If money was is in more plentiful supply and I wanted an ebike it's definitely what I'd be buying. It just makes so much sense in a form follows function meets engineering meets it's a bike first and foremost kind of way.
Not that it should matter....but if it did.... beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that but I rather like it. Probably because it mostly looks like a nice looking bike with a battery strapped to it.
In some ways it doesn't matter what it looks like, it's going to appeal to a particular sort of buyer, someone who appreciates the ethos behind it and has the funds to afford it, I definitely agree about the external battery, I'm still riding a 2018 Vitus Esommet and carry a spare battery on big rides.
Very nice review.
I think there was a time where people wanted to 'hide the battery' on the bike so it didn't look so obvious that you were cheating but everyone is cheating now so you might as well show it for all of the benefits that brings.
Interesting notes about the downtube affecting the feel of a bike, I really noticed this moving to my electric gravel bike.
I have to admit that when I eventually get round to having to replace my Turner, I suspect I will be buying a Cotic. I'm sure that I'll figure out a way of making an adaptor to fit a front mech and I will be as happy as Larry. The full suspension Cotic frames just look right to me. I'm sure I'll get decision anxiety over which frame colour to go for though. Ha. Ha.
Cheers
Sanny
If I were interested in buying an eBike then if be all over this. I wonder if the "acoustic" Cotics will move over to this geometry and style of linkage?
Christ how much did they have to pay you to come up with that headline?
It might well be the best riding bike since sliced bread (I doubt it)
But that looks like a cheap bike, and ugly + although I like the Shimano motor it’s way out of its depth compared to modern stuff
If I were interested in buying an eBike then if be all over this. I wonder if the "acoustic" Cotics will move over to this geometry and style of linkage?
I'd be all over the next gen RocketMAX if it has the same layout. Better dropper insertion and bottle location is a massive win.
Nope, it's still an ugly brute. I'm sure it would look better with a different style of battery cover, maybe longer and thinner?
If you don't like the look or the price Ben has given similarly gushing reviews of the Orbea Wild, the Merida SL thing and I think the Deviate Kurgen this year.
Only Cotic is a certified STW favourite brand.
If you don't like the look or the price Ben has given similarly gushing reviews of the Orbea Wild, the Merida SL thing and I think the Deviate Kurgen this year.
Only Cotic is a certified STW favourite brand.
I've been eying up one of those Orbea wilds, quick google though tends to lend it's self to terrible frame bearings, dodgy quality control and frame failures, with 90 day turnarounds for warranty claims.
As a result I've been eying up a Levo 4 and Trek Rail instead, always know what you're getting with those two brands
Shame about the Orbea but not that surprising.
If I was spending mega money on an e-bike I'd get the Nicolai with the Pinion MGU.
I have skinny tubed bikes and I have chunky ebikes.
This is definitely not one for me but fair play @Cy for sticking to your ethos and producing what you wanted to do rather than conforming. And it definitely appeals to a certain portion of the market. I hope it works for you
I mean each to their own but it does look like it would be fitting to come delivered with an uber eats delivery bag
Names checks out.
Its looks industrious to me, and not really any different to a good looking full suspension with a water bottle in the cage.
If I have the money if/when I decide I want an eeb, I would.
The Cotic Rocket looks like nothing else. And it outperforms every other eeb out there.
I'm going to ignore the obvious clickbait title, and gloss over the looks, the outdated Shimano drivetrain etc. to start with as bikes are usually more (or sometimes less) than the sum of their parts...
But, what I would like to know @Ben_Haworth is just how many other new eBikes you've ridden in 2025 to make this statement, and what they were... Have you ridden any of the latest offerings with the Avinox M1 motor (so Unno, Forbidden, Velduro etc), any of the most recent Bosch Gen5 CX offerings (Mondraker Crafty, updated Orbea Wild, Cube One77, Yeti LTe, Santa Cruz Vala, Transition Regulator, Whyte Kado etc.) or even any of the latest bikes featuring the Pinion E1.12 MGU (such as Nicolai S16, Moustache Clutch, Haibike Allmtn CF Trn/IQ), or even the latest Gen4 Specialized Levo...? Could you please present us with some metrics as to how you have come to this conclusion?
I've been a big fan of Cotic's over the years, have owned and enjoyed a few of them, and looking at the geometry (it's almost identical to my Mondraker Crafty which rides incredibly, half a degree off in the seat angle aside) it should handle well... And 21.5kg for a full fat eBike is commendable, even if the battery relies on you carrying a spare in a backpack (thus negating any weight savings) to keep up with your mates range wise...
But this is 2025 (almost 2026), not 2017 as someone else has already pointed out... The Merida e160 900e was top of the pile back then, but a lot has happened in 8yrs in terms of both integration and electronics (forgetting the form for a moment), and I just can't see how your claims stack up... It just smacks of lazy journalism to be honest!
So, by exactly what metric is it the "Best eMTB of the year"...? The only area that I can see the Cotic would have a significant advantage would be in frame compliance, if indeed on a full suspension Enduro bike, this is still a primary consideration (which is a highly subjective argument at best).
Ridden in isolation I'm sure the Cotic would impress. But once you've ridden any current motor system and compared to the 5yr old Shimano EP8 setup, and found that you can have identical geometry in a bike where the motor and battery are properly integrated and capable of delivering both higher performance/refinement and longer range... You've got to be in the die hard "steel is real" camp to consider something that looks like it has been built in a shed purely to house the running gear off an 8yr old Merida that sadly snapped out of warranty, when there are so, so many great alternatives out there at arguably much more competitive prices!
Aside from all that... It looks dangerously like there's no room for a piggyback shock on the bike, which given its nature, is a massive oversight I would argue!
I know it was pointed out ad infinitum that those of us investing in Singletrack should only invest what we are prepared to lose and that we should not expect a return on investment... As someone who's bought the magazine on and off since its inception and been a forum member for 23yrs now (I had to look that up, and surprised myself actually!), and even been a contributor myself, I've come to expect just a smidgeon more objectivity and qualification of such elevated claims! I don't expect a return on my (admittedly small) investment, but I do feel I have a right to ask for better quality journalism this quite frankly!
Well that turned around, last I looked all comments were positive, I was beginning to wonder if I'd missed something.Quite a few posts since that think the same as I do .
That's a wedge if cash for a bike that looks like that .
Great stuff. Ride quality over looks every time - but it's easy for me to say that I think e-bikes are generally ugly (the bloat and bulk, mainly). The Cotic looks like a sorted MTB with a battery and motor added, which is what it is, and that's fine.The best bit about it? Cotic staying on a track, being true to what they prioritise.
The Qs about a Shimano system seem fair (and visually the battery case shape doesn't help) but the frame format they've chosen gets applause from here.
But, what I would like to know Ben_Haworth is just how many other new eBikes you've ridden in 2025 to make this statement, and what they were... Have you ridden any of the latest offerings with the Avinox M1 motor (so Unno, Forbidden, Velduro etc), any of the most recent Bosch Gen5 CX offerings (Mondraker Crafty, updated Orbea Wild, Cube One77, Yeti LTe, Santa Cruz Vala, Transition Regulator, Whyte Kado etc.) or even any of the latest bikes featuring the Pinion E1.12 MGU (such as Nicolai S16, Moustache Clutch, Haibike Allmtn CF Trn/IQ), or even the latest Gen4 Specialized Levo...? Could you please present us with some metrics as to how you have come to this conclusion?
I haven't read the review yet but I'll take a guess that the ride quality that gets the bike the win is nothing to do with the motor and everything to do with the frame design that isn't trying to hide a large battery inside a tube. We know tube stiffness is the cube of diameter and overly stiff bikes ride like crap - so I guess Cotic prioritised what their frame does, not what the motor does.
In a market where people buy e-bikes for the motor brand, a bike company flipping that to make it about the ride feel is a major step-change and should be recognised. It's a big, bold move. Maybe using a Shimano motor makes that a bolder move but 'principles first' is what I think is such a big deal here.
The best bits of an MTB ride are not when you're pedalling much, not when the motor is engaged, after all.
Speaking as someone who's had a couple of cotics and is a fan of the brand, I was pretty shocked at how bad it looked when it first came out, but I think I've gotten use to the looks a bit as it doesn't seem quite so bad now. But, if I had £9k to drop on an ebike it's definitely not going to be one that has an EP8 motor with a 500wh battery. It almost feels like the bike came out a bit too early and maybe if it had come out late this year with an Avinox motor we'd be less focussed on the looks.
The best bits of an MTB ride are not when you're pedalling much, not when the motor is engaged, after all.
Exactly why I’ve bought bikes without motors/batteries the last few times. Weirdly the battery is much less noticeable IRL and, subject to Athertons next release, this is top of my e-bike list.
I wasn't really a fan of how it looked when I first saw it, but I've changed my mind on that a bit now. It looks no worse than a normal bike with bottles and tool wraps etc strapped to it, and that's before we get on to those hideous bikepacking style frame bags. And there are so many ugly ebikes that I don't think this is even in the top 10. I also like the reasoning behind the external battery and it all makes sense to me. Most ebikes seem disposable to me, whilst this seems built to last. If I had anywhere near the cash to burn on an ebike it'd definitely be in my shortlist.
That said I think it'd probably be hard to pick this over an Amflow which does actually look like a normal bike and has what seems to be the best motor in the game, whilst not being obscenely heavy.
I suspect motor choice was more limited back when the design was being committed to. Plus which suppliers will offer motors in small enough quantities for a small brand like Cotic? I suspect many have minimum order volumes that are just too high or financially too committing for a small company.
Being a regular subscriber it does seem that testing bikes is not what the magazine is about anymore. Very few actual bike reviews, a few copy and paste marketing blurbs on the homepage, but not what the magazine used to be. Is that a choice for the magazine editor or because brands are less willing to lend them bikes and would rather give them to YouTubers.
Saw one of these at Peatys last year. Was actually nice looking in the flesh, but personally I'm not in the market for an EEB and I can't justify the price of a Cotic, but completely understand that doesn't mean they're bad value for money.
I do wonder if the rest of their "acoustic" FS bikes will take the suspension design from their e-bike as to me it looks neater.
Fair play to a small company trying something different.
That said I think it'd probably be hard to pick this over an Amflow which does actually look like a normal bike and has what seems to be the best motor in the game, whilst not being obscenely heavy.
Plenty of reports that it’s pretty bang average at being a bike though, if that means anything to you.
Are people buying a mountain bike with a motor attached or a motor with a mountain bike attached. Surely geometry and ride quality is paramount and the motor is a bonus to get you to the top faster for the real fun(going down)
Lots of e-bike riders are people who have never been mountain bikers so yes they do speak in watts and torques and everything else is way down the list. I know loads of people who are lifelong Motocross and Enduro riders who have bought e-bikes so they can go exploring without getting in trouble.
I'm a bike nerd so I bought the weakest e-bike you can get but it rides like a dream. It's within a few millimetres of my Edit MX with exactly the same suspension so it's like having a motorised version of that bike.
I can see why it would outclass other e-bikes ride feel from the skinny steel tube standpoint.
It’s good to see a review focus on the bike/ride rather than a spec sheet pissing contest.
Would love to see this concept as a TQ light motor ebike - that actually could be ridden with no battery for uplift days etc. or a second backpack swappable battery for longer days.
Plenty of reports that it’s pretty bang average at being a bike though, if that means anything to you.
Yeah, that's why I would certainly want to test ride the Cotic, from what I've seen about it people say it rides like a normal bike with assistance. I've never actually ridden an ebike (kinda scared it would ruin normal bikes for me!) but the idea of having a big heavy and dead feeling bike on the descents just to save some time and effort on the climbs doesn't really appeal.
Plenty of reports that it’s pretty bang average at being a bike though, if that means anything to you.
I've never actually ridden an ebike (kinda scared it would ruin normal bikes for me!) but the idea of having a big heavy and dead feeling bike on the descents just to save some time and effort on the climbs doesn't really appeal.
I thought the same. Then I hired a Santa Cruz Vala for a day at the Golfie and on the descents there I couldn't tell I was on a bike far, far heavier than what I normally ride. Plus you could sail up to the top with pretty much zero effort v a normal bike and in the end did a hell of a lot more riding than I'd normally do in a day up there. Would I want one as my only bike? No. Will I get one for the winch & plummet type stuff I enjoy and do probably more than anything else? Maybe. I can see the benefits at somewhere with a fairly big elevation like the Tweed Valley but my local riding is far flatter with even the biggest climbs being no more than 10 minutes or so. Will probably take the risk with something used rather than spunk £5k+ on something I may rarely use.
'I do wonder if the rest of their "acoustic" FS bikes will take the suspension design from their e-bike as to me it looks neater.'
According to the review it's the best handling bike ever , eeb or otherwise. So I'd expect cotic to take this geometry , and add some dead weight to the down tube.
The looks have grown on me tbh, though its a moot point as A: I'm don't want an ebike and B: The cost (though that applies to most eebs imo)
Plenty of reports that it’s pretty bang average at being a bike though, if that means anything to you.
from what I've seen about it people say it rides like a normal bike with assistance.
Problem is, plenty of others do but they seem to be going out of fashion and getting phased out as full fat bikes get lighter. The vast majority of the heavily discounted E-Bikes have smaller batteries and motors from what I saw when looking.
Well, that’s the advantage of the external battery here… fit a smaller battery if you want… or bigger… on the same bike. The Shimano motor is well suited to having those options as well, can be very efficient when using a small battery, but plenty of usable torque if you’re going to treat it as a “full fat” ebike.
Great stuff. Ride quality over looks every time - but it's easy for me to say that I think e-bikes are generally ugly (the bloat and bulk, mainly).
I'd generally agree... But why compromise when arguably you can have both? So many eBikes now (ok, not anything with an 800Wh Bosch battery inside the down tube I'll grant you) are way more lithe than those of only a few years ago. In fact, if you look at something like the Unno Mith, or arguably even my Canyon Neuron OnFly, the average person would be hard pressed to tell they were eBikes at all from more than a couple of metres away, such has the packaging improved on eBikes in general over the last few years...
The Cotic looks like a sorted MTB with a battery and motor added, which is what it is, and that's fine.
It is fine... But it's what the best eMTB manufacturers were doing 8yrs ago already... Things have moved on...
The best bit about it? Cotic staying on a track, being true to what they prioritise.
Which is absolutely commendable, and will win them plaudits from their die hard fans... Still doesn't mean it's objectively better than a wealth of other new eMTB's on the market though does it!
We know tube stiffness is the cube of diameter and overly stiff bikes ride like crap
All other things being equal (but they very, rarely are, Cannondale didn't leave the wall thickness the same when they started creating massively oversized tubes now did they!), then yes the tube stiffness goes up as a cube of the diameter. But we're not comparing apples with apples here are we... How many other steel eBikes on the market? How many other eBikes still operating with an external battery on the market? My Mondraker Crafty has one of the bulkier downtubes of the current eBike crop for sure, being that it's designed to house an 800Wh Bosch battery (which is shorter and more squat than the 750Wh it replaces)... It's a carbon frame that has obviously been optimised to give the characteristics required of a 160mm travel, 25kg "Enduro" eBike... I certainly don't find it too stiff. In fact, in Brian Cahal's review of it
they talk about it being the "Baby Bear's Porridge" (just right) compared to some of the other bikes on test that are stiffer, or flexier by comparison... So it absolutely doesn't mean that the right level of compliance can't be built into a modern oversized, carbon bike frame design if required... That said, I was arguing that 35/36mm stanchion single crown forks weren't stiff enough at 160+mm of travel anyway, and was grateful that the big boys moved to 38mm and a substantial improvement in stiffness ensued (dual crowns would be ace, but obviously, very heavy)... There are a few riders out there bemoaning the weight of modern long travel bikes, but at 95kg myself suited and booted and not one of the smoothest riders, I'm more concerned about not breaking it than ride compliance.
These aren't road bikes of decades past on 23mm tyres, or skinny tubed XC bikes with little or no suspension... For the type of riding that the "Enduro" category describes, motorised or not, these bikes need a strong (stiff!) platform to hang their 160mm or so of suspension from at both ends, 2.4"+ tyres etc... It's not really the frames job to be compliant, when you have that much suspension and tyre there. OK, that's an oversimplification because too stiff can still be horrible to ride even then, but it's why I'd argue keeping away from carbon rims is more important as a rule, allowing a degree of compliance from the wheels without sacrificing strength. Certainly there's a LOT more compliance to come from a 2.5" tyre, a 29er rim, and 160mm of suspension all working together, than there is the difference between an oversized carbon frame built to house a big battery and a 34.9/38.1mm tubed 853 steel frame.
I'm a fan of steel bikes in general by the way... The smaller the tyres, the bigger the frame material makes a difference to the ride quality... In fact, 3 of my last 4 road bikes have been made from steel, and the current one (Condor Super Acciaio) is probably the perfect happy medium between the Ritchey Road Logic (which was lovely, if a little flexy with its skinny tubes and 1 1/8th steerer) and the Genesis (a former employer @jameso ?) Volare 853 which preceded it (which with oversized 853 round tubes, was one of the stiffest steel frames out there)... The Condor has a similarly strong tubeset as 853 (Columbus Spirit HSS), but there is a lot more shaping going on to provide stiffness where it's required and remove it where it is not, and I feel it's a perfect happy medium for my tastes... On 28mm tyres... With no suspension... Riding on tarmac...
I had a Starling Murmur briefly, a year or so after they were launched... I just didn't get it. It flexed way more than I was happy with for a bike of that type, and didn't instil confidence. I know some people like this sensation (Nico Vouilloz famously used to get his mechanics to reduce the spoke tensions in his rear wheels to provide an extra degree of compliance), and maybe later bikes are stiffer than the early one I had, but it used to buzz the tyres on the stays whilst cornering and I could feel the vagueness from the front end compared to the carbon bike it replaced, and I wasn't a fan of how it rode... Loved how it looked, but it was very much a "form over function" bike in my view.
so I guess Cotic prioritised what their frame does, not what the motor does.
Again... Commendable as far as their loyal customers are concerned... But this approach has a very limited appeal for the wider market, even amongst those of us who are still far more concerned with how a bike rides than the horsepower pissing wars that have dominated the eBike market again lately! And that is, once again, assuming that everyone wants a flexier steel bike for said application... Which many of us simply won't!
In a market where people buy e-bikes for the motor brand, a bike company flipping that to make it about the ride feel is a major step-change and should be recognised. It's a big, bold move. Maybe using a Shimano motor makes that a bolder move but 'principles first' is what I think is such a big deal here.
In principle, I don't disagree. But it does depend on what you want your eBike for... If the person buying an eBike is already a diehard Cotic fan, and just wants an eBike to add more elevation to their rides (so probably isn't bothered by the latest and greatest motor system, only that it has one at all), then they will love it... The appeal with this bike lies ONLY for the diehard Cotic fan who hasn't owned or ridden an eBike before IMO... Because for anyone who isn't a diehard fan, or has owned or ridden eBikes before, there is a wealth of other great eBikes out there, many of which are also prioritising the ride feel over and above the motor performance... And this is my point...
Arguably Cy has done exactly the right thing... He's recognised his market for what it is... If he tried to make a more mainstream eBike it would dilute his personal touch on it. Creating the bike he has, has meant he'll probably sell a useful number to diehard Cotic fans who "get" what he's doing with it...
But it still doesn't mean, in any way shape or form, that it's objectively "better" than a great many other eMTB's that have come to market in 2025...
The best bits of an MTB ride are not when you're pedalling much, not when the motor is engaged, after all.
For sure... Most of the established brands do this very well now anyway, and some exceptionally well... Gone are the days when an eMTB was defined by a BB height that needed a step ladder to mount it, along with a crazily short and steep front end that they mostly exhibited when compared to their unpowered Enduro counterparts when the market was in its infancy... Were we judging a bike purely on its descending prowess, then arguably the presence of a motor at all does nothing (in fact, it probably takes a little away) for the performance of the bike... eBikes have a motor, and a battery, and whether the performance of that system only makes up for 10% of the score, or 90% of it, or anywhere inbetween... There are plenty of "discerning riders" bikes on the market now, they mostly just happen to have more up to date/in vogue motor systems fitted too... When all other things are level, the performance of the motor/battery system can make the difference.
As, subjectively, will the looks...
If you don't like the look or the price Ben has given similarly gushing reviews of the Orbea Wild, the Merida SL thing and I think the Deviate Kurgen this year.
Only Cotic is a certified STW favourite brand.
I've been eying up one of those Orbea wilds, quick google though tends to lend it's self to terrible frame bearings, dodgy quality control and frame failures, with 90 day turnarounds for warranty claims.
As a result I've been eying up a Levo 4 and Trek Rail instead, always know what you're getting with those two brands
the bearing life on my old occam were excellent, once in four years and they weren’t even that bad
