[Tig]

Ebay came through for a replacement frame of my old touring frame that was a little on the big side (53 cm). Sure, the old frame was a $15 a garage sale, 531 lugged, custom Romic, but if it doesn't fit, it doesn't matter what it is. I've been eyeing a Gios Compact from Excel, but couldn't pony up for the price.

So, $317 for the frame/fork, a few parts from the old bike, and a few more new from eBay, and it is starting to come together. Although it isn't in its final version, the 49 cm Soma Rush is complete enough to ride.
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/441/1600/Soma2b.jpg">

The only problem I had on the first outing was toe overlap at parking lot speeds. Otherwise, it felt great, like all new bikes do! I'm not sure about the stem and seatpost, and maybe a more comfy Fizik saddle will replace the ProLink. I'm still waiting for Nashbar to ship a Twofish quick mount bottle cage for the seat tube, as well as some stem spacers. The Soma brake lever hoods are very Campy shaped, and look/feel great.
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/441/1600/Soma_f1b.jpg">

39x15, and maybe a 42x15 later for some extra speed.
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/441/1600/Soma_r1b.jpg">

 

[Chase15.5]

thats a great looking bike - the red really stands out more so than most red bikes i've seen. well done.

 

[Kram]

Nice. That is one tiny frame!

 

[BianchiJoe]

Nice firetruck!

Damn, that thing is RED!!

 

[TrailNut]

red hot

sweet
like the red
will be more noticeable in daylight traffic
too bad Rush forks do not have any fender eyelets (sp?)
as I'm looking for a fixie commuter that'll fit integrated fenders

 

[Pablo]

Word.

I've always though little bikes look cool. Maybe it's something about the wheels being bigger. Who knows. But that ride is sick.

 

[Kalukis]

TwoFish bottle Holders - Beware

I'd be very, very, very careful about the Twofish holders. I had one on my Pista.

1. The velcro will scratch the heck out of your brand new shiny paint job.

2. They are very hard to get and keep tight. On the final ride, mine (on the seat post) got loose, rotated into the rear wheel. The good news is that all that happened is that the cage broke away from the strap and was trashed. It could have just as easily caused a rear wheel lockup, a crash or done some damage to other components on the bike.

If you look back in this forum, you'll see some ideas for other ways to attach water bottles to your frame. The esthetics may vary, but virtually all of them are safer and less likely to scratch your paint than the Twofish.

Good luck--nice looking bike!

 

[Tig]

I'd be very, very, very careful about the Twofish holders.

Thanks for the warning. They allegedly have redesigned the attachment part of the cage, but I'll be extra cautious and test it. Maybe some rim strip tape around the seat tube will help protect the paint and give the cage something to grip.

I don't know if this is the new or old version...
<img src="https://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/TF-QC2.gif">