Trek Soho S Has Landed
- 12 Comment
The long awaited arrival of my perpetually back ordered Trek Soho S bicycle finally concluded today. Below are some pics. Since today was a work day for me, I only had a few minutes to ride it this afternoon after picking it up at the
Carrollwood Bike Emporium this morning.
It was totally worth the 3 months that I waited for it, not to mention the fact that because I paid for it back in June, I was able to get the 2008 price for the 2009 model, which saved me about $100. KC and I will be hitting Tampa’s
Bayshore Blvd later this evening. I’m stoked.
The matte black finish and black details give it a totally stealth appearance, which I like since it likely won’t catch the eye of would-be bike jackers and thieves.
Riding a single speed bike is sort of like getting out of a car with a manual transmission and driving something with an automatic transmission. You have the tendency to want to shift gears, but quickly realize that not only is it unnecessary, but simply isn’t an option. This bike is definitely fast and surprisingly nimble for its 20″ frame size. The lack of shifting components keeps the weight on this bike down quite a bit. Trek says the bike weighs about 20 lbs, but it feels like slightly less than that to me, although I haven’t gone so far as to put it on a scale yet.
Aside from the bottle cage, the only customization I had done to this bike was a change to these
Bontrager handlebars, which provide slightly wider grip placement and a clever spot to run a U lock through. These are the same bars that came stock on last year’s model of the Trek Soho (the next model up from the Soho S under
Trek’s Urban bike lineup).
Ride Safe.
12 Comments on this post
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James said:
Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:04 am -
Jason Cyr said:
Thanks James for the info. That is interesting that I’m showing up in a few new directories these days. I started this blog back in January of 2008. It is interesting as a blogger how the work that one puts into SEO and syndication begins to truly bear its fruit months after the effort had been made.
Sort of like farming in a way…you plant a seed, nurture it with compelling (and sometimes not so compelling) content and eventually it blossoms.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:22 am -
beau said:
Hey man what’s the consensus on the Soho? I was thinking about picking one up! Any words of wisdom would be cool. Thx -b
May 14th, 2009 at 9:30 pm -
Jcyreus said:
It is an excellent ride for the money. I live very close to downtown Tampa which is mostly flat (except for the bridges over the river) and can have a few rough spots in the road. The bike is built tough and fast for a single speed. I’ve seen some interesting single speeds made by Specialized and a pretty kewl one by Red Line. I would check those out before you buy. Also, if you have an SE dealer nearby, check out their single speeds as well for the sake of comparison. Good luck. Let me know what you end up with! -jc
May 14th, 2009 at 9:57 pm -
Michel said:
Hi Jcyreus,
I want to try single speed in Paris (France). My short list before buying is:
. Trek Soho S
. Specialzed Langster NY
. Schwinn CutterAfter almost one year using your Soho S, what is your feedback’s experience ?
What are the cons / pro and the advantages with the other bikes ?
MM
September 6th, 2009 at 1:55 am -
Jason Cyr said:
I thought the Soho S was a great bike. Lots of fun and totally durable. I ended up selling it a few months back when I opened my own bike shop (check out citybiketampa.com). I am now a dealer of Kona, Civia, Eastern, KHS and very soon Jamis. What I have found is that the MTB style handlebars on the Soho S don’t really offer the options for comfort that traditional drop handlebars do. Perhaps that is just a personal preference.
Something that you might want to take a look at is the Kona Paddy Wagon or maybe the Sputnik or Beatnik from Jamis. OF course, these suggestions might be biased, but I feel like the Paddy Wagon is slightly faster and more agile than the Soho S. The Soho S is also about $200 (USD) less expensive.
Good luck. Let me know what you decide on. IMHO, single speed (fixed or fw) in flat or urban terrain is definitely the way to go.
September 8th, 2009 at 8:30 am -
Michel said:
Jason,
Your feedback is very valuable for me.
I’ll let you know what I decide on.
September 8th, 2009 at 8:54 am -
Michel said:
Hi Jason,
It’s done, I’ve got my new Soho S. Very light, fast, and an amazing look .
Thanks a lot for your advice.Cheers
September 19th, 2009 at 10:48 am -
Jason Cyr said:
You made a good choice…although a Jamis Beatnik (http://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/road/fixies/09_beatnik.html) or a Kona Paddy Wagon (http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=paddywagon) might have made good alternatives.
Once you get used to the ride, try adding a 16T fixed cog to the alternate side of the rear hub (don’t forget the lock ring) and giving the fixie experience a try. Let me know how that goes.
Happy riding!
September 20th, 2009 at 11:48 am -
Michel said:
Hi Jason,
I plan do so. One reason of my choice is the possibility to try fixed gear with the Soho S. It is delivred with a 17T fixed (flip / flop).
I’ll let you know.
Cheers !
September 20th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
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