For this edition of Readers’ Rides, Neal and Sam both share their steel full suspension mountain bikes.
Neal T’s Cotic FlareMAX Gen 3
Why this bike?
I foolishly went out on a demo day, which actually had me joining the Cotic CC for a day. I just fancied trying 29″ wheels, and now I have a Wee Steel Beastie in the fleet. Awesome ride with a rugged and sensibly “nice” specification.
Fork
Cane Creek Helm Air 140mm
Shock
Cane Creek DB IL Air
Suspension Set Up
I like pies, Ale, wine and cheese. 96psi in the Forks and 250psi out the back.
Wheels
Hope Fortus 26.
Tyres
WTB Verdict and Judge.
Tyre Inserts
Not yet, but maybe on the rear only soon.
Drivetrain
Shimano XT.
Brakes
Shimano XT 4-pots.
Bars & Stem
Cotic at the moment, but saving for OneUp setup
Grips
Ergon
Seatpost
OneUp
Saddle
Ergon
Accessories
Timber Bell
Size and Weight
Large, and reasonable
Additional Comments
It’s Orange and Blue, brilliant and a bit of a Bulldozer
Sam D’s Starling Murmur
Why this bike?
The geometry, simpleness and looks, also being British built
Fork
Rockshox Pike
Shock
Cane Creek DBCoil IL with Sprindex Spring
Wheels
DT Swiss 240 Hubs w/ XM481 Rims
Tyres
Maxxis Assegai & DHR2
Tyre Inserts
Rimpact in rear
Drivetrain
RaceFace Turbine crankset plus Shimano XT and SRAM GX mash-up
Brakes
Hope Tech 3 E4
Bars & Stem
OneUp Bar / Hope 35 Stem
Grips
DMR DeathGrip
Seatpost
OneUp 210mm
Saddle
Specialized Phenom
Accessories
Nukeproof CS Pedals
Size and Weight
Large & Don’t Know
Additional Comments
Ignore the tatty slabs, I’m to busy riding bikes!
Want to share you bike with the group?
Whether you’ve got a special new bike or just a bike that’s special to you, this is where you get to tell us about it! You send us your submissions, and then we cast ourjudgementalexpertlustful eyes over them and bring them to the world to ooh and ahh over. We’re picking the prettiest, the most curious, and the ones with a good story for you to appraise, praise, and maybe look wistfully at.
Replies (3)
Comments Closed
Lovely steel goodness. Would love a steel short travel full-sus or hardcore hardtail in the garage one day…
I don’t find my FlareMAX to be like a bulldozer but then I’m only running 175psi in the rear shock!
Nice bikes.
I like the theme-based approach to this column thst you’ve adopted