[url=https://flic.kr/p/Mtkras]Cotic Solaris Max v2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29wRnDN]Cotic Solaris Max v2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29wRnD7]Cotic Solaris Max v2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/26RcFQG]Cotic Solaris Max v2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/26RcFjG]Cotic Solaris Max v2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/MtkuPS]Cotic Solaris Max v2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29wRqaj]Cotic Solaris Max v2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

From this thread:

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/anyone-else-expecting-a-cotic-today/

Not my finest hour in terms of planning. Had to knock out the headset from my daughters MK1 Solaris Max as I forgot to order one. At which point the parlous state of the lower race became apparent. Luckily i have mates with spares and skills. That’s not my garage and the only tool I tend to use is the hammer in one of the shots 😉

In another shot is my Mojo3 which I used as a donor. Sticking with the RipMo and the SolarisMax now. Smuggler and Mojo3 are going to get moved on (hint hint).

Front brake cable needs shortening but need to bleed the brakes so it can wait until then. Decided not to spend £90 on invisiframe so a combo of some eBay 3M special and ‘Armourguard’ I took a punt on a while ago did the job.

Feels very lively and quite different to the Mk1. Will be fun to see how it compares on our Weds ride. Until then it’s in the shed and I’m away for work 🙁

Very nice – I have a mark 2 so will be interested to see what you think the differences are with the mk 1. Been contemplaring a new frame but not sure I can justify it…..

The firstgen SolarisMax is a bit small for me. I did wonder about getting a large as I’m right on the cusp of a Med and a Large with new Longshot Geo, but decided to stick with M as it’s mostly a ragging round the woods bike the the Mk1 was brilliant at that.

I justified mine by not having to buy any bits for it. Build is all pre-loved parts

RockShox Pike 27.5 Plus 140mm with about the same A-C as a Fox Float 34 – 130mm
XTR cranks and mech, Absolute black 32T oval chain ring, XT shifter
Blueflow Carbon wheels, 42mm with Maxxis Rekon+ 2.8 tyres running at 14PSI
Shimano Zee brakes/Ice Tech rotors
Thomson Covert 150mm dropper – will be fitting a oneup 170mm at some point
Spank Vibrocore bars cut down to 780mm and a 50mm stem. Might need a shorter one but will ride it a bit first.

Quite like the stealthy look.

That’s very nice. I was very impressed by the quality of the Cotic BFE frame when i got it. The frames are just lovely.

I did similar to you with some rhyno tape from eBay which came to about 13. Can’t see it’s on there and seems good so will see how long it lasts.

The build looks very nice and it all goes together well.

Thanks. I do like the invisitape but they needed to cut a kit for that frame and it was going to be over £100 with shipping. On a £600 frame. Hard to justify.  The paint is fab, very JPS F1 for those of you old enough to remember it. Nice thing about the 3M tape is it’s quite glossy so doesn’t dull down the finish.

I really wish I wasn’t on the road at 5am tomorrow morning for three days. Want to give it a proper ride.

I am lucky enough that my daily commute of 22 miles includes a decent amount of offloading so am getting some riding in every day.  It just makes the day at work drag as I am looking forward to the ride home so much.

Loved the JPS cars and bikes.

Nice to see one built up with chubby boots (even if it is the wrong colour 😉 ).

interested to hear you get on with it.

i keep meaning to take a photo of my three solaris’s together, just for the hell of it 🤣

It’s absolutely the right colour 🙂

I preferred my ‘original’ on Chubby’s and I expect this will be the same. It’ll go 29 with a 130mm fork once the grim sets in.  I’ll take a pic of both of mine once I’ve rebuilt my daughters- she wants to go riding next weekend so I’d best get a move on!

I built mine up 29er after Cy saying that’s how he preferred to run his longshot. It definitely feels faster in that guise..

ive a set of chubby wheels off the Sherpa (but need to boostinator up the rear as it’s only 142…) and I just ‘happen’ to have acquired new slx brakes and a XT chainset (i.e. what I robbed from it, more or less, to build up dark metal) so chances are I’ll not bother… the original SolarisMAX is sporting chubbies though, happy to run that for b/packing purposes.

Smart looking machine that – and good to see another garage as erm… lived in as mine

good work Alex, looks very nice!

That looks incredible!

Interested on your opinion on the Ripmo as I have a demo booked in a few weeks time

Thanks

Phil

Nice build. I’m yet to open a build/ review piece and not want one.

@joe – that’s not my garage. My big shed is very tidy indeed. But devoid of any mechanical skills so I take it down to my mate who is brilliant with the spanners. He’d tidied it up as well 🙂

@Metalheart: I had the same conversation with Cy. It probably is quicker on 29s but I find it more fun on the chubs. It might be the dirt / trails we have here which really work well with a wide tyre (until it gets muddy anyway) and we don’t have a lot of rocks. It’s worth trying for sure, some people like it, some don’t but for me it makes a hardtail just a bit more to my taste

@phil – how long have you got ? 😉 I have a Mojo3 which was the fastest bike I’d ever owned. I couldn’t believe i’d change it for anything else. The RipMo tho is something else, it’s silly quick in the right hands (probably not mine but I’ve beaten many long term strava segments on it), climbs ridiculously well for a 145mm/160mm travel bike, doesn’t feel cumbersome in the tight stuff and does feel bonkers stable when it’s fast and loose.

I fully expected to keep the Mojo and the RipMo but after six weeks on the latter including a week in the Maritime alps it became clear I’d not pick the Mojo over the RipMo. It’s a shed-load of cash but its a bike I can’t wait to ride.

Hope your demo goes well… I’d be surprised if you didn’t like it. Quite a lot 🙂

Excellent! From your write up it sounds a bit cobbled together, but the end result looks spot on. Enjoy. You might have some mud to play in now.

Yeah cobbled together off another very nice build 😉 I did de-sticker the wheels as the red would have looked horrible. And the grips are borrowed until my DMR deathgrips turn up. But you can’t really go wrong if you have black stuff to go with a black bike!

I might swap the Zee’s for some SLX’s I have hanging about but see how it goes first. After all the rain we’ve had, I expect the first ride will be a muddy one…

Thanks for that Alex will let you know how it goes 👍

Ooooo…

Well that was fun 🙂

[url=https://flic.kr/p/26XQqz1]First ride of the SolarisMax V2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/MA11dE]First ride of the SolarisMax V2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/MzZYGd]First ride of the SolarisMax V2[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

Trails were pretty much perfect. Softened after the weekend’s rain but super grippy with a hint of loam 🙂 I’ve ridden up in these woods on lots of bikes in all sorts of conditions. Right now tho a sorted HT is perfect bike and that Cotic is one sorted bike.

It reminds me of the Mk1 SolarisMax. but just a bit better. For me, I’ve a bit more room on the medium, it’s a little bit slacker but mostly it’s the same kind of fun. Got close to some PRs and I was all over the place not having ridden a HT for the best part of a year.

Friday has ‘slack off ride’ written all over it 🙂

I’m getting much closer to ordering one of these  it nervous of leaving myself with only a Spark for racing.  If that breaks, I’m stuffed and I promised the missus who is having a significant birthday this year, no more bikes.

Everywhere I read about these has a big thumbs up, and for weekend rides it’d be lovely.   Where are we with the fork?  Although I don’t neeeeed 140mm I’d be tempted to order that as its significantly different to my 100mm Spark, although here in the SE probably not needed.

Very nice, just built one up myself in 29er flavor (also blue flow wheels as it happens!) and 140 x fusion forks, very happy with it 👍

SolarisMax

I had a bit of a play on Alex’s bike, wrong size wrong wheels, ordered one the next day.

Waiting………………………….

Thanks Alex :):) answered all of my questions.

Wrong size wheels indeed. You were plenty quick enough on the Chubby’s Mat!

I’ve only ridden it with a 140mm fork. It doesn’t feel slow to steer or over-forked.

Saw your thread Oyster Kite – nice looking build, I like the orange. I had similar on my Mk1 but gone stealth this time.

Promised myself one of these once I get the lost conversion booked in at the end of the year.

I’m waiting until the end of the year also.  If my coaching and racing leaves me mid pack mediocre the moneys going to enjoying myself on a Solaris Max.