Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)
  • The Question is should I get a Cotic Rocket or a Banshee Spitfire?
  • samuelf
    Free Member

    Any thoughts?

    nickhart
    Free Member

    Rocket, based on cy’s nerdy attention to detail and passion for customer service. I have no knowledge of the banshee and can’t make a ridden comparison but having tried to keep up with a friend on a rocket and failed miserably I’m aiming to have a test ride on one this summer.
    Test ride them both if you can.

    neallyman
    Free Member

    Neither. As they aren’t 27.5… 😀

    <tip toes away>

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    godzilla
    Free Member

    Neither. As they aren’t 27.5…

    You sure?

    neallyman
    Free Member

    lol you’re right ‘zilla! 😳

    mmel
    Free Member

    Wow, this is the exact topic that I was about to start so I will watch with interest.

    I love the idea of having a Cotic, been wanting one since I went for a demo session at their HQ back in April. The big problem for me is that the stock isn’t going to be available until late July at the earliest and after four months without a bike I’m getting a bit desperate.

    So… this is why I’ve been looking elsewhere. The Spitfire really grabs my attention. Love the fact that it can be run 650b so there are future options. Also keen on the CCDB shock option that you can order up.

    For me I’m afraid it may boil down to which one comes into stock first.

    colournoise
    Full Member

    Just waiting on the last couple of parts for my Rocket build, so obviously will recommend that!

    Just got to sit and stare at my lovely, shiny pile of parts for a couple of weeks (hopefully) until Cy and Paul get some more frames in stock…

    fangin
    Free Member

    I can recommend the Spitfire. I don’t have much to compare it with, as it has been my only FS, but the Spitfire both climbs and descends well. Very good all-round bike.

    legend
    Free Member

    Have you seen the availability of Spitfire’s? Be prepared for a wait unless you e seen one in stock somewhere.

    For my 2p, I’d be going Spitfire – long, low, slack ftw

    chilled76
    Free Member

    I’ve got a 2012 Spitfire (same geometry as the new style ones) and I can honestly say it is the most capable all mountain/xc whatever you want to call it bike I have ever ridden.

    I’m not one for bigging up bikes just because I own them, and have serially changed bikes over the years. Before the Spitfire I bought a 2011 Turner 5 spot.. and didn’t have a good word to say about the way it rode (too short, steep and heavy).

    The Spitfire on the other hand is AMAZING!!! I used to ride/race DH before I started pedalling back up a few years back.

    As for this bike, I find I can ride my Spitfire down nearly as fast as a full on DH rig… but then it rides up really well too. The blurb about it being a DH riders choice of trail bike really isn’t just marketing bull shit. Keith their design engineer has got the geometry of this thing perfect.

    As I say, I tell it how it is with bikes and change them if I don’t like them. The only thing that I will even potentially think about losing my Spitfire is if I need capital for a bike with an engine, but I’d be in the market for a new one to replace it if I ever do get rid.

    Haven’t ridden a Rocket.. it may ride equally well so can’t comment on one… but if you like riding down FAST then a Spitfire would be a very good choice of bike.

    Paul

    JonEdwards
    Free Member

    To misquote from above:-

    For my 2p, I’d be going Spitfire Rocket – long, low, slack ftw

    Haven’t ridden a Rocket Spitfire.. it may ride equally well so can’t comment on one… but if you like riding down FAST then a Spitfire Rocket would be a very good choice of bike.

    Also climbs like a bloody mountain goat.

    (note, as a serial Cotic owner, I may be a bit biased.)

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    If the Spitfire is as good as my Rune, it’ll be ace.

    The KS suspension is great. My Rune climbs really well for a 33lb bike and flies down the descents. I love the geometry, the fact that I can fiddle with it (currently using mine in the neutral setting) and can swap wheel sizes if need be.

    The only real downside about the Spitfire is probably the weight although the Rocket is no light weight.

    I’ve not ridden a rocket so cannot comment, but they get a lot of love on here.

    I don’t think you could go wrong with either bike. Personally I’d go Banshee because its a tad different.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    If the Spitfire is as good as my Rune, it’ll be ace.

    The KS suspension is great. My Rune climbs really well for a 33lb bike and flies down the descents. I love the geometry, the fact that I can fiddle with it (currently using mine in the neutral setting) and can swap wheel sizes if need be.

    The only real downside about the Spitfire is probably the weight although the Rocket is no light weight.

    I’ve not ridden a rocket so cannot comment, but they get a lot of love on here.

    I don’t think you could go wrong with either bike. Personally I’d go Banshee because its a tad different.

    theraggyone
    Free Member

    I would vote for the spitfire i cant get enough of mine it does everything well and excells when going downhill Its the most fun bike ive ever ridden !! Ive never ridden the cotic though so I cant make a comparison.

    As far as I know though there are no more spitfires available untill the 2014 colours arrive around sept/oct and there probably selling via pre order fast as demand is outstripping supply from what ive heard…

    samuelf
    Free Member

    Thanks for the help guys at the moment I think I am swaying towards the cotic as I have a Bfe at the moment with bos forks and think bos fore and aft would be good.

    ndg
    Free Member

    I was facing the same choice, demo’d a knolly endorphin this weekend – bought one, nuff said!

    Long version (mmel will already have seen this as it’s the email I sent him):
    It’s the first bike I’ve ridden that has managed to combine the plushness of an FSR design with a good ‘platform’.  The Four by 4 linkage is essentially a linkage driven FSR arrangment BTW.  When I first got on it I thought it was going to be another pillowy type bike as it smoothed out the trail chatter under the tyres in the same way that the Rune did.  I expected that this would make it hard to get off the ground and pop, and would kill pedalling efficiency.  

    A quick note on setup – it was fitted with Fox 34’s at 150mm, Fox CTD shock, and a decent SRAM based build.  It was a medium size with a 70mm stem, and I had to push the saddle all the way back.  After I moved the saddle the front end became a little light on steep climbs, before it felt very planted, i’ve bought a large frame to stop this and will find out on thursday how it rides with the extra ETT.  I ran it almost entirely in Trail 1 or 2 (as I was finding the sweet spot), although I did experiment with the descend mode on The Beast.  

    I rode two loops on it, the first was the Cotic demo loop, so I could get a direct comparison.  Smooth climbing it’s probably not as efficient as the Cotic, but not a million miles off, and a lot better than many of the bikes I’ve tried.  Coming down the rocky chute it was much more capable of dealing with the ‘chunder’, smoothing the worst out so I could concentrate on picking a line rather than correcting.  I turned round and rode back up the chute to test technical climbing – really good, better than the rocket, probably because of the reward axle path of the FSResq rear end, it was also fairly easy to lift the front and rear over the edge of steps.  I managed to climb back to the top albeit with a couple of dabs.  Coming down the last descent into Calver it was easy enough to pop off the little lips and bumps, probably not as poppy as the Cotic, but similar the SB66.  

    After that I popped over to Hope (In the car!) and rode up though Aston, down the beast, back up to the top and down the Roman road into Hope.

    The ride on the beast was interesting – I picked lines that’s I’d never have gone for on my Orange Five (2005, so steep head angle version), it’s a shame I haven’t ridden the Rocket on it too.  It had a very reassuring feel to the suspension coming off drops – it felt like it had a lot more travel than the Rocket – even though it’s actually a 140mm bike.  I didn’t get close to bottoming it out either, with about ~8mm of shock travel left according to the o-ring.

    Anyway long story short, whilst it wasn’t quite as poppy as the Rocket, it did a better job of merging FSR plushness with single pivot.

    John Booth at Shorelines was a really nice guy to deal with, if you want a demo I’d recommend you give him a call.  He also has a bunch of shiney machined bits that aren’t on his website yet, the Chromag pedals are a work of art.

    nodrog2
    Free Member

    Don’t know much about the Spitfire as I’ve not ridden one. I do own a Rocket though and it’s an absolute riot of a bike. Ok, the suspension design is not the most sophisticated I’ve ever ridden but I can honestly say that in 15 years of mountain biking its the best bike I’ve ever had the pleasure to ride in terms of fun. It’s fast, agile, pedals great, flies out of corners, did I mention that its fun?!, stiff, chuckable, very poppy, fun, fun and more fun. Getting the idea? Not as composed in slow, techy rocky stuff as say a vpp bike but its a blast once you crank it up.

    Get the Rocket with either CTD or BOS option.

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    legend – Member
    Have you seen the availability of Spitfire’s? Be prepared for a wait unless you e seen one in stock somewhere.

    Hmm…. I ordered a rocket in February, so be prepared to wait for either!.

Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)

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