I’m starting to get some serious inquiries about the sale of my vintage Italian bike so I’m hoping to buy some parts soon. To be honest, I’m having builders block (Sorta like writers block). As much as I’ve tried, I can’t get excited about building a Soma Saga. It’s the right bike at the right time at the right price for me, and Somafab is a local company, which means a lot to me. So, why can’t I get excited about building this bike? I have sought out every image of a Saga build that I could, and they all look pretty much the same to me. Being a contrarian, I instinctively want to do the opposite. But, I can’t get an image in my mind of a better build then this one of silver components, brown saddle and tape.
http://wekeepgoing.com/blog/wp-conte...0/IMG_2965.JPG
So’ I’m still wanting to build a modern loaded touring bike; however, the frameset may be one of the last things I settle on.
The only part I’ve committed to so far is the headset. Is it possible to build a bike around a headset?

I also have a short list of the parts I’d buy today if I had the money:
Rims- Velocity Dyad 36H
Hubs- XT
RD- XT
FD- Tiagra
Saddle- B17
Tires- Vittoria Rando Pro 700x35c
Shifters- DA 9x3 Bar End
As a side note, does anyone have an opinion about the new LX trekking crankset and know why it’s not being sold stateside?