h’much to build up your solaris then?
pictures welcome

Finished mine 3 weeks ago. I already had the XT 2×10 crankset, shifters, FD and RD, seatpost, saddle, pedals. Everything else I bought new.

Frame £550 inc headset, wheels £350, forks £660, etc, etc. all in all about £1800.

It all depends on what build you want really. Cheaper wheels and forks will reduce cost straight away.

Here’s mine:

That’s very nice Your Royal Biscuitness.

They really are the only 29″ bike that I have seen that doesn’t look ridiculous.

Cheers ononeorange. That’s a large and doesn’t really look it. It’s very pleasant to ride. Rolls really well, plenty of grip, quite light and flickable with a nice central, neutral riding position. It doesn’t feel that laboured to manoeuvre either. So far so good.

Great – I see you have Ardents on it – do you live in the muddy south or the rocky north? Interested to know how draggy they are, especially in mud.

I wish it was as simple as that fella 🙂

I’m Leeds based and my local loop is seriously sh1tty. Other regular rides further afield in West/South Yorks and the Peaks differ in conditions. Some places hub deep, others relatively dry, some routes good in places, crap in others. Mixed bag really with a common theme of mud and water.

Anyway, the Ardents seem to be fairing well. Roll nice and quick with good grip. Although they are not mud tyres and at times fill up in bad conditions.

Frame £500
Ec70 Bars £70
Haven stem £50
Used Crest rims and DT240 hubs, built with Supercomps circa £300.
2012 Reba 15mm forks traded, but £300 all in.
Had the groupset and all the other bits.

King of Biscuits, I’m fellow Leeds Solaris owner, where around town are you riding?

Hello Ben

I’m based in North Leeds so my local loop is Chapel A, Gledhow Valley, Roundhay, Shadwell, Wyke, Harewood, Eccup, Adel and MVT.

OK in places. Sh1tty in others. Although to be honest it’s been like that for some time now.

What about you?

Chapel Allerton!!! Gledhow Valley, Meanwood Trail, Shadwell, Harewood, pretty much everywhere you list.

We often say how weird it is that we never see anyone out given the number of folks from North Leeds who post on here.

There’s a group of us set out for at least one night ride a week from the top of Gledhow Valley around 8pm, my emails in my profile if you want to come along

Frame (raced & faced), headset (fitted), lower travel & cutting fork steerer, saddle & frame pro – £600 (lbs1)
Reba forks – £300 (on-one)
XT 3×10 groupset – £335 (bikediscount.de)
Hope evo pro2’s/Arch EX/Ardents (tubeless) – £380 (lbs2)
Hope M4’s & discs – £180 (mint 2ndhand)
Bars – £30 (CRC)
Stem – £25 (2ndhand)
Grips – £15 (lbs2)
Pedals & seatpin already had kicking around so let’s call it £2k.

Finished (and post ride) by Metalheart-UK, on Flickr

ETA: Ardents aren’t the best in Scottish mud IMHO. Not much tread, get clagged up quickly. Found them great otherwise though.

Thanks again, Royal Biscuitty one (are you a Bourbon, by any chance?).

neil -= screaming for a Reverb…….will one fit ?

Cheers Ben, I’ll drop you an e-mail at some point soon. I’ve been lucky enough to get out in the day of late. So there’s been no need for lights and night riding. I’ve also been heading over to Bingley and down to Sheff which seem to have faired better conditions wise.

Dark Choc HobNob FTW ononeorange. Although biscuit preferences change regularly.

I look forward to it KOB, sometimes ride locally on a Saturday but as that’s normally my chance to do a long ride it tends to be on the road over winter.

Bizarrely, another North Leeds (Roundhay/Oakwood) Solaris rider here. Same local trails as you other guys though head out to Dales when I can.

I think we can safely say there is now a North Leeds Solaris Owners club……

bout £2200 by the way.

Flatter bars now

5thumbs, as per KOB, drop me a line if you fancy riding day

Had the transmission, finishing kit and brakes, but the rest was sourced second hand, except the frame.

Frame inc headset – 560
Forks – 170 off here
Wheels – actually just got some Hope/stans off here for 200 (pic shows by old set)
Tyres – 30 quid for both, again off here

So I recon the build in total is about 1200 quid.

I already had the oven glove and the Disney Princess cup is not mine before there are any witty comments 😀

Bloody ‘ell. Common as muck the Solaris is in North Leeds 🙂

Although I’ve not seen that many riders out and about let alone Solaris riders. Will drop you both an e-mail as a local meet would be good (and motivate me to ride a little more in the week) and hoping to do some Dales rides soon.

cheers awb’dy for the prices and pics.
oh dear, want one even more now…

looks like splurging on frame and forks and cobbling the rest together with cheap stuff.
or get an inbred and save a whole lot of cash?

Re. North Leeds Solaris Owners Club – also from North Leeds and considering a Solaris………….weird. 😯

I think it suits the fubar’d trail conditions and xc nature of the riding toxicsoks 😉

Bit of a thread hijack but just thinking about alternatives and extra sections to my current local loop. Being relatively new to Leeds and sticking to what I know and not exploring.

Rather than the slop that is the route via the fields from Emmerdale to Eccup I’m considering riding the road section to take me to the junction King Lane/Eccup Lane (rather than popping out at the side of the farm and onto Eccup Moor Road.

Can you do a lap of Golden Acre? Is it accessible from there. Is it worth it?

After Adel jumps I cross the road into the woods. I normally go right near the picnic tables and work my way through here. Although this is seriosuly sloppy and is damaged by dog walkers, horse riders and riders alike. So instead of turning right at the picnic tables what’s straight on?

Just trying to see if there is a more structured bridleway/paths through these woods to piece together a more winter friendly route.

cheers awb’dy for the prices and pics.
oh dear, want one even more now…

looks like splurging on frame and forks and cobbling the rest together with cheap stuff.
or get an inbred and save a whole lot of cash?

There’s one for sale here, half decent spec and form the photo’s that Carl sent me, it’s not in bad nick either!

http://cotic.cc/pictures-of-solaris-l-and-spec-for-sale#!/

KOB, we do a less muddy route that takes out through Cookridge, Horsfort and the edge of the Aire Valley. I’m racing cross this weekend (badly) but will be out the following weekend and can show you it in daylight. Send me your mobile number and I’ll add you to the weekly text that arranges the night rides.

KOB/Ben – I’d like to tag along, sometime BUT! From Saturday I’ll be in Africa for 3 weeks…….*wonders about a “What tyres for the Kalahari?” thread*

Toxicsoks, just seen my wife’s away for the following 2 weekends after next so don’t worry as I’ll be at home with the kids for them; night ride likely next Wednesday though