I'm looking for steel hardtail and can't decide whether to go for the 456 or soul.

I'm looking to use the parts from my Hifi to build the bike up; forks, wheels, groupset etc i just don't know which one to go for

i ride mainly leith hill swinley bedgebury and thetford with visits to the lakes as often as i can

If anyone has pictures they can post that would be great
Also one last thing I'm 6'1 do i get M (18") or a L (20")

I have a Cotic Simple and wanted a Soul but over £300 differance between the two was a bit of a no brainer, So I got a 456 with no regrets what so ever.

Yes I would like a soul but I am not unhappy with the 456

ragley blue pig? inbetween the two

I'd go 20" for the 456

I'm 6'1", after three years on an 18" 456 I bought a 20" and wished that's the size I'd had all along.

I have a medium soul (I'm just shy of 6'). I'd say the large would be better for you as although the medium is fine for me it does feel kind of on the limit size wise (with a 90mm stem and layback stem).

As for 456 or Soul it really depends on whether you think its worth spending significantly more to have a lighter, better finished bike. I've never ridden a On-One so I really couldn't say.

FWIW I am very happy with my Soul.

i've had a 456 and a summer and though i couldn't fault them for vfm they felt a bit dead and lacking in finesse so i bought a BFe and i've no regrets

456 any day, its much cheaper so you can afford to spend more on other sparkly bits 😀

Thanks for your comments i think I'll go for a L soul. List of parts to go on rebas 120 bolt through, xtr front and rear mechs hope hubs on dtswiss 4.1 rims lx shifters hope mini brakes with floating rotors. Pictures when built

Just been out on a snowy shakedown ride on my new purple (blue…) 456. Having had a couple of Inbreds (which I did like a lot), I was surprised how great the 456 feels – no idea what it is about it – it just feels, well, right. 🙂

Medium (18") 456 btw – and I'm 5' 11" if that helps (and you've not ordered the Soul yet!). Agree wholeheartedly with bigchief96 – you've got a fair few hundred quid to spend on nice stuff if you go down the On One route – though so saying, the Souls do look very lovely. You'll have fun on whatever, of course – they're both bikes and all bikes are good.

Do you want a lightweight (for steel), lively, fun, fast handling XC machine, or do you want something that's going to be a bit more stable on the downs and more up for a bit of abuse, but with a 1.5lb weight penalty?

Both are great frames, aside from the fact you could buy 3 456 frames or the price of one Soul, you've got to think about how you're going to ride it.

EDIT: Gonetothehills, nice one on getting your 456 up and running, my 29er Inbred is 90% finished now. Just need to fit the chain, and sort the gear cable length out, then done pretty much!

Had both. The 456 really lets you let rip and gun for those tricky descents – but then so does the Soul. I'd say the Soul is more versatile in that you can build it up to do a few things (long travel hardtail or something more racey).

Both great – depends on how much you need the cash. If you'll spend it on more riding trips – get the 456. If you'll pi55 it up the wall, get the Soul.

Had both. The 456 really lets you let rip and gun for those tricky descents – but then so does the Soul. I'd say the Soul is more versatile in that you can build it up to do a few things (long travel hardtail or something more racey).

Both great – depends on how much you need the cash. If you'll spend it on more riding trips – get the 456. If you'll pi55 it up the wall, get the Soul.

Thanks MaverickBoy – I'm delighted with it! Just need a decent ride on it now – but it seems better than I thought it might be with the Rebas left at 100mm. Still think I'll have a fettle at the weekend though and see how I get on making them longer. What could possibly go wrong…? 😕

Hope you get yours built by the weekend too.

Don't overlook an Inbred. Mine rides ace at 100mm, wound out to 120mm it really comes alive on more technical stuff. Comfort wise its as good as the Soul.
I had a Soul for a while. Think I prefer the Inbred.
If your flush with cash go for the Soul, but IMO a well speced' Inbred will ride better than a financially compromised Soul build. That would be my choice.

They're both great… I don't regret getting my Soul at all, the handling's better than a 456 and the weight difference is pretty substantial, it's just plain nicer to hustle a lightweight bike. Yes it's expensive but it's 100% worth it, in my book, the only thing I'd like more is a newer model Soul.

But, I'm sure I could have been happy with a 456 as well, they're very good and stupendous bargains. And you're unlikely to regret buying one because the used prices are absurd, I've seen them sell on Ebay in a horrible state for as little as £10 less than the new price.

I would write off the standard Inbred though, it's nice with 100mm but really with anything longer than 100mm feels exactly like any other XC frame with too much fork in it. The fact that it's warrantied for it doesn't mean it's a good combination. And on top of that, the Scandal does the same job better.

A friend of mine has a soul and a p7 and reckons the p7 is more capable, I fink the 456 is more like a p7 than a soul, probably.

If Carlsberg did frames ey nick