Seems from the email just sent out by Cy at Cotic that the demand on the 27.5 Rocket is low enough for them to decide to stop selling it.
Better keep mine a little longer and hope it goes up in value... 😉
Yea, they're abandoning 27.5 due to a lack of demand.
#stealthWTDadfora27.5flare
#26aintdeadbut27.5is
Should have put a shorter 29er fork on it, made it mullet. RocketMX
My consulting services are available to all manufacturers for the usual fee
Surprised they haven't tried to turn it into a mullet for one run to see how it goes? Get Fiveland to make a mullet specific front end, but I guess it's a stretch to justify for one run if the orders for swingarms are that big with the factory. How long will the 27.5 BFe last as their remaining 27.5 bike? While we're discussing their line up, they should do another run of SodaMaxs!
Should have put a shorter 29er fork on it, made it mullet. RocketMX
That’s what I ride.
a stretch to justify for one run if the orders for swingarms are that big with the factory
You’ve nailed part of the issue there. Fiveland don’t make the swingarms… so more 275 swingarms would need making in Taiwan… or a 29 rear end would have to be used… or a whole new rear end designed, tested and built here. All possibilities, but with complications. It’s not a matter of months or little cost to do for something that their might only be a very small demand for and a short product life.
they should do another run of SodaMaxs!
I agree. If they could be available to buy now. But the way things are, they’d take years… will people still want them then? At whatever high price would be necessary by then?
Yeah you're right there Kelvin, so many hurdles for any brand to work around at the minute. Going to take a long time to get back to whatever the new normal becomes. Lead times are already into 2023 for a lot of things, factories are backed up for years and who know what demand will be like by the time things actually become available again. If only we all had crystal balls to see this coming and plan ahead!
It'll probably be a relief for a lot of companies to finally put the whole wheel size thing to bed and just go 29er (at least for mountain bikes, gravel seems to be going the other way, 26er tyres on gravel seem to be a thing now)
Am I the only one thinking a rebrand on the rocket/rocket max line under the rocket name would be better. Without the rocket why have a max.... If the title was there to signify bigger wheels than the normal model that difference is no longer required and rocket sounds better than rocket max 👍.
gravel seems to be going the other way, 26er tyres on gravel seem to be a thing now
So a 1990's mountain bike then!! 🙂
Sign of the times!
I was looking at the frame design because I was wondering about mullet options but the way the DropLink sandwiches the seat tube, there's no way to long shock it or move the shock mount to lower the rear axle on the RocketMAX.
I wish I picked up one of the sunny yellow ones. I used one for a week in the tweed valley and it was a really fun bike. I am getting a custom FS 170/156mm FS made at the moment for park/enduro riding.
Rocketmax is in stock!
gravel seems to be going the other way, 26er tyres on gravel seem to be a thing now)
Posted 37 minutes ago
I seem to have missed that, links?
I wouldn't have thought it would mullet well without extra work as the seat tube angle is already quite slack
Am I the only one thinking a rebrand on the rocket/rocket max line under the rocket name would be better. Without the rocket why have a max…. If the title was there to signify bigger wheels than the normal model that difference is no longer required and rocket sounds better than rocket max 👍.
They changed the Solaris to Solaris max and that was only ever a 29er. That's was supposedly to with geo, seemed a bit silly to me though. They should just drop the max bit altogether as it sounds shit imo.
Maybe it is time to consider the range of names.
Very pretty bikes in general 🙂
As the "Max" addition to the name denotes 29" wheels then the Solaris should have been the SoulMax.
They are excellent bikes though. Very happy owner of Gen 1 Flaremax, Solaris and Escapade.
I just noticed on their site that they discontinued the Soul a while back as well. Must have missed that one. Quite a shame as its always been one of those "must own at some point" bikes for me, first in 26" variety then in 27.5. Was going to have a full set of 27.5 bits (fork, drivetrain, nice DT Swiss wheels) available next year and thought of a Soul build as well.
Sucker us who got conned into the 27.5 debacle eh?
Wish I never sold my Roadrat :(, Was ace with WTB senderos!
MAX was used to denote comparability with B+ 3” from memory (not 29er).
Only ever had the 26er version:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/77564901@N06/9239778637/
Oh and limited editions are supposed to be just that: limited. #NomoreSodaMAXs 😉
https://www.flickr.com/photos/77564901@N06/31581014068/
I can see where Cotic is coming from even though I love my Rocket. It's from the first batch of Gen 3's so before the Rocket Max came out, still massively more capable than me though! Of the other ones I occasionally see they're mostly 29ers so they must be selling well. My trail bike is now a 29er and if the Rocket ever gets replaced then it'll most likely be a 29er too but I have to get a Solaris Max first!
I can see where Cotic is coming from even though I love my Rocket. It’s from the first batch of Gen 3’s so before the Rocket Max came out, still massively more capable than me though! Of the other ones I occasionally see they’re mostly 29ers so they must be selling well. My trail bike is now a 29er and if the Rocket ever gets replaced then it’ll most likely be a 29er too but I have to get a Solaris Max first!
Totally with you on this. Have a rocket myself and its an amazing bike and totally far more capable than me like you said, but I can't help but think a 29er will be just that little bit better. Mines only a few years old and for 18 odd months of that we have been in a pandemic so it hasn't seen any where near as much use.
I think the point I was getting at is that the max branding is clunky and irrelevant (and old if I'm being honest). A bit like 'evo' branding used by others. It sounds crap. Note the jeht line doesn't use it. Hopefully there will be a return to Solaris, rocket, bfe etc without the max addition.
I need to be careful here… to keep within safe limits you need to take 40mm off the max travel when fitting a 29er fork and wheel. So that’s 130mm travel 29er front end on a Rocket rated for 170mm 275 forks. But I’m running 140mm forks and different stroke and length shock moving things about quite a bit to try out a different geom and reduced rear travel. A breakage without warranty isn’t as much of an issue for me, I have no warranty and I can swap the kit onto another frame if it all goes wrong. It hasn’t so far.
irrelevant (and old if I’m being honest)
True. With very few people putting plus tyres on the bikes, they’re just 29ers now really. The MAX was originally coined when others were producing separate 29 and 275plus models, and Cotic were offering bikes built with either wheelsize based on the same frames. MAX meant “29 or 275plus”… which is now something mostly in the rear view mirror (and many people never really got anyway).
My lovely Rocket 275
Sold on a few months back 😟
the max branding is clunky and irrelevant (and old if I’m being honest)
No way, dude.
From the Cotic front page:
If you're wondering what all this MAX thing is, it's our name for the bikes which have 29er or 27.5 Plus wheel compatibility. They'll do both, for maximum versatility and fun.
Deffo out of date then, as far as I know the BFeMax isn't intended to be plus compatible
Another vote for 'drop Max as it sounds shit, and always did'.
Also agree with 'Evo'. Sort it out Orange, there's no need!
Flare Max should be FS Soul or Soul FS with the jet, jhet, jeht being Solaris FS or something
Damn - just looked at those 26" gravel tyres in that vid....
£80 a tyre. More than the 18" tyres on my car. Hmmmm. I wonder if there are any cheaper options. Some tubeless compatible 26" gravel style tyres would be perfect for my Inbred, but not at £160 for a pair!
Some 26" XC mountain bike tyres (if they stil exist) will do the job, just don't pay the premium for "gravel"
“ Deffo out of date then, as far as I know the BFeMax isn’t intended to be plus compatible”
I mentioned this in a recent email and they said it’s fine with 27.5+ tyres.
