I keep my bikes for a long time (’93-’98 Kilauea, ’98-’10 Hei Hei, ’10-’16, Handjob) but I’m ready to bite the bullet. I’ve narrowed it down to the Cotic Soul or Stanton Slackline and wondered what opinions between the two are out there.
My riding is either Dartmoor, Afan type trail centres and a couple of solo 12 hours per year. I’m 75kg and not into/capable of large jumps so don’t need anything burly but at the same time enjoy abusing my bike as much as my skills allow. No interest in + tyres (have a feeling that they are this year’s skills compensator; why would you want heavier, more delicate and apparently less precise tyres?). The Stanton is 0.5 kg heavier which is swaying me towards the Soul, which also has my preference of a tapered headtube but neither is a deal breaker.
Any experience and opinions appreciated, thanks.

Soul has taken everything I can throw at it over the last few years. Like you, I’m not into jumping but generally abuse the bike due to lack of skill and judgement.

Good to hear Martin, I think the Soul may have it but on looks alone I keep getting drawn to the skinnier tubes and paint of the Stanton (I’m trying to stop thinking about a Pace as well).

Very happy and loyal Cotic customer here, have recently been bidding on used 26″ Soul frames to keep my BFe company and use up spares 🙂

The slackline is a lovely looking frame. Supposed to be more like the Bfe in terms of burliness (I think it can take a bigger fork than the Soul, or did I imagine that?)

I don’t think you’ll go far wrong with either of them. I’ve not tried the Slackline but it was in the running when I was looking for a HT. I ended up with a Solaris, my wife got jealous and got a Soul (one of the last 26″ frames). She uses it for all her riding apart from the tech stuff in the Dark Peak when she reverts back to her Juliana Furtado. Someone will know what Santa Cruz model that equates to.

I wouldn’t say + tyres are delicate BTW 🙂

Darn it, I kind of knew they were both comparable, I just wish someone would come along and categorically state one was better. One bike a decade, it’s got to be right (or I could get a better paying job).

I have a Soul and my mate has a Slackline…we ride together and neither wishes we have the others bike…and we both give them a fair amount of abuse…(sorry, probably not that helpful).. 😀

This recent thread features both bikes

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/long-travel-hardtail-26-inch-wheels

^ thread above relates to ‘old’ 26″ wheel frames, both current frame versions have had major revisions since then.

If I had the money I would be buying the slackline, the main plus point for me being the slacker head angle.

The Soul is slightly more XC than the Slackline. Don’t read that as less capable or delicate. The Soul will take everything your skinny little 75kg will throw at it. The Slackline is a bit slacker and a little more aggro. Not BFe aggro, it’s got lots of lovely flex that a good steel frame should have.

The older Soul had the “steel is real” thing down to a T. The newer ones are less springy.

Either will build into a lovely bike, I’m a Cotic fanboi, but I’d have a Stanton in a heartbeat.

bigblackshed – Member
The Soul is slightly more XC than the Slackline.

I think the Slackline is marketed as such, but the geometry is essentially the same on both, and the Soul wss plenty tough enough for me at 15 stone hitting jumps and drops.

Can’t go wrong with either, I’d say.

When I had my mk1 Soul I was 110kg. It took everything I threw at it and then some. It’s a perfectly capable frame. I still wish I had it.

🙁

MK2 Soul was perhaps the best frame I ever had. Plenty strong enough, took it to PORC once and was great fun. Tougher than they are believed to be. Now have a BFe and while it’s great for getting really rowdy, it’s not in the same league in terms of nice/ comfortable to ride. Whatever you choose will be great though…

Never ridden a slackline but once had a soul.
The only advice I can give is, if you go for the soul, never sell it. Everyone who has ever done so regrets it.

I didn’t enjoy the Soul at all, so sold it and definitely don’t regret it. Good on the ups, not so good on the downs.

The Slackline gets excellent reviews and is supposed to be very capable at descending. So I guess if you want to push it a bit more on the downhills go for the Slackline, if you want something for all day/XC riding go for the Soul.

i love my soul..(mk11)

What about a Stanton Sherpa 853. I’ve just bought a mk1 at Stanton and got 3 PB’S on its first outing.
Went from a Parkwood and run it on 120mm forks.
Very comfy and fast.
I’m in West Wales but frequently ride Brechfa if you fancy a spin

I’ll vote for the new Slackline because a) I’m a Stanton fanboy and b) in the flesh it’s lovely. Really bloody lovely.

I saw one of the promo frames when I was at Stanton HQ and thought that the skinny stays and drop outs were things on beauty.

I’d say it really depends on what you want.

Soul is cheaper, lighter and not so slack as the Stanton.

I’ve had a soul since ’08 (it’s about to be passed on to the Loon though) and I’ve had five Cotic frames in total over the years. So I’m a bit of a fanboy…

I’m about to jump ship though and my Sherpa is due (hopefully) next week. I can’t give you any direct feedback as I’ve never actually seen a Stanton in the metal, let alone ridden one.

My decision was based on the numbers (I’m 6′ so right on the limit of Cotic sizing) the Stanton large looking being a better fit than Cotic and I wanted to go a little bit slacker too. The finish on the Stanton looks to be better but the deciding factor was the stated 3″ tyre capability.

I’d say whatever you choose you’re going to have a cracking bike, just be honest with what you want to do with it and decide on that. Both Cotic and Stanton and great to talk to, why don’t you give them both a call and discuss with them directly. You might find you prefer one to the other on that basis and that’s probably a better basis than ‘listening’ to a bunch of Knobbers on a bike forum…. 😉

Oh my Mk 1 Soul has lasted 8 years despite my lardy arse (and that was pre CE). It’s plenty strong enough.

Different bikes imo, depends on amount of travel you’ll want.

Cotic are doing a *lot* of demos at the moment, so you may be able to try before you buy.

http://www.cotic.co.uk/demo/

Same thoughts happening here as well, I have been leaning more towards the Stanton, but not certain enough to hit buy.

I went to look at the Pace, size was perfect and the frames looked really well built. Only thing that put me off was the screw threaded dropout adjuster. Just felt like the kind of small fiddly part that’s hardly used, in the line of fire for most of the trail crap that kicks up and would seize and break just when you need it.

Nice bike otherwise.

Thanks for all the opinions folks (and offer of a ride Minty, I’m out of country until March so can’t take you up on it unfortunately) I think a demo day on my return is the way ahead.

I recently retired my mk1 soul and replaced with a mk1 switchback. I ran the switchback with 26″ wheels on for a while. Rides the same on 650s but you don’t clout your feet on the ground anywhere near as often. I’m faster everywhere on the switchback than I was on the soul. The Stanton geometry is a lot more modern than the soul. It feels a bit looser in the turns but much more planted everywhere else. Being able to run a longer fork also helps on steeper trails and with the seat down, it feels like a bmx.
I can’t fault the soul. I always felt it was absolutely “correct” at everything. Never screamed excellence at any one discipline, but was very comfortably competent at everything. I only replaced it as I had it for 8 years and didn’t want to kill it. The switchback is a much burlier build than the soul, but I think the soul looks better built (neater dropouts etc)and the paint finish is much much better.
I think the soul is much better value for money (853 tube set vs 631, and cotics detailing) but the switchback is more up to date, more fun and more capable. I don’t think you would regret either.

I ride a slackline so biased, a great frame.

If price a concern the mkII steel frames have just come out and there is 30% off the previous generation of frames. Rode a mates MkI steel Sherpa which is the more xc frame and it was great up hill but still amazing down hill too.

Hi mate, you should get yourself on Facebook, we have the Stanton owners group on there, now pushing 550 ish members, were a friendly old bunch, (if not slightly biased) if you put a thread on I think you’ll find a few people quite willing to let you have a play on their bikes, so you can get a feel of the slackline, switchback and the Sherpa, if the mood takes you to ride all 3! We kind of have a standing joke on there that you’re not allowed to say that other brands name, or you get heavily chastised for it!! On a serious note, it’s really nice and refreshing to see a thread that isn’t all, ‘don’t buy one of them, their shit’ , both bikes are loved all over for their merits, so inevitably the choice is yours!! Would be nice to try before you buy though eh!!
Not sure where you’re based but my mk1 Sherpa will be built within the next 2 weeks or so, and you’d be more than welcome to a play on it if you fancy meeting up. 🙂

This is why I love this forum. Slackline, thanks for the FB heads up, once back in country in March I’ll put the feelers out(Dartmoor based).

Deleted as I decided I was waffling…