[Closed] Cotic - new Soul coming ? thoughts ?

I can only go off what I've seen on here and the Cotic Riders FB page, but there do seem to be murmurings that the Soul will be 'updated' in a similar vein to the Bfe, on one post on FB November was mentioned.

I've no idea if there's any thruth in the rumours, but seems logical and would bring it inline with the rest of the range. I'd be interested, new Bfe looks really good, I'd have had one but I don't need the heft, and prefer a shorter fork.

New (old) colours? please let it be......

Soul & Solaris are next in line for proper updates (not the small refinements like on the Rocket etc). So like the new Bfe they are going longer and lower I believe. No info on release or colour.

Is this really necessary? Did people ever buy the Soul because it had the latest hot poop numbers? I don't think so , it was more as a general all rounder. Altering headset, seat tube sizes and even wheel size, I can see as a way of making sure owners can keep up with the changing standards but surely a wholesale change of angles will produce a bike with different intent?

^^^ when I got my Soul in 2013 it was perfect for my needs, and still pretty much is, set up with XT 2x10 groupset, a 120mm Reba and a reverb. It was my only MTB for a few years, but having got back into having a FS (I currently have a 2017 Anthem) I find the swop between the 2 bikes quite a change, with the Soul now feeling much shorter, which takes a fair amount of re-calibration for me.

I doubt Cy & co will change the Soul too much but they will respond to how things have changed since the last version came out.

The Bfe grew in top tube length because people were running much shorter stems so that makes sense. They also based it around the 140mm fork as most people seemed to run that on the Bfe.

I'd expect to Soul to be slightly longer and be designed around a 120mm fork with a 50-60mm stem, what else they do you'll have to wait and see I suppose.

I'd expect to Soul to be slightly longer and be designed around a 120mm fork with a 50-60mm stem,

That's what I am kinda thinking too, which would be ideal 🙂

The Soul geometry always followed, it never led, so an update to 'current' trends makes sense. Although it does amuse me that the 'greatest' bike ever from a few years ago, now suddenly can't cut it.

with the Soul now feeling much shorter,

I'm not sure I get how people say the correct size bike is too short, don't just experiment with different size stems until it feels comfortable to ride?

jekkyl, it had an 80mm stem and 711mm bars, it now has a 60 mm stem and 740mm bars. In both guises it feels 'short' largely due to me moving between bikes. I haven't grown, the bike hasn't shrunk 🙂

@dragon

it is amusing, a few years ago on here the Soul was heralded as the best all round bike ever, now it seems to be seen as short, old school, and too XC by many.

I'm as guilty as anyone I guess, but these longer bikes seem to suit me, I'm 6ft, but even on a large Soul with a 70mm stem I found myself pushing the saddle back until it was maxed out on the rails, and I don't want an XL for standover and manouverability. Stealth ad - my Soul 275 frame is for sale.....

and 26er, fixed seatpost, 3x9 in my case.
as I usually say... what was the dogs danglies then is practically like having square wheels now.

latest Soul has pretty much every latest fashion anyway (650b, 148X12 boost, stealth dropper routing with geometry rejigged for straight dropper posts rather than fixed with setback,...)
and the latest solaris has all that too, but swings both ways between 650b+ and 29er.

will have to wait and see, but I think all that's left is to extend what was a long frame but is now short frame back in to a long frame again so that it's good for 50-60mm stems rather than 50-90mm (I think I run 70mm and with bars too wide feel like I'm too over the front). that plus some jiggery pokery with bar height perhaps (which ties in with an epic write up that someone cut+pasted on the German MTB forum).
oh and remove front mech capability as a selling point and replace with 1x only as a selling point 😉

What's the epic write up?

I have to say my MK2 Soul was the first proper MTB that fitted me, 3x9, 120mm reba with fixed seatpost, and I rode that thing bloody everywhere, it was great, and fairly simple, oh, and cheap, also fitted any standard wheels, forks, headsets, seatposts etc at the time.

Them were the days....

it was from one of the mailshots in June. but it can be found here...
https://www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/heute-mit-dem-cotic-unterwegs.563458/page-116#post-14797966

the TL;DR is basically that the right bar width, bar height, etc. is not one size wider than last week's fashion. and 740mm is not skinny super narrow XC.

I think the write up was for a Rocket, but got the feeling that perhaps something might get rejigged a bit on upcoming bikes and tuned for cotic branded bars.

I have one of the new Solaris Maxs in large. I'm 6,2 and fits me brilliantly with a 50mm stem and 800mm bars. I tried a 60mm stem on it at the weekend to see what it was like and it felt too long for me so the 50mm is going back on.

I sold my Soul (which I loved) for a longer frame and it was 100% the right decision . If they launch a new one with decent reach I'm in

@TheGhost narrower bars would probably help with the longer stem

@core. I'm much happier on 800mm bars, I couldn't go shorter now, I might go wider though :-). Also shorter bars would negate the extra reach of the stem -

800mm bar + 50mm stem = 780mm bar + 60mm stem

The bike's fit is excellent for me. I just tried a 60mm stem because I was trying my 29er wheelset after a summer on plus. I thought it might be more speedy through the mud :-). It was more speedy but a lot less grippy. But I guess everything is less grippy than a 2.8 DHF. Still great fun and it rocketed up the hills, I swear Cotic have hidden a motor inside it somewhere or Cy has been to Hogworts and put charm on it.

That mailshot just reads "Guess what, the bars that we sell are better than anyone else's". Hardly surprising is it?