Early Review: Soma New Xpress 650b Tires (in White)

At the close of summer, I started having some issues with my Grand Bois Hetre tires on the Hillborne. Specifically, I kept getting flats. I wasn't getting them once a month, or even once a week, but often multiples in the same day. It was incredibly frustrating. Rather than trying to figure out a method to line the tires or fill the tires with goo, I decided to simply put my Schwalbe Marathon tires back on the bike. The up side was that my fenders fit on the bike again (yay!), but the down side was that I really loved having cream tires and somehow the black ones just didn't "feel" right to me (boo!). It seems like a silly issue, I know, and truly the functionality of the bike is far more important than the color of the tires, but over the winter I went on a hunt to find some 650b tires in white or cream.

Soma New Xpress in 650b x 38mm - in white! :O)

One day, while engaging in my seemingly never-ending hunt for bicycle parts, I was on the SOMA website and saw that they had their New Xpress tires in the 650b size and in white (which is actually more of an off-white/cream color - I should also note that they are additionally available in a terra cotta color for those interested). I actually already owned these tires in black (they're on my Homer), and have been riding them for about eight months now without issue. So, I had to give it a shot to see if they would hold up on the Hillborne as well.

The Hillborne, as many are aware, is the bike I generally turn to for every day pleasure rides, grocery store visits, trail rides, and just about anything that isn't specifically a long training ride or a long road ride (and sometimes I use it for those rides as well). These tires would have a lot to live up to on this bike, but I was ready to test them out. Although they haven't been on the bike very long (in total, about 2 months now), they have been through the usual rigors faced on daily rides. I've been through the patch of road (several times) that inevitably has a huge spread of thorns/goatheads (that I also somehow miss seeing and run over... every - single - time), I've been on a couple of snow rides, and although the riding isn't quite at its peak just yet, they have held up incredibly well (they still have the little nubbies on them for goodness sake).

The good news: I haven't had a single flat tire (knocking on wood as I type). The tires are comfortable, allow for speed (or at least as much speed as one can pick up on a 40 pound bicycle), and are aesthetically  what I was looking for in a tire. As a bonus, they are narrower than the Grand Bois' and therefore, I can keep my fenders in place - which in turn keeps me clean on wet/muddy rides (Please note that the fender issue is specifically in regard to this bike because of its smaller size - not a general statement about Rivendell bicycles).

The Soma tires were cleaned after my snow rides, but the road grime just didn't seem to go away with a good scrubbing

The possible down side: White is a tough color to keep clean, and certainly after traveling through all of the snow madness, there was quite a bit of grime left on the tires to be cleaned off. After a thorough scrubbing, much of it still remains in the form of stains. I honestly don't mind this, but it could be bothersome to those who prefer an always-perfectly-clean look.

Inflate to 55-75PSI

In addition, for some, the low inflation pressure may be an issue. These tires inflate from 55-75 PSI and although I find it to be fine for every day riding, it wouldn't necessarily meet every individual's needs. There is enough debate about tire size/pressure out on the web though, so I won't get into that debate here. I tend to keep my tires inflated to about 70 PSI (or slightly higher) on this bike, and the pressure seems to stay for several weeks without needing to be pumped up again with the SOMA tires (I've noticed the range staying between 65-70PSI, even during Colorado's crazy spring season during which the temps frequently fluctuate between the low 30s and the mid 80s F).

Again, it's still early on in the life of these tires on the Hillborne, but having had a similar experience with them on the Homer over the last eight months or so, I feel comfortable using them as the every day tire. When goathead season hits in the late summer/early fall, I may opt for the Schwalbe's again, but for now, I'm extremely happy to have these New Xpress tires to ride on every day. Who knows? They may never need to leave this bike at all, which would be an amazing treat!

Snow Day: Cycling While It's Snowing

This morning, I woke up knowing we were supposed to get snow. Typically, when the snow is hyped as much as it has been, it turns out to be nothing - as in, it doesn't snow at all. Beyond that, it's the middle of April, and for most people, spring is in the air and we expect that the days are warming, rather than cooling off.  I took a glance out the window and saw that there was actually accumulation, but wondered if I should just bike in to workout this morning anyway.

It's snowing... but it didn't seem that horrible - though it did get worse

Mind you, I never ride when it's snowing. I will ride when there is snow on the ground, but I have avoided venturing out into an actual snow "storm" that is currently taking place. However, I wimped out and decided that I would drive in for the morning workout because I just didn't "feel" like riding. Look at the poor Beetle out there... she needs to be driven and warmed up, right?

When I got out to start the vehicle, she turned over, but wouldn't idle for more than a few seconds. After several attempts, I gave up and figured the universe wanted me to ride. I was a bit scared (if you read here regularly, you know how I dread the ice more than anything), but figured if I wanted to workout, that was just how it was going to be for today. I was bundled up anyway, and it didn't feel too bad, so I decided to go and grab the Hillborne out of weekend hibernation and take him to class.

I started off just fine - pedaling slowly so that I could feel any changes or slick surfaces. I decided to take surface streets rather than the trail system because the roads would more than likely be plowed (whereas the trail would not), not to mention the heat from the cars would help melt some of the snow off the roadways. I have to say, there are some really cruel drivers out on the roads! I turned on my lights (since my coat is white and blends easily with the snow) to help others see me, but it was as though some went out of their way to splash mud-snow on me as they drove by. Okay, so maybe they think I'm an idiot for riding my bike in the snow, but hey - I still have a right to be there, and it really won't kill anyone to slow down for a couple of seconds as they fly around me. My glasses (never have I been so thankful that I wear them) acted as a kind of windshield as snow splattered across my face. Pretty soon, I really couldn't see through them at all and had to peek out between the top of my glasses and the bottom of my beanie cap.

Snowy ride, but still smiling, so it can't be all bad.

Arrival to class was just about exact, but by the time we were through, I could see more snow was building up outside. Eeek! I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it, so I decided I would attempt the trail system to get me most of the way home. This was perhaps not one of my brighter ideas. The snow was definitely heavier on the trails than on the roads and the first bridge I reached sent me sliding off out of control. I wasn't pedaling fast, but for some reason the ole noggin' just wasn't thinking about the fact that bridges are slippery when snowy. Speaking of noggin's...word to the wise, if you don't normally wear a helmet, when riding in a snow storm, this may be the time to actually wear one. I did not, and while there were no head injuries, I'm not sure I would attempt this again without one - if for no other reason than it is extremely difficult to see what is under the top of the snow.

As you can see here, the roads look better than the trail in front of me...
though this portion of the trail wasn't bad at all

Although this isn't something I do on a regular basis, there were some basic things that really stood out to me in regards to what not to, and what to do in the future (such as wearing a helmet, as mentioned above). For example, it's a bit trickier to ride a bike with a derailleur than it would be with an internal hub. As the photo below illustrates, it's easy for ice and snow to accumulate, and then shifting becomes an issue. I did my best to just stay in one gear, but that's not easy when there are hills to climb to get to where I need to go. Of course, I'm not sure it's worthwhile for me personally to invest in another bike that has an internally geared hub, but if this were to become more routine, I could certainly see the advantage. Additionally, I'm not sure fenders are particularly beneficial in a situation like this. Snow seems to get all over anyway, and it tends to get caught between the tire and the fender, which forces me to stop every so often and attempt to get the snow out from this area.

Snowy everything

Slowing down also seems to be an essential activity during this type of ride. I normally average (on this particular ride) about 14 miles per hour. Today, I averaged about 9.5 miles per hour. I found myself slowing down at the top of down hill areas as well. It seemed unwise to go flying down hill when I couldn't really see what was on the ground in front of me.

All in all, it was nice to be out in the elements, and although my hands were numb by the time I arrived to class, and I was drenched in melting snow, it was a good experience that I would definitely try again.  Even the new Soma cream tires held up well and had decent traction (review coming on these shortly). Of course, a thorough cleaning of the entire bike will be in order very soon, but I would highly recommend venturing out on a snow-day ride of your own... assuming, like those of us in northern Colorado, you're still experiencing the fun of winter weather.