brian416

It finally arrived!!! The frame was very well packed and the cardboard box was doubley thick cardboard.

It's built up with full 7800, Easton seatpost, Toupe , ITM stem, Specialized bars, Jagwire cabling, and Ksyrium wheels.

The welds and finishing on the frame are great, it is very well made, it came with all the necessary bearings, bolts, etc to finish. There's even a soul topcap for the steerer and the steerer bearing cover has the soul name on it also.

I don't have a super nice bike weighing scale, so I weighed it on my bathroom scale; with Ksyriums, uncut steerer, computer and no pedals, I got 16.6 pounds

Beautiful paint job on the fork


Size 3 frame


My cat was helping inspect the frame upon arrival


Ordered the FSA crankset, like a specialized BB30 crank, it was quite easy to install.


I had nearly all the parts needed to complete the bike, its amazing how fast parts accumulate in the garage. picked up a used derailler off ebay, handlebars, cables and chain were the only things that we didn't have here at the house to finish it off


And she's nearly complete, just need to bring it to the LBS to have the steerer cut. I threw on my Neuvations to see what it'll look like on race day The lighting inside wasn't too good for pictures, but here she is



Unfortunately, it will probably be another month or more before I get a chance to ride it outside, since it is still winter here.

X-LinkedRider

Wow, beautiful job. Looks great with the Nueva's.. It will look even better after the steerer is cut. Nice bike man.

mzeffex 

Very nice! I also have always wanted one of those Toupes with the champion colors.

AngryScientist 

looks great. nice work.

rollin

Looks solid, very nice.

asmallsol

you forgot pedals.

PartyPat

because the OP likes black and white?

Tunnelrat81

I personally love the colors and design of this bike. Did you get it through the group buy? If I'd had a need for a new frame, I'd have been VERY tempted to go with this one. It may be a while before Soul is a common bike to see on the road, but in the mean time I think this frame set already looks better than some of the big name cheapo carbon fiber options out there that STILL aren't in the pricerange that Sean makes/sells these for.

I'm very interested in getting a ride report when you do get a chance to put some miles on it. My next frame, if can't yet afford my dream high end titanium, will probably be either a Caad 9 or a Faith, since not many companies still make good Aluminum frames that look this good. =)

-Jeremy

Yaniel

not my bike, but i think it gives it a nice contrast


OP, love the bike. what size is it?

ahmose

cool bike, congrats. Are that world champion stripes saddle ?

Nachoman

Very nice looking ride.

Munk69

Sweet looking ride!

roy5000x2

How was installing the bearings and crank for BB30 on the frame?

mitty2328

Awesome looking ride. SWEET!

PurpleFender

Holy cow! I'm on the group buy for this and I have to say it looks great in these pics! Mine's waiting for me at the post office, which is where I'll be tomorrow bright & early! The fork was the one that came in the group buy, for those asking.

Awesome job, and the weight is great! Mine will be built up with:
Fizik Arione(white & red from the CC cheapy day)
3T Rotundo pro bars
3T ARX pro stem
2009 SRAM Rival groupset(brifters, brakes, rd,fd)
FSA gossamer bb30
sram 1070 chain
Yokozuna Reaction cables
ec70 seatpost
ea70 wheelset
fizik microtex ( white)
bonty carbon cages
look keo sprint(red)

If I can get all my parts together (waiting on cables) then I'll post a ride first ride on here, hopefully 1/30 after 44 mile group ride.

I'm all excited to get to build a bike again!!! Wee!

brian416

I'm not sure on the saddle, it originally came on a 2007 Tarmac, its an a$$hatchet, but its light.

Size 3, 545mm virtual top tube

Thats the way Sean designed the bike, It looks awesome in person, the red inside of the fork matches the red accents on the frame really well. The white part of the fork matches the bar tape well.

Very easy, I didn't use a headset press though I just added some grease to the BB and they slid in halfway before getting too tight, I then used the Standard threaded adapter to punch them in the rest of the way with a rubber mallet. They slid in perfectly straight and it saved having to bring it to the LBS to have the bearings installed.

That sounds like its going to be a sweet build, I can't wait to see yours and everyone elses who ordered these frames.

Yep, got it through the group buy, even at the normal price on their website, IMO, the frame is still an awesome deal. It'll probably be a while before I can get a ride report due to winter here, but just comparing it to my SL2, the bottom bracket feels just as stiff as my tarmac. There is just a tad more flex in the front end which I expected since it doesn't have a tapered steerer tube, but its still quite stiff.

thirdgenbird

man i want one of these...

blamire

that is one sexy bike

availpunk9

I like the frame and the solid build, but the fork.... Color choice is not my cup of tea.

deltasierra

Clean build, nice.

I'm surprised how much a size 3 looks traditional. I thought these were supposed to be much more compact with much more obvious TT slope.

4cmd3

Is that you Cadel?

mike868y

Looks awesome. I like the white fork. Pretty light weight too. Almost wish I could have considered this a little more seriously as a race bike for next year...

ridethecliche

Sean did a really really really good job with the frame. Looks awesome.

Great build on your part.

Also, that's either a tiny frame or a gigantic cat...

guadzilla

Sorry for a shameless plug, but if anyone is interested in a size 4 (56cm ETT) frame, please PM me.

V.

Staarkhand

Looks good, except the saddle doesn't do it for me. Manages the trifecta of not matching the bike, being a minor faux pas (correct me if you are actually a world champ), and (this one actually matters) being, in your words, an asshatchet.

Are you sure you can't find an equally light saddle that you don't apparently hate?