So what do folks think then ?

solaris first build by CoticLtd, on Flickr

I loved the Soul I used to have, so keen to try one of these when they appear next year. Bit concerned that a 31.6mm post might make it ride a bit harsh, but I doubt Cotic would get their sums wrong. 😉

I too love my Soul but find the 19” tad small.

Really looking forward to the release of this …. so much so I am filling the time by trying an Inbred 29er.

That way I can get the spec right and hopefully swap the frames as and when.

Anyone want a 19” Soul?

Ive always been an on-one fanboi over a cotic, but that tickles my bits nicely. but I wont buy anything without a 27.2mm post 😉

What saddle is on that? 🙂

What’s the big deal about a 27.2 seat post? Looking at a soul, and a few other steel hard tails, but the seat post size is a pain as my existing posts won’t fit.

I own 8x 27.2mm posts. Including a Ti one. Im never going to want a dropper, so a nice skinny seat tube does what I want. And shims are creaky noisy bastards.

Looks really nice.. V tempted

Nice but what’s with the 31.6mm post?

My shim never creaks on my 34.9mm spesh hardatail. I have shimmed it down to 27.2mm. Just get a good qaulity long shim and its no big deal.

My shims don’t creak either.

Will definately be trying to find a test ride on one of these, still miss my Soul so if they’ve managed to combine Soulness with Bigness that’ll be a cool thing indeed.

Looks alright if you’re into exploding wheels I guess.

Actually one of the few 29ers I’ve seen that doesn’t look bloody awful. Cy designs nice bikes.

Looks good, but am I the only one that thinks the seat tube looks remarkably slack, almost as if like that on purpose to keep the wheelbase as short as possible… Personally, I’d be happier if my feet weren’t too far in front of my body, and just accept that a 29er is gonna have a wheelbase a couple of inches longer than a 29er by default…

Might be an illusion, but I have stared at it a couple of minutes now and I still think the same thing…

31.6mm post is a good idea IMO. 27.2mm posts are heavier (have to make the walls a lot thicker to stop them breaking, 410mm Thomson is about 295g in 27.2, 245 in 31.6!), they flex more (not a desirable IMO, flex is not the same as forgiveness) and they’re easier to bend and break.

My suggestion for the production version (assuming geometry is actually all good) would be to paint it a brand new colour not offered before by Cotic, to give it its own identity. As it is, some people will be initially confused it’s a current Gen BFe until they look closer.

Seat angle doesn’t look any different to my Singular from that picture

I think the seat is going to be 1 degree steeper in production. Looks very tempting to those of us who stretch the sizing boundaries of their souls. I’m yet to be fully convinced by the 29er thing, but my first should be built up today, so I’ll soon have a better idea. Would take a lot for me to swap my soda for one though.

those of us who stretch the sizing boundaries of their souls

A line Douglas Adams would have been proud of 😉

Not sure why but that’s not doing it for me. I liked the “in action” shot from a while back though, perhaps it’s the colour, or build.

Funny how 29ers look so normal now.

I like it if only because it has no reference to being a 29er in its name. too many brands just stick 29 after an existing model name.

the blurb reckons it’ll ride fine with 120mm forks, but Cy was using 100mm, i’ll be interested to see what people think of it with longer forks once thay come through…..only coz i’ve a spare set of 120mm minutes in the shed though

Morning all. Thanks for the comments. Just to run through:

31.6 is for dropper post compatibility. You can always shim down. Personally, I haven’t found any trouble with a nice thinwalled 31.6mm post. That one in the picture is a prototype of the 953 post I’m working on. It’s lovely.

The saddle is a ti railed version of the Cotic Components saddle we put on the Roadrats and X’s. I got a ti one just because I can.

The seat tube is too slack on that frame, and the top tube length is too short. I’ve had 18 Bikes put together a 2nd prototype with 1 degree steeper seat angle, longer and stiffer top tube. It’s completely ace. Check out the Cotic news page and look for the installment on 22/08/11 for the full low down. There’s lots of my thoughts on the development on that page if you search through.

The idea is that the reach is 10mm longer than is usual on our 26″ frames to keep the front centre a good length, so you use a 10mm shorter stem to get the same stretch. We’re doing an XL size above the usual L for you tall guys.

Not run much on 120’s yet, but it was fun. I’m putting 120’s on proto2 next week as this will work loads better with the steeper angles and lower front end. Will report back.

Oh, and colours will be that blue, or Cotic orange. There will be an SS version with Alfine routing too, but that’s blue only. Probs arrive feb 2012.

ss with Alfine routing. nice touch.

oh my! I was thinking the other day I wish Cotic would make a 29er version of the soul.

can’t believe nobody’s asked the stay length yet!!! Go on then – how long? 🙂

How high is that saddle? No wonder its a 31.6mm!

I will be getting one if the finances will stretch in the new year…

It’s 440mm centre to centre, which makes it around 435mm horizontal. Pretty short. For comparison, the Soul is 420 centre-to-centre, but 419mm horizontal due to the lack of BB drop relative to the axles on the 26″ wheel bikes.

Certainly short enough to make it work properly, and short enough to make my slack seat angle experiment on proto1 a failure 😉

just accept that a 29er is gonna have a wheelbase a couple of inches longer than a 29er by default…

The bike might be a couple of inches longer by default, but not the wheelbase.

I knew I wasn’t going bonkers and that was a pretty slack seat angle! It looks slacker than the head angle anyway, so even on a 29er that’s slack. Glad to hear you’re gonna steepen it up a touch!

Should be nice when all is said and done… You going with a tapered head tube too (or even ID44 like on the Genesis 853 Latitude) seeing as most 29er forks all have tapered steerers now?

Looks like it should be v good anyway, and a good step up and usefully different to what’s on the Market already…

That’s a lovely looking bike Cy and at the risk of being called a bird, it’s a nice colour too.

What made you choose the name? I’m an IT bod (ex Sun) so have a soft spot for Solaris 🙂

All in all I’m very impressed, makes me a bit sad I’m too much of a short arse to ride a 29er.

How are you going to achieve chain tension on the Alfine routed bike Cy?

EBB?
Horizontal dropouts?
or
Sliders?

Looking for my next SS…

[Edit] Just read the blog – Simple style track ends – what a shame they are not sliders 🙁

Oh know a XL version. I thought I could look knowing it would never fit. Now what do I do? Sell a child!

Shame its not 44mm headtube…would solve the small sizing issue and mean I could use the cheapo rebas offa OneOne.
Edit….on closer squint……is it tapered????

Its a 44. Well that’s what I’ve been told on an e-mail from Paul@cotic anyways…

That’s lovely that is 🙂

I love it

Proto in that photo has a tapered headtube. Production is 44 top and bottom, so that you can run an internal headset at the top to drop the bars further.

[Edit] Just read the blog – Simple style track ends – what a shame they are not sliders

+1 sliding drop-outs would be a definite selling point for me, I would like to go geared in summer and singlespeed through winter.

Sliders are dead ugly and heavy though. Just fit a chain tensioner with a mech hanger if you want to go geared.

They are not that heavy, if you want to go lightweight get a carbon or alu frame.

Sliders are dead ugly and heavy though

Not that much heavier as the slider tends to be ally. Much easier wheel removal and 2 above not that ugly IMHO