Fr4nk

I just ordered a Soma Saga frame and wondering if anyone could give me suggestions about building it up. I have a wheelset already but need everything else. I don't want to go too expensive, I just want very reliable parts. Any suggestions would he helpfull.

antokelly

yes get Tiagra 10 speed i have it on my Thorn Audax it's as good as ultegra 11 to 34 on the back .have fun thats a lovely frameset i was going to buy one but i love Thorn bikes .

Kedosto

Hmmm. I run 10sp Tiagra but I'm not so sure I'd recommend it. Not because it doesn't work well -- it's flawless -- but because there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of availability of parts. A quick survey of your favorite online retailer and you'll see there's plenty of 9sp stuff available and 11sp too. I think the 10sp kinda fell into a niche and the leap has been made to 11sp pretty much across the board. Dare I say 10sp is a bit of an orphan.

I don't think a guy could go wrong going with a 9sp setup. Because 9sp was so popular for so long, support will likely go on forever. 10sp? Not so much. And like I said, I'm a very satisfied 10sp owner. 11sp is obviously where we're headed, so that would also be an easy choice.

I'm intentionally avoiding the "which is better" conversation. I will say that while it used to be "105 and up" is good, the quality has trickled down enough to say "Tiagra and up."

Que the Sram fans...


-Kedosto

phtomita

I got my build on Feb, with 105 5800 11sp. Very happy so far for someone upgrading from Sora 9sp

tyrion

Is it the latest Soma Saga Disc (here)?

If so, that page says

I assume that's a typo and it should say "will no longer fit road triple cranks". In which case, if you want a triple you need a mountain triple.

In any case, I think the one early big decision to be made is what kind of drivetrain you want - 2x10, 2x11, 3x10, 3x11 ...?

Also, if you have a specific shifter type you want, that would determine what drivetrain you can have - not many brifters support a triple crank these days.

Fr4nk

I noticed the same typo and was probably gonna use bar end shifters anyways.

seeker333

These parts have been proven to be fairly reliable for loaded touring duty:

https://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_ha...ker/bike_specs

Of course you can configure it a million different ways, many of them inexpensive.

mstateglfr 

Groupset and components depend on the individual's needs and budget.

You want a triple or double drivetrain? Thats probably the biggest question since you mentioned using bar end shifters.

Not sure what 'not too expensive' translates to, but i would probably build it as a 3x9. 9sp deore m591 RD shifting an 11-32 cassette, Sora triple FD, and a 48/36/24 Sugino crankset.
That drivetrain would work on your frame per soma, it would be reliable, it would provide excellent gear range, and it would be inexpensive.

The drivetrain would be silver/gray, since the crankset is silver, so i would get a silver cockpit too- sestpost, stem, spacers, and handlebars. There are just so many options here.
Handlebars would most likely be 31.8mm Soma Hwy 1 compact bars since those are silver and i like em. If you go with black bars, a Ritchey bar with 12deg flare or a Salsa Cowbell bar would be what i'd consider.

TRP spyre mechanical disc brakes are easy to set up and adjust.
As for levers, some Tektro levers for $25 would be my choice fdue to the comfortable hoods and the flared levers.

robert schlatte

I built my Saga with Deore triple crankset (m591 46/36/ 26) with external BB. Deore xt rear d and front d. Mine is an eight speed set up (11 x 32 SRAM cassette) with Ultegra bar end shifters. Nitto rando bars, Chris king threadless headset, soma stem, Thomson seat post, brooks b-17 saddle. Mine is not disc frame so I have Paul touring cant brakes. My wheels are 36 hole velocity dyad, doer lt rear hub, Shimano dynamo front hub. This build works very well for touring and is very sturdy. I have a complete build list saved on another computer that I would be happy to share.

Mr IGH

Just sold my older Saga Disc, the new one has much better color/graphics. As for fitting 55mm tyres, it's a Wolverine with a long head tube.

Plenty of 3x brifters on the market. Shimano still sells 3x8 (Claris), 3x9 (Sora) and 3x10 (two flavors of Tiagra and 105). I just upgraded my tandem to 3x10 and the idea that 10 speed is an "orphan" is silly. Anyone saying that cannot have taken a cursory view of the market....

Tourist in MSN

I assume this is for loaded touring. Pick things that are robust, reliable, easy to replace, easy to obtain. Avoid the latest fad that might be hard to source parts for later.

I built up another touring bike this past spring, went with 8 speed cassette (11/32) and chain, triple (I see that a triple is a questionable item from other posters for your frame), square taper crank and bottom bracket, bar end shifters, 36 spokes in rear wheel, solid rims that have a good reputation (I used Dyad), older style XT rear hub (M756A) that uses steel axle. And of course plastic fenders.

I used a dynohub for battery charging, etc. This is the one thing that I deviated from, a dynohub that is not user serviceable does not meet my criteria in the first paragraph, but I wanted it anyway. I have an SP PV-8 on two of my three touring bikes.

I considered a more expensive rear hub but talked to a bike shop mechanic first, he told me that for a rear hub that cartridge bearings do not hold up as well as the older hubs with quarter inch steel ball bearings, that is why I went with the steel axle older style XT hub. (Not the newer Aluminum axle ones.)

You did not list a link to the frame and I was too lazy to google it so I do not know what type of brakes you are using. Thus was silent on brakes.

Racks, you can't beat Tubus. For rear, I prefer racks like the Tubus Logo that mounts the panniers a bit lower for lower center of gravity. The Logo is a very light strong and stiff rack, stiffer than the Surly rack that I used to use. I do not like the Logo for around town riding because of the narrow platform, thus I put the Logo on for tours and then use a different rack for around home riding.

Pedals, I prefer SPD on one side, platform on the otehr, I went with A530 pedals.

J.Higgins 

I like the kickstand on that Soma frame.

fietsbob

Triple, MTB, , 8 speed.. may even cope with friction to the rear, its the best on the front...

tyrion

You can get a Deore triple 9 or 10 speed crank (48-36-26) for under $100.

mstateglfr 

For what its worth, the Soma site shows it cant handle larger than a 24t inner ring on a triple.

cyccommute 

That doesn't make any kind of sense. The size of the inner ring is limited by the crank.

mstateglfr 

Take it up with Soma, i guess.

It makes sense to me. Having an inner ring larger than 24t will mean teeth hit the chainstay. A 52-42-30 road crank wouldnt fit, for example.

saddlesores

per website:

Max chainring fit: 26":52-42-32t 45mm chainline. 53-39t, 48.5mm chainline
700c: 48-36-24t - 45mm chainline

fietsbob

you want a road crankset you don't want a "touring bike" , tour on your road bike..

seeker333

+1

When maximum ring size is stated, it means they've tried fitting cranksets and determined inner ring limit which will not interfere with driveside chainstay (CS). In the case of Saga, it's gone from 700x42 maximum tire size on the original rim brake version to 700x53mm maximum tire size on the (second generation) Saga Disc. CSs had to get wider near the BB to accommodate larger diameter tire. Some manufacturers use a bottom bracket yoke (CoMotion) or half-yoke (Lynskey) in place of traditional chainstay tubing to accommodate wider tire without compromise of crankset (inner ring) compatibility.

cyccommute 

I read that wrong. I read it as it couldn't take a ring smaller than 24. On the other hand, the inner ring hitting the chainstay is seldom a problem. Outer rings, yes but not the inner one.

Mr IGH

When the chainstays are such that a 55mm tyre can be mounted I can understand why there's a limit of 24T.

eeuuugh

I would also go with a 9 speed cassette. Reason being, 9 speed chains will work with 7 and 8 speed drivetrain parts, since the spacing between the chain plates is the same. So if you have an older crankset or rear derailleur laying around you can probably make it work, or scavenge parts from a co-op more easily. If you go with 10 or 11 speed it becomes drastically more expensive to replace parts.

I wanted a stainless steel rear rack, and the cheapest good one I found was the Dajia Cycleworks expedition rack from Velo-Orange. I don't have any complaints.