After some advice please chaps (and chapesses)…..

I’ve currently got:

26″ aluminum frame genesis core, 120mm rebas, 15mm maxle, pro2 evo/521 wheels, 3×9 deore, deore brakes, and some nice Thompson & Hope finishing bits. Main bike, 30 miles a week or so at present.

26″ inbred, ss with tensioner, boggo shimano wheelset, and cast off parts from the genesis. Hardly ride it.

29″ scandal v2, salsa/formula & sun ringle wheelset, more or less full deore groupset, smattering of hope bits. This one’s not quite finished/rideable yet.

So, the scandal is going to become my main bike, as my regular ride is a mix of forest and road to and from, is smooth and fast, hoping scandal will be ideal.

I’ve been thinking as I’d then have two ally frame hardtails, I might get a fs frame to replace the core and have it as a more fun bike, but I’ve got the chance of a soul frame, for around £200, 1 1/8″ steerer, later model, and am very tempted.

So, will it be different enough/more fun/better to chuck about than the core? I plan to offload the inbred, as I just don’t ride it enough, and I know I could build it up geared etc, but I’ve lusted after a soul for ages…..

Buy the Soul, swap the bits over from the Core.

Good money on the Soul then becoming your main bike. 😉

HTH

Buy the Soul. The 853 steel frame will be amazing compared to an aluminum frame. It’s amazing anyway. And for £200 you are getting a bargain.
Amazingly chuckable frame (assuming you get the right size). I’ve got a 70mm stem and 740 bars on mine. Love it love it love it!

I’m 6ft, frame is a large, should be ok with short(ish) stem?

I’m 5’ll” and find that large is right for me even though Cotic’s sizing puts me in the middle of the medium size. Stem is 70mm.

I had a core, probably the model below yours, with coil recon gold forks at 120mm

I went from that to a mark 3 soul with a dropper but everything else the same.

On paper the geometry is pretty similar but the ride is infinitely better on the soul. Whatever the science about the feel of steel, it was noticeably smoother and more composed descending. It’s a really nimble bike too. There is just “something” about the soul that the genesis (good bike though it is) doesn’t have. Yeah the soul has lots of hype around it bit there is a reason for that!

Buy it you won’t regret it!

yes, but change your username is part of the deal 🙂

Any advance on the above, or is general consensus that it is a total no brainer?

Get shot of the core and the inbred.

Get the Soul.

Shame you are 6ft, you could have bought the Genesis Latitude frame I am flogging to replace your Core.

Indeed it is, I’d have had it in a shot otherwise, is even the same colour as the core, so could have snuck it straight under her indooors’ nose!

Definitely get the Soul and put the bits from the Core on it and sell the frame and the inbred as you say. Then you’ll have a 26 and 29 inch hardtail. I would ride both and see which you prefer. Later you might consider a Solaris frame (29in from Cotic sort of a big Soul) to replace them both if you prefer the bigger wheels ?

By the Soul, you’ll love it – and the size is right.

(I’m 6′ 1″ and ride a large with 760mm bars, 70mm stem and 20mm offset seatpost)

The bottom line on the Soul is £220, with a hope seatpost (which I don’t need), so I think it’s a goer as I can flog that off, and all the inbred bits. Just need to work out the logistics 😉

I’ve got 740mm bars to go on, but probably going to need a shorter stem, as 90mm on core at the moment, but can probably do a swap somewhere…..

As far as the 2no. hardtails goes, we’ll have to see on that front, I don’t really want to go down the road bike route, and my plan for the 29er is that it will mainly do local back lanes routes etc, (though I can’t stop looking at disc cx bikes), so hopefully they’ll serve 2 slightly different purposes. Have already earmarked a solaris as a frame swap for the scandal if I don’t get on with it.

Shame that Latitude frame has a straight headtube or I’d have had it to swap it for my Core frame…would have to get new forks though as the Core is tapered. :/

Are the Core forks tapered? Or are they straight with an adaptor? I can’t remember how they were specced but have a feeling they could have been the second option.

mine were tapered. 2012 core 26.4

My core is the mid range ’30’ model (much upgraded), which had a straight steerer.

2011 Core 50, fairly sure it’s tapered.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/genesis/core-50-2011-mountain-bike-ec024743#features

Deal is done, deposit paid, collect Monday!

Now to shift some bits on……….