Cotic Launches the UK-Made RocketMAX Gen4 Enduro Bike

Meet the brand new Cotic RocketMAX Gen4, which continues the evolution of our standard shredding Gen2 RocketMAX from 2018. It's still our flagship UK made model, with front triangles manufactured in the UK, and all painting and finishing done by our friends at Five Land Bikes.

What's New For Gen4?

New for Gen4, C-Sizing is introduced with 5 sizes instead of 4. This has reduced the reach steps between sizes to just 19mm, and has resulted in shorter seat tubes and more standover for the C2, C3 and C4 sizes when compared to the previous medium and large which spanned a similar size range. C1 is broadly the same as the our proven small size, with C5 increasing the reach slightly over the previous XL to 520mm to account for the steeper seat angle.  The dynamic BB is a little lower for the Gen4, but still with enough clearance that pedal strikes on our local Climb Of Truth are kept to a minimum. The seat angles are adjusted for rider height, with the larger C3, C4 and C5 sizes getting a steepened seat angle. This aims to maintain a seat angle at the saddle of around 76 deg for all riders. This bike may be a shredder on the downs, but you have got to be able to get back up to the top comfortably and effectively, whatever the terrain throws at you.

At the front of the bike, the new (Cotic exclusive - all 853 frames are NOT created equal) Reynolds 853 down tube is increased in strength and stiffness. The geometry is revised to make the most of the latest 38mm stanchion enduro forks with up to 170mm travel. We use steel because we believe the flex characteristics we can dial in along the length of the bike enhance grip and improve performance. It's fantastically durable, repairable and recyclable, and also happens to be the lowest environmental impact material you can build a bike frame out of. Except maybe bamboo, but let's not get into that.

Head angle remains 63.5deg with a 170mm fork. We have tried some other options around this and it is simply the best setting for a bike like this. I had an adjustable prototype which took the reach all the way out to 530mm / 63 head angle, as well as trying 525mm too along with various head angles. 520mm at 63.5 was the sweet spot for the new C5 size. We've done our homework on this! As always with Cotic Longshot geometry, 35mm stems across the board keep the bike more manageable and responsive than you would imagine, with all the upsides in terms of speed and stability you would expect.

Regardless of the detail, in practice this means you're much more likely to find your perfect fit with this new sizing range.

RocketMAX Gen4 retains the 160mm rear travel of the Gen3 bike, but with reduced leverage ratio and revised droplink kinematic making it compatible with both air and coil shocks this time around. The droplink itself is a new design exclusive to the RocketMAX Gen4, which keys the links to the axles to eliminate any twist or flex through the linkage. The Mullet option is carried over from the Gen3, using an angleset to correct the geometry for the smaller rear wheel.

Complete Bikes/Rolling Chassis/Anything Else In Between

As always with Cotic bikes, the frames, rolling chassis, part build or full bike will be fully assembled at our base in the Peak District of the UK. Every single bike is assembled to order from a frame up, which we call You're Bike Built For You. In a nutshell, Cotic customers can have anything from a bare frame to a complete bike. They can send parts in for us to fit, get a discount on parts deleted from a build if they don't want them, and mix and match to their hearts content across our base builds. Want SLX drivetrain and Fox Factory Suspension? No problem at all! Tough Casing tyres for tough conditions? Just choose the option. Hope brakes? Just a click away. There's so much you can do, and no bike goes out the same.

Full details are here: https://www.cotic.co.uk/your-bike-built-for-you/.

The main changes for the Gen4 bike specs are the addition of the Rock Shox Zeb Ultimate and Fox 38 Factory 170mm as fork options, along with the Cane Creek Kitsuma Coil on the shock side for your coil option. Drivetrains span Shimano SLX up to SRAM GX AXS, and Rockshox Yari forks and Super Deluxe Ultimate shocks will be joining the lineup in June. For now the stock specs are as follows, but as mentioned above, these are just starting point for a conversation:

• RocketMAX Silver - SLX 1x12, Deore Brakes, Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate 160mm, Rockshox Deluxe Select Plus (155mm travel), Shimano Wheels - £3999 (UK) / Approx USD4220 (USA) / Approx EUR3870
• RocketMAX Gold - XT 1x12, SRAM Guide RSC, Rockshox Zeb Ultimate 170mm, Cane Creek Kitsuma Air (160mm travel), HUNT Trail Wide V2 wheels, WTB Tyres - £4999 (UK) / Approx USD5250 (USA) / Approx EUR4840
• RocketMAX Platinum - GX AXS 1x12, SRAM Guide RSC, Fox 38 Factory Grip 2 170mm, Fox Float X2 Factory 2-pos Adjust (160mm), HUNT Trail Wide V2 wheels, WTB tyres and Hope Stem and Carbon Bar - £6499 (UK) / Approx USD6790 (USA) / Approx EUR6290

If you want the Cane Creek Kitsuma Coil shock or the Mullet option, just click the option within these builds.

Frames start at £2099 (UK) / Approx USD2270 / Approx EUR2070 with Rockshox Select Plus shock (155mm).

Prices outside UK are approximate as they are dependent upon exchange rate at the time of purchase. We ship anywhere in the world. 

Jump to the bike specs here: https://www.cotic.co.uk/preview/rocketMAX#bike.

Demo and Money Back Guarantee

We are back on demo service, and there will be RocketMAX Gen4s in the fleet. All our demos are currently from our base in the Peak District of the UK, and we have an awesome couple of demo loops straight out the door, and a huge amount of trails throughout the Peak if you go further afield. We're available by appointment only on Wednesdays and Fridays and we're opening one Saturday per month for now. All the schedule details and contacts are over on www.cotic.co.uk/demo.

If you can't demo and are Cotic-curious, we also have a Love It Or Your Money Back offer. Order a Cotic, ride it for a month, and if it's not for you, just send it back. T's and C's apply obviously, but it's pretty much the ultimate demo ride. https://www.cotic.co.uk/love-it-or-your-money-back/.

View key specs, compare bikes, and rate the new Cotic RocketMAX Gen4 in the Vital MTB Product Guide.