Monstercross
Frame:
Soma Wolverine
Fork/Headset:
Soma Wolverine / Chris King
Crankset/Bottom Bracket:
Rotor 3d / Wheels Manufacturing
Pedals:
Shimano XTR
Drivetrain/Cog/Chainring/Chain:
Sram Rival / Sunrace 11-28 / Rotor Q 46/36 / KMC
Derailleurs/Shifters:
Sram Rival
Saddle/Seatpost:
Brooks Cambium / Thomson Masterpiece
Brakes:
Avid BB7 SL
Front Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Bontrager Line Elite 29 / Compass 700x44 Snoqulmie Pass
Rear Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Bontrager Line Elite 29 / Compass 700x44 Snoqulmie Pass
Accessories:
Surly CroMo Front Rack
Bike History
Click a link below to see past stages of this bike.
Added by mikezeegerman. Last updated over 4 years ago.
As of over 4 years ago, mikezeegerman has indicated that they no longer own this bike.
Latest 24 Comments
Nice build! How does it handle with the Ritchey carbon fork? Isn't it too twitchy? I'm interested in the new Ritchey Adventure fork for my own Wolverine.
Posted over 4 years ago
Bike rode fine and the fork is very forgiving. You could see it flexing sometimes under hard braking.
Posted over 4 years ago
This bike looks absolutely great. I like them Wolverines in a more sporty setups.
I was curious what's your height, inseam and stem length...
The reason is that Soma advises a bigger frame with a shorter stem. I was curious how this setup works for you in both pave and gravel / cx roads.
Posted almost 8 years ago
Thanks and sorry for the delay in my response. I am 5'9 with a 32" inseam. I used to ride a 54cm Wolverine that I got from a friend of mine but after riding it for a 180 mile tour, and not having a roadbike at the time, I wanted something more aggressive. The top tubes on the Wolverines are very long so I went with the smallest 50cm frame that has a 545mm top tube (I typically prefer 530mm +/- 5mm with a 110-120mm stem). I now have mine set up with a 110mm stem. With the lower AC and rake on the Ritchey fork I think I found the right balance for road and gravel ... for me at least.
Posted almost 8 years ago
That confusing now. I'm 5'9" but I'm half legs, 35" inseam. I was also looking for a smaller frame but I was like 54 is the smallest judging by the total scale of sizes... And now your saying you took a 50. I will think about more detailed measurements, thanks for sharing this!
Posted almost 8 years ago
(I typically preferred a road bike sized at 54 with 110mm over 56 cm with 90mm)
Posted almost 8 years ago
I'm 5.9 ft which translates to 5'11". Damn, those imperial units.
Posted almost 8 years ago
Why the switch from Spyres to Klampers? How do the two compare?
Posted almost 8 years ago
The switch was not due to lack of performance. I came across a set of Klampers and bought them for a good price. I like machined stuff and the fact that they have some orange accents and are made in the US helped. They are definitely chunkier and may interfere with some rack/fender struts.
Posted almost 8 years ago
Thanks! I went with Spyres since they seemed like they would need the least amount of adjustment over a tour. I do love me some MUSA though.
Posted almost 8 years ago
How did the roadlink perform for you? I have a roadlink on my Wolverine as well, but the hanger isn't really the right shape for the roadlink to fit snuggly on there. Did you experience any slippage or anything like that?
Thanks!
Posted about 8 years ago
I haven't had any issues with it. Not quite sure what you mean with slippage.
Posted about 8 years ago
I keep on going back to this bike. I just think the part choices and reasoning behind it and the final result all work so well together. And also that it may be one of the few (or only) slammed wolverines I've seen and it looks great!
Posted over 8 years ago
Hi! I am thinking about building this bike for my partner as a surprise. My wife is 5'6, and I am having a hard time deciding between the 50cm and the 52cm. How do you like your 50cm?
Posted over 8 years ago
Very slick bike! You have some very interesting gearing there too.
Does the FD cope with the 52/34 step well enough? From the photos, the RD seems able to cope with an accidental shift into 52 - 40; is that so? Are you happy with the setup?
I ask because I've a full 6800 drivetrain that I'm looking to alter in much the same way you've modified yours.
Thanks!
Posted over 8 years ago
The front derailleur works great with the current chainring combo. As far as the rear derailleur goes, I'm using a long cage 6800 RD with a Wolftooth road link. This just gives the RD just enough clearance to make it up to the 40t cog even in the big ring. Shifting quality is ok since the b-limit screw is pretty much maxed out. I'm considering going back to a 11-32 cassette which will give me enough range and will improve shifting. I also tried a XT8000 RD with a Wolftooth "travel agent" that matches the 6800 pull ratio to that of the XT8000. Shifting wasn't very good but it had the added benefit of a clutch. I think that this set up may work best with barend shifters which I have yet to try (I have them but haven't used them in this configuration). Hope this didn't get too confusing. Let me know if you have any other questions.
What are your intentions with your build?
Posted over 8 years ago
Thanks for your detailed reply, @mikezeegerman! I'm most glad to hear the 36 for 34 chainring swap is an easy one, and sorry to hear the "travel agent" didn't allow better compatibility between your XT8000 RD and 6800 STI. Might you elaborate on the "ok shifting quality" of your setup as depicted in the photos? Does it not shift cleanly? Is there much drivetrain noise? Are you able to reliably shift to any pairing you want?
As for my intentions-- I'm building up a new bike for multipurpose use (utilizing a fair lot of existing componentry). Road group rides / commuting / bike packing. I love my current 52/36, 11-32 for mountainous and spirited road riding, but don't find it low enough to slog my loaded bike up long gravel roads. I'm after lower ratios without sacrificing too much off the top.
Posted over 8 years ago
The shifting on a more standard set up, such as a 11-25 cassette with a short cage derailleur has a lot quicker and accurate shifting. The current set up is not bad by any means, but it is not as good as I am used to hence me possibly going back to a more "normal" cassette/derailleur combo.
Posted over 8 years ago
Thanks a lot. You've been a tremendous amount if help. I really value your real world experience.
Posted over 8 years ago
Photos
felicien says:
Another question: how did you run the Ritchey Carbon fork with the Chris King headset?
Posted over 4 years ago
mikezeegerman says:
The Chris king headset is not optimal because the angle of the bearing and crown race don’t perfectly match but it still worked fine.
Posted over 4 years ago