Calling all soul owners. Hows the sizing on them? I'm 5'8 and I currently ride a 16" 456 which fits perfect. Used to ride a 17" rockhopper which was also fine. Can anyone give me a rough standover height and advice on what size you ride.
Cant decide between the small or medium.
Thanks
I would say you're borderline small/medium? I'm 6ft and ride a medium and it's more than big enough for me. I could even ride something smaller than a medium to be honest.
5' 10" and ride a medium. No idea of the stand over height sorry - if I can get past the pile of kit blocking the garage I might be able to measure it later.
I think you should go medium.
I'm 5'9", 31" inside leg and loads of standover
I wish it was a tiny bit longer in the TT, but then I could fix that by running the forks at 120mm instead of 140mm and putting an 80mm stem on there instead of a 70mm
.
seat should be a bit higher than in the pic below
[img] 
[/img]
16" 456 TT length is 23"
16" Soul TT length is 22.75"
17.5" Soul TT length is 23.25"
So do you want 6mm more in the TT, or 6mm less?
Personally, I'd size down and if it feels a bit short, run a slightly longer stem. The 456 is designed for pretty short stems (say 50-70mm), the Soul designed for stems approx 70-90mm long.
Soul designed for stems approx 70-90mm long
I would say that the above statement rather depends on your riding style/preference; not sure that any bike is really designed with a stem length in mind but I'm happy to be proven wrong. Either way, I'd not have anything longer than a 50mm stem on mine.
Think I run a 90mm stem on mine but I prefer longer stems and to have more weight on the front wheel as I'm XC orientated. Paul @ Cotic prefers the smaller frame. If you're Stratford / Warwick area you can have a go on mine. Email in profile.
Ask Cy. He advised me on my setup and all was ok. 5'11'' and riding a medium
Ask Cy - he knows about these things you know!
I'm 5'9 and a crucial little bit, ride a mdeium with a90mm stem, always felt fine for me
Thanks for the advice so far guys. Might have a trip up to 18 bikes at the weekend and see whats what.
How do I disguise a trip to hope from the mrs?
I would say that the above statement rather depends on your riding style/preference; not sure that any bike is really designed with a stem length in mind but I'm happy to be proven wrong. Either way, I'd not have anything longer than a 50mm stem on mine.
Well I got it slightly wrong, according to the sizing info on both sites, the 456 is designed for a 60-80mm stem, and the Soul a 60-100mm stem. My small BFe will be graced with a 60mm stem (I'm 5ft11) but then it will be used for different things to my other bikes. I would ride a Medium Soul with a 90mm stem for XC work by comparison.
Anyway, whilst I agree that I doubt any frame is designed with a particular stem length in mind, I would argue that stem length recommendations are highly valid to preserve the intended handling traits that the manufacturer designed the frame to posses. You could quite feasibly ride a World Cup DH bike down the road with a 150mm length stem, and the saddle at full XC pedalling height, but would it be any good when you got it onto the trails it was designed for?
Got my Soul last week
[img] 
[/img]
I'm 5'7" and was coming from a medium SC Chameleon.
I spoke to Paul at Cotic who suggested I go small with a 70mm stem.It feels just right for me.