[Closed] Best Cotic Solaris MAX config for trail

I’m hoping the cotic will be just as good but the steel frame will smooth things out a bit. I’m running mullet, 27.5 2.8″ Minion DHR & 29 2.6″ Minon DHF, it works really well on the Dartmoor with a 130mm fork.

I’m running 130mm forks and a similar tyre combination on a SolarisMAX. I don’t think swapping to steel will make a huge difference, given the big volume tyres. I wouldn’t put 140mm forks on, not with the mixed wheel set up anyway. Try running with everything you currently have… not worth buying/selling forks IMHO, what you have will do nicely.

It took me a little while to gel with my SolarisMax for all round riding compared to the mk1+Angleset I had before. I did though and I love it these days.

That’s on a 120mm (old) sid with 51mm offset and a build tilted towards light and fast. Kit transferred across from the old one.

I'm using a 130mm fork and 29x2.6 Fr/29x2.3 Rr. I'd agree that it has to be ridden pretty hard to make the most of it, but it's incredibly capable when you do. To be honest it's more of a sit and spin uphill as I don't find it particularly spritely, but it more than makes up for it across and down, the more you push it the better it feels. I can't comment on different fork lengths as I've only tried it at 130, but it feels right as is. I'm on the LLS one that came previous to the current one, I think the only geometry difference is a slightly slacker seat tube, and I find I'm running the saddle quite far forward which helps uphill too. Fantastic hardtail for all round use and it really does downhill rapidly.

I've got a Sonder Frontier for gravel/bikepacking with a rigid carbon fork, which is a bit shorter and steeper, and that works a lot better for that usage.

I’m running a 51 off-set 140mm Pike on mine with a Hans Dampf 2.6 on the front and 3.0 Rocket Ron on the back and it’s great. I also tried it at 130mm but preferred the higher front end.
Cy did a blog on off-set and said it was very much ‘princess and the pea’ stuff so you should be fine with those forks.

My 2018/2019 large runs a 140mm 34plus (51mm iirc), currently 29x2.4 Baron front, 29x2.4 trail king rear on 30mm rims. Sometimes I'll run 27.5x3.0 purgatories on 40mm rims and last year as I'd not kept up with lower back exercises I went mullet for a little more compliance with the 3.0 out back.
I find it pretty fast both up and down and I'll ride it almost anywhere I can through the wet seasons. I find it's a monster truck in the tech to be honest and even tough the idea is to get back on making smart line choices through the slippy months, it still has plenty of forgiveness I get carried away or chasing a buddy.
Pretty bloody good bike in any of its setups I reckon and the longest I've kept a "winter bike"

I do have a set of rigids off a tarn.. bought with the intention of doing a local rigid Strava race. I did a few rides with them in 3.0 tire mode and it was good but I got slammed pretty hard riding with normal forked enthusiasm down a 'dark blue' trail so figured I'd keep that for the odd novelty and it didn't make sense as an ongoing option.. opted out of that race in the end as I was recovering from a broken wrist anyway.

I got a Solaris Max for the same purpose as yourself Bikepacking/local trails. I have quite severe back & leg issues, I won't bore you with the details. I run mine with a 2016 Reba RLT 120mm fork, i also installed a PNW Coast Suspension Dropper so as well as being a 120mm dropper it has 40mm of tunable air suspension. I've also configured my cockpit so i am in more of an upright position than stretched out.

Went for the transplant and found the steerer too short - bugger! So the question is... If you could pair it with any form what would it be...? I've got two contenders on the table at the minute due to availability and price (2nd hand): 120mm fox 34 or the marzocchi bomber as you can change the travel yourself and I could try a few out for size. TBH, if I could decide on the travel I'm after then I'd just get a fox in that length, leaning towards 130mm - never had an issue with the one I've got on the Dartmoor.

I don't know if this might be helpful at all, but I tried out a few different setups.

http://unduro.co.uk/mtb/review-cotic-solarismax-mk-2-a-hardtail-for-all-occasions/

You'll see I tried a mullet similar to what you're suggesting and it was brilliant fun on more challenging trails, but if you wanted it for more XC stuff I'd go straight to full 29 and a 120mm fork to liven the bike up.

but if you wanted it for more XC stuff I’d go straight to full 29 and a 120mm fork to liven the bike up.

Exactly what i did and a few other things to quieten down trail chatter due to back issues.

I've got mullet, 29 and B+ wheels, tempted to make it mainly 29er with 120mm travel.

@chakaping Great article BTW - thanks for sharing.

This all sounds quite familiar. I had a MK2 Solaris which I loved and thought the Longshot would be more of the same but better. All I had to do was pull across the old parts and fork, go for a snappier stem and hey presto.

The Mk2 was awesome for just about everything. I ran it in plus mode with a 2.6 rear and 3.0 front, which slackened it - and it was fast. I used to race local races, duathlons and even did some Welsh marathons on it.

Firstly on the new Longshot, I couldn't get comfortable. Anything over a 15 mile ride and I was getting neck ache. 51mm offset Yari 120 fork. I upped the fork to 140 just to squeeze some extra height out of the front end and also got a bar with 10mm more rise. and experimented with the seat position on the rails.

It's now very comfortable, and very fast as a trail bike (and ridiculously capable) - but definitely a bit porkier and not as zippy on long rides. That said I stuck 3k miles on it last year in lockdown so it has to be doing something right. It's certainly the most versatile bike I have if you've no idea what you're going to be riding...probably why it gets pulled out of the shed so often. But it took me a lot of fiddling to get the front end "just so".

@mccraque - interesting... I've just pulled the trigger on a fox 34 120mm but I'm going to keep the steerer long and add a spacer to how it is now, I might also get some Moto X style bars with a lot of rise and backsweep. However, the good news is that I'm just back from a trip to the local woods shod with B+ rubber and it was a blast and that was with the rigid forks on so it can only get better. New fork and longer dropper to add later this week and then I'll see how it handles some proper trails.

@baileyswalk - my steerer isn't short... it's got a few spacers under it. I am running a 20mm rise bar - and back up to a 50mm stem which adds a little rise over the 35mm that made the bike just feel too short. For reference I am 5'11" and on a medium frame.

Ideally I would be running mine with a 120mm fork but would probably have to go down the new bar route.

I switch between plus and 29 now... I do like the plus a lot on the trails, but for all day stuff the 29 is more efficient. I still run a 2.6 up front though!

@chakaping Great article BTW – thanks for sharing.

Happy to be of service.

Hope you get what you want from the bike, I do think they're quite versatile.

my steerer isn’t short… it’s got a few spacers under it. I am running a 20mm rise bar – and back up to a 50mm stem

Almost the same i have a 50mm stem and 15mm rise on my bar, 120mm fork and 29er wheels, Rubber is 2.45 & 2.35. Again that's for all day riding.

I'm 5'11" too but I was advised to size up! Hate being between sizes but I'm trying to make it a bit shorter, saddle forward, 35mm stem - current bars don't have much rise or sweep so they will be getting changed if I still need to make some tweaks.

6ft on a large here. Running a 130mm fork, 35mm stem with probably 20mm spacers plus a 45mm sq labs riser bar which has 12deg backsweep. Really like the feel of that bar shape and the bar height now. Fiddled with my bar height setup for a while, found the taller I went the more comfy, more confidence inspiring on the downs and easier to loft the front wheel it was until it became a bit tricky to weight the front on climbs, so that's personally my balance point with bar height. Very personal tho..
Have tried 29er chunky and not so chunky tires, like both for different applications, and am building a set of plus wheels to try which I'm hoping will be fun.
As has been said very versatile bike.
What rigid fork are you running btw? Had half thought of getting one too to play around with.

Ignore the last bit, just reread your original message re the rigid fork 🙄

I’m 5’11” too but I was advised to size up! Hate being between sizes but I’m trying to make it a bit shorter, saddle forward, 35mm stem – current bars don’t have much rise or sweep so they will be getting changed if I still need to make some tweaks.

I demoed the large and the medium and was all set for a large when I stumbled across a nearly new medium and a pre-pandemic bargain price. I kind of wish I had gone large, but the medium is fine. With the 50mm stem I felt at the time I was missing out on the full longshot experience... But with the extra rise of the 50, I think it probably works better for me.

But I still wish I had the hubble purple instead of boring black.

Finding this very interesting as this is what I am trying to do. I am 5'11 on a Large and it feels like a tank, great going down but not so great going up.
My first move is to reduce the travel on my Traces to 120mm although this of course won't affect the weight. I have bought some lighter wheels but there's nothing else worth changing just to save a few grams.
I am just going to have to accept it's never going to be as nimble as my old Soul

WHat about tyres? Going XC or something more aggressive for mixed terrain? Obviously if your doing XC you don't want a tred that's got to bog you down.

Took it out today to Dalbeattie - after chucking on a pair of fox 34's 120mm, steerer cut to 200m and about 20mm spacers under the stem we have a different animal. 800mm bars with 25mm rise and 7 backsweep are OK but think I'd prefer more sweep and rise TBH. No sore back today tho and with the saddle slammed all the way forward I think I actually need to move it back a touch. It performed well, I didn't notice the weight on the climbs and it was nearly as capable as the Dartmoor with the 130mm fork but not quite. More versatile tho. I was running the mullet wheels today and with 175mm cranks I bottomed out a lot, even smashed the chainring once I think. I've got a set of 170mm I'll swap in for next time. Tyres... Was running minions DHF & DHR today super grippy and great but not XC - when I got 29er I'll be looking for new tyres as the ones I cut have on are not aggressive enough (pirelli scorpions), so be interested to see what everyone else has been liking.