I would keen to hear reviews, thoughts and opinions on the Cotic Solaris. I had a morning on one and with it being my first ride on a 29er I was very impressed.

Anyway, real world experiences regarding the Solaris (positive and negative) appreciated.

Ta,

Andy

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/cotic-solaris-owners-any-problems

I don’t have one, I have a Charge Cooker. But if I had the money I would buy one.

Have a word with Stu at Dales Bike Centre, he will be able to help you as he owns one and is a bit of a fan….

I have one and love it. My previous 29er was a Spesh Carve (now my son’s) which became my go to bike and won me over to big wheels.

However I liked the idea of Cotic. I thought the Solaris would be a good choice as you can set them up differently / to suit. So rigid or 80/100/120mm forks etc. Plus the retro boy in me called for steel.

Mine is 1×10 and has 100mm travel forks. It suits me and where I ride perfectly.

Just really happy with it 🙂

Great fun frame but I was disappointed with the paint on mine, it chipped and rubbed in places very quickly. I should have really sent it back but I needed the frame for events/racing last year and didn’t have a chance to contact Cy.

I havent heard of others having the same problem though so mine may well have been a one off or a bad batch.

chris_db – Member
Have a word with Stu at Dales Bike Centre, he will be able to help you as he owns one and is a bit of a fan….

This is sound advice.

I have one and I’m pretty pleased with it. But then I am a bit of a Cotic fanboi.

I bought it on the basis that I loved how my Soul rode and I wanted to try a 29er so decided to take the punt.

I wasn’t disappointed and it has, in fact, taken over as my ‘go to’ bike. This partly due to the extra 10mm TT (compared with my 07 Soul) and me being on the boundary of medium at a smidge under 6′.

However it’s the only 29er HT I’ve ever ridden so can’t give you any comparison to anything else.

ETA: haven’t had any paint issues myself but I did slap a frame pro set on it before I built it up. I would say that it doesn’t look as durable as my old Soul though.

If anyone has a large frame they’d like to part with….give me a kick please Taa

I love mine. Has pretty much done everything that I’ve asked of it from 24 hour solos to blasting round trail centres. If there’s one thing that I could criticise is that it’s a little flexy when you really put some force through the pedals but I understand this is common in steel hardtails and that the solaris is actually on the stiffer side compared to it’s companions (I may be wrong there though). Don’t get a green one though. Everyone else has a green one and it makes ours look less unique.

@ Rorschach

Give Argo a ring at M&D Cycles Abergavenny. He had his used large there just before Xmas that he was hoping to sell. Not sure if it is still there though sorry.

Tel 01873 854980

You also mentioned reviews so not sure I’d you’ve seen them already but Australian mag Enduro has a long termer review both in part 1 and part 2 flavour. Worth checking out (they are online) if you haven’t seen them yet.

Rorshach.

There’s a lad on this for sale thread selling a large (not the o.p)
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-cotic-solaris-with-hope-headset-and-seatclamp

For the most part I really liked mine. The paint chips really easily which is annoying and it suffers from the same sluggish low speed handling that the vast majority of 29ers suffer from in my opinion. But I’d totally recommend it. Mine was 120mm revs and 1×10 and it was great.

Yup,deffo.my favourite bike.

I loved mine. The bike I’ve had longest of any I’ve owned. Only sold it for as close as possible to an equivalent in ti. Unless you’re much more into going down than up and along, I think it’s got a perfect set of characteristics. Rides quite a lot like a Soul, but is faster in a lot of situations and smoother, if not quite as much fun if you’re just going for a quick blast. Only thing going against it in my opinion is weight, although it isn’t heavy for a steel frame.

+1 for contacting Stu at Dales Bike Centre, he built mine up for me, in fact he was so taken with my 1×10 setup he converted his own!

I tried a couple of bikes on demo then swung a leg over Stu’s bike and realised it was just right for me. Haven’t regretted it in the slightest. Run 120mm X-Fusions, 1×10 with Hope tRex, Hope wheels and dropper post. In theory I’m smack in the middle of the recommended medium size range but went for a large, feels right for me. I’ve also had paint chips/scrubbing issues so it might be a bad batch.

It’s my “go to” bike, so much so that I gave my FS to my nephew! Yesterday there was a group of us riding round Grizedale Forest partly on the North Face trail, I was just about able to keep up with those on FS despite me being rubbish at downhill and having never been on it before.

Taa welshgerroffmoiland and bregante 😀

I have one, your welcome to have a go if your anywhere near Brighton. Set up with 120mm SIDS, overall really happy with it, could be a tad lighter but I have mine set up as an all rounder rather than xc whippet. I have a 45mm stem on a med and it feels ace. I have also thought about putting an angleset in to see what it’s like. Pretty versatile frame.

I’ve had mine a month, love it

Bikepacking on it this weekend

Mine is my second HT 29er, having comer from an FF29. Both were built with exactly the same kit (120mm Revs, Hope/Arch wheels etc),

The FF29 is a bit lighter, a bit stiffer around the BB area and a bit steeper at the front and the ride reflects all that. The FF29 is faster uphill and easier to move around at slow speed. You really notice this when trying to change lines while going up a climb at walking pace, for example. On the other hand, the Solaris is more stable at speed and gives more confidence in general when the trail points down. If I lived in the flatlands or had more skill, I’d go with the FF29, but for North East Scotland (and a rider of very limited skills/confidence) the Solaris suits me better.

The Five is still my go-to bike though and the Solaris is mainly being used to test out the bigger wheels.

@Rorschach…

popped in the shop today as I was in town. Frame was still there but has unfortunately now been sold. Sorry.

Taaa again.

I have one in the shed waiting to be built. It will be my first 29er and I have spent less than 10 mind on 29ers in the past. I have high hopes and am building it up with 120mm Reba’s, 750mm bars and a 50mm stem. It should be fun.

It will be fun I-Ache. My mate has one with simialr build (120 Fox not Reba) and we swapped rides around Brechfa a while back. He had my FF29 and I rode the Cotic. I thoguht they rode very similar but found the Cotic a bit more playful over the jumps and table tops. My mate thought the FF29 a little more eager but felt it was a bit more harsh back through the bars (could be forks, could be frame material). Anyway, it felt good. I am a recent 29er convert for everything other than Bike Park stuff where my 26er FS will continue to do for me thank you!

I thoguht they rode very similar but found the Cotic a bit more playful over the jumps and table tops.

Isn’t ‘playful’ a euphemism for ‘too small a frame’? 😛

Not necessarily, I find my stumpjumper much more playful than my old enduro. I also find my BFe an inexpressible amount more playful (and well just better) than my old 456 despite them being the same size.

wookie – Member
Great fun frame but I was disappointed with the paint on mine, it chipped and rubbed in places very quickly.

This!

Admittedly my experience is from a Soul but Im pretty hacked off with the finish for a premium priced frameset

The paint finish on mine is rubbish
It looks like its been put on as one thick coat

The frame number under the BB is illegible due to the thickness, I asked the shop what it actually was for insurance purposes and not only could they not tell me due to it being slavvered in paint but they said neither they or even Cotic had a record either of what was delivered to them, which was a bit poor

Despite the paint being thick it isnt particularly hard wearing either
The first time I strapped a battery to the top tube it marked – Ive had no problems at all with the same light set up on several other bikes – and over the years it just looks a bit shabby with multiple scratches, blemishes and marks from general wear and tear

Yes its a mountain bike and its going to be abused
But it cost more than all of my other bikes and its aged worse than the lot of them put together

For comparison my son has a cheapo 456 from the On One sale
It cost a lot less than my Soul and despite being ridden and looked after by a teenage boy still looks a whole lot better at a fraction of the price

My Soul experience – great frame but in my opinion not worth the extra over a 456

Cheers

I love my soul for how it rides but have to agree with previous posters by saying paint is gash. Chipped to buggery round bb and all burred off on interior of chain stays.

Sorry to say I’m an idiot who’s still buy it as it is a lorra laffs.

Don’t suppose anyone would know the colour code needed, or if it’s possible to buy small pots of touch up paint for the green Solaris? I have a few chips in the paint on mine. Nowt major, just stone chips. Just tended to use clear nail varnish…great bike btw. Although I do find the rear tyre clearance a bit tight with the xt front derailleur when it gets properly muddy.

Dales joe: standard solution for XT front mech, hack the redundant arm off…

Front mech no. 2 (hacked) on Flickr

As far as I can find out the green Solaris paint is pantone 376C.

This site Model paint
gave this as the nearest available match.

Tamiya

A little pot cost less than a fiver and and I’ve just tried it and it looks pretty good.

There are other steel 29ers you know… 😉
But the Solaris sounds like it fits the bill for you.
I wanted something that would do SS or geared, so shopped elsewhere.
Ended up with the nicest bike I’ve ever ridden, but often find myself looking at the Cotic.
Especially in that green. 🙂
Must be a pricey steel frames that have rubbish paint because mines crap too.

For the green touch up paint, I emailed Cotic a while back and they suggested: “Tamiya X15 model makers acrylic paint”. I bought some (cheap) online and it was nowhere near the same colour – though I suspect it was my source that was the problem.

BTW, I rate my Solaris as my most favourite bike I’ve ever owned – and I am pretty fussy and faddy… bikes don’t tend to last more than a year with me; I’ve had the Solaris just over a year and still love it!

Takisawa2 – nicest bike I’ve ridden is an admirable comment.
Please share!

Best hardtail I’ve ridden. Mine benefits from travel adjust forks – climbs really well with forks slammed to 90mm, and bombs down stuff at 120 feeling like a lot more than 120. Front end height is very sensitive (as with all 29ers). It works well with big trail 2.4s being thrown around Peak winch and plummet stuff, while swapping out for XC 2.1s, dialling travel down means it whips through singletrack like Sherwood Pines really well. And wide bars and short stem make it go round corners a lot better. Plus company, esp Cyl and Paul are lovely. Next stop rigid fork and bike packing…

Pretty much as above, love mine and it’s now all I ride although never ridden another 29er. No problems with stone chips on mine, but think it’s an earlier model (it’s 18 bikes ex-demo).

If you’re near the Chilterns and can cope with a large happy to let you try.

austinburner…SIR.9
Tis lovely.

SIR.9 Tis lovely.

Aye, and nearly twice the price of a Solaris.

Hi
Funny old world co my first 29er hard tail was a SIR 9 and now have a Solaris which I much prefer.
Got the SIR second hand off Stu at the Dales Centre-he has a Solaris now too!!!
Cheers
Steve