• This topic has 5 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by cy.
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  • Older Cotic Sodas – are they as noodley as people make out?
  • no_eyed_deer
    Free Member

    I’m tempted to try to get hold of one of these, but remain a tad put off by their somewhat noodley reputation.

    Is it as bad (or good!) as people make out?

    I run 100mm forks, tend to er on the XC side in my approach to things generally, but do occasionally like big days out in the mountains with rocky descents and drops.

    What do you reckon..?

    JonEdwards
    Free Member

    I’ve got no.5 from the original batch.

    I’m light but aggressive rider (hard on wheels!). It’s definitely got a spring to its stride, but I’d never call it noodly. Mine gets regularly thrashed around the peaks and has been off some pretty serious jumps and drops with no issues what so ever. It actually feels a little faster DH in the Peaks than my BFe as the back end is more forgiving, despite shorter forks. Handling is spectacular.

    5+ years on, it’s still my favourite bike.

    simondbarnes
    Full Member

    Definitely wouldn’t call mine noodley.

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    ononeorange
    Full Member

    I did have one and as above “noodley” is an insult. Lively and perfectly balanced, imo. Lovely.

    elliptic
    Free Member

    They do flex noticeably when you’re grunting out of the saddle (mine was a 16″) but the upside is a very lively character that likes to be flicked and thrown around.

    Not a bike for bimbling along in a straight line – need to be taken by the scruff of the neck and ridden with enthusiasm.

    Unfortunately it turns out they’re not indestructible 🙁 so I’m now looking for a replacement…

    cy
    Full Member

    If you keep them at the less GRRRRR end of a setup (i.e. less than 700mm wide bars, max 120mm forks, not sticky tyres), and particularly if you’re not a big lad, they’re brilliant. The issue is that the last couple of mag tests had the bike with very stiff modern forks, very grippy tyres and very wide bars, in the large size. All of these things are the maximum that the Soda was designed for and trends for wide bars and stickiness of tyres in particular kind of overtook the bike. It’s still ace with a lighter build though. It is purposefully springy as the Soul is very lively and comfy as steel frames go, and the Soda was designed to be ‘more’ obviously ti than the Soul.

    Having ridden a couple different options during the new Soul/Soda development, it became clear to me that the Soul was about as ‘springy’ as you’d want for really pushing on with a wider bar/big tyre setup, so basically the new frame now has similar torsional stiffness as the Soul, with the biggest different now being a slightly softer ride vertically and most obviously the much lower weight.

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