I've had Trek's Soho in-house for a little over a month at this point. About time for a proper introduction, eh? Things have been a bit snowy around here lately, but the white stuff is melting, and we're getting back to the business of riding bikes. Due to the snow, I've swapped the stock Bontrager H2 tires for my favorite winter-time knobby: Kenda's Kross Supreme.
The older I get the more I hate hauling heavy stuff around on my back, hence the rack, which is a really nice Portland Design Works piece called The Payload. Look for a full review of the rack in a future issue of Bicycle Times.
Bags are Jandd's Saddle Bags, which I've used for commuting and touring for years.
So far I'm really digging the Soho. There's a lot to be said for a commuting bike which requires only that you air up the tires on a regular basis. The Gates Carbon Belt Drive is super quite and requires no maintenance, while the Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub and drum brakes also require very little maintenance. I could be very into having a bike like this that requires minimal fuss, even in our sometimes brutal snow, salty winter conditions.
Look for the full Soho review in issue #6 of Bicycle Times. Subscribe by April 30th to have issue #6 mailed directly to your door.
Comments
I bought a Soho as a "rain bike" back in 2008 before the change to hub gearing. I wish I had waited, especially now that the Versa drop bar Alfine shifters are out. I've checked out the new Soho several times on their website & never noticed that it had a Nexus hub instead of Alfine. Alfine shifters must have threw me off. I hope it is the red-banded Nexus hub at least.
It's at the top of my wish list. (If my wife would let me buy it :) ). I hope to see one this weekend at the Trek dealer in Omaha. I'm also going to start a subscription to your magazine. This is the second review in #6 that I want to read.