The headline news about the Cotic RocketMAX Gen4 is a move to new way of frame sizing. Or at least a new way of naming frame sizes.
Cotic RocketMAX Gen4 nutshelled
- 4th generation of Cotic’s flagship big travel bruiser
- Steel frame (apart from alloy chainstays)
- Front triangles made-in-UK
- 160mm rear travel via DropLink linkage-driven single-pivot system
- Options to run as 150 or 155mm travel via different stroke shock
- Up to 170mm fork
- Coil or air shock friendly
- Five sizes available (C1 to C5)
- Larger sizes get steeper seat angles
- Dynamic BB height lowered
- 63.5° head angle
- Up to 527mm reach (160mm 29er)
- Mullet or full 29in build-ups
- Frames from £2,099
- Complete bikes from £3,999
What’s new?
No more easy but rather basic Small, Medium, Large etc sizings. Cotic’s new system is called C-Sizing.
It’s like a few other brands’ sizing nomenclatures (Specialized’s S-sizing springs to mind). We like systems like this. It really helps break ill-suited sizing habits and makes people reassess what they really should be riding.
It also helps give choice. Say, if you’re six foot tall. Cotic don’t dictate one frame size. They actually put six footers on three different frame sizes (C3, C4 or C5). Do you want a 482mm, 501mm or 520mm reach? Do you want a 444mm, 471mm or a 496mm seat tube length?
The move to C-Sizing also goes hand-in-hand with Cotic increasing the numbers of frame sizes available, from the previous four (Small, Medium, Large, X-Large) to now five (C1 – C5).
The new sizing has reduced the reach steps between sizes to around 19mm or so.
In particular, the new sizing does a nice job of dealing with the traditional problem of those riders who tend to fall between Medium and Large sizings. There are shorter seat tubes and more standover for the C2, C3 and C4 sizes (compared to the previous Medium and Large similar size span).
Geometry changes
As regards geometry changes on the new Cotic RocketMAX Gen4, you won’t find at that much. Cotic’s Longshot geometry has been arguably rather ahead of the curve on most things for quite some time, so they aren’t really having to the play the softly-softly model-year changes game.
There are some small changes but nothing that radically changes the RocketMAX handling. It’s still a rangey reach bike that sports a 63.5° head angle.
The dynamic BB (how it sits post-sag once being actively ridden) is a little lower. This is partially due to a lessening of the leverage ratio. Cotic: “revised droplink kinematic making it compatible with both air and coil shocks this time around”.
Progression is around 30%. Anti-squat is around 100% in first gear.
C3, C4 and C5 sizes get steepened seat angles to maintain an angle at the saddle of around 76°.
And yeah, steel
There’s a new exclusive-to-Cotic down tube from Reynolds 853 for increased strength and stiffness.
Cotic: “We use steel because we believe the flex characteristics we can dial in along the length of the bike enhance grip and improve performance. It’s fantastically durable, repairable and recyclable, and also happens to be the lowest environmental impact material you can build a bike frame out of. Except maybe bamboo, but let’s not get into that.”
Cotic RocketMAX Gen4 spec’s
Colours are Stealth Gritstone matte or Light Metal gloss.
RocketMAX Silver – SLX 1×12, Deore Brakes, Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate 160mm, Rockshox Deluxe Select Plus (155mm travel), Shimano Wheels – £3999.
RocketMAX Gold – XT 1×12, SRAM Guide RSC, Rockshox Zeb Ultimate 170mm, Cane Creek Kitsuma Air (160mm travel), HUNT Trail Wide V2 wheels, WTB Tyres – £4999.
RocketMAX Platinum – GX AXS 1×12, SRAM Guide RSC, Fox 38 Factory Grip 2 170mm, Fox Float X2 Factory 2-pos Adjust (160mm), HUNT Trail Wide V2 wheels, WTB tyres and Hope Stem and Carbon Bar – £6499.
Frames start at £2099 (UK) with Rockshox Select Plus shock.
More moreness at cotic.co.uk
We have one!
Benji (me) has got one of the new Cotic RocketMAX Gen 4 frames to build up into a hard-hitting trail bike. A testbed for the sort of product that’s OTT on a shorter travel bike.
In C4 size, in case you’re wondering.
Keep an eye on the site next week for the first build-up. The current plan is a 160mm air fork-ed, coil shock-ed, mullet-ed machine. Shimano 12-speed. 4-pot brakes. DHR IIs front and rear. Dinky stem. Mid-rise bars. 180mm dropper.
But we all know what happens to plans. The important thing is that it’s the Light Metal Gloss colour. Yes.
How would you build up yours?
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