Sole Bicycles Review

About Sole Bicycles

Summer is the perfect time to be outdoors as much as possible. If you live in the city, you might feel prompted to ditch your car every now and then – if you own one – and take a bicycle wherever you need to go. 

Unfortunately, most bikes on the market aren’t as stylish as the city streets might call for, but Sole Bicycles aims to change the game. 

This brand is a manufacturer of bikes, bike parts, apparel, and accessories. They made waves near the end of 2020 and into 2021 when they collaborated with Sofi Tukker to make a ‘Purple Cheetah’ bike, named after their catchy tune ‘Purple Hat’. 

The brand has also been featured in media outlets, including HypeBeast, The Chicago Tribune, Men’s Health, Refinery 29, and many others. 

We know that as soon as you see the bikes, you’ll be tempted to just press the ‘buy’ button because they are so cool-looking, but before you do that, take a moment to go through our Sole Bicycles Review. 

We’ll provide you with all of the relevant details about the brand in order to help you decide whether their products are worth the buy or not. 

Overview of Sole Bicycles

Sole bicycles had their humble start in 2009 as an idea by Jonathan Ross Shriftman and Jacob Medwell. Not too long after that, Brian Ruben, Jimmy Standley, and Ben Petraglia joined the pair. 

The group of friends wanted to create a line of bicycles that were both functional and stylish, arriving to customers in a hassle-free, smooth manner. 

Sole is headquartered in Venice, Los Angeles, California, where they carry out the designing and production of their bicycles. 

The brand ships to locations within the US and Canada besides being able to shop in-person at their two brick-and-mortar locations. Even better, they also boast an impressive repertoire of US-based partner retailers. 

Now that we know a bit more about the company, this Sole Bicycles will lay out some pros and cons for you before we take a look at all their exciting products.

Pros

• Offers beautiful-looking bikes and accessories in a variety of styles and sizes 
• Products are sold in-person in a variety of locations or online
• 10% off coupon for mailing list signup 
• Military, Healthcare worker, and Student discounts
• Flat-rate shipping on all bikes 
• Financing options available with Affirm

Cons

• Regular and return shipping is never free

Sole Bicycles Review

With bicycles as stylish as those sold by Sole, you’ll be singing, “I want to ride my bicycle,” like Freddy Mercury just about every time you’re on one. Check out some of our top picks from the brand’s catalog!

Sole Bicycles The Purple Cheetah Review

The Sole Bicycles Purple Cheetah single speed bike is what happens when you take Sofi Tukker’s hit ‘Purple Hat’ and turn it into a slick-looking bicycle. 

Flaunting the duo’s sense of style, this bike features a purple and white frame, a gold KMC chain, and cheetah print saddle and handles. 

The 26lb bike features front and rear hand brakes, bottle cage eyelets, and a flip flop hub to easily switch between fixed and single speed options. You can customize the $499 build by adjusting the frame size or adding lights and locks. 

Cruise the streets in style, because in the words of Sole, “this is one fast cat.”

Sole Bicycles el Blanco II Review

Crisp, clean, and pure speed (with some good looks too). That’s the aptly-named El Blanco, a wintery white single speed bike that features front and rear hand brakes, bottle cage eyelets, a KMC chain, and a flip flop hub for cruising single speed or putting it into a fixed gear. 

This bicycle comes 90% assembled and 110% ready to go wherever you want it to once you’ve added the finishing touches. The brand is proud to say that this is one smooth ride.

Unfortunately, the bike is currently sold out and will be restocked in December 2021, but when it does come back in stock, expect to drop $499 for the base model, with optional upgrades on the side.

Sole Bicycles The Foamside Review

Looking for a pop of color that will ‘wheely’ stand out? (No, dear reader, we have no regrets about making bicycle-based puns).

The stunning and vibrant best-selling Foamside single speed bike features a black frame that is detailed with white stripes and features exquisitely vibrant baby blue/turquoise rims. 

Much the same as the brand’s other models, you’re guaranteed front and rear hand brakes, bottle cage eyelets, and a flip flop hub for customizable cruising. Pick up this lightweight Sole Bicycles city cruiser for a cool $499.  

Sole Bicycles el Tigre II Review

Prowl the streets in style with the best-selling El Tigre II. This stunner is detailed with fierce and fiery red rims and a metallic gold frame. 

It features front and rear hand brakes and bottle cage eyelets and promises a speedy and streamlined ride with its smooth ergonomic design. 

Just like the other bikes, you can customize it by buying it in one of 4 frame sizes, and also add lights, locks, or other fun and functional accessories. Get ready to become ruler of the urban jungle for $499. 

Sole Bicycles The Duke II Review

This single speed beauty is truly royalty with its crispy white frame and black saddle and handlebars. The lightweight commuter features front and rear hand brakes, bottle cage eyelets, and a flip flop hub for easy cruising. 

Customize The Duke II with one of 4 frame sizes and additional specs of your choosing. Find it on the Sole site for $499. 

Sole Bicycles The Hoover Review

The Hoover is Sole’s take on a traditional beach cruiser. It features a gorgeous white frame with black stripes in all the right places. The saddle and handlebars are also dyed a fantastic shade of black for good measure. 

This rust-resistant bike is fitted with a kickstand for security and balloon tires for speed. If you want to brake, pedal backward, but we don’t blame you if you fly, given the bike’s sleek design. 

As one of the more affordable options, you can find this durable Sole Bicycles beach cruiser on the site in one frame size for the price of $379. 

Sole Bicycles The Overthrow II Review

The nimble and lightweight Overthrow II features a stealthy black frame with white stripes and black rims, saddle, and handlebars. 

Like the other Sole Bicycles single speed bikes, it also features front and rear hand brakes, bottle cage eyelets, and a flip flop hub. The 26lb commuter can be customized with different frame sizes and add-ons such as lights, locks, tapes, and kickstands. 

Overthrow the competition for $499. 

How Much Do Sole Bicycles Weigh?

Sole bicycles weigh a nimble 26lbs thanks to their lightweight construction of hi-tensile steel and durable, industry-standard components. 

They are meant to be sleek and portable, so the brand purposely created them to be as light as possible without sacrificing strength and functionality. 

Do Sole Bikes Have Brakes? 

Brakes are an incredibly important component in bike construction, so that’s why all Sole bikes have them. 

The brand’s Coastal Cruiser, Coastal Step Through, and Dutch Step Through bikes all have coaster brakes that are activated by pedaling backward. 

The Single Speed III, 3 Speed Dutchie, and 3 Speed City Cruiser bikes have front and rear hand brakes. 

Do Sole Bikes Have Gears? 

Looking for a Sole Bicycles mixed gear bike? Two of their products have multiple gears: the 3 Speed Dutchie and the 3 Speed City Cruiser. Gear shifts can make your ride more challenging, and/or help you climb steep hills or navigate difficult terrain with ease. 

On a flat city sidewalk, you don’t really need to change gears very much, but if you go off-roading, gear shifts can spare your legs and knees. 

Who Are Sole Bicycles For? 

Sole Bicycles are built in a variety of frame sizes. The minimum height at which you can comfortably fit a frame built by the brand is 4’10”, in which case you would have the choice between purchasing a 46cm frame City Cruiser or a 46cm frame 3 Speed City Cruiser. 

The brand states that if you are under 5’4”, they highly recommend you size yourself at a bike shop before you purchase. If you are on the cusp of a size range, they recommend you choose the smaller size. The suggested weight capacity of the brand’s bikes is 275lbs. 

If you have any other questions about frame sizes or weight capacities, Sole Bicycles’ customer service team is more than happy to answer any burning questions you might have (we’ve got the contact info at the bottom of this article). 

Comparison: Sole Bicycles vs. Regal Bicycles

Ray Ahmed founded Regal Bicycles in 2012 after he lost his previous job and was looking for an affordable way to commute. 

This brand promises to make cycling stylish, affordable, and accessible, as they offer 3 distinct bicycle frame styles in dozens of colorways and 4 sizes. 

Like Sole Bicycles, Toronto-based Regal ships to locations within the US and Canada, but unlike Sole, they do so for free. 

With that being said, Sole has them beat with their generous 5-year warranty (Regal’s is 1 year), and return policy of up to 30 days (Regal only accepts returns for up to 7 days after delivery). 

One of the best-selling bikes on the Regal site is the Duke, a monochromatic fixed gear bike that features front and rear hand brakes, a flip flop hub, 40MM rims, and leather toe clips. 

It sells in one of 3 sizes for $500. This is basically the same price you pay for some of the featured fixed gear single speed bikes in our Sole Bicycles review, and it even shares a name with one of their bikes!

Sole Bicycles Reviews: What Do Customers Think?

No Sole Bicycles review would be complete without taking a look at what customers had to say about the brand and their nifty products. Going forward, we’ll be showcasing verified buyer testimonials from the brand’s website as well as external sites. Ready? Ready.

Starting off strong on the company website, the Overthrow II comes in at a cool 4.4/5 stars directly from the fingers of 82 mostly satisfied customers. Many love the assembly time, the customer service, and just the overall performance when it comes to this bike.

One customer, in particular, summed it up nicely: “beautiful construction, I get compliments everywhere I take it. Idk which I enjoy more, riding it or looking at it, either way very happy with my purchase.”

Other Sole Bicycles are also well-received on their website:

• El Blanco II: 5/5 stars out of 33 ratings
• The Foamside II: 5/5 stars out of 69 ratings
• El Tigre II: 4.4/5 stars out of 58 ratings
• The Duke II: 5/5 stars out of 14 ratings
• The Hoover: 5/5 stars out of 8 ratings

Good news and more good news. It seems that everybody is enjoying these bicycles: “I absolutely love my bikes!! Thank you.” But what do people have to say on external sites?

We found similar reactions on good ol’ Amazon, where customers are ecstatic about products like the Single Speed/Fixed Gear Urban Commuter Bike. Check out this glowing Sole Bicycles review:

“It’s light, quick, and extremely easy to handle. It’s so much fun to ride. It’s light weight makes it super easy to carry up and down the two flights of stairs into my apartment, and it’s sleek design means that it doesn’t take up much space either.”

Heading on over to Yelp, the positivity just keeps on coming. These Sole Bicycles reviews are not only about the in-store customer experience but also about the bikes themselves. 

So many customers are name-dropping employees who went above and beyond to make sure their bikes are in good working order and that they leave the store as happy as can be. We love to see it:

“Andrew was the most helpful… I’m not a bike mechanic  I couldn’t adjust the front break quite right (couldn’t get it tight enough) and the back one was still a little too tight. He tweaked a few other things for me, fixed my front tire and it rides so smoothly now. I couldn’t believe it. I love my Solé even more.”

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a negative sentiment amongst all the smiles. The few to be found are all pretty much outdated from 3+ years ago. Current Sole Bicycles review across the board have amazing things to say about the brand, and we have to go with the masses on this one.

Is Sole Bicycles Worth It?

Sole Bicycles offers a variety of bike styles and colorways that are custom made to take you through terrains ranging from city streets to hilly fields. You can really tell that they put so much thought into each and every bike they design and manufacture.

Besides that, there is so much overwhelming support for the brand online from all the glowing Sole Bicycles reviews both on their website and on external sites. It’s rare to see a company with so few downsides.

With all that in mind, how could we not recommend this brand? Their products and customer service seem to be a cut above the rest, and we’re here for it.

Sole Bicycles Promotions & Discounts 

The company offers a flat rate shipping fee on all bikes, and they also offer Sole Bicycles discounts through their ‘UniDays’ program. 

On top of that, this Sole bicycles review discovered that if you sign up for their mailing list, the brand gives you a digital coupon for 10% off your first order. 

Where to Buy Sole Bicycles

If you live in the US or Canada, you can buy Sole bikes directly from the brand website: solebicycles.com. The brand also has two brick-and-mortar stores – one in USC Village, and one on Venice Beach – and several stockists in the US.

If you want to find one near you, use the online store locator tool, accessible by clicking on their ‘Dealers’ tab. 

FAQ

Where are Sole Bicycles Made? 

Our Sole bicycles review is happy to report that the brand’s products are made at their headquarter location in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California, USA. 

What is Sole Bicycles’ Shipping Policy?

For orders being shipped to destinations within the contiguous US, Sole Bicycles offers a flat rate of $30. If your order is under $150, $15 will be added to that fee. 

US orders are shipped via FedEx Ground and take between 1-5 business days to arrive once shipped out. Shipping costs for Alaska, Hawaii, or locations in Canada are calculated at checkout. 

What is Sole Bicycles’ Return Policy?

Need to return your Sole Bicycles Michelob Ultra Bicycle? The brand has a 5-year warranty on their bikes, valid only for original owners in the US. For US orders up to 14 days post-order, the brand offers full refunds on like-new products. 

All returned bicycles are subject to a shipping fee of $45, while all returned accessories cost $15-$45 to be returned. 

From 15-30 days post-order, the brand only offers refunds in the form of store credit. The return fees remain the same during this window of time. Exceptions to the refund policy include sale/final sale items, free gifts or promotional items, and damaged items. 

How to Contact Sole Bicycles

If you have any questions after reading our Sole bicycles review, the brand invites customers to contact them using any of the following methods: 

• Customer Service Questions: [email protected]
• Phone Number: 1-844-336-SOLÉ (7653)
• Press / Media: [email protected]
• Custom or Corporate Orders: [email protected]

The company’s two stores can be found at the following addresses and phone numbers: 

Venice Beach Flagship Retail Store
1330 Main Street
Venice, CA 90291
1-844-336-Solé (7653) – Opt. 1

USC Retail Store
835 W Jefferson Blvd #1750
Los Angeles, CA 90089
1-844-336-Solé (7653) – Opt. 2

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Looking for other options to cruise through the city? Then check out Cowboy Bikes, an e-bike startup that focuses on aesthetics as much as functionality.