• This topic has 51 replies, 29 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by adsh.
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  • Proper excited, new Solaris content
  • Speshpaul
    Full Member

    Well it had to happen.
    Al and Kate at Plush Hills are Cotic dealers now and i walked it 😀

    P2221308 by paul.sal, on Flickr
    Its rather nice, proper excited about getting out for a spin tomorrow.
    Some mucky pics to follow.

    oxym0r0n
    Full Member

    Looks nice – haven’t ridden minefor a few weeks cos of the flooding 🙁

    bigh
    Free Member

    Congrats. Love mine to bits, especially in mud

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
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    Bregante
    Full Member

    Some mucky pics to follow.

    Steady on mate, I know you’re excited but you don’t want to get a ban 😉

    Great bikes. Been out on mine today 🙂

    prawny
    Full Member

    Mmmmm.

    That is all.

    DarrenH
    Full Member

    Very nice! Needs some green grips though 😉

    Speshpaul
    Full Member

    Oh I think i may be strangely drawn towards hope team green bits 😆

    ratherbeintobago
    Full Member

    Oh I think i may be strangely drawn towards hope team green bits

    If you’re not sponsored, that’ll be expensive…

    Speshpaul
    Full Member

    I’m sponsered, but by the NHS not Hope!

    ratherbeintobago
    Full Member

    I’m sponsered, but by the NHS not Hope!

    Aye, me too 😀

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    Red hubs. All green bikes should have red hubs.
    And get rid of some of that vast chainring collection.

    slackalice
    Free Member

    And get rid of some of that vast chainring collection

    Is he not allowed to run a triple if it suits his preferred style of riding? 🙄

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    I see no DPC on that wall.
    (Want btw, really want)

    Davesport
    Full Member

    Nice bike…Near identical spec to mine 😀

    Sack the tyre fitter. Front tyre/Rim logo’s are miles out 😉

    Speshpaul
    Full Member

    “Sack the tyre fitter. Front tyre/Rim logo’s are miles out”
    Derrrrrrrr, its valve and logo.

    Anyways.
    4mile road climb was easily despatched (oh how he lies) dispite the wind and rain.
    Then over the top offroad, very nice. very stable and very fast.
    So far so good, pleased bunny 😆

    20140223_120050 by paul.sal, on Flickr

    woods were a little cut up in places.

    20140223_124003 by paul.sal, on Flickr

    the front mech is a little congested. its FM771 with dual pull so i’ve sawn the bottom pull lever off so that should free up a little more space.

    20140223_124745 by paul.sal, on Flickr

    langylad
    Free Member

    Lovely looking trail Spesh, which part of the world? Bikes not bad either!

    Speshpaul
    Full Member

    Stiperstones, sunny shropshire.

    grievoustim
    Free Member

    Bah – posting photos = hassle

    oxym0r0n
    Full Member

    Let me join the love-in!


    IMG_0452 by oxym0r0n, on Flickr

    Now with Hope BB, MT6s and 10 speed XT/SLX/Works

    grievoustim
    Free Member

    Try again – here’s my new Solaris .

    jonba
    Free Member

    Solaris, ff29, fireline or wait for on-one to release the parkwood.

    These do look nice, and I love steel bikes but then the weight weenie racer in me says get something light.

    Joe
    Full Member

    Oxymoron…that is the most tastefully build bike i think i’ve ever seen.

    ratherbeintobago
    Full Member

    Solaris, ff29, fireline or wait for on-one to release the parkwood.

    El Mar?

    slackalice
    Free Member

    Actually, looking at the minuscule amount of mud clearance between the rear tyre, front mech and seatpost, I now find myself agreeing with takisawa, irrespective of whether a triple or double is required 😉

    No doubt a lovely bike, but in claggy mud, that would wind me up.

    shortcut
    Full Member

    Are you not supposed to use a top swing front mech with the Solaris?

    663sqd
    Free Member

    Top pull front mech is right shortcut. .
    The green looks great!

    Just been to afan for a weekend of joy on mine. . My mate has the same. . Two solari out eating up the welsh trails!
    The solaris ate the trails up, fantastic. . I did all my climbs with fork at 100mm then wound out to 120mm for the descents. . The fox adjust fork was lovely and plush. . The solaris handled better and more grounded then a previous yeti asr5 I have owned, which says a lot about how good the steel framed hardnut is!

    Enjoy the bike!

    663sqd
    Free Member

    Oh, further to that, I experienced some serious mud, and tyre clearance wasn’t an issue, neither did front mech become tight, all fine. .

    Alex
    Full Member

    Here’s mine.


    Worcester Beacon at Sunset by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

    Originally had a HD 2.35 in the back. Very tight. Ended up chopping the extra bit of the top swing mech off. Switched to a 2.2 tyre as well. Since then no issues at all. Swapped out that Reba for a Rev at 120mm which I was worried might affect the superb handling, but if anything it’s even more fun.

    Speshpaul
    Full Member

    “Solaris, ff29, fireline or wait for on-one to release the parkwood.”
    i can’t comment on the others, but i’ve just come from a FF29 to the solaris. on my dodgy scales 200gm difference.
    Now that is either not much or quite alot depending on where you start from. but I’m happy with that.
    i liked the FF29 but i never loved it. At 6ft i’m right on the change between a med and a large. All advice was towards the large (no demo bikes at the time.) But they are a tall frame, maybe a medium would have been the way to go.

    front mech.
    Low band will foul the rear wheel, has to be a high band. Cutting the bootom pull arm off has opened up the gap.

    sorry not really getting the single ring thing. i’ve got a double on the FSR, but that can run out of gears on the top end, but the increased chain ring clearence is good on a FS.
    the 29er will be used for big days out and multi days, the FF29 spent a lot of time in the big ring, more than my 26in hardtail. Also if i’m at the end of a big day or are carrying kit for a over night then 22t is might be nice to visit.
    I’ve tried 32/22, and missed 42.

    roverpig
    Full Member

    Does the Solaris feel any slacker than the FF29 (with the same fork)? I’m also in the situation of liking, but not loving, my FF29. Actually I do love it on the way up, but coming down it just feels a bit steep; like I’m perched right on top of that front wheel. Obviously I can shift my weight back, but it still feels as though my hands are just too far forward relative to the front axle. On paper the Solaris geometry looks pretty similar though.

    KingofBiscuits
    Free Member

    Nice build speshpaul…here’s mine (for the love-in):

    Photo is 18 months old and just after it was built. XT 2×10 drivetrain, SLX brakes, F29 100mm forks. Considering treating the bike to a new SLX clutch mech and I may go with a 1×10 setup now that I’ve got a e13 top guide and works components 32T ring.

    Very tempted with 120mm forks too. Very tempted. Dropper also. Might swap out the front ardent for a high roller too.

    At present though very happy with the bike. A great all rounder and the go-to-bike.

    Speshpaul
    Full Member

    Andy
    Climbing, very pleased with it so fair- thats one proper tarmac slog and a some off road techy stuff.
    On the downs feels good, i’ve not had the same over the front feeling on either, what size stem are you running, 80mm here with a setback post.
    if you are anyway near shropshire you are welcome to have a feel 😀

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    On paper the Solaris geometry looks pretty similar though.

    The FF29 is 71 deg with a 100mm fork static, the Solaris is 71 deg with an 80mm fork sagged – so about 2 deg slacker with the same fork.

    roverpig
    Full Member

    Thanks folks. I couldn’t tell from the Kiness site whether it was measured sagged or static (and hadn’t spotted the different fork lengths either). It’s tempting to try something properly slack with shorter chainstays (like a Singular Buzzard), but I do like the tight handling of the FF29 most of the time and 2 degrees off the head angle is already going to be pretty noticeable I guess. Certainly food for thought.

    I’m currently running a 75mm stem with 720 bars, so there is scope to go shorter and wider there too. Nowhere near Shropshire though and currently off the bike with a broken arm anyway 🙁 But that just gives more time to plan new builds 🙂

    Speshpaul
    Full Member

    Singular Buzzard- get a test ride. some people love them, i wasn’t impressed, had it for 2 weeks stopped riding in the end. it did have some terrible mazza forks on it thou.

    messiah
    Free Member

    This is slack up front and unfashionably long out back.

    I think it looks quite good.

    Early testing is positive.

    roverpig
    Full Member

    Thanks. A test ride might be tricky to organize though. What was it (apart from the fork) that you didn’t like?

    Staring at the geometry charts I guess the head angles are not so different. The Solaris is 71 degrees at 470mm A-C and the Buzzard is 69 degrees at 500mm. So what’s that? About 0.5 degrees difference with the same fork? The biggest difference (I guess) would be the shorter chainstays (425mm vs 440mm) and the shorter ETT (595mm vs 625mm for the 19/L size) on the Buzzard.

    Speshpaul
    Full Member

    i really wanted to like the Buzzard, but we didn’t get on. i’d have another go with decent forks, but it seemed heavy and unresponsive. i really struggled to make it climb. it just didn’t have that POW! factor. seemed heavy/dead. It was the same bike that chips reviewed in the mag about 14 months ago and he liked it.
    i was given it to demo for a couple of weeks, and i was almost sold as i pushed it out of the shop. but we didn’t get on.

    PimpmasterJazz
    Free Member

    Is it wrong I’m selling mine?

    On a front mech note – you’ve done the right thing, OP. 😉

    4130s0ul
    Free Member

    Pimpmaster, if you’re thinking of selling yours can you PM me some details?
    thanks

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