OK – Ive just spent 4 cans of Marstons, an episode each of Lost, Corrie, Gav and Stacey and Heroes while online here with the search function and I think Ive cracked it 🙂

Im (still) fancying a new HT
Buying British appeals even if theyre not actually made here

So the choice is a Soul or a Pig
I know theres a couple of hundred quid in it but there you go

As far as I can tell after reading everything this site has to offer the Soul is the delicate, purists choice for folk who like to pick their lines with finesse and the Blue Pig is an unconventionally shaped monster begging for a BFO fork and some wide bars that you hang onto for dear life whilst charging down trails your mates on full suss bikes think twice about – but also unfeasably gets up the climbs pretty damn quick too

Or have I got it wrong?

Ta – next step test rides

Sounds like your also describing the bfe!

One thing is for sure, the cotic's look nicer & seem to be more refined!

I have neither btw!

What you have heard is what the manufacturers want you to believe because it defines their brand and the niche for those particular products.

Personally I would try and forget all of that and test ride them and form your own opinions.

I don't think the soul is particularly delicate. The ragley 's geometry is more radical, than the soul so if your riding is more general I'd be thinking very carefully

I think the 456 sits somewhere between the two as well 😉

Are those two really the only manufacturers of British steel HTs? Dialled bikes? Singular? On-One (perhaps not very niche though) ? etc, etc.

the Blue Pig is an unconventionally shaped monster begging for a BFO fork

er, no. not quite.

the Ragley is begging for a 130/140mm fork, cos that's what is was designed for.

itsa good job Brant has a sense of humour; he designs bikes with nice slack head angles. only for us lot to fit daft long forks on them which they didn't need…

P7.

I'm certainly no purist and prefer to clatter down stuff, and I love my soul. I'm glad I test rode one, rather than researching it.

BFe is more like the Blue Pig if you're after something a bit more comparable in terms of price etc.

Ragley geom and Cotic goem very different though, I'd ride both and pick based on how they ride, not how they look. Obviously either can be built up with "grrr" or "racy" forks/bars/wheels/tyres etc, so either can be made more "bulldozer" or "gazelle" like depending on how they're built up, bear that in mind when riding demo bikes.

Agreed I need to ride them back to back

And its not marketing Ive fallen for its the esteemed opinions on here 🙂

I suspect the Soul is the bike Id have bought as a purist before spending the last 5y on a full suss bike
But its the Ragley thats the more difficult to work out

Haven't ridden a Soul, but have had an Altitude on the go for nearly a month.

Don't underestimate what an skinny looking 853 hardtail is up to. I spent a whole day at Afan chasing an Enduro and a Remedy down the slopes and the Altitude was on it!

The Soul will take the same fork and do the same things, it's more about the ride you want from it.