Soma Pescadero Endurance Road Bike

Two factors stood out immediately to us from the first day we heard about Soma's design of the Pescadero endurance road frame: it allows for wider tires up to 38c (up from standard endurance frames that usually use 28c tires), and the choice to go to caliber brakes instead of disc.  

I jokingly said to the others that this was a "revolutionary" design change. Of course, that was a bit tongue in cheek, but when everyone is focused solely on disc brakes, for Soma to go this route, it is not only a refreshing change, it makes complete sense for what they are trying to achieve. They ask,

"…what about cyclists who wants the benefits of wider road tires, but want the clean, classic look of a road caliper brakes (i.e. rim brakes) or just prefer how easy they are to adjust and maintain? The Pescadero is for these souls in mind."

What's this? Bigger tires?

What about the change to the wider tires? While you can still use 28c tires with the Pescadero, the wider tires can provide better traction for the rougher roads that you may want to traverse. Further, you should find that road vibration is not as noticeable. While you can use the Pescadero on gravel and dirt, it's not recommended that you think of it being a true gravel warrior.  

How does it operate in the real world? It has the capacity for frame bags, bar packs, and seat bags. With weight on the front end, I normally find bikes tend to want to wander (especially downhill), but the Pescadero does quite well and feels comfortable even at higher speeds.  

Definitely fits as an "Endurance Road Bike" 

As for it being an endurance road bike, I would say that the Pescadero is a great bike for this purpose. Not being blessed with much in the way of a natural cushion, I found during a 20k ride that the vibration didn't translate through the seat post like other bikes. Having the wider tires also helped with this aspect. Although I didn't add a bag on the back end (opting for my normal backpack instead), I did use the aforementioned front to hold other items for testing purposes, which over the length of the ride, caused no issues.

One last item of note with the Pescadero is your attire. I was fully garbed in biking gear for my ride, but I could have as easily been in slacks and a sweater without looking out of place. While it is an endurance bike, if you have daily commutes to work that are short or long, you will find this bike to be a stylistic companion to whatever you are wearing. It truly is a bike that will get you around for whatever purpose you may have.

Specifications from the Soma Website:

• Headset: 1-1/8" (threadless external cup: SHIS: EC34/28.6 | EC34/30)
• Front derailleur: 28.6mm ID, bottom pull
• Seatpost: 27.2mm
• Seat collar: Seat binder bolt included
• Hub rear spacing: 130mm, use traditional QR road hubs
• Brakes: Paul Racer 68mm reach (center mount), 73mm reach dual pivot road brakes, Gran-Compe GC700 brakes, (some customers have had luck with 47-61mm reach Gran-Compe GC610 center pull brakes, but that may not fit every frame size) Running a center pull brake on fork requires a 1-1/8" front cable hanger
• Bottom bracket shell: 68mm wide, English threads (spindle width depends on cranks)
• Max.Tire Clearance: 700c x 38mm (700c x 35mm w/fenders)
• Downtube shifters: Mounts available
• Water bottle bosses: 2 sets
• Rack mounts: one rear set, one front set (mini-racks)
• Fender mounts: Front and rear
• Pump peg: for traditional spring loaded frame pumps - Acceptable fork length: 383 - 390mm axle to crown (Stock fork is 383mm axle to crown. Replacing with a longer fork means you might need different brakes)
• Acceptable fork rake/offset: 45-48mm