame, i'll stay with steel for my hardtail and get the sette road frame later.

i don't have most of the parts. and since i have an insect-sized bank account, i know i should look at complete builds. but i like choosing everything in a setup, such as titec h-bars. also, the soma b-side doesn't come complete anywhere.

so surly 1x1 or soma b-side? comparable frame quality i think. surly is $100 more but has more options for wheels/tire (can switch from 26 to 650b to 29). b-side looks awesome and owners seem to love it just as much as 1x1 owners love theirs.