For me its mostly for the sake of serviceability of your bike, you can easily swap cables, cut them or whatever. With internal routing its a little bit tricky to work with in some case scenarios. In some bike shops of undeveloped countries they didn't even saw internal routing, so if you plan to go to local workshops it's something to be aware of. It's just my experience, you can do whatever you want with any bike that suits your desires 😎
I'm getting more and more interested in these all purpose builds as of late. I lucked upon an old (1992) giant escaper which has a cromo steel frame and fork. As I found the bike free of charge I decided to challenge myself with how cheaply I could build it up. I converted it to a 1x7 and added a more modern crankset with narrow wide chainring. The cassette is 13-32t and the chainrings I have to play with are 34t and 38t. The tyres I chose were Vittoria adventure tech in 26 x 1.75. The idea was to build a commuter bike with light gravel trail and canal byway capability. I added a riser bar and a twist shifter from sunrace. So far it's been a hoot and I'm starting to fall in love with steel frames again because of it. I feel like this may be a gateway to more 90s mountain bike restorations and rebuilds! Something about them screams quality to me.
I was captivated by this review the first time I saw it. I started researching the Super Something and contacted Adam. He was super helpful through the entire process! I bought a frameset, crankset and headset from him today! So stoked. Now a month to wait!
Details matter, and it seems all important details are covered in that frame. Your comments and insight on those details is invaluable. Thanks for sharing your new ride and I hope you have miles and miles of fun on it!
The nice thing with that steel fork is that you can have those eyelets brazed on if you want. I AM a bit surprised he didn't put 3 pack mounts on that fork.
Maybe you can order that but he didn't want the fork to look like a hedgehog. It also depends on the rack you want. E.g. a Tubus Duo needs only the middle eyelet but also on the inner side of the fork blades.
If it fits, it fits. I bought a thoroughly used Gorilla Monsoon years ago and nothing fits me like that bike. If she were a couple of degrees slacker, I’d be in heaven.
I did a custom build of a GM half a year ago and have been putting it through the paces. I chose the GM frame after getting a professional bike fit and then unknowingly following the French Fit methodology. It feels so comfortable to ride. 200k rando rides are no problem. The standover isn't really an issue for me, although it just barely fails the traditional standover test. Love that frame, and am grateful to this channel for exposing me to the resources I needed to select it.
Interesting to watch a small maker like Adam go on to have a bike put into production like this. I could imagine this being the point where a builder could lose their way, but so far so good! It's great to see the bike still retain that Sklar vibe whilst also being accessible to more people.
I conquer on stand-over. My midnight special (with fox fork) is similar geo to this bike and it fits me pretty well even though I don't have stand-over clearance. Be warned though, there are practical reasons for that clearance, I've had a couple moments when a trail got too spicy and I wish I had my MTB. I built the MS for dirt roads though, so mostly stick to those and you'll be fine.
I love that Velo-Orange still does downtube shifter bosses on a couple of their frames. So classic looking and, in my opinion, easier to deal with compared to full cable routing.
Got up because I couldn't sleep and caught this vid. What a treat. It doesn't get any sweeter. However, I still advocate for a front derailleur. Love the rest, including the steel fork. Hey, I think I'm a French fit guy. Très cool. All the best.
That's a very cool bike! I put a +17° 60mm stem on my Trek 520 Grando to get the stack and reach about where you talk about. It looks a little dopey if I'm not running a front bag, but it really made the bike fit without running a ton of spacers or buying a new fork, which would have been necessary due to the factory steerer length.
Love the lines on this bike. Have you ever ridden a CO-Motion? I now have three, pretty sold on them. The ride quality is really nice. And love the touring gears.
Nice bike! Though I must admit I am more charmed by the Faran all-road bike by Fairlight Cycles, it has a steel fork too but has a low trail for repsonsive riding but stable when loaded.....it has 2 stack hights too (regular and tall) for every size so ideal for getting the fit spot on....
I preferred external routing also until I bought my trek 1120. It uses both and internal is so easy to service. I think the 1120 is perfect with one exception. You can’t put the Paul Klampers disc on the rear and that truly sucks. I use PK on front. I freaking love the way this bike rides in any conditions !
I picked up a 2016 Salsa Vaya X9 a couple weeks back nice birthday gift for myself. Put some Ritchey Venturemax bars on it with new tape and went on a road/gravel/singletrack ride last weekend. It was a blast and I wasn't afraid to try anything on it. Steel bikes are awesome for sure - easy to go blasting along at speed on some chunky gravel. I guess I'm a long chainstay lover lol since I like the feel of the 450mm on the Vaya and my Kona Dew plus
The rear dropouts aren’t Paragon Machine Works Rockers. The PMW Rockers have tabs, not hoods. While I wouldn’t be surprised if they were manufactured by PMW, as I understand it they are considered a Sklar dropout.
Looks great. Hopefully you'll get to review a Fairlight Faran at some point. In the previous vid during the duscussion, it sounded like very similar design goals and why I ended up getting one. This would have been a real contender if it was around at the time.
I agree, hope to see the Faran here soon. Personally, it think the Faran is the ultimate all road bike with a superior ride feel, and with 2 stack heights for very size a fit walhalla too. I own the Secan and enjoying it a lot. All the best, Gerlach Sven
The Faran 2.0 is quite nice, and the 2.5 improves on it. Recommended. Nice tubing, smart details and every mount possible. Their dynamo installation is ultra slick. I recently sold my Faran 2.0 and ordered a Super Something.... nothing at all against the Faran, but the Sklar leans more toward dirt parts-bin creations while the Faran is more of a tourer.
OMG I already installed my Uno and yours hasn't arrived yet. I have been on the waitlist for my Uno since your review and had been harassing Soma regularly about it. Couldn't be more happy with it. Running dura ace triple front and xt derailer w/ 10 speed 40t cassette, handles everything I throw at it.
Very nice, seems like the arch top tube steals more stand over for what purpose? Aesthetics? For Alan bolts with tight access like the klampers I got a parktool wrench set with a really short end that are very handy surprisingly often.
Hey Russ can you have these bike makers add a simple rear kick stand mount. My old trek crossrip elite has one but that bike is from 2013. I wanna try one of these steel bike on your channel but they all seem to miss that one simple must for any bike with rack imo.
It looks like the old Schwinn Speedster, nicknamed "camel backs" for shape of the top tube. They fit middle-school-age boys as the grew into their teen years as they were very adjustable in seat post height.
That looks like a really nice bike but it is over $2k CAD for a steel frame that's made in Taiwan. Seems overpriced? I could be wrong. I do really like that dijon colour.
@@AverageBensCycling I know the feeling. I have been living off of savings, and found that living in Europe is cheaper and nicer, if one can find off-season pricing and move every three months. Good for a bachelor, at least.
Very Nice! I notice the trail video have Gevenalle shifters. I have them in my Binary Havok and love them. They seem more accessible than the bar end shifters in your build. Other than the cable maybe getting in the way of a handlebar bag, why do you prefer bar end shifters?
Congratulations on your buy. I watched your video with Adam and I'm still drooling over that bike. I have to immediately sell a bike or two to get one too. I appreciate the stack as I like my bars higher too. Is yours staying 1X?
Funny enough, I sold three bikes last week to buy a Kona sutra LTD. My 2003 Carrera custom build, my 2001 GTI drive downhill bike and an old ProFlex, plus cash.
I love your channel. I really like your take on bikes and appreciate your willingness to make controversial decisions. But for the love of god! Put some real fenders on this beauty! Thanks ! Russ!
Glad you like the bike. Happy Russ = Happy Us. Was very close to ordering a frame on the inital run, but 1x only was a deal breaker for me. Call me old fashioned. But hey, the bike is a looker and must ride well based on the numbers. Many happy miles to you!
Small company, niche market, no economy of scale. There’s probably only a few hundred of these frames, whereas a mass produced frame for a mass market probably has tens of thousands.
Friction shifting blows, chunks. Used them exclusively first 25 yrs of my life, but indexed shifting is like difference between paddle shifters on your performance car and manual shifting. ✌️
Not a scam; just more efficient and safer. I can shift with reckless abandon, which I admit is a “liability “ with indexed shifting, but I can shift with both hands on the handlebars and nary take my eyes off the road. I consider a bigger scam; albeit current flavor of the month to having but one crank ring and all but phasing out rim brakes. My favorite long haul bike has a triple but don’t need use the smallest. Funny how many state they aren’t worried about a little extra weight but always mention it….✌️
way happy for you. super cool. voice excersizes can be good to work out your voice muscles. its alot of Great info and we need to hear every word as clearly as possible! thats my crudeness for you. awesome bike
I’m looking to invest in a good touring bike with the bike and all the after market stuff you put on what is your cost so far and where is your shop located thx
@@PathLessPedaledTV Are those Paul Klampers? They look cool but I wouldn't call them cheap. Hydraulic brakes are pretty east to maintain and work really well. I do LOVE external cable routing though! Way easier to work with.
External routing is so underrated
One of my must haves when choosing frame was having external routing, for a touring/atb bike i think is almost mandatory
@@LaughingOutLaud1can you give a noob some insight into why external routing is preferable? Thanks
For me its mostly for the sake of serviceability of your bike, you can easily swap cables, cut them or whatever. With internal routing its a little bit tricky to work with in some case scenarios. In some bike shops of undeveloped countries they didn't even saw internal routing, so if you plan to go to local workshops it's something to be aware of. It's just my experience, you can do whatever you want with any bike that suits your desires 😎
@@LaughingOutLaud1undeveloped, ouch :/ At least call them developing please :)
@@khoipham118 oh, sorry. English it's not my first language and I didn't even though about it. From now on I'll say developing!
I'm getting more and more interested in these all purpose builds as of late. I lucked upon an old (1992) giant escaper which has a cromo steel frame and fork. As I found the bike free of charge I decided to challenge myself with how cheaply I could build it up. I converted it to a 1x7 and added a more modern crankset with narrow wide chainring. The cassette is 13-32t and the chainrings I have to play with are 34t and 38t. The tyres I chose were Vittoria adventure tech in 26 x 1.75. The idea was to build a commuter bike with light gravel trail and canal byway capability. I added a riser bar and a twist shifter from sunrace. So far it's been a hoot and I'm starting to fall in love with steel frames again because of it. I feel like this may be a gateway to more 90s mountain bike restorations and rebuilds! Something about them screams quality to me.
I was captivated by this review the first time I saw it. I started researching the Super Something and contacted Adam. He was super helpful through the entire process! I bought a frameset, crankset and headset from him today! So stoked. Now a month to wait!
Details matter, and it seems all important details are covered in that frame. Your comments and insight on those details is invaluable. Thanks for sharing your new ride and I hope you have miles and miles of fun on it!
Russ, I currently have a spreadsheet of how I want to build this frame up and this is pretty close to how I spec'd it. Killer bike.
Ditto! (But I’m leaning flat bars)
The nice thing with that steel fork is that you can have those eyelets brazed on if you want. I AM a bit surprised he didn't put 3 pack mounts on that fork.
Maybe you can order that but he didn't want the fork to look like a hedgehog.
It also depends on the rack you want. E.g. a Tubus Duo needs only the middle eyelet but also on the inner side of the fork blades.
My Masi has external fork blade mounts and the duo works just fine
That is the biggest oversight on an otherwise really dialed frame IMO
If only you could buy a fork lol
If it fits, it fits. I bought a thoroughly used Gorilla Monsoon years ago and nothing fits me like that bike. If she were a couple of degrees slacker, I’d be in heaven.
I did a custom build of a GM half a year ago and have been putting it through the paces. I chose the GM frame after getting a professional bike fit and then unknowingly following the French Fit methodology. It feels so comfortable to ride. 200k rando rides are no problem. The standover isn't really an issue for me, although it just barely fails the traditional standover test. Love that frame, and am grateful to this channel for exposing me to the resources I needed to select it.
Interesting to watch a small maker like Adam go on to have a bike put into production like this. I could imagine this being the point where a builder could lose their way, but so far so good!
It's great to see the bike still retain that Sklar vibe whilst also being accessible to more people.
Thanks! I'm super excited to be offering what I see as a way better product to more people.
I conquer on stand-over. My midnight special (with fox fork) is similar geo to this bike and it fits me pretty well even though I don't have stand-over clearance. Be warned though, there are practical reasons for that clearance, I've had a couple moments when a trail got too spicy and I wish I had my MTB. I built the MS for dirt roads though, so mostly stick to those and you'll be fine.
First I've ever heard that external cables are easier to maintain. Makes sense. I've never had trouble with external cables.
I love that Velo-Orange still does downtube shifter bosses on a couple of their frames. So classic looking and, in my opinion, easier to deal with compared to full cable routing.
Such a beauty! Not to mention, the maker is such a humble and chill guy.
I absolutely love the top tube arch.
Set up like that, very nice looking bike. I really like that bar tape as well, nice choice.
Got up because I couldn't sleep and caught this vid. What a treat. It doesn't get any sweeter. However, I still advocate for a front derailleur. Love the rest, including the steel fork. Hey, I think I'm a French fit guy. Très cool. All the best.
That's a very cool bike!
I put a +17° 60mm stem on my Trek 520 Grando to get the stack and reach about where you talk about. It looks a little dopey if I'm not running a front bag, but it really made the bike fit without running a ton of spacers or buying a new fork, which would have been necessary due to the factory steerer length.
Love the lines on this bike. Have you ever ridden a CO-Motion? I now have three, pretty sold on them. The ride quality is really nice. And love the touring gears.
Exciting new bike, Russ, but i just put down a deposit on a Hardtack! I'd love to hear your opinion on the difference between these bikes.
Nice bike! Though I must admit I am more charmed by the Faran all-road bike by Fairlight Cycles, it has a steel fork too but has a low trail for repsonsive riding but stable when loaded.....it has 2 stack hights too (regular and tall) for every size so ideal for getting the fit spot on....
I like the fact that it still has the Sklar-look. One question: what about ride quality? Like vibration damping, stiffness, ...? And: it"s 1x 😂
I preferred external routing also until I bought my trek 1120. It uses both and internal is so easy to service. I think the 1120 is perfect with one exception. You can’t put the Paul Klampers disc on the rear and that truly sucks. I use PK on front. I freaking love the way this bike rides in any conditions !
I picked up a 2016 Salsa Vaya X9 a couple weeks back nice birthday gift for myself. Put some Ritchey Venturemax bars on it with new tape and went on a road/gravel/singletrack ride last weekend. It was a blast and I wasn't afraid to try anything on it. Steel bikes are awesome for sure - easy to go blasting along at speed on some chunky gravel. I guess I'm a long chainstay lover lol since I like the feel of the 450mm on the Vaya and my Kona Dew plus
@path less traveled
Shimano has a short clip about gravel and they use the phase party pace
A frisson of excitement pulsed through me when you described the drops as ' useful not aspirational', quality use of language....
No surprise given the previous showing/interview video. Nice.
The rear dropouts aren’t Paragon Machine Works Rockers. The PMW Rockers have tabs, not hoods. While I wouldn’t be surprised if they were manufactured by PMW, as I understand it they are considered a Sklar dropout.
What's the name of that rear fender?
Looks great. Hopefully you'll get to review a Fairlight Faran at some point. In the previous vid during the duscussion, it sounded like very similar design goals and why I ended up getting one. This would have been a real contender if it was around at the time.
I agree, hope to see the Faran here soon. Personally, it think the Faran is the ultimate all road bike with a superior ride feel, and with 2 stack heights for very size a fit walhalla too. I own the Secan and enjoying it a lot. All the best, Gerlach Sven
The Faran 2.0 is quite nice, and the 2.5 improves on it. Recommended. Nice tubing, smart details and every mount possible. Their dynamo installation is ultra slick. I recently sold my Faran 2.0 and ordered a Super Something.... nothing at all against the Faran, but the Sklar leans more toward dirt parts-bin creations while the Faran is more of a tourer.
@@stevepark6363I agree, like a said, the Faran is an all-road bike
Russ! Way to go on the bike! You mentioned in the title selling “Three Bikes…”. The Bombora, The Bearclaw,…. What was the other one you sold??
Polyvalent
The church of external routing - now that's something we can all get behind! Great stuff, Russ.
OMG I already installed my Uno and yours hasn't arrived yet. I have been on the waitlist for my Uno since your review and had been harassing Soma regularly about it. Couldn't be more happy with it. Running dura ace triple front and xt derailer w/ 10 speed 40t cassette, handles everything I throw at it.
Congrats on your new bike, Russ!
Thanks Russ. Always helpful. Always entertaining.
Very nice, seems like the arch top tube steals more stand over for what purpose? Aesthetics?
For Alan bolts with tight access like the klampers I got a parktool wrench set with a really short end that are very handy surprisingly often.
Hey Russ can you have these bike makers add a simple rear kick stand mount. My old trek crossrip elite has one but that bike is from 2013. I wanna try one of these steel bike on your channel but they all seem to miss that one simple must for any bike with rack imo.
Style for days. If it rides as smooth as it looks it must be dreamy.
You are a true gravel expert and I wonder how would you review my custom gravel bike 🙃
Hey! Another yellow steel bike (almost) custom made!
Question: are you going to set it up 2x any time soon? 🙃
My only complaint of the Bearclaw as well, wish I bought the previous external routed version
Russ, I would appreciate your thoughts/comments on a super something for 50/50 road gravel use, Thanks
It looks like the old Schwinn Speedster, nicknamed "camel backs" for shape of the top tube. They fit middle-school-age boys as the grew into their teen years as they were very adjustable in seat post height.
I'm going to look up your seat post revue, as been looking for something to replace my old USE one
Really like your CHOICE-- :)
That looks like a really nice bike but it is over $2k CAD for a steel frame that's made in Taiwan.
Seems overpriced?
I could be wrong. I do really like that dijon colour.
$2k these days is on the low end, sadly. Energy prices have gone up globally, as has everything that depends on it, which is basically everything.
@@ericpmoss totally. I just want one and can't afford it. Unfortunately my wage has not increased as much.
@@AverageBensCycling I know the feeling. I have been living off of savings, and found that living in Europe is cheaper and nicer, if one can find off-season pricing and move every three months. Good for a bachelor, at least.
It’s a bike. It rolls and you are happy with it, that’s what matters.
I thought you gave up on 1x? But really a nice bike and if I was in the market the Sklar would be in my top 3.
I slapped on what I had to get the bike rideable.
Appreciate you Russ! ✌️
Very nice! Ticks a lot of the boxes for me.
I don’t think we should apologize for angled stems and spacers to get desired fit.
Sharp bike... Looks good in the yellow too. Been eyeing it to replace my gr300 frame.
Very Nice! I notice the trail video have Gevenalle shifters. I have them in my Binary Havok and love them. They seem more accessible than the bar end shifters in your build. Other than the cable maybe getting in the way of a handlebar bag, why do you prefer bar end shifters?
Congratulations on your buy. I watched your video with Adam and I'm still drooling over that bike. I have to immediately sell a bike or two to get one too.
I appreciate the stack as I like my bars higher too.
Is yours staying 1X?
You got that beautiful dynamo hub but you're not gonna tell us what you're hooking it up to? Don't tease me like this!
id rather that rig have canti brakes, but its sweet Russ. congrats
"Actually usable, and not aspirational" My 50-something back appreciates that sentiment.
Love it, your channel is my fav. Bought the Warakin for the high stack height and external routing. Are you a dynamo convert now? Hahahaha
Funny enough, I sold three bikes last week to buy a Kona sutra LTD. My 2003 Carrera custom build, my 2001 GTI drive downhill bike and an old ProFlex, plus cash.
Hell yes! I have one on order!
For those gifted with a long torso, French fit is def the way to go
I love your channel. I really like your take on bikes and appreciate your willingness to make controversial decisions. But for the love of god! Put some real fenders on this beauty! Thanks ! Russ!
Glad you like the bike. Happy Russ = Happy Us. Was very close to ordering a frame on the inital run, but 1x only was a deal breaker for me. Call me old fashioned. But hey, the bike is a looker and must ride well based on the numbers. Many happy miles to you!
I'm putting a 2x on it. This is all just place holder to get it rideable.
@pathlesspedaledtv Interested to see how you'll set it up 2x. Happy new bike!
Super rad. Super something
Hi,
Please would you precise what reference of Microshift lever do you use on this bike ? (BS-A11, BS-M11, etc.)
Great video as always. What gloves are you wearing in the videos of riding the loaner bike?
New bike days are the best 😁
Sick ride!
So it's pretty close to stock "Shulz Boys don't Cry" S that costs for around 800$ here in Russia.
Not really. The Shulz is more mountain bike oriented.
I'm quite confused as to the high price for this bike ?
Small company, niche market, no economy of scale. There’s probably only a few hundred of these frames, whereas a mass produced frame for a mass market probably has tens of thousands.
Friction shifting blows, chunks. Used them exclusively first 25 yrs of my life, but indexed shifting is like difference between paddle shifters on your performance car and manual shifting. ✌️
Indexed shifting is the biggest scam the bike industry pulled. The only reason component companies stay in business.
Not a scam; just more efficient and safer. I can shift with reckless abandon, which I admit is a “liability “ with indexed shifting, but I can shift with both hands on the handlebars and nary take my eyes off the road.
I consider a bigger scam; albeit current flavor of the month to having but one crank ring and all but phasing out rim brakes. My favorite long haul bike has a triple but don’t need use the smallest. Funny how many state they aren’t worried about a little extra weight but always mention it….✌️
way happy for you. super cool. voice excersizes can be good to work out your voice muscles. its alot of Great info and we need to hear every word as clearly as possible! thats my crudeness for you. awesome bike
love your vids! what is the stem spacer w/the bar on it? i'd love to pick one of those up, would really help my front bag fitment. thanks!
ruclips.net/video/g0Bb7fX-WNM/видео.html
What are the grey tube-things on your cable housing near the cockpit? Did you find a new and quicker way to hotswap cockpits?
Yeah it's a double sided ferrule
Nice, retro look bike.
What do you think about Kross Esker 4.0 MS 2023?
38t? That's a big ol' pizza cutter! @2:39 looks like 36t
Does PLP have a video review for a shoe/sandle for cycling/fishing?
How does it ride with the flat bars?
Rides great when sized appropriately.
What size Super Something did you purchase? I'm 175 cm (5.7 feet) and considering a size 54 in this bike.
What is the weight of your build?
Cobra Framebuilding top cap?
@PathLessPedaled do you have an opinion on the Fargo? I feel like a lot of your likes point towards that bike
Fargo is much longer in the rear and leans towards more off road touring, this leans more road bike.
Would you buy the same size regardless of you were running flat/alt bars or drops?
I sized up to run both reasonably well.
External routing for life
What are the cable balls? I’ve seen them but I don’t know where
Could you please send me a link for the Ritchey handle bars?
What is the internal width of your 650b rims?
I’m looking to invest in a good touring bike with the bike and all the after market stuff you put on what is your cost so far and where is your shop located thx
I would love to know what rear fender that is.
it's an ass savers win wing fender!
Handmade show is where this year?
Too bad you sold the bear claw before I knew, I would have gotten it from you.
Sick! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
For some reason every bike just looks exactly like my salsa casseroll but with disc brakes
Hey! What is the metal-pipe-thing under the bars? :)
Мне б такое заднее крыло..)
is there a review of the s-ride derailleur?
I hope the 3rd bike sold is not the Riv, is it?
Rad ride!
Is that thing over the rear wheel a Wi-Fi antenna
What is the rear fender on the back?
Can you please elaborate on what site you are viewing the geo charts on? I found several, but am curious as to the one in your video. Tyia
Bikeinsights
Can someone please explain why you would use Mechanical Brakes and Bar end shifters? Other than hipster cred, I don't see the advantage.
Cheap. Easy to maintain and hack. Can use whatever damn gearing I want.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Are those Paul Klampers? They look cool but I wouldn't call them cheap. Hydraulic brakes are pretty east to maintain and work really well. I do LOVE external cable routing though! Way easier to work with.