Downshift

I'm looking at a more laid back bike. Y'know, steel, relaxed angles, and very versatile. I am attracted to cross bikes and the like because of their versatility, but I want something I can still take out and whip some B group @ss with on the weekend. As much as I like my Cannondale, it is just too harsh for what I want to do. I am not crit racing, maybe 1-2 noncompetitive tri's per year (the bike's not going to make the difference!). I'm not going to do any loaded touring, I might run the occasional cross (or at least do it by myself), and I have no intention of any other kind of racing. I really want to get into centuries and brevets. Not a job for the 'dale. The Somas are steel, so they should be a little more comfortable.

So locally, not much in the way of bikes I can test drive. The usual suspects: Trek, Cannondale, Bianchi, Specialized.... Nothing that really floats my boat. I want something a little out of the ordinary. I found the Soma website through a recommendation. The bikes look pretty sweet. Anyone have any experience with them?


Anyway, am I on the right track here? Any suggestions? I know most of you guys are geared more towards the race/performance end of the spectrum, but also seem to have a ton of experience. Thanks.

dekalbSTEEL

https://www.surlybikes.com/main.html

Downshift

The owner of my LBS recommended the Soma over the Surlys. He's a Surly dealer to boot. Said it was more what I was looking for. I'm open to ideas, but he was pretty adamant about that one.

enduro

I recently built up a Surly Crosscheck with the parts from my Cinelli frame (Columbus aluminum with carbon seatstays) because I want to do some loaded touring. The Soma Doublecross is pretty much the same as a Crosscheck, but with better tubing (Reynolds 631 vs Cromoly) so it is significantly lighter. Compared to the Cinelli frame, the Surly is noticeably slower handling and less responsive when sprinting out of the saddle but on most routes that include flats and gentle hills it is just as fast, which surprised me a little. It is also much more solid feeling and comfortable on rough roads. I'm not worried about jumping curbs with the Surly.

I went with Surly over Soma because for a touring bike, I wanted something that was not flashy at all (I removed all logos but the headtube badge) and the cheaper tubing's thicker walls can be banged around more without damage. From your description you may want the lighter tubing of the Soma.

Downshift

Now that's what I was looking for, and probably why my guy over at the LBS was steering me towards the Soma as well.