Trek Soho S

For commuters who want a simple comfort bike for riding to work, the Trek Soho S receives high marks. It's a single-speed bike, which can be good or bad, depending on where you live. Single-speed commuter bikes are easier to maintain and usually less expensive than multigear bikes, but they are limited to relatively flat terrain (because you can't shift to a lower gear for hills). Reviewers say the Trek Soho S is speedy and fun to ride; owners say the ghosted graphics on the aluminum-framed Trek Soho S are a nice touch. On the downside, the bike doesn't come with many commuting accessories -- there are no racks, fenders or lights, but you can add your own. In addition, some owner-written reviews indicate that the pedals are poorly designed and don't provide a good foot position. Overall, however, most reviewers like the Trek Soho S and say it's a great commuter bike. At about 23 pounds, it also weighs quite a bit less than most comfort bikes. If you need more gearing power for hills, reviewers say the relaxed Felt Cafe Deluxe 8 (MSRP: $650) is a good choice. It weighs 6 pounds more than the Trek Soho S, but it has more commuting accessories and multiple speeds.

We found the best reviews of the Trek Soho S in Bicycling magazine. The Trek Soho S gets two reviews from Bicycling -- a December 2008 review posted online and a more recent review in the annual buyer's guide. In addition, MainStreet.com writes a short review of the Trek Soho S in an article on budget-friendly bikes. There are a good number of owner-written reviews of the Trek Soho S available online, particularly on Buzzillions.com. Although this site compiles reviews from a few different online retailers, the majority of the reviews come from the Trek website. We normally don't give much weight to reviews listed on manufacturer sites, but these reviews have a good amount of balance.