So I took my new carbon soloist for a short maiden voyage this past weekend. I have the Soloist Team (AL frame) also so I wanted to compare the two. Incidentally, the frame was not as light as I thought it would be...roughly 2.6-7 lbs with headset. I guess that's close to what they've been stating but for some reason I thought it would be lighter. The bike is definitely stiff, especially in the bottom bracket. I'm a heavy rider (195lbs.) and I can't feel much flex at all when i stand up and hammer. I had a Scott CR1 and although that frame is pretty strong, I was able to flex the bottom bracket pretty regularly. The ride is definitely smoother than the AL Soloist but they are about the same over big bumps (potholes and the like). The interesting thing is the carbon soloist still buzzes in your ears due to the internal cable routing but the buzz in your hands is gone unlike the AL soloist which vibrates inside and out. All in all a very solid ride, i bought it because i was tired of having two bikes with different geometries and trying to get them to feel the same. I still think that the AL soloist is hands down the best bang for your buck in a bike but the carbon soloist is much smoother in every way and now i can get down to the UCI weight limit! 😄 just kidding...the weight is not that important to me but i love the smooth ride of carbon fiber.
Love to hear more carbon soloist reviews...