Awesome, if I go full suss puts the rocket top of my list (was in the top 3 already)

Tell me about it – getting the right press fit for my meta and paying heavily for it was interesting.

Have to get personalized decals on mine too 😉

Yes to threaded BB’s!

Hear, hear!

Great news, I hope it goes well whatever wheel size your selling.

But….. whatever happened to the mini Rocket?? 😀

It is very cool this, am I imagining things or did Cy remark years ago that he’d tried to make Souls in the UK but found it just impractical- not on cost grounds but on volume and quality? Very cool that this is possible.

I wonder, does this represent something like a UK-ification of a far-eastern-ish mass production process… Or is it possibly comparable to Nicolai with more customisation?

Yeah but what about the excessive white bits on the swing arm…. 🙂

Cy is still making 26ers for those that want them and have a stock of bits they want to keep using – WIN!!

Cy has a facility in which he can more rapidly prototype, develop and manufacture changes to accommodate new standards –
WIN!!

This!

Seriously we are being asked for 650 b bikes
We would never push something on to a customer.
There will be many reasons for this but basically people are coming back from their demo rides loving the 650 b bikes and putting down deposits on new bikes we are struggling to keep stock

Got one enquiryrfor a 26″ bandit

So is the new Cotic Fatbike going to be British made then …… 😉

I wonder, does this represent something like a UK-ification of a far-eastern-ish mass production process… Or is it possibly comparable to Nicolai with more customisation?

My reading was that it’s somewhere in between; short-run production rather than mass production or low-volume hand-building.

(UK made Solaris please).

There will be many reasons for this but basically people are coming back from their demo rides loving the 650 b bikes

Ooh! Ooh! I get to ask!

Is it because 650b wheels make the trail come alive?

Sancho – Member

There will be many reasons for this but basically people are coming back from their demo rides loving the 650 b bikes

Wait, people are coming into your shop and asking for 650b bikes, as a result of the demo on the 650b bike they’re about to get as a result of asking for 650b bikes? You need the Doctor.

What a fantastic piece of news for UK PLC as well as the bike industry.
We need more younger business people with the foresight to open new manufacturing facilities in the UK.
Good luck!

Talk about not seeing the wood for the trees.
I mean – who cares about a new uk bike manufacturing facility, when there’s an excuse to witter on about wheel sizes?!

Great news for UK bike industry.
re 650 In fact as usual there is a little more too it than the actual wheel size,
1. longer wheel base on a pro rata basis gives more stability
2. lower BB to axle ratio giving better cornering stability
3. longer front centre (for most part) which give more confidence in fast or steep or technical downhill or all three
4. whatever the claims that the wheel size confers in roll over ect.
incremental change that probably improve handling characteristics, all a matter of personal taste, but if you cannot tell the difference between a 650b and a 26er (in full sus) then its probably not worth making the fuss about rear suspension designs either!!

I’m with fathomer, where is the squib or whatever the little rocket was called?
What I want is a FS Soul to go with the HT Soul I already have which is pretty much what Cy said the mini rocket could be. To have it built local would be a real bonus

Am I the only one who spotted “titanium”……is it a come back for the Soda or a race light 15/24″/26″/27.5″/29″/55″/100″ who gives a SH*T” wheel size bike.

catvet – Member

1. longer wheel base on a pro rata basis gives more stability
3. longer front centre (for most part) which give more confidence in fast or steep or technical downhill or all three

What do these have to do with 650b?

Great news.

I’m not too fussed where things are made if I’m honest (let’s face it the Far East are very good at mass produced bikes) the good news here ( a dude from jobs) is that new products can best tested and tweaked with ease. Being able to do short production runs should ease availability issues too.

With regards to wheel size, I guess when buying a complete bike people may be more willing to go to 650b but like many, I tend to swap bits over do anyone still making 26inch frames will get my vote. Personally, I couldn’t afford to but a frame plus forks, wheels and tyres.

compared with stuffing a 650 wheelset into a 26 er frame and claiming its the same as a 650 framed bike

Excited to see this confirmed. Super bold move from Cy and co.

As one of the stubborn gits who has kept the faith (with a conservatory full of bits to hang on a frame sat there since August last year) I’m starting to dare hope I might be riding a Rocket come the spring! So so nearly ordered a Spitfire last week – glad now I didn’t.

compared with stuffing a 650 wheelset into a 26 er frame and claiming its the same as a 650 framed bike

Though of course you could just make a 26″ bike with a longer wheelbase. All these dimensions are independent of wheel size.

It’s funny how fashions change – I’m old enough to remember when short wheelbases were the thing to have – nothing climbed like a bike with 16.5″ chainstays, they really made the hill come alive 😉

Great news this – lets hope that the trend continues

Yep you could make a longer wheelbase 26 er true, but the BB height would still probably be proportionally higher.
I have a 26 er 140 travel and a 650 140 travel same manufacturer almost identical spec, same size, completely different bikes, if anyone else Tells me there is no difference, then I suggest they buy their next bike on colour alone !!!

Reckon most folks couldn’t tell any difference ??

Yep you could make a longer wheelbase 26 er true, but the BB height would still probably be proportionally higher.

BB height is whatever you want BB height to be. Larger wheels have these effects:

– The angle-of-incidence at an obstacle is less, so they roll more easily over a bump.
– The effective gear ratio is higher for the same gearing.
– Disc brakes are less powerful for the same rotor diameter.
– There’s greater gyroscopic effect, making steering harder at the same speed.

Everything else is down to geometry – wheelbase, chainstay length, BB height/drop, front centre, toe overlap etc etc are independent of wheel size.

Well done Cy and your team. From one British manufacturer to another, the very best of luck!

Please can I place an order for a UK made Solaris?

Delighted to read this.

I would definitely buy a UK-made Soul, Solaris, Roadrat, X etc.

This is a great thread and thanks to Cy all blahblah26″/650b/blahboring threads can be directed here for the answers.

Waah, I can’t buy a decent 26″ FS… You can, get a Rocket.

Boohoo, I can’t buy decent 26″ forks…. Don’t worry, get 650b ones, they’ll be fine.

Groan, I won’t be able to buy 26″ wheels next year, or the year after, or the year after, or the year after…. You will, chill out guy.

The end.

Glad to here about production coming to the UK, might even make me consider a Cotic in the future. Good luck to all involved.

Believe what you want, but proportinally size for size they be default are different, and as I have twoidentical ” bikes” in the different wheel sizes, they ride like night and day, but what the hell you don’t have to believe me!
Same with windsurfers, snowboards and particularly surfboard design, suble changes in run king length, flat fin placement likewise would make no difference, well in fact they do !!

just to be clear (if that’s possible on here)

people are coming in to the shop (or calling on the phone, or emailing)
Asking to try out 650b bikes.
we have some demo bikes and have been lending them out.

usual conversation with customers is that they have seen the forums, read the magazines and want to try for themselves.

for us its meant we have been selling 650b bikes as the customers have really liked how they ride.

I suppose it would have otherwise turned into a “What tyres for..” thread…

Good luck Cy. I hope the Bicycle Manufacturing Corporation in that there Switzerland don’t throw a Specialized style fit at the name!

wow… managed to turn this thread about a proper UK manufacturing good news story into another bollocks wheel size debate!

I think the key point is, whatever the big boys marketing departments tell all you sheep to ride, Cy will be able to make it for you, quickly in his lovely UK facility!

Top work!

catvet – Member

Believe what you want, but proportinally size for size they be default are different, and as I have twoidentical ” bikes” in the different wheel sizes, they ride like night and day, but what the hell you don’t have to believe me!

But all these other changes are nothing at all to do with the wheel size, it just so happens that they’ve made other a la mode changes at the same time as changing the wheels. So no wonder the 2 bikes ride differently! By your own admission they’ve changed loads of stuff between the two.

And swinging it back on topic… The Rocket’s one of the 26 inch bikes that has most of the geometry thinking that is also informing most of the best 650b bikes- the long front centre, long wheelbase thing isn’t new, or wheel related.

This is great news…

Interestingly though if I was to buy a complete bike at the moment the chances are it would be 650b, but only because that’s what the majority of manufacturers have available at the price point I would buy at.

All this future proof excuse, the only thing it might effect is fork availability, as someone who doesn’t even have a tapered head set I’ve still got plenty of forks I can choose from..

Great news and creating much needed jobs…now please build a Ti Soul!

Will the Solaris be UK manufactured Cy?

Good work that man by the way 😀

According to the press release it will be the FS Cotics that will be UK made, so I assume all the hardtails will stay in the far east.

According to the press release it will be the FS Cotics that will be UK made, so I assume all the hardtails will stay in the far east.

I thought they were starting with the FS frames, and once these are up and running will expand?

Has anyone Google it