Cotic have updated their SolarisMAX hardtail for 2020 with a steeper seat tube and no fewer than eight bottle bosses on the downtube! The new 29er hardtail mountain bike can be run with a 120 mm-140 mm fork, to your taste. This is meant to be a versatile do-it-all trail bike, built for enduro level races and fit as a bikepacking rig for month-long adventures. Here’s a wee intro to the 2020 SolarisMAX, a steel frame Cotic hardtail.
2020 SolarisMAX 29″ Hardtail
Cotic have been pushing their radical Longshot geometry since 2017, designing bikes around a short 35 mm stem for responsive handling, technical trail confidence and a roomy cockpit for long distance comfort. This year’s SolarisMAX is updated to better fit that bill, with a 0.5 degree steeper seat tube angle.
A 66° head angle is now paired with a 75° seat tube angle, consistent across the S-XL size range. Reach on the small frame would be considered very long by most standards at 439 mm. This stretches out to 461 mm in medium, 486 mm in large, and 513 mm in XL.
Seat tubes are relatively short – 425 mm in medium should give riders plenty of room to shift about in the cockpit when trails get janky. The chainstay measures 444 mm, the same for every size frame.
The 2020 SolarisMAX has widely spaced chainstays and seatstays that converge on a 148 mm rear end, allowing sufficient clearance for 2.6″ tires on 29″ wheels, or 3.0″ tires on 650b. This is Cotic’s signature 4130 cromo wishbone stay rear end featuring bridge-less MAX S-bend chainstays with Cotic Hexten gussets for improved fatigue life.
The front triangle is fabricated form large diameter, thin-wall, air hardening Reynolds 853 steel with a signature Ovalform top tube for a bit of vertical compliance. The seat tube is an exclusive Cotic-designed Reynolds 853 34.9 mm seat tube, said to give great precision to the ride.
The 2020 SolarisMAX uses a 44 mm standard head tube designed with external bottom cup for tapered steerer compatibility and zero stack top cup for minimal stack height. The bottom bracket is threaded and cable routing is external, keeping maintenance quick and simple.
Two sets of bottle bosses on the down tube are added for this model year for extra water carrying capacity. You can either run two bottles in a line, or use the lower set with a side-loading cage to get some extra water on board if you have a frame bag for a bigger trip.
Pricing and Availability
The 2020 SolarisMAX is available now worldwide, with free shipping to UK, Ireland, Europe, USA and Canada. Complete bikes are available from £2200. For that money you get the Silver build with 12s Shimano SLX drivetrain and X-Fusion McQueen Roughcut 120 mm fork.
At the top end, spend £5365 for the Platinum build SolarisMAX. This will get you SRAM’s Eagle X01 12s drivetrain, a Cane Creek Helm 130 mm fork and Hunt All Mountain Carbon wheelset. It’s worth remembering that Cotic are now offering customers their money back if they don’t love their new Cotic. Find out more here.
