29er is a solaris. FS is a rocket. I appreciate that’s a bit fanboi. Rocket has about 700k on it since Nov, Solaris 100k ish since last Sunday.
26–>29 isn’t that much of a jolt. Especially as FS is 150mm and HT is 100mm so it’s going to be different regardless of wheel size. Best to compare Solaris against my old C456. More grip definitely, more carve-y in the corners, definitely more forgiving, rolls so much better and is just a sweet bike to ride.
29–>26. First up, WHERE’S THE FRONT WHEEL? Oh it’s all the way down there is it on the end of that big fork. Right. Rocket is 3-4 lbs heavier I suppose and that’s noticeable. On flowing frozen singletrack it was ace, but I reckon I was faster on the solaris. Just didn’t seem to be as – and I hesitate to use this phrase – locked in. Winched up for a couple of rocky descents and ignored the brakes (and the shouting voice in my head suggesting I needed to grab them RIGHT NOW) and by crikey it was brilliant. Proper, silly quick over stuff that’d have me picking careful lines on the HT. Faster you go, the better it is. Just phenomenally l planted at speed.
Conclusion. Very happy to have two ace bikes. Completely different and better for it. Solaris will get more miles, but Rocket will get bigger terrain (esp if I can convince myself to plug a new x-fusion 160mm slant in the front) and big ‘wooah did you see that’ grins. I really wasn’t sure if the 29er thing was hype; in my non scientific way, I’m already a convert. But I love my FS as well.
One bike to rule them all? I think not.
Cotic Solaris by Alex Leigh, on Flickr
Cotic Rocket 2012 by Alex Leigh, on Flickr
Just want to ride my (any) bike every day at the moment. Not going to get into which was is ‘best’. They are both ace, and I’m a very lucky lad to have them 😉