The plan over the winter was to get a cotic soul but now the bfe is down to £300 I’m wondering whether to get one of them instead. Plan is for an XC style build with 130 forks and something like mavic XC717 rims. To be used for Cotswold hills XC and maybe a trail centre at worst. I already have a 165mm last herb for heavy going trail riding and DH so the extra strength isn’t needed but £180 saving for an extra lb in weight.worth making an impulse buy now?
Anyone with a light bfe build?

if you can ‘afford’ the extra pound then go for it. I have both frames and marginally prefer the ride of the BFe. I use the Soul for the longer days, as it’s setup much lighter, with more expensive kit whereas the BFe is all burly and jumpy. If you could throw some money at it then the BFe could be lightish. But then you want to save money….

Soul, no contest, for myself anyway- BFe is still a very good frame but lacked the wee magic spark that sets the Soul apart. Especially since you’re describing a very Soul build.

If you want to save a few quid, look at the Genesis Latitude 853 frame.

Very Soul-like, but cheaper

Dirtbiker worth checking this out it’s another 90 quid saved.#http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/cotic-bfe-19-gritstone

Bats.

Depending on what size you need it may be worth your while checking out the Moving Specials on the Cotic website. I’d be very tempted by the ex demo medium soul in orange if I hadn’t already got one in black. In fact I’m still tempted but that would be silly.

what about a on-one carbon 456?

Had a normal 456 and it was pretty good but want to try a cotic and would definitely prefer steel over carbon for this build.
Yeah ideally it is the soul I want but the price drop caught my attention!
Reggiegasket- what is it about the bfe you prefer? I think the lighter weight of the soul will give me the spring and manoeuvrability I’m looking for. Especially when I’ve got the last for heavier riding.

Also looking for a small frame but thanks for the links and other ideas

This is blasphemy here but I don’t think there’s that much ground between a BFe and a steel 456. Both fairly weighty, both pretty dead feeling for steel. BFe has better geometry I think but for me the overall “riding experience” is pretty similiar.

(coming from a raging Cotic fanboi and C456 owner btw 😉 )

Drew if you are really tempted by that orange ex-demo one…

… it’s too late…. I’ve got it and it’s built up and running nicely 8)

Northwind, that’s why I’m thinking the less material and lighter weight of the soul will give the difference. The 456 was good but just didn’t give the full steel experience I was looking for. Wonder if I’m looking for too much…
Anyway I’m going to wait and hope a small soul bargain comes along!
If not then one of the moving specials will be grabbed!

You’ll probably spend £180 on random MTB related bits over the winter so get the Soul if that’s what you want (I have one and it’s awesome). I’d quite like a smaller BFe for jumping but my skillz don’t yet justify that.

Phew, that’s a relief. Glad you’re enjoying it Stoatsbrother. Nice, aren’t they.

Reggiegasket- what is it about the bfe you prefer?

The BFe is stiffer than the Soul so when you really start to chuck it about it stays in control better. In other words, it can handle the rougher/rockier stuff better, which I like. The BFe is similar to how a 456 rides actually, whereas the Soul is livelier and more springy, which makes it very comfy and ace for longer rides – sublime is the word I like to use – but for rougher/jumpy stuff the BFe has the edge.

I take the Soul to the Lakes but the BFe to the Alps.

Like I said, you need both really … 😉

It would be interesting to see if there’s any link between personal preference and how much you weigh?

Reggie, have you tried the Soul built up like the BFe? I noticed a drastic change in behaviour down rocky stuff when I put stiffer wheels and forks on mine.