Rim Material: 6061 T6 Alloy
Rim Depth: 32mm
Rim Width:23mm
Bearings; Stainless steel, sealed.
Weight: 1550g without skewers
Spoke Count: 18/24
Tyres used: Continental Grand Prix Classic 4000. 25mm
In my research for the perfect all-rounder wheelset I had pinpointed the most likely contenders as being those with characteristics much like those displayed by this wheelset.
The required properties: low weight for climbing, moderately aero for descending but not so as to reduce speed of acceleration, alloy rims for braking in all conditions, and strength for power transfer. I'd also been keen to try out the hotly touted trend amongst the pros of using wider rims and to run 25mm tyres on them. This setup seemed ideal for the type of riding I do most: long, hilly rides in groups on variable road surfaces and in tropical weather.
I'd have to say that none of the price tags I came across were particularly alarming. This is not an expensive setup. Even the Zipp 101s were reasonable. The Rol Race SL seemed the most likely option for a while, until I came across these wheels on the recommendation of a friend. The big attraction here was of course....location: they're produced by a local company in Singapore. The specs however were exactly what I was looking for.
Soul is the brainchild of Sean Wai, originating from the Malaysian capital city but now firmly resident in Singapore. Sean is a trained architect, but has followed his passion and skill for making things into building wheels, then frames. More recently he has created the company MoVas as an outlet for his passion for building watches, with a few classic mechanical designs as well as some really daring creations on the menu.
The hubs and rims are a Soul proprietary design and, though these are manufactured in Taiwan, the wheels are assembled by Sean and his team in Singapore. They come complete with bags and a set of skewers that so far have held out pretty well - no mean feat really; skewers are the weak link in most wheelsets I've bought, and invariably get replaced almost immediately by a good old trusty pair of Dura Ace. I'm still using these after 1000+km.
Anyway, on to THE RIDE.
The first thing I noticed was that these are very nicely free-rolling; the bearings are very smooth. The rear hub freewheel has a nice sound to it. Not a look-at-me Zipp-like sound, but somewhere between a Chris King buzz and a Campagnolo whirr.
It would be hard to give a truly fair comparison to the feel of other wheels since I'm running 25mm tyres at 100psi on these as opposed to 23mm at 120psi on the others. The difference of the tyres and pressure is very noticeable in the smoothness of the roll, and rougher surfaces no longer create quite the same bone-jarring effect, so from a feel point of view I'm sold on the 25s. One small issue is that the clearance to the fork crown and frame on my test bike is now pretty tight, so the smallest amount of grit or sand on the tyres create an audible scraping. It's not really a problem though, and on a frame with less of a race-geometry would not be an issue at all.
They look pretty mean from the side. I opted for the grey decals which give a more subtle, stealth effect, and the otherwise completely black components have a nicely understated aesthetic.
In the hills they feel very strong on the upward trajectories, and very quick to respond with a nice secure feel on the out-of-saddle surges. The feeling of having a few extra millimeters of contact with the road is very reassuring, and this of course is best felt on the downhills. This is probably their greatest strength: super-stability on technical descents.
They really plummet very well, with a great stiffness in the corners, and excellent braking facility. The extra contact with the road is very intoxicating, though it will take me a while to really develop the feel and confidence to push these babies to their max....but then I might have trouble going back to 23s!
Having now done some seriously long riding with a couple of sections in heavy rain, and some very wet descents (which felt about as secure as they ever will), I can't see myself riding anything else in these sort of conditions. They really do all I expected them to.
Just up and running is the wheelset comparison in my long-awaited Wheelset Road Test. I'm sure these will fare well with the numbers, though they may not win all categories. But bearing in mind I have some pretty good wheels already in my collection, the fact that these have overhauled the others for all the most technically challenging riding I do speaks volumes.
Road Test - Wheels
Wide rims are the way to go! Improved my descending no end - very sure-footed and comfortable
ReplyDeletethey have a very strict weight limit and water will seep in through the spoke holes when washing the wheels, but other than that, not a bad pair.
ReplyDeletehubs are a breeze to open and service on your own, spokes are widely available anywhere, standard nipple sizes so you can true the wheel yourself.
Thanks for the additional points Leo. Very useful info. I must check with Sean what weight max these will take.
DeleteThese wheels state a max rider weight of 95kg which is actually pretty heavy - I've seen similar wheels with an 85kg limit. I'd say that if you're above 80kg you should consider a 28-spoke rear wheel. Sean says that if in doubt you can even go for a 32-spoke hand-built. I'd considered a 28 for strength but there's a weight penalty, and I'm glad I went for this option now.
DeleteNice review. I have wanted to go 25mm for a while, still have way too many 23 tires lying around, will now likely buy some 25 clinchers.
ReplyDeleteI assume these wheels are similar to Campagnolo Zondas in weight and ridability and feel. A riding friend in Auckland purchased some secondhand Soul Wheels and loves them, and told me to keep and eye out when in Malaysia. I tried the 25 on the Continental Attack/ Force tyre set and the 25 only lasted 3000km on Kiwi roads... where GP4000S do a lot more distance.. ..in short avoid Continental Force Tyres.. don't last. Blatman Sole
ReplyDeleteGood old Dura Ace hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes and Mavic Open Pros build by a competent fella would beat these easily
ReplyDeleteFor what? Feel? Weight? Durability? Reliability? Price? Bling? Snob value?
DeleteI agree with what felix what have to say and I understand where he is going but to answer you it too can varies a lot in custom lacing wheelset.
DeleteBling & Snob Value : It's zero . It's going to be the most unattractive wheel in a club ride . Unless if it's CF rims by the many big brands
Price: It can vary on your specification. With DA hubs or Chirs King Hubs it's going to push your prices slightly higher. For me I'm using DA Hubs due to it's serviceability with any LBS . It can be slightly more expensive than stock wheelset but yet it still can be cheaper as well.
Weight: Depending on specification . But Ever since I've did custom .. right now I'm just f**k the weight .
Feel, durability/reliability: It really depends on how experienced is the person building your rims. You can ask them to adjust how tight you want your rims to be or how much to flex under pressure . And durability wow .... build your rims/spoke according to your weight you will never go out of true even hitting potholes !
In conclusion it really depends on what you want. For me I'm a 95kgs (body weight) cyclist and I've broke spokes to even wheelset such as Fulcrum Racing 3 . Gave up on big brands went on simple lacing F28H, R32H with DA Hubs, DT Comp spokes , Brass Nipples, Mavic Open Pro and Vittoria Open Corsa Tires. And yes my tires are heavy 1.1 kgs at rear and 700g on the frong but they feel even better than many wheels that I have. I've laced the rear wheel tighter so when I decide to sprint I can physically feel no wasted energy transfer from the Pedal to the rear wheel .
My current project is a 25mm wide wheels by Kinlin which I believe it's the same by Soul with 32mm depth. And will be thinking of 28 spokes due to higher depth on the rims comparing to Mavic Open pro. Haven't got my hubs yet but can't wait to try it out.