Originally Posted by
chaadster
It's a good question, but I think the price gap between the Mercier and the Soma -- which I don't think is even available anymore-- was usually greater than the $200 you suggest. Soma offered it mostly at $1k, and on sale at $750. Perhaps they clearanced it at $500, but I never saw that.
Certainly the Soma is a nicer bike all 'round, but speaking for myself, at the time I purchased my Nano, the Soma was $700 more and I wasn't even sure I wanted a minivelo, so the Soma was a non starter for those reasons alone. I also preferred the racing style of the Nano over the touring style of the Soma, but had they been only $200 apart, I might have gone Soma.
In any event, I'm probably still under $800 including all the upgrades on the Nano, and I have a bike that I love and think is more unique than a stock Soma mv, so I'm happy.
Even still, there are precious few options in geared minivelos in the USA, so within the context of what's available, doubling the cost of the Nano via upgrades represents pretty decent value for the category.
Oh, and is there any frameset anywhere available for $75?! That's ridiculous! $300 for a new, rideable, geared, complete bike is incredibly cheap.
fair point regarding the price points at the time of your purchase, but my observation is based on a current assessment in which the soma can be purchased for around 500.
i don't know how many of them
this bikeshop has, but they have been selling them about once every two weeks for more than a year for around 500usd.
so, today, if someone is considering buying a mercier nano, they should definitely consider spending a couple hundred more and buy a much better bike.