bloke I know may be in the market for a new 29” hardtail. with a bit of fun in mind.
both the above look ideal.

anything else he may consider.

and thoughts on the above from anyone who has actually ridden or owned either.

cheers

A good riding buddy has a sherpa – says it’s the best 29er HT out there. He’s a serial bike buyer (sound familiar??) and i’d trust his word.
One of our other riding buddies is looking at the rolling chassis option..

I’ve got a chromag Rootdown – amazing fun bike. I’d not swap it (well, I’d maybe get a surface, but it’s a lot of ££ for a few lb weight reduction!)

DrP

I’ve got a Sherpa and it’s great. They aren’t that long though so depends what he likes. The swappable dropouts are a big plus and it’s a lovely looking frame.

I have a Solaris Max. Brilliant bike, I run 100mm forks , 1 x11, and it’s just a nice bike to ride. But either choice would be great.
Your friend has good taste.
The only issue I had with the Cotic was the Hope Seatpost QR. It was rubbish, wouldn’t stop the Seatpost slipping.

I own a Sherpa, and although I haven’t had a Solaris I have had both a Soul and BFe. Sherpa rides great, very much a fun and playful xc / trail bike (I run with 120mm forks, you could go +/- 20mm or so I think). I liked the way my Cotics rode, I would say either would be great.

The only negatives are the paint; the Cotic paint seems on the thin side. I took my Soul out to check the gears were working and in simply riding up and down the road for 10 minutes I managed to get down to the metal.

Stanton paint seems a bit more durable, although if you do chip it, it can flake a bit. In either case, it’s nothing that a bit of frame protection won’t sort.

It might be worth popping a PM to Metalheart from here and other forums. He has both.

I’ll also shout “Metalheart to the forum!” as I’m helpful like that 😆

Love my Solaris.

Very versatile, just as happy pootling on towpaths as it is bombing along the singletrack or hitting jumps.

The main difference between the two is the longer rear end on the Cotic, which is my preference for better climbing abiility and more stability (downhill and in the air).

Not ridden a Sherpa but it seems more of a playful, flicky thing from rider reports and reviews.

Production privee Shan gt
Ragley bigwig
Last fastforward
BTR chaser,ranger (money no object)

2017 NS Eccentric cromo if you want lighter than anything and cheaper than most. Or save more money and weight by going with the alu version. But then it isn’t steel.

2017 NS Eccentric cromo if you want lighter than anything

Listed as 4130, which I’d normally expect to be heavier than frames with 853 main triangles.

Do you have some special info?

Thoughts on how these kinda bikes fare on general XC / race bike duties?

Ie… Are they quick?

“Metalheart to the forum!”

Ahem.

Yup, I have both a (Next Gen) Sherpa and a SolarisMAX. In B+ flavour. I know, I know. I also have a Solaris in 29er guise.

The SolarisMAX is a better fit for me and is built up for all day bikepacking comfort. 2x 11, 120mm forks, Hope 35mm Hoops. In the process of getting a set of 29er boost wheels.

Sherpa is also 2×11 (note: needs boost cranks if your running 3″ tyres 😳 ), 100mm forks, scraper rims. I feel pushed over the front (both frames are large) and I can get a sore back riding it over 2 hours…

Sherpa is more ‘fun’ though. And a nicer paint job and classier head tube badge. Tbf though SolarisMAX set up might have something to do with it. Sherpa has replaceable rear drop outs so can run 135 QR, 142 bolt through (mine) or Boost. But I refer the SolarisMAX for climbing…

Cotic were (are) better to deal with though (but I’ve history with them).

he decided on the cotic. thanks for the replies all.

Solaris Max here and really rate it. However, if I didn’t have that, I’d be tempted by the Sonder Transmitter (perhaps the carbon version)

Sorry to be late…The new Charge Cooker 2018??

Thoughts on how these kinda bikes fare on general XC / race bike duties?

Ie… Are they quick?

I did a local XC race on my Solaris (Pike & HR2 on the front) the other week actually. Came 4/17 in the fun/open/not-very-serious category.

An XC bike would definitely have been faster, but the Cotic was good enough for my needs.

ton – Member
he decided on the cotic. thanks for the replies all.

Good lad!! 😉
You He could’ve had a go on my non-Max, if you’d he’d wanted.

he decided on the cotic.

Good choice, although I doubt he’d regret either to be honest.

Only thing about the MAX is that I wish I’d gone for the orange decnals….. 😳

he dont like anything orange……. 😀

And yet, aqua is just a little to ‘sky’ for me…. 😀