Roadie

Well, the bike shop I work for is coming to a close. Soon. Thursday, as a matter of fact. Knowing that I'd be losing my righteous discount, I wanted to get a few things done. First among these was a new bike. Knowing that I didn't have the funds to get my dream rando bike finished in that short of time, I thought it would be fun to get a true road bike added to the stable. After weighing various options, I knew that just any bike wouldn't do. Aluminum was not gonna fly. Carbon isn't something I care for. Titanium is out of my price range. Steel is real, and the only option.

I chased specs and looked over reviews. Racy was key. No low-rent steel. This is going to be a fair weather ride. No fenders. No racks. Minimal luggage. After looking at and discarding several bikes/framesets, the Soma Smoothie won out.

The Soma Smoothie has Heat Treated Tange Prestige tubing, maximum clearance for 28mm rubber and short and fast geometry.

When specing it out I tried to balance bling with cost effective parts. Shimano 105 in silver. Costs a bit more than the black 105, but I think it looks better, and saves a ton over Ultegra, while keeping most of the features, without adding much weight. A Chris King headset was considered, but a more basic Origin8 headset was speced to save room in the budget for Thomson stem and post.

The wheels I built myself, using Velocity A23 rims and 105 hubs. While I went with 36 spokes, I saved a good bit of weight by going with thinner 1.8/1.6 double-butted DT Swiss on the front and non-drive rear, with standard 2.0/1.8 on the drive side. This gave a finished (estimated) weight below a 32H build with standard DB spokes all-around, while making for a stiffer and easier to true wheelset.

In keeping with the racy tone of the build, I went with tyres lighter and skinnier than I typically ride. Vittoria Diamante Pro 23F/25R, with Continental Race Supersonic tubes, overall saving ~80g per wheel over the rather light 28mm Rubino Pros I run on my other bike. The Diamante Pro tyres have been discontinued and replaced with the Diamante Pro Radiale model.

Here's the entire build:
Frame: Soma Smoothie 60cm White
Fork: Soma Smoothie 43mm rake
Crankset: Shimano 105 Silver 50/34 175mm FC-5750
Cassette: Shimano 105 12-27 10sp
Brakes: Shimano 105 Silver BR-5700 S
Derailleur Front: Shimano 105 Silver FD-5700 Clamp on
Derailleur Rear: Shimano 105 Silver RD-5700 SS
Chain: Shimano 105
Front Hub: Shimano 105 HB-5700
Rear Hub: Shimano 105 FH-5700
Rims: Velocity A23 Silver 36H
Front Spokes: DT Swiss Competition 1.8/1.6 Silver
Rear Spokes: DT Swiss Competition DS 2.0/1.8 Silver NDS 1.8/1.6 Silver
Spoke Nippes: DT Swiss Black Brass
Tyres: Vittoria Diamante Pro 700C x 23mm front/ 700C x 25mm rear
Tubes: Continental Race Supersonic
Saddle: Brooks B-17 Mandarin Orange
Tape: Brooks Mandarin Orange
Bag: Acorn Tubular