[Closed] Cotic Soul owners - are you happy?

happy here

happy about my bike

unfortunatley a bike alone can never bring true happiness 😥

Love my soda 🙂

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its the business.

I'm currently running mine with revelations, mavic 819s, XT finishing kit and Bonty Jones XC 2.35" tyres in 'relatively burly' mode, its also been in full XTR race mode and does that pretty well too.

you won't be disappointed

just in the middle of building mine now i cant wait for its test ride in cannock next week 😆

I had generally high hopes when I bought my soul.

I was not disappointed either. The best hardtail I have owned (although the Kona of yesteryear was the most loved).

Mine has always been built on the lardyarse side (for obvious reasons!)

I didn't like mine at all. Too steep, too flexy. The only bike i have ever really disliked. Friends used to groan when i took it out the car, i would always have a bad day on it.

It's a big leap up for me, but I won't get another chance to buy for a few years (house, car, child etc) so I thought I'd go for it- want a do anything bike at the best quality I can afford. Now just trying to bear the wait till next payday, when I can get enough scratch together to buy the thing. Here's the pics:

http://s759.photobucket.com/albums/xx231/whereisthurso/cotic/

just in the middle of building mine now i cant wait for its test ride in cannock next week 😆

[url= ]my soul[/url]

Isn't it a bit late to be asking if they're any good!!

I blinking love mine - build is similar to Yardley_Hastings, but after nearly 3 years I've got a hankering for a change and am thinking of getting a 29er.

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Used to have a Soda - loved it to bits and never got over it going - and recently bought a Soul frame off the Classifieds and finished building it a week or so ago. Only had a couple of rides (last night was excellent) but first impressions are very good. Really lively and fast (technical terms!). Running with Revs but everything else is a hotch-potch collection of what I could find in the shed and doesn't match - nothing very light either. Medium-term project to upgrade things (of course). Heavy front wheel first.

Enjoy - I'm sure you will.

liking mine here, running with 120mm maxle rebas

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Ringo - Love the colour!

I was thinking metalic emerald green or orange for a respray - I think poo-brown might now be on the list!

yeah i love the colour need a brown saddle as well and my wheels are being built so it should all be built by monday

yes 😀

love mine, invested in mine as i didnt want to buy another bike for a while, 2/12 years on and some upgrades later its perfect. full xt, hope hoops, fizik gobi, thomson finishing kit, monkeylites, nobby nics and revs. spec started with what i had around and although changing bits and bobs, never wanted to change the frame!

totally love mine, lightish set up for racing , Magura Menja 100mm, X7,X9 rear mech, hope hubs, 717 rims, hope mini brakes- pretty rapid, very 'chuckable' real steel feel and loads of fun.

Ringo loves the ride so much he didn't notice the flat tyre and the missing chain, pedals and crank bolts.

Best bike I've owned, I would recommend one to anyone.

Matt

Ringo's Soul is the nicest looking bike I have seen in along while.

love both mine, one for best,one for shit weather/winter, still don't know what makes them so good coz they're nothing fancy by todays standards. Sold a perfctly good Flux with about £3k worth of XO and exotica because I reached for my Soul every time and barely touchd my flux for 18 months.

If these Merlin built Sodas ever get built I'll be having one though.

Ringo loves the ride so much he didn't notice the flat tyre and the missing chain, pedals and crank bolts.

Maybe that's why it looks so nice. None of that unnecessary clutter you so often get with bikes these days

I'm happy just knowing it's in the garage let along riding it.

Tim, I think you'll find a [i]little[/i] difference over the frame you were riding around Gower. Won't make Llanmadoc Hill any easier on the way up though....

Having had marillions of bike frames in my time my quest is finally over with my Soul and Pikes.

I love my Soul... Wish it was just a hair slacker, but then maybe that'd spoil it in other ways. It's way better than I'm ever likely to be.

The way I sum up how it feels to me... I had a Scandal with a 130mm trail build, which I liked. Then, I went to Glentress for a demo day. Took out a Zesty, nice. Took out a KHS, nice. Took out the Soul, and in the time it took to get from the top to the bottom of pennel's vennel, I was more comfortable and faster than I ever was on the Scandal. We just get on.

I do wish it was warrantied/rated for 140mm though. That'd make it perfect. I'm tempted to go longer anyway, might do some day.

I started off with a 16" soul but found it a tadge small and sold it for a 17.5" Simple which fits me a whole lot better.

If you've got the right size you will not be disappointed. comfortable, accurate, precise, nimble..just a few words I'd use to describe it.

I've got 120mm forks on mine [Pace XCAM 41] which are possibly a little tall ; noticeable on steep techy stuff.

Enjoy it.

I never used to believe stuartlangwilson on this one, but having had a bit of a play on one recently he's right: reeeeeally steep and a bit scary. All subjective I suppose.

I had one for a few months and while it was nice to ride I found it a bit flexy. It also seemed to work better with a 100mm fork.

Its one of the most flexible bikes i have ridden in terms of geometry and build. 100mm forks and a light build its a cross country racer or bigger forks 130mm and drop the seat a little and its amazing fast downhill and still climbs all but the steepest stuff.
I believe the guys who find cotic's steep either ride with the seat to high up or just ride like bricks and don't move there weight around the bike enough.
I run rev's and big wheels and its the best HT i have ridden.

I rather like mine, although i've only ridin outside the house.
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I see the consultant next week, maybe he will give me the green light.

> I never used to believe stuartlangwilson on this one, but having had a bit of a play on one recently he's right: reeeeeally steep and a bit scary. All subjective I suppose.

Indeed. I think they rock with 80-100mm forks.

Talk of "steep" confuses me a bit, with a 130mm fork, even sagged it's still 69 degrees which isn't really steep (remember a lot of frame geometry numbers are unsagged)

REDTED - Merlin built Soda as in THE Merlin That used to & probably still do, build some of the finest Titanium Bikes ever- What's this I hear - Veeeerrrrrry Innnterestiiing me thinks!!!! Needing a new Hardtail soon - Was thinking of something 853ish or TI - this could be a good option!!?? PS Don't tell Mrs Dusty T. 😉

just buy a merlin.

My Simple rocked hugely with 80mm corrected P2s last winter. Fine and dandy with 100mm forks or 130mm Revelations wound down to 115mm. Works fine at 130 going down but hated it uphill with them like that.

It's not an earth shattering bike. It's only a hardtail afterall but it is very nice. I can understand some people not getting on with it but I'd be interested to hear what hardtail they are riding instead of it.

Steep?

When I bought my Soul Cotic informed me the HA was 71 degrees at an A-C length of 440mm (100mm fork sagged 30mm)
so say 1 degree for every 25mm -
70 degrees at 465mm
69 degrees at 490mm
68 degress at 515mm
(without sag)

So yeah it's around 69.5 degrees with a sagged 130mm fork.

I've had mine a few years now and it really does do everything - Peak District, Lakes, trail centres, lite dirt jumping, drops, canal towpaths, Alps, and wotnot.

I keep thinking of changing and trying a Prince Albert or similar but it'd just be change for change's sake really.
Different yes, but better? Dunno.

And I don't really get the 130mm only limit thing.

Am I more likely to snap the headtube off my Soul running my Pikes at 140mm compared to someone say 3 stone heavier than me running their Pikes at 130mm?
What if they're doing 4 foot drops to flat and I'm doing 3 foot drops?
Will their Soul be indestructible while mine will fold when I ride off a curb?

From Cotic-
[i]The Soul is limited to 130mm of travel or 508mm axle to crown, which ever is shortest. It's your frame though and you can do what you like with it but if you do try to run them longer the headtube will break.[/i]

Has anyone ever seen a Soul with a headtube ripped off due to this?

I thought the head angle was slack compared to the seat tube. By having a steep seat tube it moved the riders weight forward over the front fork so that the rear "skipped" over obstacles and you used the front suspension more? Opposite to a Jones so I've been told which places the riders weight more over the rear wheel.

Either way, I ride it with my weight more over the front and the fork wound out a bit more than I used to. Works for me and the peddling position is more efficient.

yes - just rebuilt mine with new 120mm rebas; its fun - well impressed with the maxle lite

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"From Cotic-
The Soul is limited to 130mm of travel or 508mm axle to crown, which ever is shortest. It's your frame though and you can do what you like with it but if you do try to run them longer the headtube will break."

Si knows his bike I'm sure... But it's so tempting. 09 Rev with Maxle Lite or Pike is 518mm 😛 TALAS 140mm is 515mm. What's 10mm between friends? 🙂

Anyone running with 140mm rockshox at full length on the Soul? Any problems?

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100mm Reba's feel great to me, the bike just seems to fit me, and puts a great big smile on my face when riding it 😀

I did say it's subjective. I'm used to a meta5 with a cane creek + 5 headset and Lyriks, so the Soul was bound to feel a bit steep. I've purchased a Handjob instead. OhMiGod! Different people like diferrent bike and you should try them first shocker!

I`ve been,mulling over the idea of buying a Soul for a while now,and these pics are telling me I need one.
In my head I am visualising a black soul with white wrap graphics,and a Reba Team Maxle lite.
Just checked Cotic site to see black is out of stock....... 😥

The Soul is limited to 130mm of travel or 508mm axle to crown, which ever is shortest. It's your frame though and you can do what you like with it but if you do try to run them longer the headtube will break.

Has anyone ever seen a Soul with a headtube ripped off due to this?

When I bought my Soul (number 20-odd) there wasn't any such caveat on the website or marketing - it was just promoted as a frame that would take 130mm forks. I quite happily ran '04 Freerides on mine (a-c about 518 I believe) as well as 130 Shermans and now Pikes. I'm not going to agonise over another 10mm of fork length, especially since in the real world riders of widely differing weights and riding styles and running different sag will bring loads more variables to the loading of the headtube.

Are there not some new rules coming in from Europe about steel hard tails needing stronger head tubes and the new cotic's will be rated then for 140mm forks but will be a little heavier?

If you do rip your headtube off [b]any[/b] bike your unlikely to get a warranty as it clearly been ridden into something solid. The longer the fork the more likely this is to happen hence the BFE in the Cotic range and the Stiffe in Coves range.

i run 140 dual air revs, feel ace. just do a smidge more sag.

I'm not going to agonise over another 10mm of fork length, especially since in the real world riders of widely differing weights and riding styles and running different sag will bring loads more variables to the loading of the headtube.

My thoughts exactly.

Seems the standard fork length these days is 140mm (Revs 150mm for 2010)

love mine. Used to run 'Pushed' Pikes but changes to 120mm Maxle Reba teams.

mainly XT kit with thomson and carbon bars.

absolutely love it.

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I never got on with my Soda. 6' with a large frame and it was just too big even with a small stem. T'was useless for descents as I couldn't hang back for enough without having my arms completely locked out.

A medium would most likely have ben too small although the TT is a better size.

24" on the 19 was too long for me.

Im a bit ambivalent about mine.Im not convinced about running anything over 100m on the front.Climbing anything steep with a longer fork is a pain as the front end tends to be hard to keep down.I think the bikes really was designed to run the 100m up front and i see Cy rides and recommends 100m fork as his choise.Overall id say its a good bike but not a classic by any means.

Hmm. I run mine with a fairly short stem just now and I ride it at 120mm or 130mm most of the time, can't say as I have any problems with climbing. Really steep, low gear stuff I do need to keep my weight forward but that's all really.

[i]

I never got on with my Soda. 6' with a large frame and it was just too big even with a small stem. T'was useless for descents as I couldn't hang back for enough without having my arms completely locked out.

A medium would most likely have ben too small although the TT is a better size.

24" on the 19 was too long for me. [/i]

Er so you'd want a medium then. Can't see how it would be too small if it was the right length.

Er so you'd want a medium then. Can't see how it would be too small if it was the right length.

...and at only 17.5" seat tube i'd need to be running at maximum post length all the time which has caused failures on Sodas in the past, so NO.

I think they are excellent frames, would be top of my list if I was buying another Hardtail

Well quite if the seatpost isn't installed to the correct depth in the frame. Not necessarily the seatpost minimum insertion line.

Love mine.

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(double post oops)

Love mine too, Revs 115 for most things 130 for steeper descents, + when I fancy a slacker head angle.
I'm just under 6' + 17.5 is perfect. I love the long low stance + ability this gives you to weight shift + keep your centre of mass low, without hanging off the back + therefore losing control of the front end.
[i]...its only a hardtail afterall.....[/i] gasp!

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In the Swiss Alps in a blizzard it looks like

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lets try again.
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i give up

"Preview" and "Edit" are your friends you know 🙂

I can get image to upload. But it looks cracking anyway, especially with the glacier in the background.

Have you had the bike yet, Tim? If so, any thoughts?