Soma Cazadero tire review

[jfrye]

Hey all,

Thought I would write up a few thoughts on a new tire I'm using the Soma Fab Cazadero (650b). Ordered through my LBC soon after they became widely available (owner had an early release set that he was riding). First impression was that the casing construction reminded me a lot of the Pacenti Pari-Motos I was taking off with a bit more rubber on the sidewalls. The casing seemed pliable but stiffer than the Pari-Motos. 

My goal was to mount these tubeless on my Pacenti SL23s. The Cazaderos are super tight on the SL23 and they took a fair bit of effort to mount. Unfortunately, they are so tight from the factory that I was unable to get the bead to set tubeless. I decided to try and give them a good stretch before calling tubeless setup a failure. I inserted a tube and pumped to 85-90 PSI and the beads snapped into place with a satisfying pop pop pop.

After a day or so resting at 90 psi I gave the tubeless setup another try. I removed the tube, inserted the valve stem and gave them a good shot of air from the compressor, I was delighted to again get a satisfying pop pop pop of the bead snapping into place. Inflated each tire to 60 psi and let them rest again. The tires held air for around 8 hours without sealant. I call that success and added sealant, inflated and mounted them on the bike.

I've put just shy of 100 miles on them so far. A combination of pavement on my daily commute and backroad mixed surface (gravel of all types, dirt, grass). My seat of the pants impression is that these are a winner. They roll surprisingly quiet on road for a nobby, which I really appreciate (my riding buddy's Rock n Roads sound like a freight train). They are also pretty compliant over chunk gravel at 30/35 front/rear pressures. As for rolling resistance, unscientifically they seem comparable to the Pari-Motos or at least not so dramatically different that I can tell. Only question remains is how well they wear. As a benchmark my riding buddy with the  Rock n Roads is getting just short of 1000 miles out of his rear.

Cheers

Jayme

[billiam]

Hey Jayme,

Thanks for the review.  

Wow...they compare favorably to the Pari Moto's!  That comfirms or exceeds what Evan from Soma said about their rolling resistance.  I'm definitely gonna throw some of these on my Rawland rSogn for S24O duties.

billiam in medford, or

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[B Sloma]

Glad to hear a review at last.  And glad to hear tubeless success.  Sticker shock is still keeping me away.

More feedback, maybe, after a bit more riding??  

[B Sloma]

Been measuring a lot of tires lately.  Interesting how they vary below and above their listed size.  Would you be able to measure these and post here?

On Monday, October 27, 2014 4:26:04 PM UTC-5, jfrye wrote:

[rob perks]

I have been rolling on a set of 700c Cazaderos for a couple of months now and loving them.  After reading the first post I may be shopping for a compressor again since I already have the A23 rims set up with Stans tape and a jug of Orange Seal on the shelf.  I have been using tubes, but between 30 and 40 PSI and loving the tires.  I built them up on a bike after tearing my Rambler with C Lines down to sell the frame.  I honestly have not been missing the slicks for most riding around town and procrastinating on building the second demo bike back up.  

They really do roll close to silent compared to the BG.  Mine measure 40 at the casing and 43 at the knobs, and will likely fir a bunch of bikes that the BG were just a bit too big for

Disclaimer, I do sell these, but am surprised I don't sell more.  

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Rob Perks

oceanaircycles.com

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Ventura, CA

 

[jfrye]

Excuse the poor quality. At roughly 30psi I measure 41.5 mm.

[james olsen]

They look like they could be quite scary to lean over on tarmac, you'll be off that centre strip onto the wider-space studs fairly easily, is that the case or am I concerned about a non-issue?

[rob perks]

Non-issue IMO,unless you have them way over inflated.  At average usable pressures between 20 and 40 psi the center strip would end up being the outside edge of your contact patch.  

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Rob Perks

oceanaircycles.com

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[jfrye]

I've not experienced any issues cornering on the Cazadero's so far. They are probably not a good choice for a crit race, but for their intended purpose all road riding for unracers they seem well designed.

[james olsen]

Sounds good. Thinking about it, the centre-rib tyres I used to have on my ATB in the 80s were fine on everything but slippery climbs.

[B Sloma]

Today we are covered with snow in the upper midwest, but yesterday we weren't.  I was able to get out for a good ride on my new Cazaderos.

They seated and mounted tubeless maybe easier than any tire I have yet tried, without sealant.  A little tighter fit than some, but that seems to help the bead seat and seal well.  

I rode them about 40 psi front, 44 rear, same as other 38 to 40 ish tires I have been using.  I think Soma knocked this one out of the park.  Great ride on the streets, nice feel and damping, and fast with low rolling resistance.  Dropped down into the river bottoms and was able to sample some gravel, dirt, sand, mud.  Then back up to the roads, and home.  I was really impressed.  They truly seem to be an all terrain tire, and handle them all really well.  Really surprised how great they felt through the sand.  I like them alot, and highly recommend.   

On Monday, October 27, 2014 4:26:04 PM UTC-5, jfrye wrote:

[Hugh Smitham]

I was wondering about whether the Cazadero would work tubeless thanks for the experiment and review. 

~Hugh

[Evan Baird]

They don't have a tubeless specific bead like the BG R&R, but I've been told by a number of people that it works with Stan's no problem.