600 miles in 5 weeks, time for a review.

Its been said that a great bike is a bike you want to ride everyday. The Soma Double Cross scores a 10 out of 10 on that basis.

My initial impression on the bike was how big, but comfortable the fit is. It took a little familiarity and seat and handlebar adjustment, but the size 60cm frame fits me, and I’m just 6 foot. The zero offset FSA seatpost positions the seat at the right location and the 110mm stem brings the bars within reach. I’m on the drops about 50% of the time, the hoods are easy to ride and the cross bar is good to use at lower speeds and helps me look above the traffic as I commute. The very tall 195mm head-tube is golden. It puts the handlebar at just the right level without multiple spacers. It looks right, and the fit is great.

The ride quality is remarkable. It provides a smooth comfortable ride as the rider seems to float along. I was looking for long distance traveling comfort and the steel frame with a carbon fiber fork is very damp and plush. The bike also feels lively and accelerates well. I can sprint to 25 mph at will.

Handling is excellent and stability is also very good. The bike turns in quickly without feeling squirrelly. Stability is more than adequate. The bike will drift off line if the rider is daydreaming, but no issue IMO. It’s the kind of bike that wants to be driven hard at 20 mph or more. I’ll scrape the pedals while taking turns and accelerating out of the corners. Tons of fun to ride anywhere.

The drivetrain does its job. I changed out the compact 48 & 36t crank for a 44t single chairing, creating a 1X10. Here in Chicago the 1X10, using a 12-25 10-speed cassette, provides a broad enough range for the few hills I travel. Even uphill against the wind, the gear range is all I need. With a 1X10 there is no cross chain rule and no redundant gears. I can intuitively go up and down the range and instantly be in the right gear.

The Felt hubs and Mavic rims are strong and offer good performance. I added a second set of low cost Alex Ace 19 rims with Fuji hubs. Clearly a downgrade, but I was looking for a cheap set of rims for a pair of 700x32 Armadillo Infinity tires for puncture free winter travel. Well the rear Alex rim was damaged beyond repair on a steel flange that was hidden under leaves one night. I may just move the 700x32 Armadillo Infinity tires to the Mavic rims.

I’ve added a dual beam 16 watt light up front and a Planet Bike Superflash in back. I’m doing half of my 100 miles a week in the dark now. I‘ve also added a hard-case pannier to the rack.

This bike has become my second car.

Michael