Favorite drop bar bike I've owned
“Rides like a dream, eats up most of the vibration from just about any terrain that the measured 33mm tires can handle, which has so far included some sections of pretty loose gravel over hardpack. Also turns on a dime! Instantly my favorite drop bar bike I've owned. This is my first Soma but I'm sold, it'll be an easy choice whenever I'm looking to build something up in a segment they offer. I've ridden Litespeed, Cervelo, and Otso mostly and nothing has ever balanced stiffness with comfort like this does.”
-- Archercat2000, from Reddit
Built with parts sourced all over eBay
“Still getting to know the bike. It somehow reminded me of a Cannondale Synapse I rode some years ago. Feels completely relaxed and it also lets you sprint, without the frame flexing in a weird way. Lowered the handlebars significantly and that really helps the cornering. For me it works to almost slam the stem. I wouldn't like riding it sitting up right. With the higher bar position, cornering felt a bit vague, almost detached. So that's all geometry. Back to ride quality.. what do you file under ride quality? I think the tires and wheels take most of the road buzz. The frame feels very light and nimble. I added up all the parts and the build comes to 8.325 kg. Somehow I was worried that the fork wasn't full carbon (has an alu steerer). But in practice, that didn''t bother me at all. It gives the bike a nice front/rear balance.”
-- Danishun, from Reddit
Love my Soma Smoothie
“The ride and handling is exceptional. I was actually quite surprised at how responsive it felt when sprinting. The oversized and oval tubes add a lot of lateral stiffness I've not gotten from other steel frames. It's light and soaks up the bumps on the road. Everyone has their preference but I don't want to ride any of my other bikes now....
The ride quality is smooth living up to its name, but was I quite surprised at the responsiveness while sprinting...It's pretty zippy even with my heavy wheels and tire setup!
The fork wouldn't have been my first choice given the alu steerer. It does the job though.
Others have cited issues with cable routing being odd. The front mech cable rubs against the rear brake housing. I see where they're coming from but this has never been an issue to me nor is there a work around logistically. I put some frame protection on that area and it's friction and damage free. Worth the quirk for external disc brake routing to me.
The paint... oh my. It's even better in person. The extra cost for the red over the black was worth it to me.
Overall I absolutely love the bike and have been choosing to ride it over my aluminum and other steel bikes. I'd buy and build it again in an instant.”
-- Reddit user 10494727204
I just want to say how much I love this bike
“The bike is composed, comfortable, and fast. I've got a few centuries under my belt on that thing and it has been awesome. I'm talking about spirited group rides with my friends on full carbon rigs. I also spent a good amount of time on that bike with 35mm slicks riding gravel in the headlands, and again, it is awesome. The higher stack really lends itself well to gravel riding. Often, all-road bikes are too low to get comfortable on chunky gravel. If you are too low on the front end of the bike over rough terrain, you'll end up hurting your back and shoulders. With the Smoothie, the higher stack allows you to get further to the back on the bike and unload your hands, which makes chunky gravel, even single track, very manageable on 35mm tires. One thing I've thought is great about the Smoothie is that it has maintained good handling characteristics through a wide range of road tires. Going between the 28s and the 35s didn't really change the handling that much. The trail number at 28mm is 58.7, while at 35 its 60.8. I have not felt this change. The bike handles great with both tire sizes. On my Enve Melee, going up to a 35mm makes the front end feel weird, also, toe overlap. No overlap on the Smoothie with 35s.”
-- Mike L., SF
