Cotic Bikes Presents The Rise of Straightline - Video

 -Edna Mode

 Maybe a cape would make me faster, or is the gimp mask the go. do they come in 26"?

 Mexican Wrestling mask for the win. We don't make a 26" version anymore, but the original was 26" if you can find an owner willing to part with theirs.

 i am ashamed of you grant you don't even know every word from the incredibles

 Gah. I new the last name was something in that vicinity.

 @cy-cotic, part? With a Rocket? As in, not be in possession of it anymore? I don't think so.

 i can't wait Incredibles 2 ..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Superhero logic : puts on his hero suit, civilian clothes over it, rips off civilian clothes dramatically shortly after.

 Mucho humorista en bicycleta es muy pandeho mierda caro.

 Gimme roost, gimme lies, gimme all which I desire!

 gimme boost, gimme lies, gimme all which I dont like!!!

 mmm sorry for that waky

 Oooooh my wallet burns Boost is pumping leggings Burning hard, loose and clean Aaaand on it burns Churning my direction Quench my thirst with marketiiing

 Definitely need more. Need another edit from Peaty and Bryceland as well...pls. Love Steel City Media!

 Thats what I was thinking

 Ahh i see we have a local lad

 Cotic with their priorities straight

 Loved this edit. I want to see more! I need to know what happens...

 Oh fuck off.

 That's real nice internet tough guy...

 The original Rocket was 26" with those kind of numbers. Maybe worth keeping a look out in case you can persuade an existing owner to part with theirs?

 Yeah I will... though I quite enjoyed ordering from you guys and there's nothing quite like building up a brand new frame.

 We appreciate that, and glad you're enjoying your BFe. Unfortunately as much we love the 26" bike we couldn't make the business case work when we needed to re-tool for the bigger wheels.

 ^ this, 26" and short chain stays please.

 So... You're saying... 26 is dead? (sniffle).

 @cy-cotic - I'm a huge fan of yours, regardless of the wheel size! Soul and BFe are very popular on trails in Gothenburg, Sweden. Actually two guys riding them are iconic, known for being bad asses. Great work!

 Cy, do you mean to say that your planning to discontinue the BFe in 26"? Please send out a warning when you do. I'm currently still happily riding my DMR Switchback hardtail but the BFe 26" was definitely going to be the one when my current frame eventually fails. I just can't part with it as long as it is still doing fine but the BFe seems more versatile and doesn't have the drawbacks this DMR has (rear tyre clearance, thin seatpost and not built for more aggressive riding). But if you're going to discontinue the BFe 26" I'd better get one while I still can!

As for the video, love the bike but now I can't sleep not knowing how Rocketman is going to make things right. Go Rocketman, go! Get those berms back on the singletrack so that I can sleep peacefully.

 Why would you buy a bike that has limited tire and rim options and won't actually be as fast?

 No no no, I meant there's no plans for another 26" Rocket. We are just about to order batch of BFe26 for next spring so don't worry about that!

 Thanks Cy, glad to hear!

@jclnv: several reasons and I understand it will be different for everyone. To name a few:

1. I won't get a complete bike. When I'd do, I'd still end up replacing components to match my taste and preference. I'm pretty happy already, I really love the DMR as it is. It is just that I run into some issues with the DMR which the Cotic doesn't seem to have. So if I were to replace it, I'd get the Cotic and probably some parts like seatpost, clamp and headset to make it fit. But other than that I'd just transfer what I have and am happy with. I've got enough good 26" forks and wheels kicking around that it would seem like a waste to replace them or at least disassemble a good 26" wheel to lace it to a bigger rim.

2. Depending on where you live and ride and whether you're racing, you're either going to need a bike that is going to make things easier for you or something that leaves the challenges to me. I rarely compete at a race so just being fast doesn't matter much. Feeling fast does but I suppose that often has more to do with how close I am to the limit of my technical abilities. It is the grin factor. The other thing is that unfortunately my area is not gifted with long steep tricky rock and root littered descends. I've got to make the most of it with what I have. So if 27.5" and 29" wheels roll so much better over obstacles than 26" wheels, I'd better not get those. If someone would make an adult XC/trail frame properly designed around a 24" rear wheel, I'd even consider that. I've got a DJ bike with 24". This brings me to my next point.

3. I do understand that a larger front wheel has advantages that might outweight the disadvantages, but I don't think this is the case for the rear wheel. I think a smaller rear wheel makes for an easier manual (or to hop) even with the same chainstay length. I tried to describe it here but it is impossible to do without a drawing. So math aside, just imagine manualing a bike with a huge rear wheel on a descend. The tyre contact patch moves rearwards so much that becomes impossible to get your weight over it. Now obviously differences aren't that massive with what we have now, but for 1.5" increase in wheel diameter it is still going to matter a few mm. And a few mm difference in chainstay length does matter for how a bike behaves hence increase in effective chainstay length because larger wheels should matter just as well.

That said, I like riding regardless so a day on a larger wheeled bike would still make a good day. But if I'd have the choice (which I have, luckily) smaller wheels suit my riding better.

 @vinay - I am sorry but it sounds like you swallowed the hype bate all the way. Larger wheels change little for overall speed just like small wheels allow for little more air time. May I ask what fork do you have? I am not trying to convert you rather ease up the anxiety. You are not missing up much not going for a larger wheel just like you are would lose little if you were forced to ride them. Hips don't lie, if you can move them right it does not matter what wheel is under you

 Yeah I've long said (and stand by) the main difference in wheel size is the geometry changes that they produce. Anyone saying much more is probably selling something or bought in to too much hype.

 Allright then. Seeing as Cotic makes a BFe in 26" and 27.5" version, it would make for a reasonable test if someone (or several testers) rode both bikes and could comment on how similar or different these are. How well they roll over obstacles, how easy it is to manual or hop, agility, stuff like that. I agree I can't tell from experience, especially not a real A-B test as I mentioned here.

That said, point 1 is already enough for me to not get a 27.5" frame. The fork I usually have in the DMR is a Magura Laurin FCR, a 130mm air sprung fork from 2008. When I want it snappy, I put the older Magura Odur 100mm fork in which I transfered from my previous frame (a Voodoo Erzulie which unfortunately didn't survive a crash). I've also got a Magura Wotan 160mm fork which I had in my Cannondale Prophet for rougher mountain stuff, though technically it was slightly longer than what I was allowed to use in the Prophet (not MX model). I could use all three forks in that single BFe, so I thought that would be nice. Going up to 27.5" wouldn't allow me to really take advantage of the versatility the BFe offers, or I'd have to invest in another bunch of forks. And I'm not even talking about the wheels I've got!

Agreed this attitude isn't sustainable. If I'd get a fully frame and fork now, chances are I'd probably have to go with the 15mm front axle, 142x12 rear axle, 27.5", a 10 or 11 speed cassette and the rest of the drivetrain to match that. All this on top of the headset, seatpost and clamp that I already considered acceptable. I know, I'm getting old .

But that wasn't the point. Cotic makes a playful quality 26" frame with a 135x10 qr dropout and that's all good for me.

 Vinay - a viable test of such kind is impossible to perform at least for 26 vs 275, it may be for 26 vs 29. Also it is not that relevant for you as it would have to be you testing it on trails you ride most often. It would also have to be a very similar frame. Just because Enduro 29 is a killer of a fast bike does not meant that some XC hardtail is. Bike Radar did such thing and with all the best intentions guy failed to deliver a reliable experiment. If it was the case, companies would be throwing results of such research at everyone big time. But they don't - they can't even deliver scientifically backed data on clips vs flats! Just as you say, there is no business case for going bigger when all you want to change is a frame. There is simply no point if you have a whole load of components that you like and want to keep.

 I am also suspecting that even though Cotic was redesigning their bikes anyways, they are not as happy with switching to 275 as a company like Scott or Cube.

 Thanks Waki. I'm not particularly interested in such a test since as I pointed out, there is already lot that favours me to stick with 26" regardless of minor advantages or disadvantages it has with respect to the larger wheels. I was just trying to answer jclnv. Part of that was assumptions which may still be true but probably negligible for the small difference between 26" and 27.5". And part of it was my personal stock of components which as you agree with, is relevant.

As for the test, I suppose the 26" and 27.5" versions of the BFe are fairly similar frames each with geometry optimized for their wheelsize. So these could probably be suitable for such a test should anyone be interested. Maybe Cy could comment? Same goes for the On One 456evo2 and 45650b, their competitor without Reynolds tubing. Obviously there is no point comparing the Enduro 29 with an xc hardtail.

Flats for me. I don't care about the science .

 Actually the differences between the BFe26 and 275 are quite marked as we used the fact we had to redesign the frames around the slightly bigger wheel to look at the whole thing and see what changes needed to be made. That was on the Soul275 where we brought in our OFI geometry which works better with inline seatposts (which are mostly inline, the original 26 geometry was based around a layback post), slightly longer reach, touch slacker head angle, optimised around a longer fork. The BFe275 then went a step further will another degree off the head angle relative to the Soul275. I much prefer the 275 bikes to the 26 bikes these days, but it's mainly because for the modern equipment I now use (remember I designed the 26" geometry in 2002!) the 275 bikes simply fit me better.

 Thanks Cy for getting back to me on this. I read an article on OFI geometry on the Cotic page some while ago and I thought the point was that reach (the number that matters when you don't sit down) remains pretty much similar. Now I see that was for the Soul and with a 120mm fork in the Soul 275 and a 100mm fork in the Soul 26. The BFe is much younger though and has already been designed around these longer forks. So I'd expected reach of the BFe26 (for layback seatpost) and the BFe275 (with OFI geometry) to remain the same. Now just comparing the numbers, the difference seems massive! A BFe275 size small would put me in a similar position as the BFe26 size medium would. And to be honest I don't even know the geometry of my own bike. My current frame is a 16" DMR Switchback which has a geometry similar to the (old) DMR Trailstar. It is low, but it won't be slack nor long. With previous frames I usually felt what I would want to change about the geometry and when I did, it indeed felt better. It feels good what I have now so I doubt I should go for something considerably longer and slacker.

 Reach wise, OFI means much the same on the BFe as the Soul... that is that the reach is the same on the 275 model as the 26 when 20mm longer forks are used on the 275 version. So if you do use the same travel forks on both, then the reach will be more on the 275 version... but then you get the option of going shorter with the stem if you want, which many would argue is a good thing on this kind of bike (myself included). In addition, with OFI, getting the seated position on the 275 version correct, when using an inline dropper post, is easier for some people, especially if you're at the top end of rider height for the frame size. The one thing that's different with the BFe over the Soul is headangle... it is slacker on the BFe275 than all the other Cotic hardtails, given the same length fork. But, yes, a hell of lot of differences between the 26 and 276 models, and not just slightly bigger wheels.

 Thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't expecting this for the BFe as it is a much younger frame and I thought forks didn't get that much longer in the mean time, especially not for these larger wheels. I have already been using 40mm and 50mm stems on my bikes and this still seems to be the fashion. I'd be more tempted to go for the the lowest possible frame for it to be more chuckable. I wouldn't get larger than 16" what I have now and companies rarely make them smaller (and still long enough) so I'd probably end up with 16" anyway. Thanks again, I now know how OFI works out for the BFe.

 You are three years too late and you can't have mine!

 We looked at it, but it didn't work out. These are made in Taiwan by our usual (and fantastic) frame factory out there.

 They still need to make money somehow and more people are interested in going to 650b.

 Why? Tyres, rims, forks etc.

 No, 27.5" only for the new version.

 Cy, lovely looking bike. As always. And great fun vid. Shame the product page has a plain diagram of the bike at the top though and not one of the beautiful photos!!?? Come on. Its a looker - Get her up there!

 don't worry guys give it till next year and it will be on 24's as small fun wheels are definitely the way forward

 Gutted there's no old ones anywhere

 OrangeGoblin, you're quite right.

 Orangegoblin Fixed that for you www.cotic.co.uk/product/rocket ????

 YES Cy! That looks sick. Sorry for sticking my nose in, I'm a web designer and that was just screaming at me for a big fat sexy pic. Nailed it!

 Ooooh, PS: Think the RoadRat page needs the same treatment, those big wide pics looks great. Nosey ponce now stepping away. ;-)

 You're right again OrangeGoblin.

= :87)

 at a lofty 5,3" with a 29" inside leg I would KILL for a 26" rocket,i own a small 26" bfe and it is my go to bike out of the three I have in my stable.
I will be keeping a keen eye on the classifieds for any one selling a 26 to upgrade to the 27.5.

 If you ride it on trails you wont get rid of it. By far one of the most unique and fun bikes I have ever owned!

 I'd like to hold onto it, but unfortunately its too big (19", 24"TT). I went with a M/L Stylus (17.5", 23.75TT) which fits a lot better. I'd be happy to trade anymore for a medium!

 It's probably lighter than that boat anchor.