# soma wolverine frame



## eastside.49 (Jan 25, 2016)

hi, im new to biking and to the forums . im 26 yrs old 5'9" 268lbs. i have been working hard at losing weight since 10/2/15. I started at 294 lbs. I changed the way i eat,sold my car and have been walking every place . its tax time and i have been doing lots of reading on bike frames and i like the idea of a do all bike. it was surly straggler vs wolverine. after lots of reading i want the wolverine. do i want 52cm or 54cm frame? this bike will be used for commuting/exercise/ light touring . i have no local bike shop, just a sports shop that will order bikes.i live in BFE. i will start a build thread when i get started. i think i can build a bike with research, your guys help, and youtube . any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## formula4speed (Mar 25, 2013)

Try reading through this thread, there is some sizing discussion in here
http://forums.mtbr.com/custom-builders-other-manufacturers/soma-wolverine-builds-939062.html

Pay attention to the top tube length on the Wolverine when choosing your size.


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## albeant (Feb 24, 2004)

Kudos on the lifestyle reboot and dropped .lbs! At 5'9", I'd be thinking the 54cm, provided you have at least a bit of standover. Much like the Specialized AWOL, the Wolvie has a long top tube, so you should expect to use a shorter stem than with more typical drop-bar geometry. 

For reference, one Wolvie rider I know is 5'7" and rides a 52cm with a 90mm stem, and my wife is 5'3.5" and rides a 50cm with a 60mm stem. The Wolverine is a great bike!


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## eastside.49 (Jan 25, 2016)

albeant said:


> Kudos on the lifestyle reboot and dropped .lbs! At 5'9", I'd be thinking the 54cm, provided you have at least a bit of standover. Much like the Specialized AWOL, the Wolvie has a long top tube, so you should expect to use a shorter stem than with more typical drop-bar geometry.
> 
> For reference, one Wolvie rider I know is 5'7" and rides a 52cm with a 90mm stem, and my wife is 5'3.5" and rides a 50cm with a 60mm stem. The Wolverine is a great bike!


thanks,based on all the measurements the bike shop i called had me do they recommended i order the 52cm so i did. we will see how it goes


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## c0vrtn3y (Jul 27, 2015)

i would give that straggler a second thought. it comes as a complete and there will be a lot less headaches. furthermore if there are headaches, i've found that surly is super friendly and responsive whereas soma is quite the opposite(complete blow off). i have a wolverine that i've hardly been able to ride due to slipping dropouts being a complete nuisance, after many attempts at solving... as well as money wasted on mechanics also chasing this problem. i wish i would have just bought a straggler... or a specialized awol for that matter.

check out this link for alternatives. if i could go back in time, i would buy something different.

Complete List of Off-Road Adventure Touring Bikes with Pricing - CyclingAbout CyclingAbout


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## big_papa_nuts (Mar 29, 2010)

c0vrtn3y said:


> i would give that straggler a second thought. it comes as a complete and there will be a lot less headaches. furthermore if there are headaches, i've found that surly is super friendly and responsive whereas soma is quite the opposite(complete blow off). i have a wolverine that i've hardly been able to ride due to slipping dropouts being a complete nuisance, after many attempts at solving... as well as money wasted on mechanics also chasing this problem. i wish i would have just bought a straggler... or a specialized awol for that matter.
> 
> check out this link for alternatives. if i could go back in time, i would buy something different.
> 
> Complete List of Off-Road Adventure Touring Bikes with Pricing - CyclingAbout CyclingAbout


What issues are you having with the dropouts? I have a Juice that uses pretty much the same design and have had zero issues.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

c0vrtn3y said:


> i have a wolverine that i've hardly been able to ride due to slipping dropouts being a complete nuisance, after many attempts at solving... as well as money wasted on mechanics also chasing this problem.


Paragon sliders are used on dozens of other frames, even some boutique/custom frames, without such issues. The sliders on my Juice have never slipped. You're doing something wrong or you got something with a defect. Use a torque wrench. 19 ft-lbs on those little bolts os more than you might think.

https://www.paragonmachineworks.com/images/faqadjdrops.pdf


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## Agwan (Feb 16, 2011)

yeah, it's funny that Courtney recommends the Straggler and the AWOL, two bikes who have a LOT of complaints about axles slipping/ drop outs slipping.

Courtney is the second person I'm aware of (at least making noise on the internet) to have issues with paragon sliders slipping.

The first one resolved the issue on his own. but also accepted that the issue occurred because he used his wolverine like an MTB.

My sliders slipped exactly once right after I bought it and it was my fault.

I will agree that Soma needs to up their customer service game. by, a lot.

The paint is falling off my bike and they just don't care. It's falling off over the decals and every single braze one.

I like the bike too much to get rid of it. I'll just powder coat it. But I would have felt so much more cared about had they responded to my emails on the issue.

EDIT: The AWOL is still pretty awesome. It was just slightly too chill handling for my likes, but the Reynolds 520 frameset is really something special. I wish we sold more of them.

If it wasn't matte black, I might have bought it.


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## formula4speed (Mar 25, 2013)

Did you get your frame direct or through a LBS? Wonder if they would be more responsive to a dealer?

My sliders have been fine, agree about the weak paint, but overall very happy with the bike.


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## Agwan (Feb 16, 2011)

I got it through Universalcycles.com. But I got it in Ogden, Utah. When I lived in Ogden. They're brick and mortar only so much as their agreements with their wholesalers require them to have a "store" in order to keep them.

I work for a dealer that has a BTI account. And BTI is where Universal ordered my frameset from. But we don't buy a lot from them. And I don't really know if they're even who we should contact. I emailed Soma directly.

(I know it was BTI, because I called them and said, "BTI has exactly one 52cm Wolverine left, I want it. Can you order it right freaking now?" They said yes.)

The paint really gets to me. I love the hell out of this bike. But it's only got a few hundred miles on it and it needs refinishing.


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## big_papa_nuts (Mar 29, 2010)

Agwan said:


> I got it through Universalcycles.com. But I got it in Ogden, Utah. When I lived in Ogden. They're brick and mortar only so much as their agreements with their wholesalers require them to have a "store" in order to keep them.
> 
> I work for a dealer that has a BTI account. And BTI is where Universal ordered my frameset from. But we don't buy a lot from them. And I don't really know if they're even who we should contact. I emailed Soma directly.
> 
> ...


I was under the impression that Soma was under Merry Sales' umbrella. Not sure where I herd that though.

Paint on my Juice has been fine, even where the frame bags rub on it, so it might just be a problem with the Wolverine or a production run of them.


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## Agwan (Feb 16, 2011)

They are. But Merry Sales isn't really equipped to serve the whole continental U.S.A. So BTI is an authorized reseller.

BTI also does Cinelli (Drools)

Probably already mentioned in this thread, I think... But Soma is like, 1.5 guys at American Cyclery in San Francisco, a handful of people at Merry Sales, and an un named Taiwanese factory.

I rode the hell out of my old Soma Groove through three winters. That was painted too. It was not this fragile. 

I loved that cappuccino color!


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

Orange paint always seems to be flaky, unless you're getting a $500+ paint job. Something about it just doesn't seem to bond well or be durable.


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## Agwan (Feb 16, 2011)

Where did you draw that conclusion from? not being critical, I just feel like there might be a story there, that informed your opinion.


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

Personal experience with 4 bike brands who use orange paint. I've seen durable paint jobs, but they're been powdercoat or wet primer, white, orange, and clear coated. Paint jobs are a frequent 'cut corner' in production, since a $10 material job looks the same as a $50, at least initially.

I don't have the time/wherewithal to bother calling the company (and have them say it's confidential info anyway...) to find out their painting process for orange bikes. But If I had to guess, they don't prep the frame adequately, don't rough between white and orange, or don't use an etching primer. But one of two things inevitably happens: the orange flakes off the white, or the paint flakes off period around any protuberances...and I mean any--braze-ons, cable guides, lugs, or welds seem to be common, though.

Any time somebody wanted something bolted onto an orange frame, I groaned inside. I kept a bag of leather washers to help allay that particular problem, but nothing can fix accidentally brushing something pseudo-hard against the frame and taking a big chip out...stuff that wouldn't phase any other colors I've worked with.


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## Rebeccaheis (Jun 9, 2014)

Hey, just an FYI here guys, Paragon Machine Works does not make anything for Soma. I know they recommend our inserts when using their sliding dropouts but Paragon makes no guarantee that they will work with anything other than Paragon dropouts and so far we have had more than a couple customers email and call us about their Wolverine bikes having slipping issues. We are sorry this is happening but our stuff only goes on handmade bikes and Soma make their stuff in Asia somewhere. Please contact Soma about this so they are aware of the problem.


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## Agwan (Feb 16, 2011)

Good to know, frankly your components fit their sliding drop outs better than the stock ones.

Soma has Tange make the drop outs for them. the word TANGE stamped into the drop out is kind of a clue.

Edit: While I've not had the slipping issue, the titanium combination head bolts that paragon sells work wonders. they allow you to get things EXTREMELY tight.


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