I’m thinking of upgrading my inbred frame to a cotic soul frame,
Will I notice a big difference or not?
It’s definately an upgrade in terms of class but is it a worthwhile upgrade??
They look very similar, do they perform similar?

Thanks in advance

What’s the difference? Slightly lighter?

Slightly lighter, possibly slightly sprightlier and more pose value.
Fit some better tyres and wheels to the Inbred.

I upgraded an Inbred to a Soul. It was worth it. Lighter frame, nicer finished.

I am not the most aware of people and even I recognised that the Soul felt nicer to ride.

I found a Soul much more fun to ride than an Inbred built with the same kit, and like Leku I wouldn’t claim to be the most discriminating rider. A Soul frame isn’t cheap, but I thought it terrific value.

Whether you’d find it worthwhile for the money nobody but you can really say. Can you find one to test ride or borrow?

I bought a soul to replace a 456. OK not the same as an inbred but similar in fairly chunky tube construction. I was actually out on my 456 when I saw Si doing a test day at 18 Bikes so I was able to ride back to back on trails I knew well. The result was dissatisfaction ! It took nearly a year to gather money/persuade wife to go for the Soul but I do feel it has been worth it. I don’t have the bike journos vocabulary to describe what it is that makes the difference but I haven’t looked at another hardtail since, a real claim for an inveterate bike luster like me.

I went Scandal to Soul, so not quite the same, Soul was a little heavier but rode (to me) far better- could make use of a longer fork or still be fun with a short one, far more of a troublemaker bike (I had 2 gigantic crashes in the first 2 weeks of ownership as a result of it going “Yeah you can ride that” on stuff that the Scandal said “Nah, that’s not for us”

Put it another way, I quite liked the Scandal til I rode a Soul, but I never had a good day on the Scandal again after realising how much better everything could be.

I really love the look of the soul, also I wouldn’t get the disapproving looks I get on the inbred(snobs)
I don’t know anyone with a soul and my lbs are not dealers.
Think I’ll just bite the bullet and click buy.

Thanks for the advice

Where are you Lee?
There is a list of dealers on Cotic website, might have to travel to get a test ride or like you say just click the buy button.

I am sure you wont be disappointed 😉

I’m in Eaglescliffe teesside

Is the soul a do it all ht?
I basically use my on-one for everything
Can I run a 130mm fork on a soul?

This from Cy in the Cotic newsletter last Autumn. Should answer your question…

I’ve noticed over the last few months a slightly odd trend of the Soul being kind of side-lined by the BFe. I find it a little odd, but after a customer email this week it got me thinking some realignment of perceptions might be needed. The email was from someone looking at a BFe because he wanted to use 120mm forks and do ‘a few little drops on the trail’ and thought the Soul was ‘marketed as the XC bike’ so wouldn’t be suitable. I’ve also seen a few people looking at trying to decide between the Solaris and BFe when looking at the two wheel sizes, when the Solaris is very much a big wheeled Soul in terms of intent and execution. Surely it would be a choice between Soul and Solaris?

Anyhow, whilst we need to look again at how we talk about the Soul, I thought I’d start by getting you good people on message, as it were.

First off, the Soul is tough as old boots! The original idea was for something super tough and durable for running long forks and big tyres. The 853 means it can be light and subtle too, but make no mistake, it’s tough. Nothing capable of running 140mm forks is going to drop to bits and the first sight of a bump or drop in the trail.

I think the existence of the BFe as the toughnut bike of the range seems to have detracted a little from the Souls’ credentials and that’s a massive missed opportunity for you guys after a fast, smooth trail bike for up to 140mm forks. The geometry of the Soul and BFe is identical, so the handling is the same, you just save nearly 1 pound in weight with a Soul. And now with Soul3 you can run taper forks and a dropper so it’s not even a functionality issue. I’ve ridden my Soul down some ridiculous stuff in Luchon over the years, pounded it all over the Peak District back in the day and hooned it around BMX tracks. Coming bang up to date my mate Tom rode his Soul to a top 30 Masters placing at the Innerleithen round of the UK Gravity Enduro this year. Not bad for an ‘XC bike’.

The BFe is an ace bike, and a great trail bike option if you can’t stretch to the price of a Soul or you want to run 150 or 160mm forks, or indeed do big jumps and massive drops. However, if you’re looking at up to 140mm forks for your trail hardtail, where the overlap occurs between the Soul and the BFe, the Soul is our ultimate expression of a 26″ wheel steel hardtail for that purpose. I’ve never had a BFe as my personal bike beyond testing the prototypes, but I’ve always owned a Soul. If you’re looking at choosing between the wheel sizes we offer, you’re choosing between a Soul and a Solaris in my opinion.

The Soul was my dream bike and it founded the company. If you’re looking at our 26″ hardtails, it’s probably your dream bike too.

Inbreds are good for the dough but the Soul is way better – you will love it.

Yes, I’d sign under that letter any day. The Soul is capable for tough rides in technical terrain. I’ve been riding my old 2004 Soul for ten years now, with 130 – 140 mm fork on it. It’s still going strong and now I built a new one, with similar setup. I prefer SPD pedals, but since this bike also will be a rental bike it has optional MX80 flatties:
Cotic Soul AM custom build

/Leo

I would hope that Reynolds wonderful 853 steel, allowing wall thicknesses 0.1-0.2mm thinner than 4130 chromoly would make a difference!

lee170 – Member

Is the soul a do it all ht?
I basically use my on-one for everything
Can I run a 130mm fork on a soul?

That’s exactly what it’s for. 100-140mm of fork, do anything anyhow. I raced 10 Under The Ben on mine (incredibly badly) and did my first uplifts on it, true allrounder. Sold it because I wanted something more gnar but it took a load of failed attempts to find anything else that could match it on quality (took a Ragley Ti in the end) But I still have a soft spot for the Soul. Got a Soda now and frankly I’ve never had the same affection for it.

I replaced my large Inbred with a sh Medium (late) mk2 Soul just before the price drop on the orange and green mk3’s which has just about finished late last year.

If the timing had been a couple of weeks different I’d have probably sprung the extra for the dropper friendly post. The tapered head tube doesn’t make that much difference to me (yet?).

I’m currently running it in 1×10 with Hans Dampf trailstar/pacestar combo, 760 bars on a 70mm stem and an old 150mm float 32 that I haven’t got around to shortening yet and I love it so much it hurts.

The Inbred was a bike I had fun with but always felt a bit dead. To be fair it didn’t help that I overcompensated moving up from my old 90’s Orange that was way too small for me and went for the big frame, but the tubes just aren’t there. It’s not the Inbred’s fault. I wouldn’t really expect tubes like the old Orange stuff that sings and tinkles when you wash it at the price OO sell the Inbred for. The Soul’s tubing sings in a similar but not quite so musical way. The Orange and the Soul both feel alive in a lovely springy, responsive way that the Inbred just didn’t. My Inbred was built up with Rebas and X9 so wasn’t a bottom end build. To be honest, if the old Orange had been a size bigger, had been designed for a more current A-C (modern forks slackened it to the point of lunacy) and had disc tabs I’d probably still be riding it instead. My Soul is a definite upgrade from my Inbred in terms of riding experience and fun potential. I know the Inbred is capable but it just didn’t involve me the same way, feel as alive or whisper ‘faster!’ the same way.

The Soul is rated for forks up to 140mm but depending where in the country you are (I assume terrain available is the factor) most people say that either 120 (South West) or 130 (Peaks) is the sweetspot. At 150 you can feel the front getting a little unruly on corners and I can see how washout could easily happen at speed/on loose surfaces. I plan to start at 130 and then put the extra 10 in if I think I need it.

Do I regret it? No. This bike has that ‘pry it from my cold dead hands’ feel about it.

I believe the mk2’s like mine are a little lighter than the mk3’s with their wider tubes.

My other remaining hardtail is a pre-EBB Chameleon on 36’s which I tend to ride around Guisbrough and the NYM which I also love for different reasons. It’s just a confidence inspiring beast and outrageous fun to play on. It’s such a different HT to the Soul it would be silly trying to compare. I also have a nice FS which is … different … and to be honest I haven’t quite worked out how to get the best from yet as I’m too used to hardtails.

My Soul is my current favourite bike. Sorry, I know this is a bit long and slushy, but it is almost Valentines… 🙂

With Orange Souls being offered at £375 there’s never been a better time to switch. Even I’m tempted and I have a BFe which I love so I definitely don’t need another bike !

Soul’s are in fashion on this forum but are far from the best-riding bikes in their price and category when you get down to it.

Try a Kinesis Maxlight if you get a chance. Or a Ragley Piglet, Stanton Slackline.

I’d not choose a Slackline or a Maxlight over a Soul tbh. Haven’t ridden a Piglet though.

yes definatly

I had an inbred s/s and I chopped it in when I had the shout at a cotic Simple 26er it felt undergeared compaired to the inbred with the same gearing, more agile and responsive and it was built with all the kit off the inbred except the headset.

I had a full susser which I hated and I wanted a Soul but could not afford it 456 at £125 v soul at £470 so it was a no brainer. the 456 was always a faster bike than I was a rider and got me into all sorts of trouble ( read injuries) I guess it was a lack of ability on my behalf , but deep down I wanted a soul

Piggy bank raided Soul purchased compaired to the 456 it is smoother, more responsive, more planted and controllable than the 456 and I am a happy bunny.

Bottom line the Inbred / 456 are good bikes do not be mistaken and yes I would have another. But the Cotic Soul / Simple are alot nicer

Northwind – Member
I’d not choose a Slackline or a Maxlight over a Soul tbh. Haven’t ridden a Piglet though.

Well I would. I found both to be more comfy, responsive, much lighter (in the case of the maxlight) and less common all round 😉

I found both to be more comfy, responsive, much lighter (in the case of the maxlight) and less common all round

So the heavier steel frame and and the al alloy frame are both comfier than the light steel frame? Sure, that makes so much sense! 😉

CGG – your thinking is flawed! I guess it’s to do with how they’re built. This common misconception that alloy frames aren’t comfy is weird.

I’ve ridden all the frames mentioned. Have you? It’s a thing you can tell when you swing a leg over. The two harshest hardtails I have ridden were both steel (456 and dialled alpine). The best, by a country mile, was the maxlight.

CGG – your thinking is flawed! I guess it’s to do with how they’re built. This common misconception that alloy frames aren’t comfy is weird.

I don’t have that misconception, I understand the engineering and I know how bad most people are at accurately judging things. My old alloy XC frame was less harsh than many chunky steel frames. Find a frame designer who will tell you that they can make an alloy frame pass CEN and be less harsh through the back end than a Soul and I’ll believe you (and eat my full-face helmet).

just a thought

I have never seen a alloy spring 😉

I always reckoned that if you blind tested an Inbred and the old scandium Scandal, most people would tell you the Inbred was the dead, stiff, alu frame and the Scandal was the lively, springy steel one.

But talking about “comfy” also misses half of the point IMO, my Mmmbop was comfy enough for me, but I didn’t like how it rode- rear wheel had a mind of its own because it was too stiff to track the ground, it bounced of anything and everything. But then loads of people would probably prefer that to my less stiff Ti. It’s almost like there are differences of opinion.

Should be fun to read the feedback on the Parkwood(s) 😉

Glasgowdan, which Maxlight did you have? I’m guessing XC3 or XC130, not a pro3? And what fork did you run with it?

And while we’re all here and not to totally hijack, what height are you and what size frame? (thanks, will help current thinking no end!)

What’s the timescale on the parkwood Brant?

what’s a Parkwood?

Large Orange Soul out of stock just as I was about to hit the order button – gutted dosen’t cover it. Only Medium left now.

Moonboy I had an original maxlight (the 100mm frame before there were other options) and then an xc120. The 120 was better and ice never had a go on an xc hardtail that has come close to it for fun, responsive and comfy riding.

I’m 6ft and rode a large which gave me plenty room but not too big to do the rock slab at dumyat and other tricky features 🙂

ta, thanks for that

what’s a Parkwood?

New On-one HT frame, first mentioned on a thread about the demise of the Scandal, but about which we’ve not heard many details.