This is the new fifth incarnation - hence Gen 5 - of Cotic’s 29er short-travel ripper the FlareMAX. Besides looking very pretty in the bluebells, what is it all about?
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29in wheels at both ends as standard, though as with most of Cotic’s latest full suspension bikes, you can run in mixed wheel mullet if you want to. The Downcountry-tstic amount of 125mm travel at the back is delivered via Cotic’s long-established Droplink system. Fork-wise, you can run up to a 140mm travel fork up front. Or you can go all the way down to 120mm. Or you can split the difference and run a 130mm travel fork, like the one featured here.
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Regardless of bouncy bits, the Cotic FlareMAX Gen 5 still features those signature steel tubes all over. Yes, the chainstays are aluminium, but the rest is steel. The front end is made from the iconic Reynolds 853. The frame features Cotic’s own ‘ride tuned’ Ovalform top tube with its multi-profile round-then-ovalised coolness. New for the FlareMAX is a new down tube and that BB brace between the down tube and seat tube. It’s all these lovely metal tubes that combine to give Cotic frames their particular ride feel. More on how the bike rides shortly.
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Needless to say, steel full sussers offer a ride that is different to most alloy and carbon frames out there. ‘Tactile’ is very probably the correct word, and the word that Cotic use themselves a lot of the time.
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The FlareMAX is Cotic’s lightest, shortest travel suspension bike. Cotic state the FlareMAX is designed to be nippy, responsive and fun, basically. Cotic goes on to describe the FlareMAX Gen 5’s remit as “whizzing between the trees, covering long distances, but it’s still got your back for a big day in the hills.”
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As we found out when we reviewed the previous Gen 4 FlareMAX, the 125mm rear travel is taut, full of engagingly useful feedback and offers just enough for when terrain gets hectic. As ever, it is the geometry that exerts the biggest influence here. Cotic has long been a proponent of decent progressive geometry. Cotic has what its calls ‘Longshot’ geometry and it is pretty much as progressive as they come. Cotic’s geometry offers an underlying capability to its bikes, regardless of suspension travel numbers. We’ll go into geometry specifics shortly.
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Cotic frames are designed, developed and tested entirely at their base in the Peak District. As a lot of you will already know, Cotic’s founder - Cy Turner - is the lead designer and engineer. Cy was the guy who started Cotic way back in 2003. (Twenty year anniversary alert!) Cotic are more than just Cy these days. One of the key personnel involved with the Gen 5 FlareMAX is Cotic’s Operations Manager, Paul Dexter.
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Explaining his affinity with the FlareMAX, Paul: “It’s all about the handling … There’s less pitch fore and aft on a shorter travel bike like the FlareMAX, so when I move my weight around it has an immediate effect on what the bike does. I love cleaning techy climbs, and this direct connection to the trail really helps in those situations. My FlareMAX skips down the trail rather than smothering and feeling disconnected, a feeling reminiscent of riding a hardtail but with more grip and no aches afterwards!”
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Speaking of Paul, the Cane Creek Helm forks specced on the Trail builds of the FlareMAX Gen 5 are custom tuned for Cotic. Specifically, they are based around a baseline damping profile of Paul. Paul is a lighter weight rider who often finds stock-tuned forks to be overdamped. Cotic’s Cane Creek Helm forks have a relatively light damping tune as a base. The idea being that lighter riders can have a decent performing fork and heavier riders can dial on more damping if they need to.
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The FlareMAX Gen5 is made exclusively in the UK by Cotic collaborators Five Land Bikes. The experienced crew at Five Land Bikes in Scotland manufacture the Reynolds 853 front triangle in small batches. These front triangles are then married to rear ends from Cotic’s suppliers in Taiwan. Much of the remaining machined parts are made for us by Unite Components and Bear Frame Supplies, both UK operations.
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Whilst up at Five Land, all the major parts of the frame are dip coated in manganese phosphate to prevent corrosion before being painted using tough and durable automotive spec paint by Five Land. The graphics are masked and painted - not just stick on decals. The two colours for the Gen 5 FlareMAX are Limestone and Teal by the way. As an added bonus, all FlareMAX Gen 5 frames are security Datatag’d.
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Read more over at singletrackworld.com/2023/05/...