Check out the Stanton Ti Slackline.

Have you looked at Sanderson Cycles? I think they make long frames.

the ti 456, is lush. I ride a c456, and my mate has just built up the ti evo 456. riding the same section of trail on both bikes, you can feel the difference. whilst I love the lightweight of my carbon, and its outright speed on this section, the feel of the ti was something else. it felt like being on a pocket of air, floating down the trail. there was no trail buzz, just very smooth. seriously consider a ti 456, as they are offering a 10 year warranty on them as well.

I demo’d a Soul (on familiar Peak trails) and didn’t gel with it. Although the Large frame was a good fit at the time it was the first HT I’d ridden in 5 years. So maybe this had something to do with it.

I bought and built a Brodie Ti Holeshot instead but within months I realised this was not the bike for me. The frame felt too small (even though the numbers were similar) and although stupidly lightweight I found the ride a little harsh.

I then demo’d a Solaris (in the Peaks again) and again, although the fit was fine I wasn’t quite sold on the big wheels. I had been riding for a couple of hours previously and this was my first ride on a 29er so it felt quite alien.

6 months later I decided to take a punt and build a Solaris (with the spares and proceeds from the Brodie) as my second bike. Which was a great decision.

It’s light. It climbs well. It’s surprisingly agile. It rolls and corners well and picks up serious speed on the descents. All the usual things you hear about 29ers.

In fact due to the miserable summer last year my new FS bike purchased in June was demoted to the garage last September and it’s not really got a look in since.

The Solaris is my go-to-bike. You can munch the miles on it or drop the saddle and it becomes a bit of a hooligan. Very versatile. It has short rear stays and decent angles so it rides really well and makes a great trail bike.

Large. 100mm forks. 2×10. 750mm bars. Pro II/ Arch EX wheels with 2.2 Ardents. I’ve just purchased a Bionicon chain guide to keep the chain in check as it gets spat off at speed. To be honest it could really benefit from a reverb too.

Out of the two bikes I own, if I had to choose one, the FS would go, the Solaris is that impressive. I really see the benefit in having a 29er HT with good all-round trail credentials over a 26″ HT.

IMHO I’d say the Solaris is a far, far better bike than the Soul.

Obviously I’ve not ridden a 456 Evo Ti so can’t comment 🙂

I’ve been riding the Ti 456 Evo for a few months now. The picture shows it’s current build, set up for big climbs and fast descents.

It’s one of those bikes that’s a pleasure to ride on any surface. It’s actually a really nice road bike because of the Ti frame. It’s excellent on XC routes and exceptionally good on climbs, outperforming any of my previous frames (including my 2007 Scandal, weirdly).

So as a general do-it-all bike, the Ti456E is ideal. It’s only when you really push it that the frame reveals it’s true colours. I’ve blasted it through boulder fields and berms at Glentress for weeks now, and I’ve yet to find the limit of the frame’s ability. It’s very nimble and above all, planted on the trail surface. I’m hitting rough stuff at a higher speed and with greater success than on my full susser. In fact, I catch and pass full sussers on a regular basis on this frame. I’m also overtaking all comers on the climbs too. I’m fit, but I’m not blessed with much in the way of rad skills, so I’m giving the credit to the frame’s design.

With regards to the ‘magic of Ti’, I find the frame to be very comfortable, with some of the zing of steel, but not the same level of sparkle. It’s light though, and performs better the faster and harder it’s pushed I’d say.

Mangatank, what’s the head angle like on just regular riding about? Notice it particularly much?

looks really slack doesn’t it? In fact the entire bike looks pretty ‘extreme’:sort of jacked up and ramped back. It’s an absolute pleasure to ride anywhere though.

I can drop the forks to 110mmm for flat surfaces and climbs, but even when set to 140mm on climbs, the bike feels great. The most striking feature of the frame is how stable it feels in difficult conditions. It has that famous ‘in the bike’ vibe going on. Despite that rock-solid stability, it’s very nimble; it’s as sharp as a pin in the curves.

Clever bloke that Brant.

looks really slack doesn’t it?

Just a bit!! 😆

Trying to find a replacement for my ageing Cham, and this is another to add to the pile of poss replacements, thanks for the great write-up and replies

OP: Cotic have just posted a photo of a complete build on Flickr this am, maybe they are back in stock?

Or in blue…..
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