# A Soma Stanyan Build



## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

My checklist for a commuter/all-arounder was pretty straight-forward:Steel frame with an old school vibe
Rack and fender mounts
A reasonable price
Sizing to fit the parts I had on hand (27.2 seat post, 1 1/8 stem, 700c rims, rim brakes, etc.)
Not blue (no offense to blue bike owners, but my last two bikes were blue and I wanted a change)​
After poking around the forums here, I took a look at the Soma Stanyan frameset and it checked everything off my list. So, I took the plunge and started the process of building it up.

The frameset was just that... a frame and forks. This meant my first foray into removing (from my old commuter) and installing headset bearing races, cutting a steerer tube, and installing a starnut. I went the DIY route for all of it (threaded rod, hacksaw, etc.) It was a little scary at times, mostly cutting the steerer tube, knowing that I only had one shot at it.

Once I finished those jobs, the rest of the build was mostly just swapping parts from one bike to the other. Oddly enough, the hardest part was getting the rack on. The rack is also made by Soma, so I thought it would be simple. I ended up having to bend the upper rack arms and install them on the inside of the frame to avoid the brake calipers, and I had to use spacers to mount the lower points in order to get the holes to line up. The only other hiccup was the fact that the frame is set up for down-tube shifters. But, I found the plug/converters that attach to the shifter bosses on the frame and turn them into cable stops.

The result is pictured below. I have some 28mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires on it now.

I took it out for it's maiden voyage today and it was every bit as smooth a ride as I hoped it would be.









I'll update with a better ride report once I've got some more miles in. I'll try to get some better pics as well.

The basic specs:

Soma Stanyan frame and fork - Tange Prestige frame (56cm), Tange Infinity fork
FSA Aheadset
Deda RHM bars (46cm)
Ritchey stem
Shimano 105 (Brifters, FD, RD)
SRAM crankset (44/34) - Shimano Tiagra cassette (12-30)
Velocity Deep V rims - 36h - 105 hubs
Tektro brake - KoolStop pads
Brooks B17 saddle
Soma rear rack
VP Bear Trap pedals


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## philoanna (Dec 2, 2007)

Nice. I really like that rack. I like Soma stuff. I have two sets of Soma handlebars (Oxford for my Casseroll and Clarence for my Mukluk) and I really like them.
Have fun and be safe!
Kevin


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## Chris_T (May 7, 2007)

Opus51569 said:


> Oddly enough, the hardest part was getting the rack on. The rack is also made by Soma, so I thought it would be simple. I ended up having to bend the upper rack arms and install them on the inside of the frame to avoid the brake calipers, and I had to use spacers to mount the lower points in order to get the holes to line up.


Nice build! I'm curious about the rack because I had a similar problem with clearance of my Blackburn rack and am looking for alternatives. Could you post a close-up of the upper rack arms?

And, here's mine now in winter mode with fenders:


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## seacoaster (May 9, 2010)

Chris_T said:


> I'm curious about the rack because I had a similar problem with clearance of my Blackburn rack and am looking for alternatives.
> View attachment 288565


I recently purchased a used Felt X:City “city hybrid” for an errand bike. Felt brilliantly placed the rack mount braze-ons near the rear brake to make them rather useless (unless you opted for discs). The solution was a collar made by Salsa that is also a mounting point for a rack. It was ridiculously expensive ($30 if I remember correctly), but it solved the problem.

Rack-Lock | Parts & Accessories | Salsa Cycles


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

Chris T.

Here's a close-up of the upper rack arms with the bolts on the inside of the frame to avoid the brake calipers. It worked fine and seems pretty stable. The rack is intended for basic commuting so I don't think it will be an issue. If I was doing some loaded touring, I might be concerned about lateral movement.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

seacoaster said:


> I recently purchased a used Felt X:City “city hybrid” for an errand bike. Felt brilliantly placed the rack mount braze-ons near the rear brake to make them rather useless (unless you opted for discs). The solution was a collar made by Salsa that is also a mounting point for a rack. It was ridiculously expensive ($30 if I remember correctly), but it solved the problem.
> 
> Rack-Lock | Parts & Accessories | Salsa Cycles


That's a handy little invention, but I don't know if it would work with the lugs and integrated collar on the Stanyan's seat tube.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

Managed to get in a second ride today and discovered a minor issue in the way I had the bike set up.

In the past, I've always crossed the derailleur cables coming off the shifters, then crossed them again under the downtube.

With the position of the new cable stops on the Stanyan, crossing them caused the derailleur cable to make contact with the frame as they crossed underneath. That's not such a big deal, but with the relatively slack front derailleur cable, it slaps the frame with every bump.

So... I pulled the cables, shortened the housings a bit so I could curve them to run straight along the downtube. Problem solved.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

A few changes over the winter

VO hammered fenders
Ritchey headset
Panaracer Pasela tires (28c)

and a few more commutes now that the weather is warming up. The bike definitely rides heavy, which is no surprise considering the amount of extras I have on it. But with the 12-30 cassette, sitting and spinning up hills isn't too bad.

Hopefully, another commute tomorrow if the thunderstorms are finally done for a while...


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

Problems with my Stanyan. My rear wheel initially wouldn't fit in the dropouts until I spread them with a car jack. Also, the seat post (Dura Ace) kept slipping, even with a beer can shim. A double beer can shim seems to work, but still...


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

robwh9 said:


> Problems with my Stanyan. My rear wheel initially wouldn't fit in the dropouts until I spread them with a car jack. Also, the seat post (Dura Ace) kept slipping, even with a beer can shim. A double beer can shim seems to work, but still...


Sorry to hear that. The rear wheel is definitely snug in my frame, but I can spread the dropouts enough by hand to get the wheel on when necessary. I haven't had any problems with the seat post slipping and I'm a Clyde so if was gonna slip, I'd know about it.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

Not much new. It's cold and icy, so I find myself tinkering. I swapped the white Velocity Deep Vs with a set of H Plus Sons I had on the Lynskey. They're 32 spoke instead of the beefier 36 spoke but hopefully that won't be an issue. I also mounted a separate tail light to the rear fender so I'll still have one if I choose to remove the rear rack. Gratuitous garage door pic to follow...


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

Been a while since I've updated things. I'm using a different bike now for commuting, so I've slowly but surely been converting the Stanyan into a kind of "gentleman's cruiser". I swapped the rear rack for a Soma front rack and added a bag.









The big splurge was on the Brooks tape to match the honey saddle. While I dig the saddle, I was very disappointed in the overall quality of the tape. But at least it looks the part.


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## dcgriz (Feb 13, 2011)

Much wheel flop with the front rack and load in the bag?

Berthoud makes a leather tape that IMO is superior to Brooks. I put mine over a cork Cinelli base and feels really nice. Handlebra also makes very good quality tapes at different colors although I am not sure if he is still around; worth checking though.

Now a Schmidt with an Edelux and you will be all set!


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

dcgriz said:


> Much wheel flop with the front rack and load in the bag?
> 
> Berthoud makes a leather tape that IMO is superior to Brooks. I put mine over a cork Cinelli base and feels really nice. Handlebra also makes very good quality tapes at different colors although I am not sure if he is still around; worth checking though.
> 
> Now a Schmidt with an Edelux and you will be all set!


Yeah, it definitely affects the handling with that large a bag sitting so high in the front. The bag is actually meant to mount to the bars, which would put it up even higher. But precise handling isn't a big concern (until I inadvertently wreck) 

As for the Brooks tape, I recommend going slow and getting your wrap right the first time. It has adhesive that will pull the finish off the leather if you wait too long to rewrap. The same is true for the finish tape at the end. If you're very good at wrapping or if you're not a perfectionist, you should be good. Unfortunately, I suck at wrapping, but I am a perfectionist, soooo.... As for the quality, the seams in the various strips were misaligned and the perforations went from 4 across, to 5 or 6. Just seemed like bad QC especially for the cost. When it needs to be replaced I'll definitely be looking for an alternative.

A dynamo light would look nice off the front...


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## Steve B. (Jun 26, 2004)

robwh9 said:


> Problems with my Stanyan. My rear wheel initially wouldn't fit in the dropouts until I spread them with a car jack. Also, the seat post (Dura Ace) kept slipping, even with a beer can shim. A double beer can shim seems to work, but still...


Late to this thread. My Soma Smoothie has the same problem - slipping seat post. I'm about to add a shim, but I've read this about Smoothies, and now Stanyons.

Nice bikes Somas in general and Stanyon particularly. I love the lugged look. Was outbid on a Stanyon on eBay a few years back, ended up with an all white Smoothie, which is a great riding bike. Only thing that I don't like about the Stanyon is the short head tube which makes you add a ton of spacers on the steerer to get the h-bar up at seat level. I would hope they redesign this someday. I also wish they would add a pump peg for a frame pump, oh well....


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

Opus51569 said:


> Yeah, it definitely affects the handling with that large a bag sitting so high in the front. The bag is actually meant to mount to the bars, which would put it up even higher. But precise handling isn't a big concern (until I inadvertently wreck)


You could get a low trail fork from Soma that would probably go a long way to improving the handling with the bag.

Champs Élysées Low Trail Road Fork | SOMA Fabrications


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

robwh9 said:


> Also, the seat post (Dura Ace) kept slipping, even with a beer can shim. A double beer can shim seems to work, but still...





Steve B. said:


> Late to this thread. My Soma Smoothie has the same problem - slipping seat post. I'm about to add a shim, but I've read this about Smoothies, and now Stanyons.


A question for one or both of you about the seat post. I'm assuming neither of you have your clamp bolt wrenched all the way down. If not, how are you determining what is enough torque before you decide to add a shim?



velodog said:


> You could get a low trail fork from Soma that would probably go a long way to improving the handling with the bag.
> 
> Champs Élysées Low Trail Road Fork | SOMA Fabrications


Thanks for the link, Velodog. I'm good for now, but I've bookmarked it for future reference. That's a beautiful looking fork.


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## Steve B. (Jun 26, 2004)

Opus51569 said:


> A question for one or both of you about the seat post. I'm assuming neither of you have your clamp bolt wrenched all the way down. If not, how are you determining what is enough torque before you decide to add a


No, mine's pretty tight and I'd hesitate to make it tighter for fear of snapping the frame collar. Did that once on a Klein, frame was toast. I'll try a shim, should probably contact Soma and ask.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

If you do, let me know what you hear. I looked on their site and consulted the Google, but no joy.


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

Steve B. said:


> No, mine's pretty tight and I'd hesitate to make it tighter for fear of snapping the frame collar. Did that once on a Klein, frame was toast. I'll try a shim, should probably contact Soma and ask.


Try some carbon paste, it may help. I've used it on aluminum bars and stems that had seen better days and the paste stopped the slipping.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

Back to commuter mode










I also added a shim for the seat post. I went the DIY route and used an aluminum can. So far it seems to be holding.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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