Cotic Soul 2013 (Frame Only) Preview - Pedal Progression
 

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14 September 2012

Cotic Soul 2013 (Frame Only) Preview

I’ve just given back a custom build 2013 Cotic Soul after testing it for ‘What Mountain Bike Magazine’. Here’s a preview of the new frame ahead of the review which be published later this year.

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The steel framed Cotic Soul has been around a good 12 years now and this is the third generation release. Almost since the day of it’s launch, the Soul has sat at the top of the tree for ‘do anything’ hardtail frames.

It’s much the same has it always has been but for a couple of changes that bring it up to date with current trail bikes. A tapered head tube has been introduced to improve the bikes stiffness and handling up front. There’s also the introduction of  wider seat tube making it now possible to run a dropper post.

The front triangle is made from Reynolds 853 chromoly which keeps things light weight, comfy and super strong. At the back Reynolds 4310 forms the wishbone stays. These are designed to give maximum mud clearance in thick muddy conditions whilst retaining near bomb proof strength.

“It would seem that this machine is a great all rounder and an ideal choice for those that don’t want too many bikes!”

My test bike was kitted out with a Shimano SLX 2X10 2013 groupset, Rock Shox Revelation forks, Crank Brothers Cobalt 2 wheels (strange choice for the build), new Saint pedals and Truvativ finishing kit, although I later fitted a Reverb seatpost.

As the frame is designed for anywhere between 100 and 140mm of travel, I decided to run the Rock Shox Revelation forks at full whack for the first few weeks, and then dropped them to 120mm. There were noticeable differences in the bikes handling between travel adjustments but throughout all the changes in set up the bike always felt fun, comfortable and rewarding to ride. It would seem that this machine is a great all rounder and an ideal choice for those that don’t want too many bikes!

I’m not gonna give too much away here as the full review will appear in issue 142 of ‘What Mountain Bike’, so if you’re interested to hear more, go buy yourself a copy! 🙂

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Written by:

Matt