Info on a Soulcraft Royale?

[tuscanyswe]

I have a friend who is interested in a Soulcraft Royale from around 2006, he has asked me for some info. Unfortunetly its a brand i know little useful info about.

Can somebody who has experience with these guys or perhaps someone who even had this model fill me in? id appreciate your thoughts.

What kind of steel was used for instance. I just find info the tubes were chosen custom depending on the rider.


Thanks!
B

[kingpin75s]

Sean at Soulcraft built a lot of really nice bikes.

He is from the old Salsa and is a no nonsense builder.

I do not think they provided a lot of tube info from what I remember reading once.

A couple of the local guys know him well and recommend him so I have seen a few of his bikes pass through my LBS. The shop owner and one of his friends probably have 4 between them.

Nothing not to like about a Soulcraft.

[hokoman]

I know the guy that made this short video, and he's an enthusiast and rides a soulcraft... it's an old video but worth a quick watch.

[Peter P.]

I own a Soulcraft Royale. Here's a link to my review, from another forum.



He mixes and matches tubing, so you won't find a specific tubing decal on his frames. His old web site explained something to the effect that "you don't ask the chef where his ingredients came from, do you?!".

The frame came with clearances to fit nominal 28mm tires WITH EASE. 32mm advertised tires (27mm measured) fit as well. I could post pics if anyone wants.

The only unusual thing is, Sean at Soulcraft uses an oversized seat tube and I believe there's only one manufacturer that makes a seatpost that fits without a shim-Thomson. The bike comes supplied with a beautiful Cane Creek shim that allows the use of a 27.2mm post in the frame and it works fine.

There are a lot of nice touches to the the frame. The tire clearance has already been mentioned. The seat tube relief slot faces forward so junk kicked up from the rear tire has one less place to enter the seat tube.

He supplies a neat rubber O-ring which slips over the seatpost and helps prevent water infiltration.

When I ordered the steel fork to go with the frame, I expected a unicrown fork. When I got the segmented fork instead whoa; was I impressed! Everyone who sees it thinks it's cool.

The welding is super clean; on par with the best, and Sean told me he does no clean up of the welds to get that flawless finish.

He was great to deal with, especially since I wanted a specific geometry and I know some builders would prefer to leave that up to them. The end product handles as I expected and I couldn't ask for anything more.

If you have any other questions please ask. I can't say enough good things about my frame and my experience ordering it.

[joosttx]

I have heard nothing but good things about Soulcraft. In fact, if I would get another bike that was steel I would probably get a Soulcraft. Be sure to inspect the inside since typically Sean does not have drain/vent holes on his frames and forks.

[tuscanyswe]

Thanks to all and esp Peter for the detailed description. Great info as per usual on here, u guys never fail
Yeah inside rust could be an issue on those bikes with closed tubes, good point to check for. cheers.

[John H.]

Peter,
What brakes are you using?
What tires have you tried?
By chance have you used Conti GP4000 II in 700x28mm? I know they run more like a fat and tall 32mm tire.

Originally Posted by Peter P.

I own a Soulcraft Royale. Here's a link to my review, from another forum.



He mixes and matches tubing, so you won't find a specific tubing decal on his frames. His old web site explained something to the effect that "you don't ask the chef where his ingredients came from, do you?!".

The frame came with clearances to fit nominal 28mm tires WITH EASE. 32mm advertised tires (27mm measured) fit as well. I could post pics if anyone wants.

The only unusual thing is, Sean at Soulcraft uses an oversized seat tube and I believe there's only one manufacturer that makes a seatpost that fits without a shim-Thomson. The bike comes supplied with a beautiful Cane Creek shim that allows the use of a 27.2mm post in the frame and it works fine.

There are a lot of nice touches to the the frame. The tire clearance has already been mentioned. The seat tube relief slot faces forward so junk kicked up from the rear tire has one less place to enter the seat tube.

He supplies a neat rubber O-ring which slips over the seatpost and helps prevent water infiltration.

When I ordered the steel fork to go with the frame, I expected a unicrown fork. When I got the segmented fork instead whoa; was I impressed! Everyone who sees it thinks it's cool.

The welding is super clean; on par with the best, and Sean told me he does no clean up of the welds to get that flawless finish.

He was great to deal with, especially since I wanted a specific geometry and I know some builders would prefer to leave that up to them. The end product handles as I expected and I couldn't ask for anything more.

If you have any other questions please ask. I can't say enough good things about my frame and my experience ordering it.

[Peter P.]

Go ahead and laugh, but here's what I did.

I'm using Shimano Ultegra 6500 brakes. The frame was built with the pads at their maximum reach and they contact the rim perfectly.

I was merely curious as to how large a tire I could fit in the frame and fork after seeing how much room I had with 23mm Continental GP4000's.

Trying a 25mm tire was pointless as there was so much room.

I went to the local bike shop and bought a 28mm Panaracer Pasela.
The Pasela measured 23mm tall and 25mm wide.

I returned it and bought a 32mm Pasela.
The Pasela measured 27mm tall and 28mm wide.

I returned the 32mm tire and got my money back!

I measured tire height by measuring the wheel radius without a tire mounted, then WITH a tire mounted. I measured width with a vernier caliper.

Attached are the photos. Note my bike has 42cm chainstays and 8cm of BB drop. The rear tire hits the seat tube during installation but squeezes past. Perhaps if I didn't have such a low BB drop that wouldn't occur. Nevertheless, the tire fits once installed and you don't have to deflate it to do so. I never planned to use a 32mm tire and didn't ask for the frame to be built that way, but I think Sean asked about tire use during the ordering process.

[fourflys]

a Soulcraft is one of my grail bikes... Sean is a great guy to talk to and it's hard to argue with his craftsmanship... your find will not be disappointed I bet!