In all the fuss we're making about our new BFe275 and Solaris a fantastic review of our iconic Soul on BikeRadar has served as a timely reminder that it's not all about burly builds and big wheels around here.
They really loved the bike, which we supplied in our stock 1x10 build option. Here's a couple of excerpts....
The Cotic’s skinny tubes might suggest a noodly ride, but the Reynolds 853 steel tubes keep the bottom bracket in place, and the 4130 chromoly chainstays transmit your wattage to the rear wheel with surprising efficiency.
The top of the climb comes quickly and it’s not long before we’re hitting the first section of hardpacked singletrack. Gentle berms are mixed with the odd hump and bump. On less playful bikes it’s a fun bit of trail but on the Soul, it’s a riot. With corners coming thick and fast, the Soul eats up direction changes, the front tyre gripping doggedly to the trail. The humps in the trail that usually invite a manual become doubles, as the Cotic pushes you to find fresh fun lines through your usual trails.
Another interesting part of the review is there conclusion on the geometry:
In the twisty, fun stuff we loved the playful, pliable nature of the Soul, but when the trail turned fast and slippery, or steep and rooty we started to wish for a little extra length, or at least a degree or so off the head angle.
The Soul can’t be called nervous or twitchy though, and given that our local steep stuff makes up relatively little of the riding it’s tough to call the Soul up on its performance here. The fact is, if we were looking for one bike to do it all, the Soul 27.5 still remains one of the first bikes that we’d look to.
We think this gets to the nub of where we pitch our handling. The Soul has always walked a fine lined between agile fun and getting rowdy at speed. However, this point also illustrates where you need to look if you do want a little more length; the new BFe275 has a 1 deg slacker head angle than the Soul for those of you looking for something a little more grrrrrr, and with the Solaris similar intent to the Soul, but with 29" wheels or 27.5+ chubbies for more comfort and/or rolling speed. Whichever way you're looking for a hardtail, we've got you covered!
For the full review, click here:
We have frames available in blue in medium, and blue and orange in large. We've got some more coming in September in all sizes and colours. Order yours now...I know it's a group email but was very impressed with your email and how honest you are to your legions of loyal fans.
Thanks to you too Cy! You're a pivotal figure in our MTB world, and your voice makes a difference.
Thanks for taking the time to write such an honest letter. It's obvious that you have a passion for what you do. Keep it up.
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