Work have finally sorted the Cycle 2 Work thing, so looking to get a Soul built up. Its got to be under a grand, so can you help me spec it up?!

After the year’s out, I’ll transfer bits over from my other bike – so I was thinking rigid forks and taking a hit on finishing kit. I’d like to get some decent brakes.

What do you recommend?

Not a specific recomendation, but you could spec it as cheap as poss, then work in as much good stuff as you can, and sell cheap stuff on ebay while new – even ask shop for packaging.

Not sure how you are going to do this!
Minimum on wheels is likely to be £100,cheap bars,stem and post £60,tyres min £40,tubes £6,headset £30,saddle min £25,would imagine rigid forks would be £100,which leaves just £169 left to buy a full groupset……

Will your BTW supplier supply a custom build?

Think you might have to ask a friendly LBS to get creative with the invoice…….;)

Isn’t going to be easy.

Something like a Genesis Altitude might be a better bet?

LBS will do a custom build – need to speak to them see what they can do, but thought I’d price it up first. Maybe I’ll have to singlespeed it – heaven forbid!!

The genesis altitude was one of the other options I was considering. I’d really like the 853 frame, but this doesn’t come in until after £1000. Whats the 520 frame like?

My mate reckons his ss Genesis is better than his Soul.

singlespeed and buy gears seperatley or get them to forget the wheels (or something) and pay seperatley. all depends on how ‘rigidly’ you need to stick to the scheme

I’ve got a 520 Genesis frame and it’s lovely, can’t comment on how it compares to the 853 Altitude or the Soul…

With Shimano prices so high, buying the bike built as a Singlespeed will help a lot in trying to hit the magic £1K mark. Your next big problem is forks. Rigid forks a must at that price point I should have thought, sus forks really expensive at the moment.

As a shortarse, I was worried about the length of the Soul (although other short people ride them happily). I went for the Genesis Altitude 20 (853 tubing)- 900 notes in Alpine Bikes in Edinburgh about a month ago. It’s fab!

and I was truggling to get the Soul to come in close to 1000 pounds, too.

The plan would be to use the Soul to replace my 456 (I prefer the soul, end of debate) – the other bits would be used for my ageing commuter, so rigid forks would be fine, I’ll me putting my 130AM Menja’s on the new frame.

So, do I try to hit the magic £1k or just go for the Altitude 30?

speak to your bike shop (perhaps with a bride in hand) see what there suggestion is. 🙂

keep the 456 forget the soul and buy something else 🙂

Can give another vote for the Genesis Altitude… It’s a top bike!

I’ve not ridden a Soul though, but know a few people that have ridden both and the consensus was that they actually preffered the Genesis!

Mine’s the 853 version, but I don’t think you’d be significantly losing out by going for the 520 version, probably just gain a bit of weight (1/4lb or so I should imagine). Though shop around, see what you can find, might be able to get an Altitude 20 with the 853 frame for under a grand if you’re lucky…

get it through crc and spec top line bits with the cheapest frame they do as a proxy, and try and source a cheap second hand soul frame

it work for my mate, he got full (pre price rise) xtr, revs, easton, and hope wheels.

We’ve looked into doing a C2W special on the Soul, and I have to say you’re only option is going to be SS and rigid. Go for something cheap but good on the brakes like the Magura Julies, go for a convertor kit on 9spd Shimano hubbed wheels, should be doable. Not sure how your budget will support this, but the most effective solution we’ve seen from a few people is getting sommething from a big brand with decent kit on the scheme and buying the Soul frame and swapping over, selling the other frame. You’ll not come out too far down in cash term compared to doing the Soul SS route all under the scheme and you’ll get a proper bikes-worth of kit on the scheme.

Try phoning Merlin (www.merlincycles) and see if they would do a deore build for that

I think a deore merlin malt 1 is under 700 with bouncy forks.

A few years back a deore build with forks was about 450. So it may be possible with rigid forks…

get the lbs to order in a £40 “bike shaped object” and a soul frame, probably leaves £500 for a few other new bits.

Cy – I already have a bike ready to transplant its gut and rims onto a Soul – I just need the frame through the scheme.

Maybe I should just sell all the other unused parts, the 456 frame and buy a Soul cash?

Any chance of a deal on the outgoing custard model, medium?

Has anybody ridden the Kinesis Virsa Prestige – a very nice looking bike.

Apparently they do complete builds so it would be good to know how much these are!

Mrs_mw tried to get a soul for under a grand. Bike shop said they could do some sort of creative invoice, as she already has decent wheels, but they just couldn’t near enough for her (she really wanted a decent, lightweight fork).So she bought an Altitude 20 (kind of forgetting the lightweight fork), with the shop taking a £76 deposit, then taking the cyclescheme voucher for the other £1000.

“sus forks really expensive at the moment. “

I noticed that too – was fancying some Revelations but they seem to be double the price they were last year !

just get a frame and forks on the scheme, it worked for a mate. He spent £900 on a frame and forks and transplanted bits of another bike on the c2w scheme.

Why not just buy a bike with similar spec? Then E-bay the frame (and any other bits that won’t ship over) and that money goes towards the Soul frame. I did this and built my Soul for about £1100

end of year Trek 8000 = £800
Soul frame = 400

That’s £1200 then I got over £100 for the “as new’ Trek frame on E-bay.

Strange that you prefer the Soul to the on-one. I’m considering moving my Soul on and going back to an Inbred. Maybe I’m just Inbred shaped (many will agree)

TBH, I’ve no idea what I’m going to do now. Seems like a lot of hassle for a similar ride.

May just go for something completely different and get a racey hardtail or a roadrat/similar for commuting.

Roadrats are cool…TBH I would agree if you have an on-one already I don’t think the soul will be that different.

I an thinking of a raodrat or maybe a boardman team carbon (darkside £999)

Ok, so I’ve got a 456 built up nice – happy with that; a Ribble raod bike – happy with for the level/amount I do; and an Orange Gringo built for commuting/pub visits.

What bike do I need in my collection?

Second Trustyrusty’s advice.

I got a bike from Merlin (when they were full XT) specced up to Revs. Got a sale Handjob frame separately and it cost roughly £700 (including tax benefit) once I’d sold the Rock Lobster frame.

yay buying for the sake of it just cos work does vouchers 😉

So Cy are you going to be doing a Soul C2W special? I’m just trying to talk work into offering the scheme and wanted to get a hardtail. I’d be happy with rigid forks + ss and use it for commuting. If I want to off-road it I’d chuck my Pikes on.

Paging Cy – I’d be very interested. I’m hoping 18bikes will do one for me, but surely a cotic ‘built at source’ one would be cheaper/better parts for same money?

Failing that – do I get a roadrat, Genesis IO and suffer with no rack eyes or just go for the IOID?

I realise the options are different, but this is where I’m at!