# New Soma Double Cross Build



## intheways (Apr 3, 2006)

Hey Everyone,

I'm fairly new here, but I have been over at mtbr.com for a while. I'm planning to build a Soma Double Cross DC for commuting, touring, and occasional training rides.  I will probably be looking at some older threads for components, but thus far, I am going with:

Frame: Soma Double Cross DC
Fork: IRD Disc
Hubs: XT 756
Rims: Velocity Fusion
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus 32c
Bars: Salsa Short and Shallow 44cM
Stem: Motoace
Seatpost: Salsa Shaft
Saddle: ??
Brakes: Avid Disc BB7 Road
Brake levers/Shifters: Shimano 105 Brifters
Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105
Front Derailleur: Shimano 105
Crankset: FSA Megaexo Gossamer Triple
Cassette: Shimano 105

My biggest dilemma right now is the brake lever/ shifter setup. I've always used friction shifters, but I am thinking of using some brifters, but I don't have much experience with them. I'm also deliberating about my gear setup. I tend toward simpler solutions, but I had knee surgery last spring (menisectomy) and I want to be able to spin most of the time. I'm thinking of going with a XT rear cassette, but don't know if I should go double or triple up front. I am outside of Seattle, so there are hills to contend with.

I look forward to hanging out around in these forums and thanks for the help!


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## jgsatl (Mar 16, 2009)

personally, i'd recommend a triple up front. a bit more versatile. can't help you on the shifters.....i like friction for my type of riding. (though use click shifters on my offroad bike)


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## Kolossal (Feb 12, 2007)

I'd say Mavic A119, A319 or A719 rims. Brooks B17 Saddle.


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## RedRex (Oct 24, 2004)

Photos just after the build, before hanging racks and fenders:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=133886&highlight=soma+photos


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Road bikes ran friction shifters way before indexed shifting ever came along. There are quite a few people out there still running friction shifters on their road bikes. The Soma Double Cross DC has downtube shifter bosses so you can mount downtube shifters. Alternatively, you can put cable stops onto the downtube shifter bosses and mount bar end shifters on the handlebars. Brifters are nice, though, because shifting is almost mindless, just click, click, click. The problem is that, if the shifting is off, you really cannot trim it to work, you need to adjust it. Not only that, but, if the shifters break in the middle of a ride you're stuck in a gear that may not be ideal for the conditions. Friction shifters are so simple that, short of crashing and snapping a shift lever in half, there's really not much that can go wrong with them. I have two bikes in my stable of five that are running friction shifters: one on the downtube and one with bar-ends.

WRT to running a large mountain bike cassette with a double up front, you can do that but a smaller road bike cassette on the back with a triple up front will give you smaller jumps between cogs and more gears to choose from. Also, 9-speed shifters, if you go with brifters, are not so common these days especially if you want a nicer setup, like 105 or Ultegra. You will need to find NOS or buy used in this case. Of course, it's not an issue if you are using friction shifters. In any case, run the XT rear derailleur as the larger capacity will work with either setup.

Looking forward to some pictures of this when it is up and running.


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## intheways (Apr 3, 2006)

Thanks for the replies!

I'll definitely go with a triple up front. I've got some extra 8 spd mtn cassettes that I have laying around, so I might use those for the time being and try some other setups after I use them up. I guess with the 8 spd rear, I will be stuck with friction shifters. That makes some decisions easier. 

I'll be sure to post pics of the build as it comes together.


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## nativeson (Jul 12, 2006)

*funny*

i just built up a doublecross dc and took it for a short tour a few weeks back. i was commuting on it too (i'm a teacher, summer's off!), it's even seen some trail duty. its gotta few miles on it since i built it up in may(?). it has an old and new mix of parts.

frame: 56cm/83.2 pbh, in between sizes, i have a long torso, went for bigger size
wheels: mavic a317 disc/xt hubs, built by lbs
shifters: 9speed dura-ace barcon
cranks: 175mm shimano lx square taper, early/mid 90's, 46/32/22, 94mmbcd, i'd probably like to run a shorter crank arm for spinning up hills!
cassette: 11-32 lx
derailleurs: front- old shimano rx100 w/shim, rear-new lx
brakes: bb7 road, tektro levers
saddle: persons 77 (just added)
stem: 100mm pricepoint stem for now
bars: 44cm salsa bell laps

i'm diggin the barcons in friction mode, i just picked up a 93 rb-1 that has barcons too. i was tired of drivin to the trailhead to mountain bike, even though it's a 20 min drive to santa cruz. so i started comin to this site, bought a road bike, and keep using this site for info. as far as the wheelset being built by the lbs, i put the whole thing together myself. it went together real smooth. i took it on a short 300 mi tour and had zero issues. here's some poseur build pics and rider pics for some reference/stoke. have fun building!

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pqbKzPBSC22QD5CJTU0OGw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.ggpht.com/_xQqscsjmzZg/SkFjdxh592I/AAAAAAAABk0/94QtL5Dx4hs/s400/IMG_0474.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/santosmichael1/SfPtreyesBodegabayJenner?feat=embedwebsite">sf+ptreyes+bodegabay+jenner</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UTjD5N1oW4y0J_QJAMnZqg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.ggpht.com/_xQqscsjmzZg/SkFRmWJ_GUI/AAAAAAAABN4/UXBlpGHuFoQ/s400/IMG_0151.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/santosmichael1/SfPtreyesBodegabayJenner?feat=embedwebsite">sf+ptreyes+bodegabay+jenner</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IdE_15h3UF_hRcgloc3X-A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/_xQqscsjmzZg/SkFQtcqIrXI/AAAAAAAABMs/ms0w4ZowcvM/s400/IMG_0133.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/santosmichael1/SfPtreyesBodegabayJenner?feat=embedwebsite">sf+ptreyes+bodegabay+jenner</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9bmqZMqlQBBltVqa4Jl1Xg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.ggpht.com/_xQqscsjmzZg/SkFcE6pUB-I/AAAAAAAABXE/7cFgTlLb6Ps/s400/IMG_0073.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/santosmichael1/SfPtreyesBodegabayJenner?feat=embedwebsite">sf+ptreyes+bodegabay+jenner</a></td></tr></table>


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## intheways (Apr 3, 2006)

What spoke count would you recommend? I probably won't be doing any severely heavy touring. Just a rear rack with some Ortlieb panniers.

Nativeson-nice setup. My wife is a teacher and has the summers off. I am hoping to get a job at a small liberal arts or community college, so we can tour together.


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

With knee problems I'd recommend brifters and a close-ratio cassette. 

Most everyone I see using friction delays shifting as long as possible. Frequently this leads to mashing, which is bad for the knees. Brifters make it easy to shift frequently, keeping cadence high and pressure on the knees low. 

Along with that, I'd recommend *against* an MTB cassette or any other wide-range cassette. Again, they encourage delayed shifting which leads to mashing. I see people wait out a downshift because of the huge jump to the next lower gear. A touring/trekking triple (48/36/26) with a close-ratio cassette is probably a winner for the combination of bad knees and hilly terrain.

I run a 16-27 10-speed cassette in hilly terrain. I can shift every few feet if I need to in order to keep my cadence high and knee pressure low. There's so little difference between each gear that there's no reason to ride out a gear because of the jump to the next one. Most of the time, the next gear is usually just right. If it's not, the one after that will be.


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## intheways (Apr 3, 2006)

brucew said:


> With knee problems I'd recommend brifters and a close-ratio cassette.
> 
> Most everyone I see using friction delays shifting as long as possible. Frequently this leads to mashing, which is bad for the knees. Brifters make it easy to shift frequently, keeping cadence high and pressure on the knees low.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply! This is the sort of info I need. Pre-surgery, I was a mashaholic (I had to give up the singlespeed and dirtjumping). Retraining myself to spin will probably be the most difficult part of this whole thing, but having equipment to encourage the proper behavior is the way to go.

Thanks


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

There are several caveats to running close-ratio cassettes.

First, because I shift so much more often than many people, I wear things out faster. I go through cable housing (that short, 180° bend piece at the rear) every 1,000 miles or so. I invested in a cable housing cutter and bought bulk housing. I'm well-practiced now. I can replace that chunk in about the same amount of time as it takes to lube a chain.

I also got only 7,000 miles out of a right-hand 105 lever on one bike, and only 4,500 miles out of a Sora RD on the other.

Second, you'll also shift the front more often, so better quality, and better adjustment there are key. While my Sora triple FD in good adjustment is perfectly fine, it doesn't stay in adjustment as long as my other bike, which has an Ultegra triple FD.

Third, it takes some thought and compromise to choose your cassette range. As I said in the post above, I run a 16-27 10-speed in hilly terrain. That's with a 52/39/30 triple. Trouble is, I spin out at 25 or 26 mph in the big ring. Around town where it's pretty flat, I run a 12-23. But then, on climbs of more than 4% or 5%, I don't have low enough gears to keep up a spin. 

This is why I think a 48/36/26 may be the better choice of crank. And maybe with a custom 14-25 cassette. I'll be ordering a full set of loose cogs so I can design my own cassette. As you can see, I'm still working things out myself.


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## jrm (Dec 23, 2001)

*My Soma Double Cross build*

Soma Double Cross 53cm Disc (grey), Kona Project II fork disc only. DT 470X rims XT hubs, BB7s, FSA Exo Mega Energy compact 34/46, shimano LX RD, Sram 11-30 cassette, shimano 105 FD, Salsa SUL moto stem, Shimano LX dual control shifters, on-one freegle bar, and Oury grips. I trade off between panaracer 28c tservs, and kenda 32c small block 8s. 

This bike is so much fun to ride, on almost anything. The only thing im thinking of doing is installing some fenders and maybe a triple crankset for shits a giggles.


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## jimbr (Jul 26, 2009)

intheways, do you know of any bike shops in the Seattle area that have built Double Crosses? I'm interested in trying one or two for size, but I find Surlys everywhere, but very few Somas.


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## intheways (Apr 3, 2006)

jimbr-I special ordered mine. I had a Crosscheck last year and I liked the size, so I went with a similar sized Doublecross (53 cm). You are welcome to try mine out, if you wish. I'm not aware of any shops that have any built up.

I should have final build pics tonight!:thumbsup:


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## jimbr (Jul 26, 2009)

I just compared the geometries of the Cross Check and Double Cross. Freerange Cycles and Recycled Cycles both carry the Surly, so I'll try that out for size.

I'll look forward to your build photos.

Thanks,
Jim


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## intheways (Apr 3, 2006)

Bike won't be ready until tomorrow or so :cryin:


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## jimbr (Jul 26, 2009)

If you don't mind my asking, which shop is building it?


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## intheways (Apr 3, 2006)

uBRDO in Kirkland is building the wheels and putting some components on the frame. I have some shifters, handlebars, crankset, and saddle to put on.


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## intheways (Apr 3, 2006)

Pics from a recent trip to Montana.

The bike rides awesome! I may swap the stem for a shorter one and play around with different saddles, but otherwise it's perfect.


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