First Look: Soul Cycles Vegas

Soul Cycles readies its entry into the full suspension All Mountain market with their new 5" bike dubbed the "Vegas".

Tempe AZ based Soul Cycles may not be a name many people are familiar with, but that all may change soon with their new push into the full suspension market.  Founded in 2002 by owner Chad Bonfiglio, Soul Cycles was established on the principle of producing small batches of high quality frames that could be had for reasonable prices.

This same principle holds true today and while Soul Cycles has made a niche delivering hardtail XC and Trail bikes, missing from the line up has been a general purpose AM full suspension offering.  That is until now.

Chad contacted me in April of 2008 while on the road heading for Moab UT and asked if I would be interested in testing a generation 1 prototype of what was to be called the “Vegas”, a 5” travel All Mountain frame which allowed several user configurable options.  Being the type of person who loves to tinker and work on all kinds of custom bikes, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to spend some time on a bike which no one had seen, let alone ridden.  Within a few weeks of getting back from Moab, I had the stealth black frame in my hands and ready to be built up.

Coming off my 2006 Transition Preston as my All Mountain, light Freeride bike, I basically made the swap of parts over to the Vegas so that the only change factor was the frame and shock itself.  For the rear suspension, Soul Cycles has spec'd the Fox RP23 as the shock of choice, but any 7.5x2.0 shock would work to preference.  For the front, Soul Cycles recommended a 130-150mm fork, I chose to go with the upper end of that spectrum and decided to keep my Marzocchi Z1 at 150mm, although after the time I have spent on the bike, I would say that 140mm would be the sweet spot for a balance between climbing and descending as the head angle gets a little slack at 150mm.

As for the frame itself, notable features are the full Easton FS tubeset, letting you know that this frame is build from some of the best materials available as well as the custom designed and CNC'd dropouts.  Also, the most notable feature is the use of Soul Cycles “One” dropout system.  This system allows you to replace, or change the dropouts to accommodate both 10mm and 12mm axle's as well as providing a universal replacement should a dropout or derailleur hanger get bent with all the other current frame offerings from Soul.

The suspension utilizes a tried and true single pivot system with the addition of a “scissor link” which connects the rear swingarm to the front triangle to improve lateral stiffness and reduce lateral stress on the shock itself.  The suspension climbs very well while utilizing the minimum amount of Pro-Pedal on the Fox RP23 shock and climbs like a “scalded ape” with the Pro-Pedal set to max.  While this frame design isn't meant to be used as a “plow” bike when coming down the descents, it does a very good job of keeping the rear wheel connected to the ground when coming through the rough stuff, but may not feel as supple as some other 5-6” bikes on the market but it gets the job done.  On drops and jumps the suspension soaks up impact with ease and by simply dropping the seat down, you'll notice that with the low, slung back geometry, it begins to take on the look of a Slope Style bike like the Transition Bottlerocket, just a little less beefy.

It will be offered in both a 26” and 29” version for those of you who are hooked on the big wheels as well as sizes to suit all riders needs.  While the prototype frame I received was anodized black, the production models will sport the same high quality paint that Soul Cycles uses on their current line up.

Overall the Vegas is slated to be a great “do it all” All Mountain rig for an affordable price (price TBD) when it enters production this spring.

Be sure to keep an eye on www.ridesoul.com for more information and here for a full review of the production model once they become available.

Check out these galleries below for more pictures of the Soul Cycles Vegas.

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