Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Cotic just reintroduced the classic Solaris hardtail, featuring an all-new geometry and two new colors. Find all the details here…
The Cotic Solaris is the UK-based company’s original steel hardtail, which they claim has over 20 years of hardtail heritage behind it. For 2023, the Solaris goes back to its roots, with a reduction in weight and fork travel from the SolarisMax. Read on for details.
Compared to the SolarisMax, which just won the top seat in our 2022 Gear of the Year awards, the 2023 Solaris has slightly more cross-country vibe. Namely, it’s built around a 100-120mm fork instead of the 120-140mm range of the SolarisMax. But, make no mistake, it still looks like it has plenty of rowdiness under the hood. With a 120mm fork, it actually carries the same angles as the Max, and it’s even longer. The biggest differences are a significantly higher stack height and a remarkably low bottom bracket drop (10mm lower than the SolarisMax), which Cotic states is for “ripping through those singletrack corners.”
The 2023 Solaris also gets the same dropouts that the Cascade uses, which means that it has lower rack mounts. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have upper rear rack mounts in this iteration. I’m betting it’s possible to figure out some sort of collar hack on the lower portion of the seat post, however.
Also note the unorthodox 5-step C-sizing range. According to Cotic, this reduces steps between sizes and seat tube lengths, giving more precise rider fit and comfort. Find the geometry charts below referenced for 100 and 120mm forks.
2023 Cotic Solaris Frame Details
Here are the frame specs (from Cotic)
- Large diameter, thinwall, air hardening Reynolds 853 steel front triangle with signature Ovalform top tube
- 44mm standard head tube designed with external bottom cup for taper steerer compatiblity and zero stack top cup for minimal stack height
- Taper butted Reynolds 853 seat tube, with sweet, neat integrated seat binder
- 31.6mm seatpost size is dropper seatpost compatible, internal “Stealth” routing
- Signature Cotic 4130 cromo wishbone stay rear end. Bridge-less S-bend chainstays with Cotic Hexten gussets for improved fatigue life and massive tyre clearance
- Lots of bosses. All along the down tube at 64mm bottle cage spacing for maximum luggage and cage flexibility. These also double as the cable/hose routing points
- Bottle cage bosses under the down tube for extra bottle/keg
- Boost148 Thru Axle Rear End – Added wheel stiffness and clearance for 29×2.6
- Minimum 100mm travel forks or 483mm rigid. Maximum 120mm travel fork
- Geometry with commitment! Cotic Longshot Geometry brings balance, composure, fun and speed
- Sizes – C1 to C5. The frames are designed to be compact and chuckable.
2023 Cotic Solaris Component Specs
Here are the component specs (from Cotic)
- Seatpost diameter: 31.6mm (380mm minimum, seatpost insertion required: 100mm minimum)
- Fork: Maximum 120mm travel, 533mm axle-crown (without sag). Minimum 100mm.
- Chainline: Maximum 34t using 52mm/53mm chainline, or 36t using 55mm chainline (max chainring sizes given are for round rings. Reduce by 2 teeth for oval)
- Dropper Post: Stealth Internal – Remote routed along the down tube
- Bottom Bracket width: 73mm
- Bottom Bracket thread: Conventional English/BSA
- Chainguide Mounting: ISCG05
- Headset: 44mm cup. SHIS designation ZS44/28.6 upper, EC44/40 lower (for example a Hope 2H)
- Rear Hub: Boost148 12mm thru axle
- Front Mech: N/A – 1x Only
- Rear Axle: Cotic 12×148, M12x1.75 thread
- Rear Mech Hanger: Cotic Escapade/Cascade/Solaris2023
- Rear Brake Mounting: PM7 Post Mount 180mm rotor only
- Tires: Up to 29 x 2.6″
The 2023 Cotic Solaris comes in Matte Ember and Matte Forest. It will be available in spring of 2023 as a frame for £849 with complete builds starting at £2,499. Find all the details over at Cotic.co.uk
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