I've ridden exclusively hardtails (and road bike) since 1998. Had alu Kona and an Orange Ev02 before the current Cotic Soul mk1.5 that I've had since 2008.
My riding mates are all riding increasingly burly full sussers and I'm getting sick of finding them waiting for me at the bottom of hills. On top of that, the Soul is increasingly obsolete - getting new tapered qr forks wouldnt be cheap and im on the limit of what tyres and rims i can fit in the frame.
One of the reasons ive held off so long is because the full sussers ive ridden briefly have really flattened the fun i get out of riding my usual trails (Pennines, Peaks, Dales and trails centres). This was on chainstay pivot bikes like a Yeti, Specialized FSR etc.
So what full susser to keep things lively, fun and efficient pedalling? Without any riding experience of them, I feel drawn to the Orange 4, Cotic Flare or Bird Aeris 120......am i barking up the right tree to think shortish travel and trail geometry will make tbe transition easiest?
There are some very capable hardtail bikes about... nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than when I'm on the Bird zero and overtake mates on their full sussers.
Yeah it doesn't sound like you are really keen to buy a full sus bike!
If you just want to pick up some time on the descents, a more modern HT might help you without giving up the characteristics you actually enjoy. Kona Honzo gets good reviews in that regard, but I'd echo that the Birds do make a cracking deal, or even simply update your Cotic.
All of the bikes you mentioned would make great short travel trail bikes, but I think it's traditional on here to only recommend my own bike (Kona Hei Hei) 😉
It sounds like a move to full sus will need a bit of a transition period for you, based on your experience of test rides. Geometry changes of modern bikes from your 2008 Soul will also mean a bit of re-learning, so as long as you brace yourself to adapt some stuff and give it some time, it could be really rewarding.
Flare max is awesome and you can get a try out first - have a look at the demo day page on the Cotic site. Or think about a 29er HT - Salris Max is a win and the larger wheels make the bumps easier to deal with, and fast as well. Stanton Sherpa also great........
How about a short travel 29er?
The Boardman's not too bad but I sold mine as living in the south there was little reason to keep one.
Giant anthem?
Book a Cotic demo with Sam because you obviously love your old Soul. Have a word with Cotic first, Cy, Paul and Sam all know their stuff.
I’d suggest a new model Soul, Solaris and FlareMax in no particular order if staying Cotic. A modern long/slack hardtail with a decent fork and current wide/low pressure tyres is a world apart from your current early Soul.
New BFe 275 or a Stanton Switchback? I'm like you OP, every FS (Cotic Flare & Rocket included) I've ridden has ultimately sucked the fun out of rides. I love my (old shape) BFe 275, it's night and day different from the mk3 Soul 26 I had.
All, any and most, just go do some demo days and see what works well for you. The obvious answer to taking the fun out is to go faster.
DW suspension
I moved from a Soul to a Flare for Dales/Lakes riding. Didn't suck the fun out of riding, I'm as quick uphill, quicker on stuff where the extra traction helps, and quicker downhill.
As above, get yourself on some demos - If you can get a few people together, Sam from Cotic will come to you and you get to try bikes on trails you actually know.
Something out of decathlon, to see if you like it.
I'd suggest something around 120 mm and single pivot. Most hardtail riders seem to like oranges and Santa Cruz due to chain tension effects.
That said, you've got to consider what you want it for. You say you want an FS that is 'lively, fun and efficient pedalling', but how do you get your fun? The prevailing metric for fun and if one bike is better than the other is currently speed. (Thanks strava), but there's more to it than that.
There are no guarantees that you'll be able to keep up with your mates on a long legged XC trail bike if they are all chasing speed on enduro gnarpoons that muscle better through chunder, even if you do personally enjoy your new FS that was chosen on the basis of how close to a hardtail it felt.
It sounds like you know how you want it to feel, why not go and take some demo rides?
It's also worth remembering that with the right suspension settings you can get a very different feel from the same bike.
Fwiw I tried a 2017 trance and it felt like what I think you're after. The opposite of a fun sponge. Wasn't quite what I wanted though worth getting a demo on a trance.
I too dislike riding a big FS bike down the best descents in the lakes and the peak. It turns a ten minute highly involved challenge into a 5 minute "where was that great descent we used to ride down?"
But the ability to ride all day without feeling beat up is a bonus.
I just put an old 140mm pike on my MK1 Soul, short stem, flat wide bars and 2.35 rubber and it's great for me. But I'm old and to go fast enough downhill to have fun on a big bike would be a bad idea.
@BigJohn:
haha. Great. Have now a 130 mm fork on my old HT and 2.35 rubber as well (upgraded front to 25 mm rims).
As full suspension bike I use the Bossnut V2 and I bought a Stereo HPA 150 27.5+ frame in sale and will have this available in the summer (will put 2.6 rubber on it).
But at the same time I keep upgrading my old hardtails. It's worth every penny.
There are trails which are much more fun with the HT - and on some trails I beat the full suspension bikes with an HT. That's fun.
On some trails I don't have a chance on a HT to keep up with the full suspension bikes.
There the Bossnut V2 is the game changer...
For me: keep the HT and upgrade it! There is no "one wonder bike" which is fun on all trail!
That's my new full suspension frame (got the last 20" size I think):
Bossnut Evo could be a good shout
Like you i made the change from a 29er HT to a FS. The lads i ride with generally ride full sussers except for one guy who rides a Comencal HT I felt on the rough trails i was getting battered so much that i ended up not enjoying the end of the rides and had no inclination to go on and do a second run or even the skills park. So after a lot of deliberation and reading up i went for a Bossnut V2 and havent looked back my confidence has increased so much and the luxury the FS gives you is heaven. Coming from a HT i had already learnt how to pick good lines and and keep my bum off the seat just to avoid the battering. I do miss the raw speed and simplicity of the 29er HT on the climbs and flats, oh and cleaning too. So much more involving cleaning around the linkages and mounts.