The 4th Generation Cotic Rocket takes to the trails, with more rear wheel travel and a stiffer Reynolds tubeset. The 27.5″ enduro whip is entirely hand made with its front triangle finished in the UK by fabricators Matt and Callum at Five Land Bikes. It boasts a Cotic-designed, exclusive HD Reynolds 853 tubeset, said to be stiffer, stronger and more durable whilst being no heavier than previously used tubes. Let’s take a closer look at the fully modernised geometry of an iconic UK-made steel mountain bike, the Rocket Gen4.
Cotic Rocket Gen4
The Cotic Rocket Gen4 is the result of updates to just about every aspect of the previous iteration. The geometry, travel, suspension kinematic, tubeset, even the headbadge, are new for 2020. The rear end now sports 165mm of travel, serviced by Cotic’s drop link linkage platform. In conjunction with the additional 8mm of travel, Cotic have revised the kinematic with a lowered leverage ratio, aiming for a more plush, capable feel to the rear end. The revised shock rate is said to help use the mid-stroke more effectively, resulting in improved grip while cornering, more control and a more bump swallowing feeling.
Cotic’s signature longshot geometry is further developed in the Rocket Gen4, with a slacker head tube angle and longer reach. With a 170mm fork, the seat angle sits at 74.4° while the head angle slides out to a slack 64°, half a degree slacker than the Gen3 of 2018.
The new seat angle is said to place the rider centrally on the bike to help on steeper climbs, maintaining a similar dynamic geometry to the Gen3 bike, despite the extra rear travel and 170mm fork.
Reach stretches out too, now at 463.2mm in medium, gaining 5.2mm. The XL enjoys a rather healthy reach of 510.7mm. Chainstay length remains unchanged at 437mm, permitting enough clearance for up to 2.6″ wide tyres. Cotic recommend the use of a 35mm stem to keep the handling direct and responsive.
The compliance that you’d normally expect from Cotic’s steel tubeset is meant to be more subtle in the Rocket Gen4, owing to the custom made HD Reynolds 853 tubes. In addition to the added stiffness, the durability and strength of the tubeset is also improved.
The Rocket Gen4 is the first of the Cotic line-up to rock their new head badge and graphics. We asked founder, Cy Turner, why they made the update. “Our previous head badge had served us well for nearly 17 years, but times change, and the business isn’t just me now, it’s 8 people. We all felt that the original badge’s time had come and didn’t really represent what Cotic is today. The new badge took a LONG time to get to, but it’s very much about people and place. It’s a representation of the countryside, the outdoors, and more specifically it’s the gritstone edges we can see from our HQ. It’s us.”
Pricing & Availability
The Rocket Gen4 is available in four sizes, S to XL, and two colorways; Sunny Yellow and Metal Grey, both hand painted by Five Land. A frame will set you back £2199 (~$2235 with a Cane Creek DB Air IL shock, or £2399 (~$2440) with the DB Air CS piggyback shock.
Cotic offer three build versions, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The £3199 (~$3250) Silver build gets you X-Fusion suspension, Shimano’s SLX 12 speed drivetrain, Deore Brakes and MT620 rolling on Conti tyres.
The popular Gold option gets you Cane Creek HELM Forks and Air IL Shock, XT brakes, WTB tubeless tyres and a choice of either Sram Eagle GX or Shimano XT 12 speed drivetrains, plus WTB tubeless tyres in your choice of width and casing. Rolling on Hope Fortus wheels or Hunt TrailWide or EnduroWide wheelsets, this build will cost you £4449 (~$4520).
The no-holds-barred Platinum build sports a SRAM X01 drivetrain, Burgtec carbon bars, Hope Tech E4 brakes, Cane Creek Air CS piggyback shock, Hunt AM carbon wheels and the beautiful Cane Creek eeWings titanium cranks at £6,999 (~$7115).
Cotic’s demo tour is currently grounded due to the Covid-19 situation, and they are closed to visitors at Calver. Once we are back on the road Cotic welcome riders to demo the 2020 Rocket.
