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What’s wrong with one bottle on the down tube and one on the seat tube like we always used to have? What’s wrong with internal dropper routing up the down tube as well? HT Cotics have always been elegant until now.
“What’s wrong with one bottle on the down tube and one on the seat tube like we always used to have?”
Dropper posts!
Guessing the dropper routing is to avoid making holes in any more tubes than you have to. I believe the end of the top tube to be somewhere you wouldn’t want to do it and with those narrow tubes it has to come out again above the bb anyway. Cotic like their thin walled steel and holes don’t go well in it?
Nobody seems to like the bottle bolts though.
I do 🙂. Nice and practical.
It's a bike frame, not a jazz mag.
Sorry to say it looks to me like it has warts. I've used small taper head ti bolts to make things look a bit cleaner before but there's only so much one can do when there's that many of them.
You complain when you don't get bottle mounts and then they give you bottle mounts and you complain!
Once you've got a bottle mounted you won't see them and for those of us who do use frame bags or carry our spares in a bottle this is great.
Fair play to them for trying something different.
As mentioned above, you'll barely notice once it's complete bike. Even without using them there will be a dropper cable running down there to hide them. They stand out because couldn't build bikes because we are so busy and as of this week we literally have zero unallocated stock, and no mechanic resource to bud them if we did. Nice problem to have. We also wanted to move fast because we know people have been waiting. There is actually only two more bosses than on the previous frame, and if you like those and a crushingly disappointed in these colours, oh look! The previous, nearly the same geometry frame is still available in two awesome colours at a knock down price!
cy - is there an engineering reason why you don't go for mounts underneath the down tube, as this would be great for bike packing using a frame bag?
I like it, especially the blue. Can’t believe people get hung up on a couple of cap heads 😄
Well said Cy. I'd assumed that it was also to further differentiate Solaris from Bfe. I had hoped that reach might be shortened a tiny bit for more XC or long distance stuff but hey ho.
Although I do wish it didn't have the syntace rear axle, maxle fitment is pretty much standard now making swapping axles for trailers, kiddy carrier, followme, spares, etc that much harder and expensive if a family's/mate's bikes don't share a "standard".
Lovely orange though (I'd still like the flat yellow or orange back....).
I know what you're saying about the Maxle but I do prefer the Syntace. It's just a nicer engineering solution. I like both the new colours, still I have a prev-gen black sparkly one so I'm probably not representative 🙂
My medium is shared with my daughter when she's home from Uni. I really can't justify a L Orange. But it's the only HT I'd buy another one of. Absolutely loved mine and it's the best of the three I've had (original, MK 1 SolarisMax and now MK2).
The bottle cage mounts on mine are the things I wanted to change, low one is too low and high one is too high. I'd have been happy with one in the middle!
People moaning about the bottle mounts are sorta forgetting what this bike is for. If you want to go full HT enduro then get a BfeMax BUT, if you want a bike that will do that AND allow you to ride into the hills for a week the Solairs is for you. Personally its exactly why I have one I can smash it around Surrey or back home in Wales all day throwing it down anything I would on my Rocket or take a 60+ mile loop from my house in London taking on roads, bridal way and any single track I find on route. Its a truly amazing bike.
People moaning about the bottle mounts are sorta forgetting what this bike is for. If you want to go full HT enduro then get a BfeMax BUT, if you want a bike that will do that AND allow you to ride into the hills for a week the Solairs is for you. Personally its exactly why I have one I can smash it around Surrey or back home in Wales all day throwing it down anything I would on my Rocket or take a 60+ mile loop from my house in London taking on roads, bridal way and any single track I find on route. Its a truly amazing bike.
Agreed. But why not put the extra mounts under the downtube? This is what most manufactures do for there all-round frames and it means you can use a frame-bag and a bottle or other storage underneath - ideal if you are riding in the hills for a week 🙂
Yeh I see your point personally I hate the idea of putting stuff under the downtube when the thing just gets covered in mud. Im waiting for the day Cotic do a rigid fork to compliment the Solaris for full on bike packing
You can please some of the people some of the time.....
I know what you’re saying about the Maxle but I do prefer the Syntace.
I agree but it lost out in the standards race. It is betamax to maxle VHS. Betamax was arguably better but for a number of reasons was never widely adopted.
I'd love a Solaris but the Syntace is a deal breaker just due to practicality. I'd need to buy 2 more axles for kiddie trailer and followme so another £130. If I buy one of the new Sherpas, scandals, or almost any other hardtail I don't.
You can please some of the people some of the time…..
+1
That sparkly midnight paint is growing on me...
Im waiting for the day Cotic do a rigid fork to compliment the Solaris for full on bike packing
I didn't look after my forks when I got the Solaris and the stanchions became scratched. I've now a set of Travers 29er Prongs carbon fibre forks on it. An instant 1kg weight saving! I've partly counteracted the rigidity by having a 2.6" tyre up front.
Just had a look at the old frame. Is £599 really the discounted price or am I being thick?
I thought people always moaned about bottle bosses under the downtubes not being suitable for British conditions.
I think Cy has been very polite. I'd have go told you to go **** yourselves.
Just had a look at the old frame. Is £599 really the discounted price or am I being thick?
They were £649 up until this Wednesday afternoon. I’ll make it clearer…
Well, after all my dithering, overthinking and thinking I'd missed the boat, seems I'll be getting my Cotic fix after all - kelvin kindly directed me to a large BFeMax for me from an unpaid order.
Well, I jumped on it. I think I’ve successfully pre-ordered a midnight blue. Once I’d stared at the colour from a few different angles it really grew on me.
Be interesting to see how many things I can physically mount on the downtube. Kelvin, do you think you could fit two bottles and one of those innertube-strap-mounting-brackets on?
Depends on bottle size and frame size, I suspect.
Would need side loading cages, for sure.
Colours look very nice, geometry revisions seem very sensible, new branding works well.
Thumbs up from me.
cy
SubscriberAs mentioned above, you’ll barely notice once it’s complete bike.
FWIW I totally do, on my last-gen model. It's literally the only thing on all of the 7 Cotics I've owned that I don't like looking at.
(well, obviously the Hemlock looked like one of those French swing bridges you see in war films, but in my incredibly biased eyes that made it functional and brutally handsome.)
I think Cy has been very polite. I’d have go told you to go **** yourselves.
Liar, Planet X / On One only has decent customer service when the stars align and you go back to work for them 😉
I’d love an update to the Escapade next. I’m looking for a gravel/commuter/not MTB bike at the moment. Had one of the older models in SS mode and it was a nice bike. Something a bit slacker, with a shorter stem (like the Gestalt or Friston) would be great from Cotic.
The more I look at the new Solaris paint jobs, the more I really like them.
the new headtube badge is just bland
If you cannot compete with the cool kids like YT and Canyon rebrand for the older end and then target a niche segment who go bikepacking , makes perfect sense.
It would if the full sus bikes didn’t exist. Not exactly designed for bike packing. Are YT and Canyon really seen as cool? If so I’m glad I’m not young and hip.
The old head tube badge was well cringe.
New one is decent enough and reflects the brand better.
Have you really looked at other brands head tube badges? Most are more bland than Cotic's new effort.
The old one was amusing and fun. A bit like grown men playing out on bikes. The new one is growing on me though.
New head badge has grown on me for sure
New headbadge is nice but a bit bland, in a designed by committee kind of way. Quite corporate.
The old one epitomised dicking about by grown men having fun on bikes in the woods.
I'd have preferred and updated one in plain metal rather than the redesign.
I agree with all the headbadge comments... they're all true in some way. The new one reflects all those who works at Cotic now, and where and how they live, work and ride. The old one predates all of them, and the move to Sheffield/Peaks for the company. The old one was more of a laugh, when Cotic was a side job even for Cy. It's not been changed in any major way for years... so no surprise the move away from it is a shock to some who have been following Cotic for all that time.
I basically completely changed my mind on the new head badge once it was a badge rather than a sticker. I ‘get’ it now, and I’m amazed that the change has made such a difference to how I perceive it.
The new downtube logo is fine, but the old downtube wrap is still just about my favourite bit of design going, so I’m going to miss it on the new bikes. I still resent the fact my (Northwind’s) Roadrat is too old to have it!
It was one on the list to consider with a new frame for August for the big five-oh and was going so well until I got to the down tube. Reminds me of a load of crows sitting on a power cable............
Now need to rethink sadly........... Sorry........
Probably won’t be any left by August. If buying a pack of black dome headed bolts is really such a deal breaker for you, so be it.
I basically completely changed my mind on the new head badge once it was a badge rather than a sticker. I ‘get’ it now, and I’m amazed that the change has made such a difference to how I perceive it.
Badges are better. Fact. Quite like the printed version on the Army Green RocketMAX though.
The new downtube logo is fine, but the old downtube wrap is still just about my favourite bit of design going, so I’m going to miss it on the new bikes. I still resent the fact my (Northwind’s) Roadrat is too old to have it!
Why thank you, that was my work. But again, I did that a long time ago, and Cotic has changed and is changing.
To be honest all of these aesthetic details are secondary to geometry and riding quality. I'm not going to avoid buying one because of a smart yet bland head badge and enhanced downtube functionality.
The deal breaker for me is the more practical one of syntace axles.
Don’t disagree with you on aesthetics vs geometry, but when cotics past have looked so good I think I mentally hold them to a higher standard. It’s all Kelvin’s fault I suppose!
Thought WTF when I saw new frame pics with all those ugly bosses.
Just looked at mine and with the custom restrap Cotic frame bag and a bottle cage installed I reckon you would only be able to see 2X exposed bosses.
Love the orange, it’s very similar to my 2016 Raleigh mustang Gbike colour way, do Cotic offer a respray service like orange 🤔
If Cotic sent a survey out to lurkers and loyal customers asking for a vote on a limited number of RAL every year I think they would be on to a winner.
Also selling ‘retro’ graphic/head tube badge Options would pull a few quid in, old gits like me don’t like change 😁
Those bosses rule it out for me immediately.
I can see some logic,
EG small frame bag up front with bottle cage lower in the frame or large custom frame bag lower in the frame with bottle cage up front.
It giving an option to max the utility of a versatile frame.
I like it! I can deal with the bottle bosses visually but feel they are a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist when simpler arrangements that other manufacturers regularly use! Inc under downtube as others have said! Would work just as well. I Still have a mk2 soul in the shed, as a frame but that had similar issues like those stupid hooped cable guides with nothing in the centre of the top tube so you had to use adaptors and could never get neat cables! So annoying when everyone else had zip tie guides which were much neater!
I love the New graphics and colours, loved the wrapped decal but hated the Old head tube badge and had a few mates not buy one just for that reason alone! I’m gonna buy one! I really wanted the purple one but that headtube badge made me want a Pace! Now that’s changed and blue being a fav colour on a bike I’ll get some black bolts and it will look lovely!
THIS,
a Cotic steel fork to complement this bike would be ace,,,,, I’m yet to find the 500mm??? A2C fork recommended.
I’m a little surprised at the whingeyness, but only a little😀 Better to have too many bosses than too few though the only time I personally would use the under downtube bosses some appear to want would be to mount a crud catcher.......about twenty five years ago😀