I have the gen 1 and its proper sorted so glad they havent really changed it.
But looking at the mullet options on the website show the head angle drop from 64.5 to 64.4 yet the seat angle drops from 76.2 to 75.1 – Is this really correct?
Biggest issue I have with this, is the lovely red colour is now unlikely to be the next Flaremax colour 🙁 I really like the slightly darker red Cotic use sometimes but South Downs based means a Flaremax is really the better bike. Maybe need a demo!
If you can get a day off in the week, our Showroom in Chesterfield is open Wed-Fri 10-4 and you can demo a bike from the door. Coffee is good too. Come and see us.
I very much *want* a RocketMAX as my next FS. I think it’s likely that a Jeht2 (especially in Sage Green… lovely and understated) will actually be the next FSer
Idle musings… I wonder how this would ride with a Z1 Coil at 150mm.
I know, that’s then getting quite close to a RocketMax trail build but I’m unconvinced that the rocket is what I really need for big days in the mountains.
Me likey a lot and could be a do it all contender to replace current Banshee Spitfire gen 2. What’s the frame weight like and is it all steel or the rear triangle alu?
This might be what I need to upgrade my now 5-year old FlareMax. I wonder if it’s worth changing the whole bike; or just swapping most of the bits over … Also, @cy – I assume you *also* do good tea ? I’m not a coffee fan (I know, shame on me!)
Bike looks nice, well done Cotic. Additionally, well done Ben for putting a decent and useful article together based on the press release.
Another brand that has gone to a weird sizing nomenclature.
After the last decade of brands telling us “trust us, longer reach is good, buy the same letter size you would normally get, but the bike will be longer and thats deliberate and desireable” have we now switched to “pick a size based on the reach you want“?
The big problem for me at the moment is that all the big guys are knocking out bikes for buttons. Think of the Spec Enduro, the Santa Cruz 5010, the Specialized Status, the Trek Remedy, etc etc and more… It makes throwing £4000+ at a bike really tough to do. I get that the Cotic is ‘different’ but you’ve got to really really want a Cotic i think
I was tempted to get a Jeht 18 months or so back but stuck with what I know and went for an Orange Five Evo but still look at these and think that they’re one of the VERY few bikes that’d be on my shortlist if I needed a new one-bike-for-all. They just look very “right”.
@stevehine If you’re bits are in good nick, then every single part on your FlareMAX will transfer across. I know. A brand keeping consistence parts fitment over a period of years. Imagine that?!!! If any need replacement, we can sort you bits from our stock. Drop us an email and we’ll get you fixed up.
@ayjaydoubleyou Problem with ‘medium’ sizing etc is that not all companies’ mediums are the same, so you get people getting weirdly emotionally attached to the fact “I ride a large” even if that’s not the right size for them on a Cotic. Especially if you’re recommending going to something smaller than they would normally ride. Humans are weird. C-sizing makes people look at the numbers and consider what they actually need.
@weeksy It’ll wash out in the end and those prices on other brands with chinese made carbon won’t last forever. It’s annoying to be getting kicked in the nuts for getting it mostly right in terms of stock and not being greedy though.
@pedlad Thanks! Swingarm is aluminium, seatstays are steel, links are aluminium. Frame weight is 4.5kg give or take. Depends on shock and size. It’ll vary +-150 grams depending on that.
@fahzure Problem with doing that is the kinematic gets weird and we run into clearance issues with the seatstay against the seat tube. Droplink is quite sensitive to pivot positions.
I use my Jeht for Dyfi, Antur and BPW every now and then. Thinking of mulleting mine on those days with just the standard headset in. So its max slack!! Good or bad idea?
@blackflag – I *might’ve* done this from time to time (with a 27.5×2.8, so perhaps not as slack as you’re thinking) – works well. It’s fun in the corners; less good at climbing. YMMV 🙂
The select+ is the same as the ultimate damper but without all the adjusters, errrr, okay, not much point without the adjusters though. How much more is the SD ultimate costing Cotic, think I’d be happier to pay the difference, usually frame only deals spec the top of the range shock.
Choice of four shocks if ordering frame only (RS Deluxe Select+, CaneCreek DB Air IL, RS SuperDeluxe Ultimate RC2T or Fox FloatX Factory). The Select+ is the most affordable and fit and forget (and lighter then the SuperDeluxe).
@blackflag It’s doable. Particularly on the Gen1 as it has a slightly higher BB than Gen 2. Roughly speaking it will slacken all your angles by 1 deg, shorten reach by around 10mm and drop the BB 12mm, which makes it 39mm drop static. Just be careful of your pedals on rocks.
@honourablegeorge We don’t sell without shocks unless you have a shock that we currently use. We have had trouble in the past with people putting in any old shock without the right setup and damaging themselves and the frames. We spec the Float X, so if you have one in 210×55 then that would be OK. No special tune required.
Any feedback on the Cane Creek DB IL vs the R/S and Fox shocks? Quite like the idea of the 4 way tuning of the CC (and it’s cheaper) but then again, also like the ‘simpler’ RS.
The CC would be good for my local riding, but I’m off for a week to Aosta Valley and Morzine in Sept and wondering IF I got a frame, would the shock handle all day descending ok?
I’ve got a Cane Creek DB IL on my Rocket Max gen 1 and it’s been trouble free on week long trips to the Alps (twice with White Room) and a week of uplift with Basque MTB. Absolutely no concerns about its durability.
@orena45 give the guys at Cotic a bell. I’ve always found them to be super helpful. There’s bound to be one of them who’s done some riding in the Alps on the CC.
Well my new gen2 frame turned up last week, which I bought following a demo ride. I went RS SDL for the shock.
However, apart from the fork I don’t have any other parts yet, and its going to take me a month or two to get them all. Will post a pic when its built though.