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Really enjoy riding my soul and thinking about upgrading to the MK 3 so that I can use a dropper post. It's got me thinking - would I be better off looking at a 29er - that would obviously mean new wheels and forks which will get expensive quickly. I've never tried a 29er but it looks like everybody that has made the switch is raving about the benefits.
So - stick with the soul or look to move with the times and get a 29er? Riding is mainly singletrack type stuff in and around surrey hills.
Depends on your local riding I'd say. I own a Mk2 Soul and have tried a Solaris and they're both great bikes but have different strengths. Try to get a demo on a 29er if you can, it's much easier to feel the differences than to explain them!
I've got a 29er HT and my riding buddy has a Soul. He loves it but does feel a little left out on the climbs when I seem to climb easier than him and we're roughly equivalent in terms of fitness. However I do look upon his Soul with slightly Jealous eye's too, it's a lovely bike, and he's no slower everywhere else, just on the climbs so its not exactly a big problem. I would suggest that going to a 29er isn't necessarily an excuse in on its own to sell a perfectly good and desirable bike. But I guess if you're looking then it might be worth checking out the Solaris. Try to get a good test ride first though.
Both? 🙂
Go and talk to Howard in Pedal and Spoke in Peaslake. He's about to become a dealer and is going to get Solaris and Rocket demo bikes in.
get a dropper post that fits your frame?
(you can get decent 27.2 posts for about £70 now)
i've just jumped on the 29er bandwagon, they're different, but they're not magic.
29er. I have a Soul too, I don't ride it any more. I'm local if you want to try my medium Swift. (It's SS rigid tho).
Solaris well worth a go I would think too. Niner MCR/SIR is nice too, a little smoother, a lot more expensive. Cycleworks Leatherhead have 1 for demo.
Pedal and Spoke for a test ride is a good shout - any idea when they will have the demo bikes in ?
I've been riding a Mk2 Soul with a 27.2 dropper post since I bought the frame almost two years ago. But I'd be curious to demo a Solaris in my size (I think I can predict its behaviour based on my BMX vs MTB experiences) just for fun! I seem to climb quicker than slower riders on 29ers but slower than quicker riders whatever their nominal wheel size. Maybe that's because my tyres are so big it's almost a 650b... 😉
New Soul. I had a 29er then I got a second hand mk1 Soul. I then never rode my 29er and have now sold it.
Oh and my Soul has a gravity dropper post on it in 27.2, so actually my advice is "just buy a gravity dropper" 🙂
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[url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2013-TMARS-Remote-Adjustable-Seat-Post-31-6X425mm-27-2X425mm-/251194024778?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item3a7c54a34a ]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2013-TMARS-Remote-Adjustable-Seat-Post-31-6X425mm-27-2X425mm-/251194024778?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item3a7c54a34a[/url]
Singletrack World Shocker - people who've recently invested a tonne of cash in their bandwagon 29'ers harping on about how good they are.
Ignore the hype - go with what feels best for your riding style. If you like to pop down the shops and put your shopping in a wicker basket get the 29'er 😉