Soma New Xpress 700×35
The Soma New Xpress tires are designed to be the ultimate commuter tire. Made in Japan by the mighty Panaracer, the New Xpress tires feature the same tread pattern as Panaracer’s venerable T-serv tires.
Soma sent in a set of 700×35 “skinwall” tires from their limited supply. Although the website says 75psi, the multilingual sidewall says inflate to 90psi (6.2 bar).
The New Xpress tires feature a folding Kevlar bead, which helps keep the weight down and makes them a little easier to remove and install. They have what Soma calls a “HyperTex casing layer” that’s designed to be puncture resistant like Kevlar, but more supple for a smoother ride. I’ll say it works pretty well—I’ve only had one flat since I installed them. I think I fell victim to an incredibly sharp object that came right back out of the tire, because I never found the source of the puncture.
The New Xpress’s hard-wearing rubber compound is arguably important than their puncture resistance. Panaracer’s high-carbon formula has proven to be long lasting, fast and predictable in all weather conditions.
For me the biggest selling point for these tires is their sheer volume. The 35mm casing makes them the road bike equivalent of monster truck tires. While they still roll pretty fast, they let you roll over all kinds of potholes, broken pavement, bricks or cobblestone. They also soak up road vibrations and let you jump up and down curbs with confidence.
New Xpress tires come in a variety of sizes for 700c and 26-inch wheeled bikes, and there are a handful of special edition versions available. Visit www.somafab.com for more information.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Any idea where one could purchase these? Looks like exactly what I need.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:52 am
You loca bike shop should be able to get these through the Merry Sales distribution catalog for you, just go ahead and ask. If they don’t have an account, have them get one. Any reputable shop will get these for you.
Otherwise, you can go straight to the source.
http://store.somafab.com/newxp70tifob.html
August 4th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
That tire looks EXACTLY like a 700×35 Panaracer Pasela (including the 90psi rating).
August 6th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Are the skinwalls going to be a standard color or is that a new color? They’re listed as only in black in the store.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Their website says skinwall is limited edition. Soma seems to do smaller runs of things than other companies, so they can have some cool options. The trade off is they may not always be available.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:38 am
I’m with you on that one Jim G - looks like the badge engineers have been busy.
Wonder if Hypertex and Kevlar look the same under the microscope.
grumble, grumble, grumble.
September 28th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Some other Soma tires look exactly like their Panaracer counterparts until you look a little closer. The Soma Everwear is the Panaracer Stradius Sport but with a much thicker tread. I’ve sold the sh*t out of them and for good reason. These may (or may not) follow that trend and be different even though they look the same on the outside.