The new Soma Fab Smoothie HP road bike took what they loved about their steel frame and made it all better. And disc brakes and thru axles are just the start, adding more braking power to a stiffer yet more compliant frame.
Soma started with the need to update their classic road bike with modern group compatibility. What started with the brand itself as a straight-tubed classic had, over the years, received a sloping top tube, carbon fork, and upgraded Tange tubing.
Now, it gets disc brakes, and an entirely new frame using Tange’s Prestige Japan tubing with a mix of tube shapes and walls to make it “High Performance”, hence the HP in the model name.
The Smoothie HP gets the thinnest walled downtubes of any of their bikes, but the diameter increases to oversized 34.9 and 38.1 millimeters (depending on frame size).
Those, combined with stiffer oversized and tapered chainstays (32x18mm oval) give the bottom half of the bike a laterally stiffer, stronger platform for pedaling torque.
The top tube gets ovalized, too, which further improves lateral stiffness but adds a bit of vertical compliance. It still slopes, giving the bike a more modern look and feel.
Soma kept the geometry somewhere between endurance and stage racer, which they say provides a balanced, smooth ride for general (and now somewhat high performance) road riding where the emphasis is on comfort and ride quality.
Modern upgrades include:
- Flat mount disc brake mounts
- 44mm head tube for tapered forks
- Carbon fork included with frameset
- 12mm thru axles
- ED rust-proofing coating inside the frame
- 700x32mm tire clearance
- Candy Apple Red paint
Traditional touches and backward compatibility remain, though:
- Threaded BSA bottom bracket standard
- Fender eyelets
- External cable routing
- Downtube shifter bosses
- Rim brake mounts with clearance for 57mm long-reach calipers
Framesets run $1,149.99 and are available now.
