Hi,

I am looking to build up a hardtail compatible with both 29 and 27+ Wheels, built around a 130ish fork.

Got the Cotic Solaris max and the new Santa Cruz Chamelion on the short list and wondered if anyone had experience with either, or both?

Thanks

I’ve a SolarisMAX. Max fork length is 120mm though. It’s built up as my bikepacking mule in B+ flavour. Which it serves it’s intended purpose (bottle cage location excepted….)

Not sure of max fork length but if you have a Cotic on the list you might also consider the Stanton Sherpa. Which…. as it just so happens, I also have…

No experience of the SC (not even heard of it previously…. )

bike radar have a review of the santa cruz. I have one in the pipe. 😀

Well I have recently started riding a Solaris mk2 and I’m loving it.

The SC looks slightly longer in reach, but with substantially shorter chainstays (415mm vs 442mm).

That’d be too short for me, but might be fun if you mainly ride twisty woodland singletrack.

I’m on a mk2 Solaris run in chubby version and love it. Am amazed just how capable the thing is. Fast in singletrack, not far off my fs down the steep stuff and yet easily taps out 50 mile xc rides too.

Just wished I’d hung on and got boosted rear end!

What wheels and tyres are you using mccraque?

I’m considering going chubby on mine soon.

I can’t offer a great deal of help really, but as a mk1 solaris owner I have been thinking the same thing. If I decided i wanted proper plus clearance and stealth routing these two are pretty much the top of the list, so you have a nice choice to make!

Swinging it for the SC- singlespeedable, takes non boost wheels too which might help with the upgrade. For the cotic- it’s a cotic, I really like cotic as a company and I like all of their bikes I’ve ridden so far. And it’s gorgeous.

Would probably need to ride them both

It may come down to what you can get hold of or how patient you are – the SC seems to be pretty much sold out and back orders (for the frame at least) are August.

another happy mk2 solaris owner here run with plus tyres , really pleased with how mines turned out , the max addresses the only issues i have with mine which is stealth routing and a bit more clearance on the back .
I really like the look of the pace rc127 and the pipedream sirius which both take 27 plus and 29 although cotic always have the best colours 😀

I must admit I am considering this choice too. I’m just under 5’11 and really want a low stand over height. Stanton Sherpa would have to be a 19 inch frame. Yet I have a 17.5″ cotic BFe which fits perfectly.

So it’s down to a 18″ SC with at least 130 fork on 29ers or Cotic again…neither I can get to test ride currently.

I’m running a Mk1 Solaris with a 120 Yari Boost and alternating 29 and 27.5+. For 27.5+ I’m running a JRA wheelset with WTB i35’s and 2.8 Trailblazers. The Mk1 can’t take more than a 2.8 out back. The Boost fork will take bigger tyres- so some point soon I’ll be putting something bigger and tougher there. It seems to handle everything I’ve shown it so far. It’s actually causing me issues as I already had a hardtail I loved and this monster is making it difficult to justify both. Cotic make nice bikes. The Max has a Boost backend too, more modern routing and more modern geo. It would probably be what I’d replace my Mk1 with if I needed to.

I used to run (and love) an old Mk2 Chameleon. It was a very different bike – sharp, brutish, direct and a lot of fun but a tiring bike for very long rides.

I am thinking of re-framing my hardtail with a Solaris. Any of you Mk II Solaris owners around South Wales and would be up for meeting up so I can have a go? Large/ medium size boundary, I’d like to see if a large is OK.

If the Santa Cruz was made out of steel I’d do just about anything to own it.
Except trade my Stanton Sherpa for it!
The only bike I would be prepared to exchange it for is a Sherpa Ti.
29 or 27+ with swapout rear you can do pretty much what you want even boost.
120mm fork is longest suggested on website but I’m not sure you’d want to go longer.
It’s very balanced and confident, wheelies like nothing I’ve had before so even local rides with my kids are a hoot.
Smashed all Strava (when I can be bothered) segments up and down.

Get an NS Djambo Evo and save £250 towards the build kit. Amazing frames, for the money or otherwise, and spot on geo..

The frame hanging up in our shop gets more attention than nearly anything else, and it’s £280, sitting next to £3000 full sus frames!

bike radar have a review of the santa cruz. I have one in the pipe.

Kinky

just the way i roll.
commparing a mk2 chameleon to a mark 7 is a bit like comparing a mark 2 golf to a mk 7.

Get an NS Djambo Evo and save £250 towards the build kit. Amazing frames, for the money or otherwise, and spot on geo..

may very well be the case, however it doesn’t have adjustable dropouts. or iscg.

OP I had a quick demo ride on new Solaris with both wheel sets – took Sam from Cotic jist a minute to switch them over, real two bikes in one option. The plus size made me smile amd want to seek out roots and trail features to bounce over. I spent only 10 mins on each but I was a convert. I have been thinking of an Escapade to better suit my from the door riding but Solaris would be an alternative.

What wheels and tyres are you using mccraque?

I’m considering going chubby on mine soon.

I’m using a boosted front and 135 rear – WTB Asym35 on Hope Pro Evo4’s – Built by JRA.

35 hits the sweet spot for me….enough width without being too weighty. Really impressed.

commparing a mk2 chameleon to a mark 7 is a bit like comparing a mark 2 golf to a mk 7.

I never said they were the same, just that I used to own one and loved it but moved on…

I take onboard that the New Chameleon has moved on from it’s more singleminded roots and I suppose I can see why they might end up on the same shopping list, but I suspect that they’re still very different bikes from the SolarisMax although they may share a common spec sheet of standards supported.

I’m actually quite interested to try one now, but I’m trying to stay firm on n- not going back to n+ in the near future… 😀

mccraque, that’s the same wheel set I’m running. I’m very pleased with them!

I am thinking of re-framing my hardtail with a Solaris. Any of you Mk II Solaris owners around South Wales and would be up for meeting up so I can have a go? Large/ medium size boundary, I’d like to see if a large is OK.

I recently bought a large mk2 despite being about 5ft 8in.

The seat tube is a bit longer than I’d like, but I don’t use it for really steep stuff so this hasn’t been a problem. The frame reach is similar to the average medium these days – about 435mm IIRC.

I’m in NW England.

Thanks chaka, that’s not v practical to meetup then. Still long by the standards of what’s in my garage, but I tend to hang on to bikes.