Month: June 2021

We see a lot of bikes at Dream Cycle, but the Soma Grand Randonneur is unique: The lightest Soma frame, it has the geometry of a vintage road bike, but is optimized to carry a front load.

Pictured above, the model we have in stock is the third version of the Grand Randonneur. With this new version, Soma has tweaked the steering to be extra smooth while maintaining the low trail geometry in the front of the frame. Designed for 650b rims, it can now run tyres up to a width of 47mm. In keeping with its classic aesthetic, it takes a 1″ threaded headset, but has been modernized to be through-axle.

We currently have one such frame in stock, a 55cm Grand Randonneur in Moss Green. We’re selling the frame for $1250—Come by the shop and check it out!

If you’ve scheduled a consultation with us, you should be prepared to help us out with the following information. Think contact points: Handlebars, Saddle, and Pedals. It helps us out if you have an idea of what style of handlebar you’d like on your next bike. You can find a comprehensive database of handlebars at www.whatbars.com, a site developed by a Canadian showing grid of most of the bars available to us from our suppliers. During the consult, we can show you some of these bars, and talk about the features and benefits of each bar. WhatBars is the only quality database of handlebars, so you should take advantage of it. For pedals, you may need to scour the internet. We sell pedals from manufactures like Shimano, MKS, Blackspire (Made in BC), Wellgo, and Exustar. You may need to do the same for saddles; we mostly sell Brooks Saddles in either classic leather or Cambium rubber. If there is a particular saddle you like, make a note, and we can include it in your quote. The more detailed information you can provide, the better and faster your consult will be. If you have some parts that you want to bring to the build, you should either bring them in for us to look at, or, at the very least, make notes about exactly what they are, e.g. if you have a rim or hub then we need to know the exact hole count to ensure we can match it up with the correct rim. Finally, let us know if you’d like any accessories, such as fenders/mud guards, or racks included with your bike.

We are definitely dealing with some challenges during these times on multiple fronts. One, with a 50% increase in cycling the demands for service work are at an all time high. So unfortunately we can no longer accept bikes in for service Tune Ups that we didn’t sell. That being said, we will however help you with small repairs like flat tires & minor adjustments. It’s best to bring your bike to us Tuesday-Saturday so we can see what your bike needs & if we decide at that point we can take your bike in for repair or possibly schedule a repair once the parts come in. We cannot guarantee that you can leave your bike with us as we are a tiny shop and we ‘Fill Up’ quickly. Two, increased demands for bikes & bike parts have also riddled us with availability. Suppliers & manufacturers all over are dealing with wait times up to 2 years on some makes and models. We recently heard that new Surly frames & bikes will not land until 2023. We do have a lot of product in stock & will offer whatever we have to get you rolling..

Hang in there, we’ll we’ll do our best, so keep your head up & rubber side down!

Love peace & bike grease for the Dream Team.

Darren, Ethan, Cam, Zed & H-E double Henry sticks