New Cotic FlareMAX | First Ride Review

The new Cotic FlareMAX is launched today, once again at a Cotic CC event rather than a far flung media launch with canapes and jacuzzi. Luckily for us, Cy at Cotic was happy to join us for coffee and mud baths to give us a quick sneak preview and a first ride out on the latest iteration of this mid travel 29er.

Designed in the UK, for UK conditions.

When the FlareMAX was launched in early 2018, it was the first of Cotic’s Droplink bikes to get the Longshot geometry treatment. Cy recalls 2018 as being quite the year, with Cotic launching a new bike every nine weeks that year, as the entire range received the Longshot treatment. The 120mm travel FlareMAX proved popular – indeed since its introduction it’s been one of Cotic’s biggest selling items – which was something of a surprise in a world where riders often go for more travel than perhaps their local trails truly justify. With another three Droplink Longshot bikes launched after this one, and lead in times of around 18 months to deliver bikes once designed, the final Longshot bikes were landing even as this latest iteration of the Cotic FlareMAX had been tweaked and new orders placed.