My bike shop finished building up my new Soma Saga the other day and today was the first day I've been able to ride it. I rode 55 miles on its maiden voyage, which is farther than I'll typically ride with a new bike. However, I was very careful setting it up, and it fit perfectly. The Saga rode great and should be a very capable bike for touring, trails and greenway riding. One reason why I got it was that my other touring bike, a Bob Jackson World Tour, did not have clearance for tires larger than 32 mm with fenders, and the Saga should be able to handle 35 mm cross tires with fenders. Its tubing is also much stouter, and it should be able to handle loads much better than the BJ.

I swapped parts from other bikes for the build. It's got the Sugino triple crank and Shimano derailleurs from my BJ, and the other parts from my former commuter, a Gunnar Crosshairs. I recently sold the Crosshairs because the fit was off, and will be using the BJ as my primary commuter, which is what I originally got it for. The Soma has wider rear spacing, so I had to buy a new Velocity Dyad - Shimano rear wheel, which I got through my LBS from Handspun.