…well hello…….. 8)

what a fantastic looking bit of kit.

Love the green

Shame the production model won’t have the tapered headset, or the luminous green paintjob.

Have a look at Sam’s latest too..

That too looks beautiful…

Just checked out the new product pics on the Cotic home page and I think it is the most right looking 29er i’ve seen! Nice!
This coupled with back to back testing my Bro in Law’s Giant XTC29er against my Rush and realising the 29er was quicker and made we want to pedal pedal pedal and pedal some more [but not entirely sure it was as much fun, but that may change with bike familiarality] means that the Solaris may well be what I am saving my pennies for….

as an owner of 2 Cotics, I can’t help but be a little bit disappointed that they’ve started to make 29ers…
I admit that this is irrational.

As an owner of two cotic’s I’m delighted that they are starting to make 29ers.

It’s finally time for me to scratch that particular itch.

It started back in ’98 when I happened in to Willitts Bikes in Crested Butte and Wes was talking about 29ers…. Not having the spare 3 grand to splurge on a custom ti frame I’ve manage to stall at particular brand of curiosity. Until now that is…

Oh and that green, I want!

Tapered head tube isn’t on the production Solaris frame, as Cy considered getting the bars lower a priority, which having an internal top cup helps with. Also, production frames have a larger diameter top tube, which joins nicely to a full 44mm head tube. It was all in a newsletter email he send out today. Contents of that email been copied to here: 44mm

Can’t believe there’s not going to be the green, unless cy has an even better colour in the pipeline.

Makes allot of sense. Looks lovely, bet orange ones’ll look even lovelier.

Just checked out the new product pics on the Cotic home page and I think it is the most right looking 29er i’ve seen! Nice!

I agree, although the saddle is pointing down.

My orange one should arrive in less than a month. If I’d known you we’re looking Ton, I’d have waited. 😉

I can’t wait. It’ll be the first time I’ve purchased a brand new frame in a long while.

Does anyone know why it uses “True Temper OX Platinum steel tubing” for 2 of the 3 main tubes rather than 853 like the Soul? It is because the tubing size/profile isn’t available in 853 or just a cost saver? Its seems pretty unusual to mix True Temper and Reynolds tubing in the main triangle.

PS Agree it look nice

I don’t know, but I’d be interested too. A very small (and stupid) bit of me was slightly disappointed at the lack of an 853 sticker. I’m not normally quite that shallow, honestly.

Am I missing something?

A. N. Other hardtail from what I can see?

I’m also loving that green. Maybe just as well I won’t be able to buy it in that colour 😉

Think I’m in for a blue one !

The blue does look stunning! However, mmmmmmm orange 8)

Always said I’d never ditch my Soul for another hardtail other than a Soda…..but now the Soda has gone, that Solaris does look lovely.

And I agree about the green, fwiw

My Soda moved on to make room for a Solaris – and a fair chunk of my RIP 9 to be fair. It was lovely, but ultimately didn’t do much more than the Soul other than look nice. And the Solaris should really fit.

as an owner of 2 a few Cotics 29ers, I can’t help but be a little bit disappointed not give two hoots that they’ve started to make 29ers…

🙂

cynic-al – Member

Am I missing something?

A. N. Other hardtail from what I can see?

No I don’t think you are missing anything. Other than it’s an excuse for the normal 29er haterz to thrap one out as it’s a brand that they normaly thrap one out over. 😉

Green looks awesome – definitely should make it a production colour

Looks like every other hard tail really.

Its seems pretty unusual to mix True Temper and Reynolds tubing in the main triangle.

mixing tubesets isn’t unusual. Chas Roberts has been doing that for years both road and mtb. some even have a mix of 853/foco/deda in one frame.

coogan – Member

Looks like every other hard tail really.

exactly, but the point you’ve missed is that the size shown (on’t website) will fit tall beans like me, and it still looks like a bike, not a clown bike.

manufacturers never show pictures of their ‘large’ 26ers – because they look ***king hideous.

The Solaris is beautiful, and it’ll still look beautiful in a size that’ll fit me, this is reason enough for me to want one.

I may well not be remembering well, but weren’t Cotic a bit vocal about not liking 29ers a while back?

coogan – Member
Looks like every other hard tail really.

Yes, but the devil is in the detail.

For me Cotic have got it right in the past. I’m going on the assumption that they’ve done their homework on this one too.

I looked at a couple of other things too but they were either not quite right or complete unknown to me. I know which size will fit me and how to spec it up. And if my expectations are misfounded, and I don’t like it, then I know I’ll be able to flog it on.

I may well not be remembering well, but weren’t Cotic a bit vocal about not liking 29ers a while back?

in a ‘not till you can get forks with more offset’ sort of way.

and here we are.

Ton ..you were only saying the other day that after owning many 29ers you’ve come to the conclusion that 26ers are where it’s at Not changed your mind again have you! 😉

Very nice indeed. Love the green. If it handles like the soul but with all of the mythical 29er advantages then it will be bloody great.

Cy – do a green option on the next production run PLEASE!

Very, very nice. Shame the Simple doesn’t come in the same colours, it would probably have been my next bike, wait for mk2 colours.

Yep – Simple colour is a disappointment.

For me Cotic have got it right in the past. I’m going on the assumption that they’ve done their homework on this one too.

like the first ‘long travel’ soul that didn’t have enough meat on the headtube for 130mm bombers? or the rear stays on the bouncy bike?

gotta be green FTW

may even consider retirement of the ti456 for a solaris to complement the nicolai ac 29er 🙂

For me Cotic have got it right in the past. I’m going on the assumption that they’ve done their homework on this one too.
like the first ‘long travel’ soul that didn’t have enough meat on the headtube for 130mm bombers? or the rear stays on the bouncy bike?

Happy to be an early adopter – I know what Cotic’s customer service is like and have every confidence that if it breaks they’ll see me right. Unlikely given the tube set I’d have thought though. If it handles like I’m expecting it to given my previous experience of their 26ers I’ll be a very happy man.

This may be of interest – just penned a few thoughts about my time on the prototype Solaris so far: http://aquickrelease.blogspot.com/2012/01/extra-3-cotic-solaris-29er.html

🙂

MrSmith – Member

or the rear stays on the bouncy bike?

Which was fixed, and fixed well, as soon as the problem was apparent (mine was bought second hand, and would have been out of warranty anyway even if it wasn’t, and I broke it after a week in france and a run of uplift days- no bother says Cy, have a new set for free. Couriered to my door 2 days later.

Sure, it’d be better if it’d never broken, but it shows you can buy with confidence that even if there is a problem, you’ll be looked after.

James, in your blog you mention a target weight of 23lbs. Is that 1×10 or 2×10? I’m going for a fairly similar build, but had assumed it would be hard to get much below 24lbs 2×10 with Rebas, 240s/crests and sensiblish tyres. Not that that’s the point with a steel hardtail I guess.

Nice report James, really as flickable as the Soul? If so that’s great as that was my main complaint when comparing xtc29er with my Rush as previously mentioned.