I am thinking of selling my BMC trailfox full suss frame and replacing it with a cotic.

While i like the full suss frame i suspect i will be able to develop better on a hardtail along with lessons that i plan to get after i practice and bulid up fitness (certainly not trying to blame my tools here so feel free to say if there wont be a difference).

My question is, as i would transferring the current gear would my 120mm rebas be ok on a bfe? Is the bfe much heavier or harder to handle the basics on eg manuals etc?

I suspect the soul would be ideal for the riding i will do but the bfe is cheaper and would provide future travel updates if i found myself wanting to deal with more extreme descents.

I am also aware of stanton / pipedream options as well so feel free to say if either of these offer significant improvements again, at least initially on 120mm travel.

My question is, as i would transferring the current gear would my 120mm rebas be ok on a bfe?

Geometry is the same on both Soul and Bfe and both ride just fine with 120mm forks, Bfe is just rated for longer forks strength wise.

Is the bfe much heavier or harder to handle the basics on eg manuals etc?

a bit, not ‘much’ and no harder to handle because of it.

I suspect the soul would be ideal for the riding i will do but the bfe is cheaper and would provide future travel updates if i found myself wanting to deal with more extreme descents.

It is cheaper, but then it’s also a fair bit stiffer… depends what you’re after, the soul is the comfier ride but big tyres and such will make almost as much difference. Soul is fine with a bit of a thrashing even with 140mm forks if that’s your thing, and it will build up a bit lighter with the same components.

Depends what you’re after really but I doubt you’d be disappointed with either.

There are some zealots on here who believe that anything over 120 on a bfe is like sticking carrots up your nose and squeaking like a mouse. I like mine with 140mm fox vanillas. Sqooooook.

I’ll be honest, a soul would have been fine, but I like pretending I’m all gnarr core by owning a BFe. I’ll bet other than weight, I would be hard pressed to discern the difference. I think the soul is rated to 140 anyway?

Plus what ameidas said.

Rob votes lessons first.

In Rob’s experience you may find yourself “upping your game” and doing things that the full sus gives a wider margin of error should you make a wee error 🙂

one day Toys, I will actually meet you in person…

I’m pretty sure you only live round the corner from me, and we’ve both let Luke have a spin on our Cotics the other week, Exeter is turning into a right little Cotic love-in 😉

Keep your eyes peeled for a short fat arrogant bastard wheezing up barnfield/heavitree cop shop/waitrose gladstone road on a blue steel pinarello/blue steel on one macinato/kona ute and your dreams will come true!

Just got a new Bfe to replace my Classic Soul, and was surprised that it appears to be only half a pound heavier.

Had a BFe and a Soul… The BFe just seemed to lack that vital spark that the Soul has- it was never more than excellent, the Soul was hardly ever less than brilliant. Not sure exactly what caused that, it can’t be the weight difference so I’m assuming it’s about the stiffness. There’s something kinda puppylike about a Soul.

Anyway- Soul if you can, BFe if you can’t. Soul is no delicate flower, it’ll take as much of a beating as the competition- it’s lighter by virtue of being better not by being weaker. BFe only really becomes a necessity if you’re a giant or a nutter.

Classic Soul is only 400 if you don’t need a medium, nice midway price between the two, and it is a LOVELY bike.

If your building it up with 120’s then build the soul… that’s what is it for, pedalling up, down and around
The Bfe is for sticking long forks and hammering downhill, or really short forks and using as a jump/play type bike.

People who witter on about the bfe handling best at ~130mm are missing the point, and #shouldhaveboughtasoul

I honestly think my BFe is more fun than my FS and keep thinking about selling my FS frame but I know if I do I will want another FS within days.

I_Ache – excuse for another new bike, then!

Do mice really go “Sqooooook”?

cheers everyone, pretty much backing up what i thought, i am only 5’7″ so would be going small which as you say honourablegeorge is there for the cheaper price – and i can use the carbon post off my machinato.

I can appreciate from this the bfe’s benefits tho think the soul will be fine for my needs.

People who witter on about the bfe handling best at ~130mm are missing the point, and #shouldhaveboughtasoul

It’s only a toy dear.

PS I forgot to say that you’ll love the Soul – they are ace!

jwab, I’m 167 cm tall, and the BFe XS fits me like a glove.

A mouse, at christmas.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H6wBvlIcVg[/video]

ononeorange – Member
I_Ache – excuse for another new bike, then!

[quote]

Good point, I do want a new FS frame anyway but I don’t want to take a risk on one at the moment.

Nick, indeed your right, but people very passionatly argue that you shouldnt run a BFe with long forks and its best at 120/130 otherwise it stops being a good XC bike….

My point is that in this case the right tool (toy) for the job is a soul, comfier, lighter, and there is no benefit of the BFe other than price, and by the time youve built it up anyway I think your better off going down the soul route.

I cannot believe that I just watched that!

Thanks though. I see.

BFe only really becomes a necessity if you’re a giant or a nutter.

I’ve had both and prefer the BFe. I am not a giant. Soul has an ace back end but the BFe can be chucked down anything and handle it. The Soul is good but isn’t as composed on the rough stuff.

Here’s a question.

If the fork you were going to use on either a Soul or a BFe had to be a Fox 36 shimmed down to 140mm, would you still put it on a Soul or go for the BFe?

I’ve had both and prefer the BFe. I am not a giant. Soul has an ace back end but the BFe can be chucked down anything and handle it. The Soul is good but isn’t as composed on the rough stuff.

I’ve never ridden a soul, but the BFe is well composed in the rough stuff, better than the 456, P7 pro, inbred, and Sarcen Zen hardtails I have had.

Depends, I ride a Cham, it’s stiffer than a groom on his wedding night. Makes for a very good XC bike, I’ll swap it for a bfe when I get round to it, as I like the flexibility of 140mm forks, I don’t like bikes that move about underneath me, and I like the colour. I rode a soul once ( admittedly a 1st gen one) and to me it was like pushing wet spaghetti. I see the bfe and I see the perfect XC bike ( stiff, reasonably conservative angles, long forks, low, long, lots of post)

I’m probably doing it wrong though 🙂

geetee deffo the BFe. The tubes are tougher and will cope with the extra stiffness of the 36 better. It will also look better due to the thick stanchions matching the thicker tubes.

I_Ache that’s where my thinking was going as well.

Well either that or a custom steel job from 18Bikes 😉

Well there is that.

Arrggh i’m back with Bfe’s now

Cheers toys for the size comparison, i knew i would be in between sizes at 171cm and suspected a small might be too big?? if that makes sense??

I have ridden a 16″ blue pig and that felt a bit long tho would be using a 50mm step rather than the 60mm one it had and wouldn’t have the slight extra from the laid back post the pig had.

jwab
why dont you buy my 2nd hand Mk 1 16″ Small Cotic Soul off me @£80 plus postage and see how it rides?
if you dont sell it on, at least you will not have spent a fortune!
phwill77 at g mail dot com

if yer in devon you can have a go on mine.

Catvet, email on way, cheers for the offer toys but I’m in Newark so a bit far off. Once again cheers everyone for the great advice!!