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It was one on the list to consider with a new frame for August for the big five-oh and was going so well until I got to the down tube. Reminds me of a load of crows sitting on a power cable............
Now need to rethink sadly........... Sorry........
Probably won’t be any left by August. If buying a pack of black dome headed bolts is really such a deal breaker for you, so be it.
I basically completely changed my mind on the new head badge once it was a badge rather than a sticker. I ‘get’ it now, and I’m amazed that the change has made such a difference to how I perceive it.
Badges are better. Fact. Quite like the printed version on the Army Green RocketMAX though.
The new downtube logo is fine, but the old downtube wrap is still just about my favourite bit of design going, so I’m going to miss it on the new bikes. I still resent the fact my (Northwind’s) Roadrat is too old to have it!
Why thank you, that was my work. But again, I did that a long time ago, and Cotic has changed and is changing.
To be honest all of these aesthetic details are secondary to geometry and riding quality. I'm not going to avoid buying one because of a smart yet bland head badge and enhanced downtube functionality.
The deal breaker for me is the more practical one of syntace axles.
Don’t disagree with you on aesthetics vs geometry, but when cotics past have looked so good I think I mentally hold them to a higher standard. It’s all Kelvin’s fault I suppose!
Thought WTF when I saw new frame pics with all those ugly bosses.
Just looked at mine and with the custom restrap Cotic frame bag and a bottle cage installed I reckon you would only be able to see 2X exposed bosses.
Love the orange, it’s very similar to my 2016 Raleigh mustang Gbike colour way, do Cotic offer a respray service like orange 🤔
If Cotic sent a survey out to lurkers and loyal customers asking for a vote on a limited number of RAL every year I think they would be on to a winner.
Also selling ‘retro’ graphic/head tube badge Options would pull a few quid in, old gits like me don’t like change 😁
Those bosses rule it out for me immediately.
I can see some logic,
EG small frame bag up front with bottle cage lower in the frame or large custom frame bag lower in the frame with bottle cage up front.
It giving an option to max the utility of a versatile frame.
I like it! I can deal with the bottle bosses visually but feel they are a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist when simpler arrangements that other manufacturers regularly use! Inc under downtube as others have said! Would work just as well. I Still have a mk2 soul in the shed, as a frame but that had similar issues like those stupid hooped cable guides with nothing in the centre of the top tube so you had to use adaptors and could never get neat cables! So annoying when everyone else had zip tie guides which were much neater!
I love the New graphics and colours, loved the wrapped decal but hated the Old head tube badge and had a few mates not buy one just for that reason alone! I’m gonna buy one! I really wanted the purple one but that headtube badge made me want a Pace! Now that’s changed and blue being a fav colour on a bike I’ll get some black bolts and it will look lovely!
THIS,
a Cotic steel fork to complement this bike would be ace,,,,, I’m yet to find the 500mm??? A2C fork recommended.
I’m a little surprised at the whingeyness, but only a little😀 Better to have too many bosses than too few though the only time I personally would use the under downtube bosses some appear to want would be to mount a crud catcher.......about twenty five years ago😀
swanny853
SubscriberThe new downtube logo is fine, but the old downtube wrap is still just about my favourite bit of design going, so I’m going to miss it on the new bikes. I still resent the fact my (Northwind’s) Roadrat is too old to have it!
I got Slik to make me a custom one for my Hemlock, looked great imo- Cy gave me the font name (and IIRC told me they didn't do it themselves because it looked stupid) and they worked from that. Agree it's one of the best logos ever.
The downtube wrap is great and (rather sadly) sort of iconic to me along with the headtube badge. The new ones are fine though because I’m piss poor and won’t be buying a new bike for years. My Soul will be lasting a long time 😀
Great colours and I prefer the new logo and badge. It looks proper smart.
Looks good, don't mind the bottle bosses, be able to run gear/outer to a side swing front mech.
a Cotic steel fork to complement this bike would be ace,,,,, I’m yet to find the 500mm??? A2C fork recommended.
Rsd in the US or maybe it's Canada do an aluminium one in 510mm and it's got loads of bosses on it. Not cheap though, you could get a decent squishy one for the price. An outfit in the US called iirc waltworks will do you any forknyou can think of. I saw one on a bike once in around 500mm.
Is you are paying £700 for a production frame it should look better than ‘okay’ imo. At that cost there are so many other options that really mean you shouldn’t settle for okay. I’m yet to read a response that says the new design is brilliant.
For reference I have been pouring over ht 120/140 frames as I’m in the market for one.
Yeah but it's Cotic mate.
Just needs a mint sauce enamelled headbadge with spotted dick paintjob (call it the Plum Duffer) and they could get some bloke in Taiwan to kick it round a skip and I'd be in.
Wait it's too cheap, 800 a frame yeah, it's wurth it man it's got special metal!
Is you are paying £700 for a production frame it should look better than ‘okay’ imo. At that cost there are so many other options that really mean you shouldn’t settle for okay. I’m yet to read a response that says the new design is brilliant.
I'd assumed that the old solaris has been split into the new solaris (bike packing through to light trail) and bfe (rowdy trails through to enduro) that there was a bike for everyone. Choose the one that suits your riding rather than the name?
To be honest once the bike is built up, dropper is installed and you have a bottle cage on I don't think the bosses will be visible. I'd probably put another bottle cage for a tool tin on too, definitely wouldn't notice then.
I struggle with their logic sometimes. Kill of their iconic brand and push the Bfe, which its name implies "heavy" and must put people off. Then add an excessive amount of frame fixings to the Solaris, which most people will buy as a local trail ripper. Same with Pace's hardtails and their rack mounts. These are bikes we want to raz around our local trails on (and stare at in the shed). Not circumnavigate the globe on. Pipedream are one of the few brands that seem to be getting the UK steel hardtail right at the moment.
I really like it to be honest. Initially thought the bolts was a bit urgh but it's only 2 more than my BFe and I can't see that because of the dropper cable.
The orange is awesome and i prefer the new graphics. The wrap around always left me a little cold. New badge is classy, though maybe a bit less personality? Now trying to work out if I can justify two cotic hardtails.
Mrs Sims' Trek has coloured plastic plugs in the bolt holes instead of bolts. You can hardly see these. If the bolts bother people these plugs or similar must be available on ebay etc. Surely the most important bit is the Geomoetry and then the colour, then the extra bolts give you extra versatility should it be needed.
the Solaris, which most people will buy as a local trail ripper.
Not sure about that, they are massively popular and loads of people have one as a main bike, use them for big rides, from XC to pretty gnarly.
It's kind-of become the default option for a quality, modern steel hardtail. It's a really versatile bike in terms of what it can do, so I get why they've put all those bolts on it... even if I only ever put one bottle cage on my old one.
Thinking about this a bit more I would like more bolts on my small BFe because now that I have returned to using a water bottle space is tight. I have to use a side mounted cage which sits close to the down tube, this means that I have to use a cable tie to hold the dropper cable. A couple of extra bolts would mean I could keep it secure whilst routing it around the cage.
Who'd have thought a couple of extra bosses would cause so much fuss? If they'd had the parts stock to build up some bikes complete with dropper it would never have been an issue. They just add an extra bit of versatility to an already hugely popular and versatile frame.
The steeper seat angle has hardly been mentioned, but is the thing people have wanted the most.
The Soul has gone (actually gutted), the BfeMAX has arrived, and the SolarisMAX has been updated, I think the hardtail lineup looks pretty good and caters for current consumer demand well - it's all going 29er.
For local woods ripping I still think smaller wheels are better, but my local woods are rooty, rutty and tight, so I'd not pick a Solaris for that job. My Flare does it perfectly.
If the silver slx build kit had been in stock I'd have been all over over one of these, soss law tbe frame will be out of stock when the build kit comes back in.
The old head tube badge was well cringe.
New one is decent enough and reflects the brand better.
Very much this. I was never a fan of the badge on my old Solaris.
That is a lot bosses but once a dropper cable is fitted they will be barely noticeable.
I like the colours too. But that blue on the new Bfe is stunning.
@concrete24 not sure if we discussed this before, but I did 1000 miles on a BRG SolarisMAX and it scratched very easily. Up to 500 miles on a Mercury one and it's barely marked.. and I'm riding in all manner of sandy shit. I suspect you were unlucky with the paint job.
Maybe some people spend more time looking at their bikes rather than riding them, but you don't look at the mantle piece when you're stoking the fire.
Bosses are irrelevant once there are cables and bottle holders in play.
As for head badges... I reckon the new one has grown on me too. If anyone wants to swap for a 2019 version message me.
@reeksy interesting. To be fair - I don’t really mind all that much anyway - it was annoying when it was box fresh - but now it’s started to see some action it just shows it’s been used! Certainly nicest bike I have owned still anyway (and the first where someone has waved me down just to talk about it because of its looks)!
Also selling ‘retro’ graphic/head tube badge Options would pull a few quid in, old gits like me don’t like change
Old headbadges are available to buy to put on new bikes, and new headbadges are available to buy to put on old bikes. Shout if you need help … cheers.
My old "Dark Metal" one scuffed up badly just from having cables attached to it.
It's a shame they don't offer a tougher matt colour finish option. My old-old orange Mk2 Solaris held up waaaay better (and was a nicer colour anyway).
I got Slik to make me a custom one for my Hemlock, looked great imo- Cy gave me the font name (and IIRC told me they didn’t do it themselves because it looked stupid) and they worked from that. Agree it’s one of the best logos ever.
Cheers, if I ever get round to respraying it, along with the normal-way-round-brakes fork I put on to run a dynamo, a wrap is very likely going on.
I like the new orange, if I had the money at the time I would have got the purple or dark metal though, those looked brilliant. I've never owned a Cotic but have always wanted a Solaris or FlareMax, ...one day.
I've never understood why the cables run down the seat stays though, running all 3 together down the DT/CS seems neater to me.
It’s a simple way of keeping the rear mech routing away from the chain and the filth.
Meets the modern mechs more cleanly too, avoids a loop
I think the new logo and head badge look great! The bottle bosses would be handy too.
I think the cable-management is dreadful. It really spoils the look of an otherwise attractive bike.
I’ve never understood why the cables run down the seat stays though, running all 3 together down the DT/CS seems neater to me.
Yes, the cables & hoses are a real state, especially the dropper hose on the downtube.
They'd look far better routed internally, perhaps just the sections in the front triangle.
And, conversely, there are plenty of people who appreciate why external routing is used.
forked
They’d look far better routed internally, perhaps just the sections in the front triangle.
Internal cabling is a pain though, unless the routing is sleeved, which isn't really practical with a light steel frame. I'd say the cable management is pretty standrd for a hardtail frame, much prefer the bolted clips to cable ties or other temporary solutions, the two hardtails I have in the shed (neither a Cotic) have basically the exact same routing.
I’d rather it didn’t have the downtube hose, purely from a ‘one less place to collect mud’ point of view, but if it’s that or some awful bit of routing that puts it into the downtube, out of the downtube and back into the seatube as with a lot of steel frames, I’ll take this any day.
I ordered one yesterday!
I've been looking for a trail hardtail for a while, had considered the Whyte 909,Ragley Big Wig Race, Radon Cragger (sounds like a low rent Bond Villain) and the Cotic Soul. When the Soul was discontinued the Solaris popped up on my radar and the more I looked and researched the more I liked.
I emailed Cotic about the "old" model and had a prompt and helpful reply from Sam, who mentioned that there was a new version in the offing. And I really like it! So I provisionally ordered one yesterday with the Silver build spec. No idea when it will be available, coz component supply is all over the shop, but very excited.
FWIW ProBolt do m5 dome headed bolts in an assortment of colours, I thought blue might set the Supernova Orange off nicely (and match my DMR Vaults for good measure).
In a related note, keep an eye out for my Whyte T130S in the "For Sale" section as it has to go to help fund the Cotic!
Does anyone have one of the new frames built up yet? I’ve been considering one for years and after missing out on various colour options through indecision, I finally ordered one a couple of weeks back in Midnight Blue (with 120mm travel in an attempt to make it as different as possible to my Whyte T130). There’s a bit of a wait for the build so I’d love to see some pics in the meantime!
I see they’ve pretty much sold out so the bottle bosses can’t have put everyone off.
Still waiting here- getting a bit excitedly impatient/impatiently excited now!
Not heard anything about when they’re coming.
Frames very very soon [cross everything]. Bike builds? Depends… still lots of kit being slow to arrive.
Ah, I hadn’t realised the frames haven’t even arrived yet. Looks like I’ll have to contain my excitement for a bit longer then!
That's good, do I need book in a bike build slot this weekend? Or not quite that soon?
For people waiting for frames, it shouldn’t be long now. Looks like they’re arriving at Cotic today.
Make sure you post some pics when they’re built up! I’m waiting for a build so will have to wait a while longer.
Excitement! Excitement is here!
That outdoors picture from hardtail party has confirmed to me that I made the right choice in the dark blue. Have to put some proper miles in on the old one this weekend to give it a decent send off, only problem is that I'm feeling sad about it now...
Going to be a lot of excited owners
Don’t forget to add your pics here and in the Friday is Cotic day thread please😎
And it looks like whoever puts the head badges on laid off the booze for a day when he did that one, it's actually straight.
Has anyone got theirs yet?
Collected it yesterday, built up (transferred bits over from mk1 Solaris) and rode this morning.
Best hardtail I’ve ridden (started riding in the late 80s)
Believe the hype!!
Happy days, mine dispatched tomorrow according to email!
Likewise got a mk1 to transfer things over from. Think this weekend will be a chance to see the old one out in style.
Where are the pictures?
I built mine up on Friday night. 50 something miles on the old one Friday as a send off- all around the north downs and Surrey hills.
Didn’t get as much of a test ride on Saturday as I’d have liked, just before the fun bits we happened on a guy who’d come off and used his face on the road as a brake so played ambulance relay instead.
It’s definitely fast downhill, it’s still surprisingly nimble nipping through the trees but it definitely needs some effort to lift the front wheel compared to anything else.
Wheelbase is 80mm longer than the old one with a 2deg slackset, of which about 45 is in the frame and about 35 from the head angle. (I wasn’t measuring with enough care to be confident beyond +-5mm). I almost needed a new rear brake hose.
Oh, and the colour is so, so much nicer in the flesh!
Watching that video (hardtail party) has kinda made me realize that I didn't give my SolarisMax time. I tried a bunch of different stems/bars to make it more familiar to how I've always ridden instead of adapting my riding style (not that I have much) to get the best out of the bike - as the vid suggests.
The Hardtail Party video has put me back on the fence over the Solaris Max, given I'm not that tall it sounds like I might struggle with it, at least with no bikes until December I can ponder some more.
matt303uk
The Hardtail Party video has put me back on the fence over the Solaris Max, given I’m not that tall it sounds like I might struggle with it,
Same guy absolutely loved the BFeMax in size S, but sized up for the Solaris to try a longer bike, would bear that in mind.
And Cotic did have a small BFeMax available the other day that they were selling off to raise money for a good cause.
Yeah, that BFeMax sold really quickly and the BFeMax looks more compact, I'm also looking at the Stanton Sherpa, whatever I go for is going to be a big change from the C456 I'm still riding.
The Hardtail Party video has put me back on the fence over the Solaris Max, given I’m not that tall it sounds like I might struggle with it, at least with no bikes until December I can ponder some more.
Steve rode the small BFeMAX and the medium SolarisMAX. Reading between the lines of what he was saying, my view is that the medium is a little too big for him at 5ft 7in, which is exactly what I would say to any customer. He also has a particularly long body for his height, which seems to put him a little bit in the middle of our sizes. We're planning to send him another bike later in the year in small, with a couple of stem options. For the kind of riding he wants to do on the SolarisMAX I suspect a small with a 45mm stem would be where he needs to be. If you're under 5ft 8in, the small SolarisMAX will defintely work for you. Sam and Paul and Hannah all ride small Cotics so we do have plenty of experience getting that size working.
cy
We’re planning to send him another bike later in the year in small, with a couple of stem options
*scratches chin*
Another Solaris, or another hardtail entirely? Something new?
Thanks for the reply cy
I'll have to throw a leg over one and get some advice on sizing, I'll be in contact.
Update on my build- I forgot to mention I weighed it first. 2.5kg, medium frame, no rear axle, seat clamp or anything other than the mech hanger. That's on digital kitchen scales, so make of the accuracy what you will. Bit heavier than the quoted 4.9lbs for a large.
Have you had any more rides?
I was a mk1 owner for over 5 years till the thieves struck!
However I’d always loved the cosmic black (first gen Longshot geo) colour so was able to get one of the last ones.
Despite owning very XC 29ers in the past (even my km1 was built up light) and a few slack 26ers, well for the time, I wondered how I’d get on with the LS geometry.
I’ve been impressed by how intuitive it has felt. No nasty surprises just all very natural.
I guess I am slightly OT due to this being the latest version but had to share how impressed I’ve been after a few decent length rides now.
Mine has now arrived too. I've only had a very short ride so far but first impressions are great. It's my first hardtail in 10 years and my first 29er ever so I'm not best placed to give a review but one thing is for sure - it's certainly a big bike, makes everything else in my garage look tiny! 2.6in tyres help with that I suppose, plus me being more used to 27.5.
One thing worth pointing out that I haven't seen mentioned, since it caused a lot of debate earlier in the thread. Mine (midnight blue) arrived with black dome headed bolts in all the bottle bosses, so nothing like the original photos and they're barely noticeable. Even less so with a couple of bottle cages fitted. Nice touch of Cotic to do that as from what I saw it was the only complaint that a few people had about the original announcement.
Cy has ordered more of the black dome headed bolts today.
Any photos of your bike?
@Normal Man- very brief ride taking 5yo niece out mtbing. Spent more time playing in a fort and eating ice cream than riding, but it's good at that too!
As you say, I think it just feels nice. Haven't really pushed it much yet!
Mine was silver bolts. They mostly get hidden once you've got two cages on.
Any photos of your bike?
Yes, although it almost looks black in the pictures rather than the lovely dark blue that it is in reality! Maybe it'll show up better when the sun comes out.
Managed another short ride today and loving it so far, hoping to get out for a longer one at the weekend.
Looks lovely, that. Gives me slight BFE buyer's remorse, although I'm pretty sure I made the right decision
Picking mine up tomorrow. Probably won't sleep much tonight! Photos to follow as and when...
*scratches chin*
Another Solaris, or another hardtail entirely? Something new?
Another Solaris, when we have free stock. There's nothing new on the horizon.
Cy - Can you confirm the wieght of the Large frame, is it really 4.9lb (2.22kg) as per the website ?
Got it! Love it!
Supernova Orange looks amazing in the metal. Just set it up now, out for a ride first thing when it's not a billion percent humidity.
Can't upload the photo from my phone though...
… Large frame, is it really 4.9lb (2.22kg) as per the website ?
That sounds wrong. 5.3lbs I think. I can check Monday.