ran out of characters there.

id like to build a relatively light steel hardtail, i wouldnt say that im a weight weenie but i just fancy something fast and spritely.

really like the look of the soul.

I would likely build with a 1 x 10 setup and a 120 fork.

as much as i like the soul i find the £500 pricetag a little hard to swallow but would also be happy to pay that if im convinced its the right move.

so what advice if any can you offer ?

also if any one has a soul built up in green id love to see a pic

Yes. Buy one.

I’d say grab a second hand Soul if you can.. there’s often one or two floating about as people upgrade to the latest model..

not green, but this (near) mint example set me back £200

bargain yunki, i would love a second hand frame, but they are never around when you want one,lol.

A steel framed hardtail is never going to be light, you need alu, carbon or Ti for that.

maybe like this

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/genesis-core-frame-and-bits-build-yourself-a-cheap-fun-hardtail

not steel but almost identical geometry to the soul and lighter!

cheers ceepers looks a bargain but the dent puts me off otherwise i would have been interested.

They are lovely to ride, I would buy another 🙂

Sanderson Life.
No idea how they compare weight-wise but mine rocks with a 120mm fork – and the frame finish is immaculate. A Breath weighs a wee bit more but is cheaper.

b r, go on, I’ll bite.

How light does a frame need to be before you can build it into a “pretty lightweight” bike?

Decent spec Soul with 120mm Rebas & 1×10 won’t exactly be heavy.

Nice bike yunki 😉

Soul would be my choice. Mine is 1×10 130mm forks. It will only be a 1lb ish more than say a scandal.

I also had a Sanderson. Really nice but very very long.

That’s a shame! The dent is pretty small actually, my lbs were sure it hadn’t affected the integrity of the frame. It looks worse cos of the paint scuffing which is from my knee pads rubbing while pedaling, the top tube is undamaged in that area. I’m selling cos I got bad advice and should b on a 16″ frame!

What size soul frame you looking for? May consider selling as I have a Soda and can’t decide which one to keep, you could help make the choice.

+1 for the Soul –

[/url] 2013-02-15 13.34.48

This medium frame weighed in at 1990g – when I originally built it up as a single speed with 120mm SID’s it weighed in at a shade over 10kg. It’s now 2 x 10 with Fox Talas 140’s so about 11.2kg. You may feel that’s light (or not). The ride quality is great in either guise.

When you say “sprightly” what is it you mean?

I have a classic soul, 120mm reba and some hope/crest wheels, USE sumo and fizik gobi, XT drivetrain (3×9) so pretty light(24lb approx) and comfy. Set up for xc duties. It does have that steel feel but if you want something that shifts quick when you crank hard maybe look at something else.

They are the lightest steel hardtail and lots of fun mind so they are great but no ultra quick race bike

853 frame. On that there’s plenty superlight bits to add, ti/mag forks plus careful wheel & tyre choice you’ll be surprised.

Edit: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/pipedream-sirius-r853-a-couple-of-months-in%5D

b r, go on, I’ll bite.

How light does a frame need to be before you can build it into a “pretty lightweight” bike?

Guy I ride with was a bit taken aback to find his ‘lightweight’ 120mm Soul weighed within a pound of a other buddys’ 150mm heavier built Dialled Alpine and BFe…

IME You’ll be pushed to build it below 26lbs c/w pedals, even a small. But picture evidence is always acceptable 🙂

IMHO the Sanderson rides better than the Cotic.

My Soul weighs about 26 lbs or just under when clean and with SPD pedals fitted. But it cost nearly £3,000 to build up so maybe not what you are after. I bought kit I liked and wanted a trail bike so I know its still not a race machine, i just like being able to climb nicely. Elixirs, SLX drivetrain, Float 120 RLC, Crest on Hope hubs, 2.25 Nobby Nics, carbon post, Alu Easton bar and stem. Its good!

cotic souls alright for racin’ (crests on pro3 hubs for the 8th place).

I should add, I now have a small size soul and it is ace! Mine is best termed a cheap build deore, Alex rims that came with the genesis, recon coil fork, answer bars and v8 flats. It’s about 29 and a 1/3 lbs with a reverb but prob would have cost half hh45 3 grand.

It climbs fine and is a joy downhill

Alternatively….. might I suggest:

Dare to be different!

I am on my second soul now and could not be happier. I would not say that it is a light build (Revs, 819s on pro 2s, Conti RB UST, XT etc) but is really nice to ride. The build quality of the frames is really good, great material, great customer service and up to date spec. The are expensive for a steel frame, but spread over the years of enjoyment you will get, it works out at good value. The resale price is also pretty good if you later decide to sell on.

A steel framed hardtail is never going to be light, you need alu, carbon or Ti for that.

They’re only ever going to be 1-2 lb heavier than alu, ti or carbon unless you spend mega money

DSC_0241 by Loco Tuning, on Flickr

Albert Classic, 853 reynolds?

The weight thing is interesting, I’m sure how much water u carry on a ride makes more difference? Does it matter that much unless you’re racing a stopwatch? (Or strava I guess!)

My soul is 28lbs with a relatively cheap and chunky build – Flows, heavy tyres, 3×9 deore and slx, recons etc, so 26lbs wouldn’t be out of the question, even without a mega budget.

The albert with pro3/crest wheels and a few other lighter bits I’m putting on now should be about 27lbs, it ‘s a large frame too with 3×9 and 150mm revs spaced to 120mm

If you’re drawn to the Soul, then buy the Soul. There’s no point settling for something that’s ‘nearly a Soul’ and saving a couple of hundred £.
If you build up a Soul yourself, it will be a pretty timeless-feeling bike. Those are always going be more satisfying.

Of course, if something takes your fancy more than the Soul, then explore that.

Lightweight steel…I dunno. I love a good steel frame but they all fall within the the old ‘Light. Cheap. Strong: Pick any two’ saying.

You’ll get a Soul and immediately begin the process of buying costly lighter parts, and eventually you’ll have a faily light bike. But even at its lightest, it’ll still be heavier than the average CF XC hardtail. Then you’ll sell the steel frame and go CF, only to realise (two years and probably thousands of pounds down the line), that what was so great about the steel frame had nothing to do with weight, and everything to do with materials.

IME You’ll be pushed to build it below 26lbs c/w pedals, even a small. But picture evidence is always acceptable

The last time you said something like this I put up these photos but you ignored them:

And that’s built strong and more gravity oriented – wide rims, big tyres, big brakes, dropper post… Its frame is a massive 0.8lbs heavier than a Ti equivalent or 1.1lbs heavier than carbon.

just for the record im not weight obsessed, it doesnt have to be mega light just “relatively light”, i know that its never going to be as light as an alli frame or carbon.

i would consider chief’s bike above to be light enough at 26lb.

The Soul my lad just built was 12.5 kg with pedals and tubes. It has Magura Thor AM 140s, SLX bouble and bash, Pro2 with EX500 rims, and Nobby Nic 2.25 snakeskins. Take off the pedals (SS Nanos) and run it tubeless, we’ll save 750g at least.

Mine, Reba 120, Arch EX on Proii evo hubs,SLX converted doule and BBG bash, Nobby Nic Snakeskins run tubeless and with a Reverb weighs 11.7kg without pedals. Light tyres and a lighter chainset would put that in and amongst the 24lb class with a standard seatpost.. Struggling to get below 26lb isn’t strictly true!

Why weigh it *without* pedals?

When do you ever ride your bike without pedals?

🙄

Because that’s the standard way of measuring bike weights.
Why?
1) Because most new decent bikes don’t come with pedals
2) Because pedals are a personal choice and vary a lot in weight.

Because pedals are a personal choice

In contrast to the rest of the bike which is chosen for you by a magical hat.

paulo6624

Still after a medium Soul frame, one careful owner (on the Steve Peat scale)?
Its orange and looks lovely and weighs about 26lbs clean, built up. May sell with fork.

Alternatively a Soda frame.

We’re talking industry standards here. Quoted weights for off the peg bikes are always without pedals. Magic hat? How about bean counter with a list of oem component costs.

Tell you what, I’ll weigh mine with all the different pedals I own and post the results, will that help?