Strengths: Thanks to the belt drive the bike is quiet and stays clean.
The brakes work well even when wet.
Then internal hub is sealed well and again stays clean.
The rubber top tube bumper is great.
The Rainy Day Gray Color is beautiful.
Weaknesses: If you get a flat on the road you are somewhere between terribly put out, and screwed. The lack of ability to repair a flat on the side of the road is almost a deal breaker as much as I love the bike.
Bottom Line:
The bike is as quiet as a church mouse. Elegant lines. The rubber bumpers on the top tube are a huge plus, and attractive. The Gates Carbon Belt stays tight, and does not attract dirt the way a chain does. The Shimano Nexus internal 8 speed hub is wonderful and provides a wide range of gears even in hilly areas around town. The only complaint I have is repairing a flat, especially in the rear is a major pain and not something to do on the side of the road.
Strengths: All major mechanisms enclosed. Hub gear, roller brakes. No difference in braking performance in pouring rain. The ability to come to a rapid halt, then select a gear suitable to set off again in is great for traffic situations. Quite comfortable for a 2 hour longer ride as well. Comes with substantial mudguards. Attachment points for pannier rack.
Weaknesses: None so far. Assumption is that will require very little maintenance because of enclosed components. Real test will be level of reliability through British Winter.
I doubt I will be using the coffee cup much.
Bottom Line:
Price was £450, not $. List price £700 GBP. Got the 2009 Soho S with carbon fibre belt drive via cyclescheme, hence price difference. Main purpose is daily 8.5 mile round trip commute to work.
Initial impression very positive, gear shift positive, brakes effective, very little noise, belt drive much quieter than a chain, effortless steering. Sufficient gear ratios for all road situations. Durham (UK) is moderately hilly, and bike is fine for sustained climbs. 1st gear low enough for any hill, 8th quite high enough. Very much prefers a good quality road surface, though it's easy to zip around potholes, raised ironwork etc.
Hopefully a reliable commuting machine with no chain to accumulate vast amounts of muck. Cleaning a chain outside in winter is no joke.
Perhaps not so good for off road use, though should cope with cycle paths OK.
Strengths: It's a sturdy workhorse. The rubber top-tube insert is a nice touch for leaning the bike against posts, etc. The internal hub is definitely the way to go if you don't have a lot of hills to contend with.
Weaknesses: Not a good value. For an around-town errand bike, it's stripped down - no lights, or internal light wiring, no racks, no stock fenders, no kickstand. I added all of these to make it a totally functional around town bike,day or night, and it added hundreds of dollars to the bottom line. The coffee mug that comes with the bike is completely silly. Bianchi and Specialized offer complete setups for less money.
The front disk brake needs constant adjustment.
Bottom Line:
Bought the Soho 4 for an around town commuter & errand bike. I thought for a relatively flat area I would not need the gearing of a triple crank and the mess of a deraileur, so I went with the internal hub. It's heavy, but when the panniers are filled with 20 lbs. of groceries, who cares? Great bike for around town. Very comfortable.
In previous years the product description said flip flop hub, this year it doesn't but I keep reading that it does but does not come with the cog on the fixed side, Does anyone hav Read More »
I am considering completing a century ride in the near future and am interested in your thoughts on riding my Trek Soho "commuter" bike. It is a belt drive, flat bar, internal 8 sp Read More »
So I am thinking of getting something to ride around the city streets of Chicago and have two options that I am considering. Here are my pros and cons...
Trek Soho S - $420
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had the wheels on my trek soho 1.0 2008 stolen yesterday
i've decided that it's a lot funnier than it is upsetting
but it's quite annoying because i don't really have a bike Read More »
I bought a used Trek Soho S that I've been using as a fixie for the past months. I've decided to install a rear brake in conjunction with my front one. I bought the cable and housi Read More »
