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Q.
I checked your dealer listing. I don't have a dealer near me. How can
I get a Soma?
Q.
Do you do custom frames?
Q.
Where are your frames designed and made?
Q.
Do forks come with frames?
Q. What is the warranty
on a Soma frame?
Q. Can you help me find my frame size if I give you my specs?
Q.
Why do you do steel, when most people are using aluminum?
Q.
What is stronger -- air hardened steel(Reynolds 631) or CrMo(Tange chromoly)?
Q.
If Somas are made overseas like most bikes, what makes a Soma more special
than any other bike?
Q. What tires sizes fits your frames?
Q. What front derailleur size fits your frames?
Q. My question is NOT on your FAQ. How do I contact you?
Q. How much is it to ship a frame if I buy from your online shop?
Q. I just bought a frame. Is there any prepping needed before I start to build it.
SOMA Model Specific Frame FAQ's:
Q. Why is the seat tube/ top tube juncture on your LUGGED frames welded instead of lugged?
Q. My SPEEDSTER's seat tube WB bosses are in the way of my front derailleur.
Q.
I checked your dealer listing. I don't have a dealer near me. How can
I get a Soma?
A. First thing you can do is ask your local bike shop to order one for
you. We sell many a frame this way. They can order through one of our
distributors.
If that doesn't work, try mail order.
We have several outlets for that.
Thirdly, you can buy direct. We have an online
shop now for those seemingly outta luck. However we charge full retail
at the online shop and charge you shipping, while at an LBS or mail order
shop, you may save a few bucks and offer better service.[back
to top]
Q. Do you do custom frames?
A. No we do not.
Affordability or Customization? We could only choose one. We found out
there are plenty of folk who will weld a custom frame for you, but not
many made a high quality steel frame at an affordable price. Buying a
frame does allow you to customize your build, which is a key advantage
for buying a frame instead of a full bike. [back
to top]
Q.
Where are your frames designed and made?
A. They are designed in San Francisco. They are hand welded in Taiwan.
Please note most big bike makers have moved most of their production to
China, which does not match the quality of Taiwan yet. [back
to top]
Q. What is the warranty on a Soma
frame?
A. Beginning in 2007, we offer a 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY against defects
in manufacturing and workmanship. Limitations apply. Frame abuse and neglect
negate the warranty. Forks have a one-year warranty. DOWNLOAD
our Warranty Policy
[back
to top]
Q.
Why do you do steel, when most people are using aluminum?
A. What drives the bike industry to use mainly aluminum right now because
of aluminum's low price and relative light weight. But to put it simply,
in $500 or less price range, a quality steel frame still offers better
ride feel and strength characteristics, than an aluminum frame. If you
take care of your steel frame, it will last for years. It has very good
fatigue strength. Aluminum (including high end Scandium) has a limited
fatigue life. Even if you leave it in your garage, the material still
will weaken over time.
[back to top]
Q.
What is stronger-- air-hardened steel or CrMo?
A. In terms of overall tensile strength, here is the order from strongest
to weakest of common bike tubing steels:
1. Heat-treated air hardened steel
(853, Foco, OXPlatinum)*
2. Heat-treated CrMo(Tange Prestige HT, Reynolds 725)
3. Cold-drawn air hardened steel
(Reynolds 631)*
4. Cold-drawn CrMo(Reynolds 525, Tange Infinity)
5. High tensile steel(cheap dept. store bikes)
* Air-hardened steels actually gain strength in the weld area after welding,
but not along the whole tube.
[back to top]
Q.
If Somas are made overseas like most bikes, what makes a Soma
more special than any other bike?
A. I'd have to say the thought put into it. Bradley Woehl, one of the
founders of Soma, co-owns one of the most venerable bike shops in SF.
He carries many top brands, but he felt they weren't making the bikes
that fit his customers.
• Commuter appeal- eyelets and fender mounts on most frames
• Low-key graphics that don't make you feel like you are riding a
billboard.
• A large size range so taller/shorter riders are not neglected.
• Size specific rakes on forks
• Name brand high-tech steel instead of harsh riding ubiquitous aluminum
• Hand-welded, not robot-welded
• Affordable frame that one can custom spec components of their choice.
Another factor that sets us apart from mass production bikes is that we
are not MASS production. While others may make 5000-10000 units of a single
model in a year, we will make only 200-300.
[back to top]
Q.Are
forks included or optional?
A. Forks are available, but optional. You don't have to take it if you
already have your own. [back
to top]
Q.
My question is not answered her. How do I contact you?
A.
Please send technical e-mails to somainfo(at)somafab.com.
Please allow 3 to 5 days for us to get back to you.
[back to top]
Q.What
tire sizes fit your frames?
A. This is a loaded question since makers vary on their sizing... a 26c
Panaracer may run noticeably narrower than a 26c Michelin. We offer a
general max. size on each frame description page.
Q.How
much does it cost to ship frame if I buy from your online shop?
A. We cannot quote shipping as it varies from location to location, even
frame size will affect shipping, because the box size is different. We
use UPS. Our zip code is 94080 if you want to play with the shipping calculator.
Expect it to be anywhere from $30 to $60 for ground shipping within the
US.
Q.What
front derailleur size fits your frames?
A. This is also answered on our geometry page. Our frames have 28.6mm
seat tube, so you would get a 28.6mm clamp front derailleur for bottom-pull
cable routing. E-type derailleurs could work, too, but that depends on
your BB and other factors, not the frame. Check the manufacturer of the
derailleur/bb or visit a shop to get an answer about that. [back
to top]
Q.Can
you help me find my size if I give you my specs?
A. It is almost impossible to correctly size you over the phone or via
e-mail. There are many variables involved besides standover height and
seat tube length. Sizing is best done at a shop. We recommend you go to
a reputable shop and get sized. Usually they will give you a sheet noting
your ideal cockpit length and standover and crank arm length. Armed with
this information, you can better utilize the geometry information available
on our website. If you have no intention of buying your bike at this shop,
I would offer to pay them to size you up. However it is always best to
try to get the bike from the shop. They can also help you find the correct
saddle height and foreaft position, stem height, etc. Sorry, but e-mails
regarding helping you find your size might not get answered.
[back
to top]
Q.
I just bought a frame. Is there any prepping needed before I start to
build it.
A. We highly recommend you take your frame to a bike shop to be built.
If you must do it yourself...You don't want to start building a frame
only to find something wrong with it in the middle of building. Check
frame and fork alignment. Face the BB and headtube, if needed. Chase the
BB if needed. Check for burrs in the seat tube that might score your seatpost.
Optional: Treat the insides of the frame with J.P. Weigle's Frame Saver
for corrosion protection. If you do not have facing and chasing tools,
try to look for resources in your area. In SF there is the non-profit
Bike Kitchen that let's you go in and use their tools for free. And there
are people there to answer questions as well.
Q.
The bars on my Juice are higher than I like when I used the 100mm setting
on my fork. What can I do?
A. Most 29er makers design bikes for 80mm forks. Why? Because the size
of the 29" wheel plus a 100mm long fork jacks up the front end. We
can't shorten our headtubes. We make our head tubes as short as we dare.
The closer the top tubes and downtubes are together at the headtube, the
weaker that area is. We see in the near future that riders of 29ers need
to be willing to ride flat bars or run stems with a negative rise or learn
to live with 80mm of travel. There are longer flat bars out now that give
you as much leverage as a conventional riser bar.
Q. Why is the seat tube/ top tube juncture on your lugged frames welded instead of lugged?
A.
It is a limitation of the lugs we have available to us. The collared seat
clamp we use complements the lugged look pretty well though.
[back
to top]
Q. My SPEEDSTER's seat tube WB bosses are in the way of my front derailleur.
A. An early batch had this problem. Our solution was to provide a slotted derailleur adapter clamp so you can use a braze-on type front derailleur. That is the only work-around.
