Archive: BFe 26 (2016)

Cotic BFe 26 (2016) in Fast Red

Discontinued. This page is kept as an archive record for owners and for anyone researching an older Cotic BFe.

Model year: 2016

The 2016 BFe 26 replaced the BFe 26 Classic (see BFe 26 Classic). Its brother was the BFe 275: see the BFe archive, and the current BFe.

The BFe 26 is the tearaway of the Cotic family: a rowdy, fast, fun machine.

26 definitely ain't dead! The new BFe 26 was the hardnut of the Cotic family. It featured our first update to our classic 26" wheeled geometry, with the longer reach and slacker head angle developed on the BFe 275, ideal to pair with the short stems and wide bars we've come to love.

The BFe 26 is for hard riding. You can run a 100mm fork for 4X and dirtjump duties. 120mm or 140mm forks make it a sweet handling trail bike. Or you can plug in a 160mm fork and send it down the Megavalanche. Most BFe 26 builds perform mighty fine as bold-as-brass razz-around play bikes.

The frame is based around a Reynolds 853 down tube, which allows us to keep massive strength where it matters most whilst keeping weight down. The rest of the frame is our own Fm heat treated double butted cromoly steel, which helps keep strength and value high throughout. No corners are cut: all the usual Cotic features of Ovalform top tube, oversized plug welded seat tube, wishbone stays, cowled dropouts and a taper steerer compatible head tube are present and correct.

You could build it with those great 26" parts you still had, or even plug in 27.5" forks so long as you kept the 26" wheels in there.

Fun with a capital F, Durable with a capital D: Burly Iron.

What's new in 2016

New for 2016, the BFe 26 featured new geometry with a slacker head angle (67 degrees with rider on board and a 140mm fork), longer reach, and optimised around longer forks so the BB is around 10mm lower for a given fork length compared to the old frame.

We also improved the cable and hose routing and added a hole in the seat tube for an internally "stealth" routed dropper seatpost.

What this meant in practice is that the new BFe 26 was faster, better handling, fitted better, and was more confidence inspiring and more fun.

At just 5.4lbs the frame was trail bike light, so riding all day was never a chore. There's a good reason the BFe was awarded Most Versatile Frame in a test. Where the Cotic Soul covered the XC to Trail riding spectrum, the BFe began at Trail riding, headed off towards Enduro or dirt jumping and took things as far as you wanted to go. Trail ride, downhill, enduro, jumping: BFe 26 would do it all.

Frame details

Cotic Fm heat treat cromoly throughout with Reynolds 853 DZB down tube. Maximum strength at minimum weight
44mm standard head tube for maximum steerer compatibility and durability
Ovalform top tube and seatstays for boosted precision and maximised compliance
Cotic exclusive design reinforced 34.9mm seat tube for massive pedalling stiffness and dropper seatpost compatibility
Dropper remote hose clips under the top tube
Internal "stealth" dropper remote routing on the seat tube
Bridge-less S-bend chainstays with Cotic Hexten gussets for improved fatigue life and huge mud clearance
ISCG05 mount
Cotic cowled dropouts with replaceable mech hanger
Updated geometry: slacker, longer, lower, more fun, more of the time. Minimum 100mm travel forks for 4X or dirt jumping, 120-140mm for trail razzing, up to 160mm forks for rock flattening
Low slung design keeps the frame out of the way for those tight situations, and a long top tube lets you ride up to the trails without breaking your back
No seat tube bottle bosses, so the saddle can be dropped all the way down
Steep seat angle and short 16.5" chainstays pin the front in for ultimate grip, handling and cornering ability
Sizes: 16" (S), 17.5" (M) and 19" (L). The frames are designed to be compact and chuckable
Weight: 5.4 lbs for the 16"

Complete bike builds

All our bikes were hand assembled to order in Sheffield. Specifications changed without notice, so bikes shown in videos and photos may feature a different spec to the ones below.

Gold build

Shimano Deore XT M8000 1x11 drivetrain, 11-42 cassette
Race Face Turbine Cinch 175mm cranks, direct mount 30t chainring
Deore XT M8000 brakes, 180/160 rotors
X-Fusion Slant RL2 140mm fork, 15mm axle, taper steerer
Hope Tech Enduro wheels
Handlebar of your choice: Race Face Respond (740mm x 38 rise, 785mm x 12 rise or 720mm flat), or Joystick Analogue Carbon (800mm x 20 rise, 223g, +£100)
Stem of your choice: Cotic 35mm, Cotic 45mm, Race Face Ride 60mm, Race Face Ride 70mm, Hope AM 50mm (+£50), Joystick Builder 50mm (+£50) or Joystick Builder 35mm (+£50)
Race Face Ride 375mm seatpost
Cotic Cromo rail saddle
Hope headset
Continental Trail King 26 x 2.2" Pure Grip tyres
Pedals not included

Silver build

Shimano SLX M7000 1x11 drivetrain, 11-42 cassette
Race Face Affect Cinch 175mm cranks, direct mount 30t chainring
Deore M615 brakes, 180/160 rotors
X-Fusion Slant RL2 140mm fork, 15mm axle, taper steerer
Hope Tech Enduro wheels
Handlebar and stem choices as on the Gold build
Race Face Ride 375mm seatpost
Cotic Cromo rail saddle
Cane Creek 10 headset
Continental Trail King 26 x 2.2" Pure Grip tyres
Pedals not included

Geometry

All measurements are based on a fork with 25% sag (rider on board). The chart is a guide to frame size. Ultra Compact Geometry means the frames are small and long, and this version was a touch longer than previous BFe 26 frames. You can have a regular position on a small and chuckable frame, or go for the next size up and go long and racey without feeling like you're riding a gate.

Frame Size	Small	Medium	Large
Seat Tube (centre-top)	400mm	440mm	480mm
Top Tube Length (effective)	580mm	595mm	614mm
Chainstay Length	420mm	420mm	420mm
Head Tube Length	100mm	110mm	120mm
Reach	412.0mm	424.1mm	440.3mm
Stack	549.6mm	558.9mm	568.2mm
Usual Height Range	165-173cm	174-182cm	183-191cm
Stem Length	30-70mm	35-80mm	35-80mm

The angles and BB drop depend on the fork. They are the same on all three sizes:

Fork	Head Angle	Seat Angle	BB Drop
100mm	68.6°	73.6°	29.5mm
120mm	68.0°	73.0°	25mm
140mm	67.0°	72.0°	17.6mm
150mm	66.6°	71.6°	15mm
160mm	66.3°	71.3°	12.5mm
120mm 650b fork (26" wheels)	67.5°	72.5°	21.3mm
140mm 650b fork (26" wheels)	66.6°	71.6°	15mm

The frame is for 26" wheels only. The 650b fork figures still assume both wheels are 26" ones. Several example 26" forks are included to show the effect on geometry of using just about any suitable fork.

Component sizes

Seatpost diameter: 31.6mm (wise to get a decent length one). Stealth routing available
Front mech: 34.9mm, Shimano Side Swing only
Bottom bracket width: 73mm
Headset: 44mm cup
Fork: maximum 160mm travel (545mm axle-crown length without sag). If using a 650b/27.5" fork, the maximum travel is 150mm