Thanks @boblo – good information!

Hi @Boblo how do you think the 245 would stand up to mountain bike riding, mud, water and general clumsiness (rather than falling off),  I agree about keeping it simple for most uses (bearing in mind I just use my phone in my pocket as basic gps bike computer at the moment), but wonder if I need the Instinct just for ruggedness?

This thread finally got to me – I raided the loft to see what was left of my old collection:

https://imgur.com/a/h75dmT4

Sandscorcher – wrecked

Super Champ – wrecked

Fast Attack Vehicle – wrecked

Mardave Marauder – wrecked….but maybe salvageable…..hmmm….🤔

I noticed the Instinct Solar is £299.00 (normally £349) on Amazon at the mo. as long as you don’t mind blue.

The Box Hill side can be a proper muddy / chalky slip fest. The Leith Hill to Peaslake side is sandier and generally better drained, wet roots become a bit more of an issue than mud on that side.

For comparison I use 2.3 Nobby Nics all year round on a hardtail and I find it’s ok for most eventualities; going from muddy XC to a steep chalky, descent for example. Haven’t tried the other tyres you mention though.

I went through this and tried 34×11-46 (also Soul 26). I found that the 34 oval was OK but really I was not strong enough for proper steep stuff. I went down to a 32 oval and it made a world of difference to the experience of going 1x. Only ever lacking on very long tarmac downhills – perfect range for me everywhere’s else.  I really don’t think you would need the 51t if you go 32 at the front – 46t is only ever needed very occasionally as it is (Surrey Hills).

You should be able to find a Sunrace 11-46 to fit your existing hub.

Mine’s not on the line, it needed more b-screw to stop it skipping on the 10t under power.

Exactly the same for me – I nearly gave up on it on the 10t but going another few turns on the b screw made all the difference, (hardtail btw).

Editors “For the Money”. Builds to a cacophonous sinister onslaught that if you miss the end is just wrong!

I just got given back my 1995 Specialized Hardrock GX after I lent it to someone 20 years ago!

My first ‘mountain bike’, rigid forks, quill stem, cantilever brakes, 3×7 grip shift. I used it for a couple of years before upgrading to a Pro-flex 2000.

Not quite sure what to do with it – frame is immaculate – drive train unsurprisingly ‘worn’, headset very worn. I’ll definitely be hanging onto it for old times’ sake – might fit the 2×10 XT setup gathering dust in the garage – or go single speed (never had single speed before). Perfect pub\shops bike anyway!

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Chuck Morris
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Yeah I’m so thrilled for her as she is really timid and I thought she was a while off. She’s been pestering me this evening when we can go out again. Excellent. 😆

One down, two more to go.

It’s great isn’t it? I’m at the other end of your journey – my youngest (of three) was confident enough to ride out with the rest of us today – in turn the first time my wife has ridden in 11 years since the 1st was born! Suddenly a world of opportunity for riding as a family has opened up! (It was only about 5 miles but you’ve got to start somewhere)!

@reeksy interesting. To be fair – I don’t really mind all that much anyway – it was annoying when it was box fresh – but now it’s started to see some action it just shows it’s been used! Certainly nicest bike I have owned still anyway (and the first where someone has waved me down just to talk about it because of its looks)!

I like the new colours, don’t mind the bottle bosses (they won’t notice in real life) but have a slightly irrational but very strong dislike of the head tube badge – but I’d still buy one, (if I hadn’t already got one of the previous gen. that I rode properly for the first time off road yesterday)!

P.S. all those lamenting the loss of the Mercury colour – you probably dodged a bullet. While I do like mine in that colour it is slightly frustrating how easily it scratches – I don’t mean daily wear and tear – that would be fine – I mean coming into contact with it in any way at all resulting in another scratch – the Andrex puppy’s tail would have it down to bare metal in a flash…

I recently went from 26 Soul to 29 Solaris and ended up keeping my brakes, seat post and saddle. By shopping around I ended up with everything else new and the equivalent to a Cotic gold build for about £1800 instead of £2500+ It took a while to gather the parts but I really enjoyed building it – I think that’s the real decision maker.

Hi,

I have the normal Hunt XC Wide on my Solaris Max and am really happy with the weight and build quality. I think the Race version is slightly lighter – not sure I would notice the benefit but the non- race one is slightly wider so I thought would give me more tyre choice.

I’m running XT 12 speed boost drive train. Drive train came with the standard MT800 bb and that’s fine – same bb on my previous bikes lasts about 18 months – but under £20 – so fair enough value. I really like the XT 12 speed setup – very easy to get installed and super smooth changes. I’m running 32t chainring and clearance is just about OK to the chain stay. It should take a 34t but not sure the clearance would be great. Might be worth talking to Cotic about best combination of chain set variant and chain ring size if going over 32? Having said that, the range on 32 with 10-51 sprockets is good anyway!

I went for 120 Pike Select – bit heavier than the SID but not massively – and probably better for my more general trail riding. Fork suits the bike well – well balanced and light to ride with no flex when the going gets rough.

Hope that helps in some way!

I like the Bontrager Mud XR for what you describe:

https://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/Bontrager-XR-Mud-Team-Issue-26-Tyre.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImaGby8bb6QIVmK3tCh0XgQaaEAQYASABEgI3ffD_BwE

I use them all round on my Soul.

Whoooaaa! I couldn’t really care less about the lockout but that is a good looking bike!

Thanks – it’s the first bike I’ve had in a while where I’m slightly worried someone might nick it! I’ll stick some mud guards on it in the winter – that’ll help devalue it! :-)

Cotic must have listened! My MK3 didn’t have those closed brake guides – it really was a 5 minute job to steal the E4’s off my Soul to stick on the Solaris – and to refit the ancient but still excellent Mono Minis back on for my son, (he’s used to v-brakes and is finding the disc brakes a massive improvement).

My 11 year old is now riding my Soul – it’s really weird seeing him out on it and thinking “I really like that bike”!

Glad it’s still being used though.

Still tidying to do – but just getting used to it and trying to enjoy it right now. Due to living in a big town and not wanting to drive to ride – I’m restricted to ‘urban mountain biking’ at the moment – still managed to find a few bits of off road and a couple of hills to try it on – relieves to find it is quicker everywhere than the Soul – can’t wait to get it off road properly!

Finished

Thought I would give some feedback on this as it troubled me for quite a while!

Eventually I went for 2020 Pike Select (the basic Charger model, Debonair damper) – no lockout. This is on a large Solaris Max.

The difference to the medium ‘26 Soul (8 year old Rebas) is night and day. Now I get why everyone was saying don’t worry about the lockout!

Not sure if it is the more modern fork that is the difference or the geometry differences – or bit of both but the fork movement is really not a problem. On the Soul it was very pronounced but it feels like I was putting a lot more weight through the forks on climbs out the saddle compared to the Solaris.

Anyway thanks for all the advice – it paid off in the end!

I’ve never had 5-10s before, are freeriders the ones to go for then? I’m thinking of general mucking about as if I was still a teenager, mostly cycling but I might hop on a skateboard or kick a ball around

Personally I like them because they are quite stiff soles, very grippy and good side/ankle protection. They might not be the best for kicking a football around – there are other 5-10’s on the site that look a bit more flexible and maybe a bit better for general wear. Anyway the 30% off is across the site – so have a look at the other styles.

P.S. Sorry you just missed out Weeksy!

Voodoo Bizango at that price point – I thought the fork was tapered but even if it isn’t – it has a 44mm head tube so takes a tapered steerer if upgrading.

FYI Chainring tool does not always come with cranks! My cranks came from Merlin as part of a group set purchase with chainring already fitted – probably OEM spec rather than retail? I have since bought one – was about a tenner.

Hi Dave,
You definitely need TL-FC41 for the chain ring. Sadly it does not quite fit the bottom bracket cup properly. It is the same OD with same splines – but not as deep. You might get away with it – but it doesn’t engage with the cups fully – might slip\damage the cup. I used the same old bottom bracket tool that I used on my old 10 speed but with the plastic adaptor that comes with the more modern Hollowtech BB.

Hope that helps clear it up.

Don’t know if this helps – I am running that ‘HBSM20H’ adaptor with my 2008 Mono-Mini’s and a post mount RS Reba. I found it hard to track down the adaptor at the time so wrote to Hope – who as always for me were very helpful\patient!

This is what I wrote:

I have been running Mono Mini Pro’s on 160mm rotors for a number of years and am very happy with the performance. The front is currently on an old Rockshox Reba with IS mounts, so direct fit.

I have replaced my fork (with a 2014 Rockshox Reba – max rotor size 210mm) and need to find the appropriate postmount adaptor.

This was their reply:

You can fit your Mono Mini caliper to a post mount fork by using mount HBSM20H but you will have to increase the rotor size to 180mm (perfectly acceptable for trail riding). Also, the top cap will work fine.

THis is still running fine btw – but 180 is the biggest rotor that would fit too. Anyway hope it helps on some level!

Best price for a new (2020 model year) Pike about a month ago was Rose bikes. Cost me about £455 inc. postage. So, quite a bit more than your budget but still good discount vs. UK. The other German sites referenced above had older models around £500 at the time – but I wanted to go as new as possible but keeping it under £500.

This has gone on my Solaris Max and is 120mm. I considered 130mm – but after discussion with Cotic settled on 120mm (Boost) for my fairly XC oriented riding, (I figured changing to 130mm in the future would not be too painful if needed). I also considered a Reba (my last three forks have been Reba’s in 26 form) but again Cotic thought they would not do the bike justice. the Pike select is only about 300g heavier than the Reba but a lot stiffer – so a good choice I think.

Mmm that’s interesting I’ve got the mercury in large and I tend to pick up a stone chip every ride (peaks tho)so paint might b weak but I have invisiframed it from new ,perhaps I got it at the right time then . On another note it’s the best bike I’ve ever had and it could be yellow for all I care I just love the ride and feel it gives you

My Mercury one seems to scratch very easily – I did quite well avoiding damage while building it – but a few rides in it seems to have quite a few noticeable scratches already. However, I would echo the sentiment above – and I don’t really care about the scratches or colour! Glad I got one with the ‘old’ Cotic head tube badge though!

Most of the rides so far have been more dusty and rocky I guess, but it is a great bike. Wish I’d had coin for some lighter strong wheels. The Hope 30s seem to weigh it down a bit. And a Trace 36 fork probably isn’t light either.

I built mine with Hunt XC Wide and Nobby Nic’s + Pike Select. Time will tell if they’re tough enough for my riding (mainly Surrey Hills, mainly grounded – so I think so). What I can say is it accelerates at least as well as the Soul 26 it is replacing which is something I had wondered about.

+1 for Airshot. £39ish from Tredz (if you get the obligatory £5 off voucher by clearing your cookies)!

Is it because the dropout surface is hoping for torque cap/hub interface rather than standard boost axle?

Went for a longer ride with him today, (don’t worry only 30 minutes round the deserted local streets to make sure he gets ‘some’ exercise). I can’t get over how weird it is to have him cruising around on the bike I have been using as my only bike for the last 7 years (until last week)! Even worse is the menacing sound of my old Hope hub coming up behind me…at least he’s loving it!

Thanks for the responses – good – you’ve saved me some time and money – for now at least! We’ll see how he goes.

BTW Re. the confidence: It’s been interesting to see how much more confident he is hopping off kerbs and various lumps and bumps now he has a decent fork and brakes (even though they are 15 year old mono-mini’s they are light years ahead of his v-brakes for feel and stopping power).

Kaiser Chiefs reworked one for you!

My own biased view:

Finished – well sort of

Finished building my Solaris today (temporary grips and ran out of outer cable to fit my dropper – but rideable at least).

Hi, thanks for the reply. It’s the ‘low’ one that’s confused me. I understand it’s function – it’s just as soon as I wind it in to make any more than the slightest contact – its too much and I can’t get the 51t. So I have left it just touching (so if anything upsets the mech it can’t go beyond that point) and the gear changes are perfect. I shall worry about it no more!

Thanks again.

Tyres are still up! Thanks for the help all.

Our neighbourhood watch were promoting this group: https://covidmutualaid.org/

Might be worth seeing what they are doing in your area?

As above. Hardly any tyres will stay up without sealant. Your front was a lucky one. Usually you need to ride on the wheel for a bit to actually get the sealant to properly disperse

Update: with all this in mind, I left the tape as it was, chucked some sealant in, span it in the frame for a bit and so far so good! I need to leave it overnight to be sure – but at least I can’t hear any air escaping now.

The taping lessons were still valuable and mean that when it comes to maintenance in the future I won’t be afraid to get stuck in.

Now I can move onto trial fit the fork and get the hacksaw and files out!

So thanks for the reassurance to just give it a go everyone.

Try using a tube? I’m not trying to provoke but if something isn’t broke – don’t fix it!

It’s the first time I have had tubeless rims + tubeless tyres + loads of time where I can’t ride! Seemed a good opportunity to try something new (to me). I really like trying to understand how things work even if ultimately I decide it’s not worth the hassle.

Thanks for the tips all.

@ta11pau1
Thanks for the video – that’s a pretty clear method to follow. I’ll give it a go for one more taping.

Appreciate the comments about getting some sealant in – agree, it might work now it stays up for a few minutes – I’m just annoyed the first one stayed up for days with no sealant! I’ll have another run at the taping and take it from there. It’s the first time I’ve done this, so don’t mind the frustration as a way of really understanding what works and what doesn’t – especially while I can’t ride it anyway. Hopefully I will finish the build for lockdown end and be all good to enjoy it!

How are you applying the tape?

Really tight! But I take your point and it is the most common theme on these threads. I have a concern that my interpretation of pulling it tight is focusing too much on the bead and not enough on holding it into the well of the rim, so at the end of the process the ‘loosest’ bit is the important bit over the spokes. With that said my last attempt ‘looked’ perfect with no bubbles or wrinkles. I think I will re-tape again and really focus on the fit to the well of the rim (quite deep on the Hunts).

so I’m really impressed you’ve got one to work.

Thanks – so was I! Damned false hope!

How did you push the valve through the tape?

I made a tiny hole with the tip of a very sharp pencil and pushed through from there. It’s a good fit – but willing to accept it could still be the source of the problem. It’s certainly tight enough.

Sometimes when they start going down you just need to ride about a bit with sealant in.

It’s more art than science I think.

Only one problem with that – I was determined to sort the wheels first, so I could do a rough assembly of the headset\fork and get the bike fit right – therefore, I don’t have a bike to ride yet! I might stick a tube in before the next tape attempt, finish the rest of the build and come back to the wheel last, (but it annoys a little OCD part of me)!

Thanks as ever all; helps confirm that I won’t have much to lose re-taping one more time…