Soma Buena Vista Mixte

[yellow]

Have you seen a built Buena Vista in person? I am currently enabling someone in the bike-buying realm and she wants a step-through frame (she is close to 70 and does not want to swing her leg over) but something much lighter than her current hybrid bike. I'm encouraging her to look seriously at the Buena Vista, but I don't expect her to commit for a couple of months. We have a local dealer who can order and assemble for her, but she is hesitant because she has it in her head that she should be able to go to the store and buy a complete bike. I've assured her that she will love a bike put together just for her!

If you do commit, your timing could be good for her to stumble upon a review and some pictures.

[KnottedYet]

Free Range Cycles www.freerangecycles.com usually has one built up in the shop. I watched one of the wrenches building one a few years ago, and she gave me a lot of info on how she felt about the frame quality, how she liked working on it, etc.

I probably won't get one, at least not yet. I've waited so many years, what's a few more, eh?

In any case, the gray is out of stock until the Fall. White is available, so if your friend is interested in a white bike, she could do that right now.

One thing the wrench at Free Range suggested years ago is that I buy a cheap bike with the parts I like, and transfer them to the SOMA frame I want. It would have been cheaper to do that (and sell the resulting naked frame) than to buy parts individually for what I wanted.

Perhaps your friend would like to take a look at the Linus and Public mixtes? They are not too expensive (under $1,000) and they are complete. http://www.linusbike.com/ http://publicbikes.com/

[Trek420]

How about this mixte?

http://www.worldclasscycles.com/JACKSON_MIXTE.htm

[chryss]

Perhaps your friend would like to take a look at the Linus and Public mixtes? They are not too expensive (under $1,000) and they are complete. http://www.linusbike.com/ http://publicbikes.com/

Though I haven't ridden a mixte in over 15 years I'll always have a soft spot for them: the first bike I bought from my own earned money at 16 was a white Peugeot mixte. While you shouldn't judge from looks alone I really like those of the Linus bike and can put in a positive vote for the Shimano Nexus 8 speed hub gear. That's what my previous bike had, which did a great job getting me around London. It's not ideal if you're in an area with steep hills (and not too athletic and running a heavy bike or transporting your weekly grocery shopping) -- there was one hill in park that overlooks London that got the better of me and I had to push for a few metres each time I attempted it. But otherwise, it's great, dependable, finely enough geared for just about any situation.

[KnottedYet]

The Linus is hi-ten, the Soma is Tange Infinity, and I can't find what kind of steel the Public is but the frame has a lifetime guarantee.

And that Bob Jackson.... Reynolds hot-n-sexy something or another.

Sigh.

I have no complaints about the 4130 of my Surly. I might be a bit hesitant about hi-ten, though I don't mind being at the bottom of the steel food-chain in general.

Here's someone with a graphite Soma Buena Vista, set up much the way I would set one up: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object...11EVSR.DTL&o=3

[yellow]

Both the Linus and Public are beautiful. Thanks, Knotted.

Her current bike is an 8 speed and a triple, and she loves having all those gears (and she needs them because the darn bike is about 35 pounds). She will ride it like a road bike, so more than around town and whatnot (she and I rode in Zion this spring and she kicked butt on the hybrid). I don't think 8 gears is enough for her, hence my suggestion that she have a bike built so she can choose how many gears and all that. I'm pretty sure the Soma dealer here also has a few Linus bikes. I will mention that to her as well.

Trek, you do know that I have a BJ in my stable, don't you? I don't ride it much, only when I'm feeling frisky enough to get home (I live on a big hill) with only 5 gears. I take it camping sometimes and use it to mosey around the campground.

Anyhoo, I want to make sure my friend gets something light and something that she will enjoy riding. It's nice to be the enabler!

[KnottedYet]

More frame trivia: the Buena Vista is 5 lbs. My Surly is just slightly less than that. (4.8 lbs)

2/10 of a pound isn't gonna make me fret...

One minute I think I've talked myself out of it, the next minute I'm talking myself back into it. Sheesh!

[Susan]

Hey Yellow and Knotted, I just got my Buena Vista, set up as a road bike - already posted about it here http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...t=41383&page=2

The photos don' t do it justice, I think it's much prettier in reality.
I don't want to talk anybody into something but I really love this bike

[KnottedYet]

Knot, have you been thinking about getting a Mixte from Soma since 2008?

Sheesh! What are you waiting for?!

Yes.... since a bit before then, even.

Been waiting for money. I have money now. I'm starting to think I may look into buying a used bike with nice components and using that to build up a Soma BV. I really can't bear to give up my Surly, when it gets right down to it.

But that would mean I'd have FOUR and a half bikes. That might be too many, but I can't imagine selling any of my current 3 1/2. 'Cept maybe the half. Which I was kind of planning to eventually turn into an Xtracycle. www.xtracycle.com

Too many bikes, not enough muscle...

[SadieKate]

Have you seen a built Buena Vista in person? I am currently enabling someone in the bike-buying realm and she wants a step-through frame (she is close to 70 and does not want to swing her leg over) but something much lighter than her current hybrid bike. I'm encouraging her to look seriously at the Buena Vista, but I don't expect her to commit for a couple of months. We have a local dealer who can order and assemble for her, but she is hesitant because she has it in her head that she should be able to go to the store and buy a complete bike. I've assured her that she will love a bike put together just for her!

If you do commit, your timing could be good for her to stumble upon a review and some pictures.

You will be happy to know that my freakin' first-off-the-assembly line Buena Vista frame is finally out of its hidey spot and ready for the build. Of course, I can't find the grips for the initial build (somewhere in the garage, don't ya know) and Velo Orange is out of stock on my chosen stem. But. This. Will. Happen.

I saw a Linus mixte at the LBS as I was running into the LFS yesterday. I only glanced but it looked nice but I don't think it had the gearing a 70 yr old would want in SLC. Probably has other options but I was focused on the LFS.

And, glad to hear the BJ is getting some attention.

[yellow]

Well, her hubby is insisting that even the XS is too big for her. I want to say she is 5'0" ish. She wants to be able to step through easily but also wants a lighter frame (she has a comfort bike now that has the loop-type step through and that sucker is HEAVY). I've encouraged them to contact Soma and ask how high the mixte bar is (they don't publish it on their website--they pubish a 25" standover but I really doubt that's to the mixte tube...seems high to me). Or go down to Saturday Cycles in SLC and talk to Mark since he knows everything there is to know about everything. SadieKate, is yours a S or XS?

FWIW, she doesn't really ride the hills, mostly the bike trail and then they ride when they are out RV-ing. I still think she needs lots of gears, though, since that is what she is comfortable with.

Based on our many emails back and forth, I fear that she will end up not getting anything (custom is not really an option). That makes me sad, because I think with the right bike she would enjoy riding even more and kick some serious booty

[SadieKate]

My BV is a SM.* The effective TT is darn near the same as the Racer X and my old Litespeed Unicoi. Oh yeah, and exactly what Tom Kellogg spec'd on my Spectrum.

I did buy it for exactly the reason so many people initially screamed. A longer than norm TT vs traditional mixte geometry, which I hate. No power position, and your butt and spine take a beating.

*Why did this just remind me that she has no name yet?

[yellow]

The name will come to you. And then you might change your mind.

I also recommended that my friend look at the Bike Fridays. She'd look much cuter on a Buena Vista, though.

[SadieKate]

I also recommended that my friend look at the Bike Fridays. She'd look much cuter on a Buena Vista, though.

Who wouldn't?

[Susan]

Well, her hubby is insisting that even the XS is too big for her. I want to say she is 5'0" ish. She wants to be able to step through easily but also wants a lighter frame (she has a comfort bike now that has the loop-type step through and that sucker is HEAVY). I've encouraged them to contact Soma and ask how high the mixte bar is (they don't publish it on their website--they pubish a 25" standover but I really doubt that's to the mixte tube...seems high to me).

I have the S frame (not the smallest one that would use 26'' wheels) and I am 5'3''. The XS frame is quite a lot smaller.
It's possible to step through the Soma frame when wearing a skirt, but I wouldn't consider it a real "step through" frame like the one you described. I own a comfort bike too and there's quite a difference between the step-trough height of that one and the Soma. While I always jump down the comfort bike by putting my foot through the frame while the bike is still rolling, I can't do this on the Soma where I rather get on and of the bike the traditional way over the saddle.
The Soma feels very small and comfortable, but is a lot more stretched out than the comfort bike. If you don't shorten the fork though, you can achieve a more upright position that comes close to that on a comfort bike.