Foldable Bikes Party: Cotic Rocket Gold review

Tuesday, 29 November 2016

Cotic Rocket Gold review

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Sheffield-based Cotic has expanded its ‘Droplink’ suspension range with the 130mm travel Flare and 29er/27.5+ wheeled ‘Max’ models, but its 650b Rocket is still an absolute glued-to-the-ground ripper.

Cotic is one of the few designers using steel, with premium air-hardened Reynolds 853 mainframe tubes and steel seatstays. The chainstays are alloy to allow the extensive shaping to fit the Boost rear end. Rear pivots on the seatstay mean the wheel follows a simple arc around the main pivot. The two Droplink arms on the subtly kinked seat tube create a progressive shock feel for plush traction but power-and-play ‘pop’ when the shock is tuned right. Cables, hoses and bottom bracket are all external for easy maintenance and longevity.

Our bike was based around the mid-range ‘Gold’ kit spec, well worth getting for the fork and shock. Cockpit and wheel pack were spot on, Shimano XT is noticeably stiffer in feel than SRAM shifting, but the rear brake wasn’t totally consistent. Extensive kit upgrades and a custom build menu are available.

The tubes might be thin and the fork narrow compared to 35mm-legged Boost units, but there’s no doubt the Rocket is a bike with serious trail presence and gravity swagger. You can really feel the difference in the way the steel frame and advanced dampers connect to the trail. There’s a palpable ‘stickiness’ in the way they mould around the smallest surface bumps and suck the Rocket down on to the ground like a DH bike. The first turn shows this rich connection extends to the tyres — WTB’s ‘Fast Rolling’ compound and ‘Light’ carcass boots feel like super tacky chewing gum on the Cotic.

Tangible twist in the long, skinny mainframe means it finds its own flow around high cornering load or blunt-impact situations, rather than crashing and clattering over the top. That gives a sense of the bike snaking around beneath you as you lock the 785mm bars on to target, but together with the outstanding damper performance it creates an unshakeably confident ride.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com