Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This week’s Reader’s Rig comes from Bruno in Switzerland, who shares the story of building his Cotic Solaris and a reflection on how bicycles can be vehicles for inner transformation. Get to know Bruno and see his custom-built hardtail here…
Words and photos by Bruno Caillet
Hello, my name is Bruno, and I live in Fribourg, Switzerland. I work for a multinational company, but I am also part of a bike shop, Le Cercle, in Nyon. Some bikes are built to be ridden hard. Some are built to be admired. And some, like my Cotic Solaris, are built to transmute the one who rides them. I call it simply the Alchemical Bike.
The idea sparked at the crossroads of two desires. At the turn of 2024 into 2025, I felt the call of the trails after spending long hours on my gravel bike. I wanted a steel hardtail. Something raw, alive, with history in its tubes. At the same time, through a coaching session, I was invited to study alchemy. The two currents merged instantly: what if a bike could be both machine and athanor—a furnace for inner transformation?
The Green Lion and the Sun
The foundation was obvious: a Cotic Solaris, shimmering in forest green. I quickly stumbled on the alchemical image of the green lion devouring the sun. To complete the vision, I matched the frame with a golden Fox 34 fork, an Olympic special edition. Together, green and gold became symbol and story. Even the custom Rock Panda frame bag carries the classic woodcut image of the lion consuming the sun, tying the whole rig back to centuries of alchemical tradition.
Nigredo: The Black Phase
Alchemy begins in darkness, with fire. At the bike’s core lies a Cane Creek bottom bracket adorned with a salamander, keeper of the flame. The fire feeds from the earth itself: the tires, decorated with grey wolves, symbolize antimony, the raw matter of transformation. From there, a Cane Creek eeWing crank in Black Raven carries the symbolism further. Its PVD black finish will, over time, wear away to reveal raw titanium, matter evolving before the rider’s eyes. The crank is oval, an echo of the Philosophical Egg, where opposites unite, and new matter is born.
Albedo: The White Phase
From black to white, the transmission tells the story. A SRAM GX chain, half black, half silver, links the phases together. It drives a polished Garbaruk cassette: pure silver, pure Albedo. The derailleur, a rare handmade piece from VIVO in New York, bridges life and transformation, carrying the same interplay of black and silver.
At the heart of the white stage: Onyx hubs. Their logo, winged in white, echoes the alchemical swan, successor to the black crow. Laced with Bird textile spokes, the wheels spin silently. In the forest, the silence is uncanny, almost sacred—wheels turning, wings unfolding, but no sound breaking the stillness.
Rubedo: The Red Phase
Finally, the energy must return to the rider. All contact points—saddle, grips, bars—come from SQlab, each stamped with the caduceus. Here, the bike’s transformed energy flows back into the human body. Red accents mark the completion: a red seatpost and hints of crimson on the brakes. The fire of Rubedo courses through the system, compressing and releasing, delivering transformation not only to the bike but to the rider himself.
- Frame: Cotic Solaris (C2)
- Fork: Fox 34 Step-Cast 120mm
- Rims: Berd Wheels Hawk27
- Hubs: Onyx Vesper
- Tires: Wolfpack Cross 2.25 (front) / Speed 2.25 (rear)
- Handlebars: SQLab 311 FL-X Carbon
- Grips: SQLab 710 2.0 Medium
- Headset: Cane Creek Hellbender 70
- Crankset: Cane Creek eeWings Black Raven 165mm
- Pedals: SQLab 511 size L
- Cassette: Garbaruk 12-speed SRAM 10-52 XD
- Derailleur(s): VIVO Enduro
- Brakes: Hope Tech 4 X2
- Shifter(s): VIVO F3
- Saddle: SQLab 611 Ergowave 2.1 active
- Seatpost: Tune Stark Stuck
- Stem: Hope Trail
The Wolf’s Saliva
Even the chain’s lubrication is symbolic. I use a tungsten-based lube—tungsten in German is Wolfram, literally “wolf’s saliva,” a classic alchemical substance. With every rotation, wolf and fire, metal and spirit, grind together in pursuit of freedom.
Riding the Inner Path
On the trail, this Solaris rides like no other. The mechanical precision of gear shifts, the compliance of textile spokes, and the ghostly silence of Onyx hubs turn each outing into more than a ride—it becomes ritual. I recall one moment in particular: riding deep in the woods of the Vosges Mountains, a deer appeared and ran alongside me for 20 seconds. Two beings, parallel in the forest, sharing the same rhythm.
For me, the Alchemical Bike is not about watts or KOMs. It’s about transmutation: of effort into joy, of matter into spirit, of riding into inner transformation. I’d like readers to see that a bike isn’t just a tool or a toy. It can become a mirror, a talisman, even a teacher—if we put some of ourselves into it.
You can find more from Bruno on Instagram.
Send Us Your Bikepacking Rig
Use the form below to submit your bikepacking rig. We’ll choose one per week to feature in a Reader’s Rig Dispatch and on Instagram. To enter, email us your best photo of the bike (preferably at a 90° angle), your Instagram username (optional), and a short description of you and your rig. If your bike is selected, we’ll need a total of five photos and a little bit more info.
Readers Rig
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.
