Editors Note: Captain Bob has been piloting the Soul Cycles Dillinger for most of the summer. Here is his final take on the bike, and a look at how he felt about the Dillinger steel fork. Enjoy!

I have spent most of the summer bombing around the local trails with the Soul Cycles Dillinger. As of late though I have been riding with the steel rigid fork that Soul offers. This is the older version and from what I can tell the only difference between the new fork and the old fork is that it’s now available in either canti/disc or disc only. There is a very nice looking decal too on the new version.

The Dillinger is designed for a 100mm fork, but I had been running a test fork from Spinner that is only 80mm. I was surprised at the ride height difference between the forks. The handling seemed to change more than I expected when going to the rigid fork. Less twitchy I guess (not that it was twitchy before) I think the price is pretty low for a fork that looks and rides as nice as this one. $59.00 on their website. It isn’t a light weight fork but it still feels light when lofting the front.

Handling was a bit better with the rigid fork than with the suspension, but that I am guessing is due to the longer axle to crown length. I noticed slacker head angle mostly when carving turns and going over the log piles that we have around here. The added bottom bracket height was appreciated. The bike still climbs the way I like it too: Fast!

The stiffness of the rear on the Dillinger is impressive. The front triangle is the stiffest I have ridden on any 29er. I thought that would cause the bike to really beat me up once I went fully rigid but it didn’t happen. For the weight of the fork I was expecting a harsher ride but that sure wasn’t the case. That said, the fork is not flexy for me. My weight is around 200lbs, so I am no lightweight. I was pleased. The fork rides like a high quality steel fork that would normally cost you 3 or 4 times the money. I really coulnd’t find any flaws with the fork. Ok, maybe it’s heavy but heck, if you can’t feel the weight when riding it does it really matter? I really don’t think so. As long as I have a good time riding that all that matters.

With the way this bike is built up I still have lots of energy left after the ride. This is my first time running a bike with a more relaxed cockpit. Normally, I run the bars height at or below the saddle height. testing the Dillinger really opened my eyes on how I look at fitting myself on a bike. It also reconfirmed to me that you don’t have to drop a lot of cash on a frame to get good quality construction that will, in the end, put a smile on your face every time you ride it. Generation 1 frame $349.00. Generation 2 frame $399.00. The dropouts are the only difference between the Generation 1 and 2 frames. The Generation 2 has a cutout section.

I have had a few different 29ers in my stable all summer and this is the one I seem to grab most of the time.

Captain.

Editors Note: Following are some specs from Soul Cycles site on the Dillinger rigid fork

SUSPENSION CORRECTED TO REPLACE 100MM TRAVEL FORK
ALL MEASUREMENTS IN INCHES UNLESS NOTED

AXLE TO CROWN 19″
STEER TUBE 1 1/8″
STEER TUBE LENGTH 11.4″
DROPOUT SIZE QR/9MM
MAXIMUM TIRE LEARANCE 2.6″
CROWN STYLE UNICROWN
WEIGHT UNCUT 2.9 POUNDS
BRAKE COMPATIBILITY DISC OR V

Twenty Nine Inches would like to thank Soul Cycles or providing this frame and fork for review.