Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Kelly in Seattle, Washington, who shares an ever-adaptable Soma Wolverine that started its life as a road tourer and has slowly morphed into a trail-ready bikepacking platform. Check it out here…

Words and photos by Kelly Hoffman

Hello, hello. I’m Kelly. I grew up in Connecticut and have slowly moved west over the past decade, making pit stops in New York, Chicago, Denver, and finally settling in Seattle.

Soma Wolverine

I got into mountain biking when a cousin I thought was cool got into it. I bought my first mountain bike, an Iron Horse, with my paper route money in middle school and never looked back. I briefly tried racing in college, but outside of the Sturdy Dirty Enduro race each year, I stick to biking for the fun of it (even if it’s sometimes Type 2 fun). Since moving to Seattle, I’ve expanded outside mountain biking, and I’m also a bikepacker, tourer, commuter (errands mostly), and randonneur. I work from home in tech, and riding is the way I bring balance to my days.

Soma Wolverine
  • Soma Wolverine
  • Soma Wolverine

This bike has been a wonderful collaboration with the lovely folks at Free Range Cycles in Seattle. It started as a custom build during COVID, and I’ve been iterating on it for the past five years. I started doing mostly road tours and have slowly moved into more adventurous terrain. Every time I do a bikepacking trip, I change something about this bike to make it just a little bit better—whether it’s a bag change, installing dynamo lighting, a new rack setup, DIY bar tape, or something in between.

  • Soma Wolverine
  • Soma Wolverine
  • Frame/Fork: Soma Wolverine (50cm)
  • Rims: WTB KOM Tough i25
  • Hubs: SON 28 (front) / DT Swiss 350 (rear)
  • Tires: Rene Herse Umtanum Ridge (front) / Juniper Ridge (rear)
  • Handlebars: Nitto B814 25.4
  • Headset: Cane Creek
  • Crankset: SRAM Rival 1 with a 38T Wolf Tooth chainring
  • Pedals: Shimano PD-EH500
  • Cassette: SunRace MS8
  • Derailleur(s): SRAM Rival
  • Brakes: Shimano Deore Hydraulic
  • Shifter(s): SRAM SL700
  • Saddle: Specialized Mimic
  • Seatpost: Salsa
  • Stem: Salsa
  • Front bags: Ortlieb Gravel Panniers
  • Frame bags: Custom Rockgeist 
  • Rear bags: Mountain Laurel Ultra X100 Dry Bag
  • Accessory bags: Two Revelate Designs Mountain Feedbags
  • Racks: Specialized front Pizza rack, Axiom Streamliner rear rack
  • Other accessories: Ergon GC1 BioKork Grips, Sinewave Reactor, B&M IQ-X front light
Soma Wolverine
  • Soma Wolverine
  • Soma Wolverine

These days, the Wolverine feels like an extension of me. It’s slowly beefed up over time to take on more off-road and singletrack trails. I recently trekked across Washington on mainly dirt and gravel roads and still use it as my around-town errand bike. This bike is a tank, and I love it! 

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