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I'm looking at buying a second hand Soul but I'm unsure about sizing. I've looked on their website and at 6 foot I am right in between a medium and large. I know that this is largely going to come down to personal preference for small frame long seatpost Vs larger frame short seatpost and on the whole I like a smaller frame but if you've had any experience of riding either and are my sort of height I'd be really interested to know. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be stockist anywhere close so I can't go and try one either. Also does anyone know if the sizing was the same for older frames as it is for the current ones? Any thoughts gratefully received.
Hi
I'm also 6 foot and ride a large with a 60mm stem. Spot on for me.
Also have a large Solaris with a 50mm stem and a large Rocket.
Spoke to Cy and he said either would do but suggested large as I was on the upper limit of a medium.
Cheers
Steve
I have a mark 2 soul, I think, non tapered forks. I'm bang on 6ft and ride a large one, ooerr Mrs. I've never ridden a medium tbf but I've never stopped and thought 'I wish this frame was smaller' iiwy I'd get the large as I think you'd regret it more if you got a medium and then thought you'd prefer a large rather than the other way around, and because I think large is the right size frame for a 6ft person.
I'm 5ft 9in and ride a Soul medium. It's just the right size - reckon if I was your height I'd be riding a large.
6'1" and wish mine was a bit bigger
Well that seems pretty unanimous - thanks for all your opinions, bit of a shame as there's a rather nice looking medium available but I'm really glad I asked as I was getting tempted! Actually it's a good thing as I can't really afford it at the moment and means I don't have to persuade myself (my wife!) that we really can and it's too good an opportunity to miss!
honourablegeorge is yours a medium or a large?
What's your current frame and how does that fit you? What length fork are you planning on the Soul?
I'm just under 6 foot and have a medium, sometimes wonder if I should have gone for the large one.
I'm 5'11" and had a large Soul, perfect size.
Chief I haven't had a xc bike since my mid 90s clockwork, which was tiny but I was shorter then too - 17.5 inch I from memory? Currently the only mtb I own is an ancient DMR trailstar which I used for dirtjumping until I moved to the BMX which is all I've really ridden for the last 7 or 8 yrs.
As for the fork not sure yet - as I'm going to buy second hand it'll be what I can get I suppose but ideally somewhere in the mid range of what the frame will take or more towards the shorter end - I'm definitely no dher!
I'm just over 6 foot and ride a large, wouldn't want anything smaller as I think that I would end up running on the seatpost limit as I used to on my chameleon (the main reason why I upgraded).
I've now just bought my second soul frame so have got a large Mk1 Soul frame available in builders tea if your interested?
6 foot 2 here and i ride a large bfe with a 70mm stem,hope that helps...
jlctom - Member
honourablegeorge is yours a medium or a large?
Large. I should say - I 'd prefer a longer reach, seat tube fine.
5'10 and a medium Bfe (same geo) perfect - that's for the 26 though not sure what if/any changes the 275 brings if you are looking at that wheelsize.
Just ask Cy / Paul they are very helpful and get asked this all the time
A smidge under 6' had a medium for three years but having bought a bigger full sus decided the Soul felt to small. I therefore bought a second hand large which is much better, sold the medium for not a massive loss.
At 5'11" I demoed a medium and it instantly felt too small. I bought a large and it's spot on with 740 bars and a 55mm stem.
large with diddly stem : done
Another for large, short stem and wide bars.
If you had asked this question 2 or 3 years ago the unanimous decision would be "go for the medium, with a 100mm stem and layback post, because you should have at least 10ft of standover and ride the smallest frame possible for the chuckablezzz lolzzzzz.
If you were looking for something small and huckable then you'd be buying the bFe anyway.
Makes a difference if you're looking at a 275 or 26.
The 26 was designed assuming rider using a lay back post. The 275 had a longer relative tt to allow inline dropper use. Not sure about mk3's 26's.
I'm 178cm and loved my 26" medium mk2 with 70mm stem and inline post. .
I'm building a medium 275 with 50mm stem.
Plus one for asking Cotic. Where in the country are you?
6ft 3ins - I had a large but rid of it as it felt too small.
Last summer I was walking back to my house, and I saw someone on a black Soul. I thought, cool bike but maybe he should have bought the bigger on ....
It was my stepson, on my old Soul, turning up for a w/e of riding!
And he is 5ft 11ins
I'm 5'10.5" and ride a medium 26 with 140mm forks, straight seatpost, 55mm stem and 711mm bars. When I was buying it back in early 2011 I was also considering a small but Cy @ Cotic said it would be too small for general riding - never even considered the large! Times have indeed changed - I love how my Soul fits me but I wouldn't want to be much taller on it. It feels like a BMX compared to my 6" full-sus (Spitfire) but like a monster truck compared to my BMX!
The 275 are longer in reach & top tube because they've been designed to be as long with 120mm forks and straight post as the 26 with 100mm forks and layback post.
This will sound very similar to all the above, but FWIW I'm bang on 6' and find the large perfect (had a Mk2 and now have a Mk3, both 26"). Even with a large I still have quite a lot of seatpost showing (old photo of the Mk2 [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/markknowles/8648422353/in/set-72157633241076367 ]here[/url]) so unless you're very short-in-leg and long-in-body I'd have thought a large would be the way to go.
Thanks very much everyone - that's all really helpful, especially the photo MrGeedy - I was a bit concerned I wouldn't have much stand over height but that shows I should be fine. Obviously it's going to feel a little different from my BMX(!) but I didn't want it to feel unwieldy as I'm not particularly big. It will definitely be a 26" as I'll be buying second hand and couldn't afford a new one, I'd probably be sticking with 26 anyway actually through old fashioned prejudice and fear of change! I will send cotic an email though, don't know why i hadn't thought of that, and vincienup , I'm in Exeter in Devon.
I would say Large, I am 5'11 and on a large, (both 26 & 27.5)
The question should be, do you like a long top tube or a short top tube? (also bear in mind how much bar drop to saddle you might have, Large has a bigger head tube length)
And not how long/short the seat post is (or showing)
As saddle height is the biggest easiest adjustment you can make compared to bar height & reach.
[img] 
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To illustrate my earlier post!
Chiefgroove, i thought you were going to post the picture from GBU at the FOD for a minute then... 😳 😉
edit - i still havent attempted that drop yet fwiw
6ft, large frame, 70mm stem, in-line post. all good. Long enough for long days out, but still feels fun like a BMX after riding my commuting bike in the week!
Chiefgroove, i thought you were going to post the picture from GBU at the FOD for a minute then...
edit - i still havent attempted that drop yet fwiw
I'm still working my way back up to riding things that size - and landing them other than on my head! 😉
Devon's quite a way from me. The Peaks are South to me!
Never mind, just thought I could have let you throw a leg over a medium...