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.

Very nice, tarwheel. I am very happy with my Saga. I rode it last summer on two self-supported tours for a total of 1800 miles and it performed as well as I expected.

Post a photo of yours, Robert.

I am very please with the fit, ride and handling of the Saga so far. The fit is perfect for me, which is the biggest consideration. However, I was surprised at how well it rides given the stout tubing used in the frame. Of course, it helps having 32mm+ tires on the bike.

I did more touring than ever in 2014, which is part of what convinced me to get the Saga. I am nearing retirement and plan to get a lot of use out of the Saga. I plan to ride the GAP-C&O Canal trail again, which I rode this year with friends. However, my Bob Jackson did not have enough clearance for cross tires with fenders, so I had use tires that were less than ideal. The Saga should have enough clearance for some wider cross tires and fenders.

Here's several photos of my Saga. Recently, I put 35mm Pananracer Pasaselas which are pretty true to size and they feel wide to what I am used to but the ride is very smooth. Before I settled on the saga frame, I considered several other frames, Bob Jackson, Velo Orange, Gunnar, Surley. Ultimately, the quality steel, good price, and reviews I read persuaded me to go with the Saga. It is a sturdy, comfortable bike but I don't feel like I have sacrificed handling or speed. I am sure you will be very satisfied.

Looks like we have the same size frame and very similar components. Great minds think alike!

That's perhaps the shortest garden hose I've ever seen.

Brad

That's funny. The explanation is that it is my winter hose to spray road gunk off my drive train to inhibit corrosion, etc. It is a short section so if it freezes I don't ruin a whole garden hose.

You're right. I originally ordered the 54cm frame but determined it was a little too small. So I had to pay to ship it back. I wanted the fit to be as good as you could get on a production frame so it was worth the extra expense.

Beautiful Pictures, Tarwheel! Saga's a great frame, and there are a bunch of 'em on Ebay for sale right now. It is tempting to strip my DB 'Frankenbike' tourer and swap over to the Saga. Good job!

Good looking bike. I've been tempted to pick one up.

I thought there was a plausible reason. Columbus can be brutal in the winter.

Brad