Archive: BFe 275 Gen5

Cotic BFe (2017) in Champagne

Discontinued, superseded by Gen6. This page is kept as an archive record for owners and for anyone researching an older Cotic BFe.

Years of production: 2017-2019

This is the 5th generation BFe, the first with Longshot geometry. See the BFe archive, and the current BFe.

Cotic BFe in the Peak District

The BFe is our trail bashing, downhill thrashing, jump park smashing, enduro winning, do-it-all fun machine.

Right from its introduction in 2005, the BFe has always been the tearaway of the Cotic family: the Soul's stockier, rowdier younger brother. You know the one, loads of fun, but a bit on the wild side? That's the BFe.

New for 2018 was an Extra Small (XS) size so everyone could enjoy some hardtail shredding, and a gorgeous Champagne metallic paint option.

Re-invented for its 5th generation, the BFe took the biggest step forward in geometry and features since it was first launched. During our focus on the droplink full suspension bikes over the previous couple of years, we got to wondering what a hardtail with Rocket style geometry would be like. The answer was the new BFe: longer, slacker, lower and more capable than ever. And fast. So, so fast!

The BFe has always been a diverse beast. Size down and mount up with a 120mm fork and it is suited to smashing the dirt jumps, local BMX or 4X track, with geometry that makes it easy to throw down style and tricks like there is no tomorrow.

With a 140mm fork and sized with room to move, the BFe turns into the dream trail bike which climbs nearly as fast as it descends, whilst keeping a huge grin on your face.

When suited up with a 150mm-160mm fork, the BFe has no qualms about keeping up with your mates on their big fancy full-sus rigs at the enduros. It can comfortably handle those big forks, so you can get hooning on near enough any downhill track you choose.

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. There are no corners cut: all the usual Cotic features of Ovalform top tube, oversized plug welded seat tube, wishbone stays, Syntace thru axle dropouts, stealth seatpost routing and a taper steerer compatible head tube are present and correct.

Throw in massive clearance for latest generation wide rubber (27.5 x 2.6" or 26 x 3.0" tyres) and you'll be taking on all terrain in your stride, giving you the confidence to ride faster and be buzzing to do "just another run".

Trail, enduro, 4X, downhill, bike parks: the BFe would do it all. BFe: Burly Iron.

Complete bikes and frame options

Complete bikes started with our no nonsense Silver build, which featured the SLX M7000 11-speed drivetrain, then moved up to our high performance Gold level. There were multiple upgrade options for each bike, including WTB carbon wheels, Hope coloured parts, X-Fusion, Fox or RockShox suspension, and Joystick carbon bars.

The BFe was also available frame only, with a 142mm Syntace X-12 thru axle. The finishes were CMYK (cyan, magenta and yellow decals on Gloss Black paint), Gloss Black paint with Orange/Aqua decals, or Gloss Cyan with Orange decal detailing. Champagne with orange details replaced the black/orange/aqua option for 2018.

What's new

New for 2018: an XS (Extra Small) size suiting riders down to around 4ft 11in tall. The gorgeous Champagne with orange details replaced the black/orange/aqua option.

New for 2017: pretty much all new! The big departure for the 5th generation frame was the geometry. The BFe had traditionally been closely associated with the Soul geometry, but as times and riding styles changed we felt it was time for the BFe to strike out on its own. The main changes were:

Shorter seat tubes on all sizes and dropped top tubes for a big increase in standover clearance. The short seat tubes also allowed dropper posts with at least 150mm drop on all sizes, and the new 170mm and 180mm drop posts were also more likely to fit the new frame layout.
Longer reach across all sizes with larger steps between sizes. Our geometry research showed us that we much prefer the handling with short stems, particularly around the 35-45mm range. Lengthening the frames and widening the reach jumps between sizes lets more people get a really short stem on their BFe whilst still having plenty of room to move.
Slacker head angle: 66 degrees at ride height with a 140mm fork. It's based around the Rocket front end, and works hand in hand with the short stems to keep handling lively whilst giving loads of feel and confidence.
Optimised around 140mm forks. The BFe has always been capable of running 160mm forks and the new bike was no exception, but previous generations were designed around shorter 100mm or 120mm forks for all round handling. That left them somewhat compromised for climbing with longer forks, and as most people built their BFe with at least 140mm forks, the new bike was designed with that in mind.
Steeper seat angle. In stepping away from our OFI (Optimised For Inline) geometry we steepened the seat angle. Combined with the optimisation around longer forks, the seat angle is up to 2 degrees steeper than the previous generation for a given fork length. This keeps you in the middle of the bike and, with the long reach and short stem, gives brilliantly poised handling when seated.
Lower BB: the new bike has a 43mm BB drop at ride height with 140mm forks, which keeps the bike planted even with the latest large volume 2.6" tyres.

The tubeset was carried over broadly unchanged, as it's just the best compromise of weight, strength and price we can strike. The chainstays were new on the BFe, but the shaping was carried over from the SolarisMAX. These stays give room for 27.5 x 2.6" or 26 x 3.0" tyres whilst maintaining the 16.9" stays.

Origin

Cotic frames are designed, developed, engineered and tested entirely by us at our base in the Peak District, near Sheffield in the UK. Our founder, Cy Turner, is the lead designer and engineer, and our frames are rigorously ride tested by everyone at Cotic and our Race Team. They are fully certified and lab tested in excess of the requirements of the ISO 4210 safety standards.

This frame was hand made in Taiwan by our specially selected framebuilder, chosen because of their vast experience with our favourite materials and their top quality finish. They are the best in Taiwan for what we need.

Each frame is dip coated inside and out with zinc phosphate before painting, to prevent corrosion and ensure the best paint finish. After we've agonised over the colours, designs and decals, the frames are painted to the highest quality including a protective clear coat, before extensive quality control by our agent in Taiwan. Once the frames reach us in the UK, we carry out further quality control and prepare the frames for headset and bottom bracket installation.

As always, all complete bikes were built to order by us here in the Peak District, to the exact spec of your choice. We built your bike for you.

Frame details

Cotic Fm heat treated cromoly throughout with reinforced Reynolds 853 down tube. Maximum strength at minimum weight
44mm standard head tube for maximum steerer compatibility and durability
Ovalform top tube to boost precision and maximise compliance
Cotic exclusive design reinforced 35mm seat tube for massive pedalling stiffness and dropper seatpost compatibility
External dropper remote hose clips under the top tube
Stealth/internal seat tube dropper routing along the down tube
Bridge-less S-bend chainstays with Cotic Hexten gussets for improved fatigue life and huge mud clearance. 27.5 x 2.6" or 26 x 3.0" tyres fit
ISCG05 mount
Syntace X-12 142x12 thru axle
Geometry with commitment: minimum 100mm travel forks, optimised around 140mm forks, maximum 160mm forks
Low slung design keeps the frame out of the way for those tight situations, and a long top tube/short stem set-up lets you ride up to the trails without breaking your back
No seat tube bottle bosses, so the seatpost can be dropped all the way down
Sizes: Small (15.3" seat tube), Medium (16.7") and Large (18.1"), plus XS (13.8") from 2018. The frames are designed to be compact and chuckable
Weight: 5.6 lbs for the Small

Complete bike builds

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

Gold build (SRAM Eagle)

SRAM Eagle GX 12-speed, 10-50 cassette
SRAM Eagle GX cranks, 175mm, 32t X-Sync 2 chainring, GXP BB
Deore XT M8000 brakes, 180/160 rotors
X-Fusion Sweep HLR 140mm fork, 15mm axle, taper steerer
Hope Tech Enduro wheels or HUNT Enduro Wide
Handlebar of your choice: Cotic Calver (780mm x 25 rise), or Burgtec Ride Wide Carbon (800mm x 20 rise, +£100)
Stem of your choice: Cotic Short Stem 35mm or 45mm, or Hope AM Stem 35mm in any Hope colour (+£50)
X-Fusion Manic dropper seatpost, 125mm or 150mm drop
Cotic Cromo rail saddle
Hope headset
WTB G2 Series tyres: Vigilante 27.5 x 2.5 Light High Grip Slashguard front, Trail Boss 27.5 x 2.5 Tough Fast Rolling rear, set up tubeless
Pedals not included

Gold build (Shimano XT)

BFe thru axle frame with Syntace X-12
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 Sweep HLR 140mm fork, 15mm axle, taper steerer
Hope Tech Enduro wheels or HUNT Enduro Wide
Handlebar, stem and dropper post choices as on the SRAM Eagle Gold build
Cotic Cromo rail saddle
Hope headset
WTB G2 Series tyres, set up tubeless
Pedals not included

Gold build customisation options: choice of disc brakes (two Shimano and two Hope options); Hope hub colours, or lighter HUNT Trail Wide wheels; and Cane Creek Helm forks.

Silver build

BFe thru axle frame with Syntace X-12
Shimano SLX M7000 1x11 drivetrain with SLX M7000 11-42 cassette
Race Face Affect Cinch 175mm cranks, direct mount 30t chainring
Deore M615 brakes, 180/160 rotors
X-Fusion Sweep RL2 140mm fork, 15mm axle, taper steerer
Shimano MT15 wheels
Handlebar and stem choices as on the Gold builds
Race Face Ride 375mm seatpost
Cotic Cromo rail saddle
Cane Creek 10 headset
Continental Trail King 2.2" tyres
Pedals not included

Silver build customisation options: a Hope headset; choice of disc brakes (two Shimano and two Hope options); Hope Tech Enduro 27.5 or HUNT Trail Wide or Enduro Wide wheels; an X-Fusion Manic dropper post; and Roughcut HLR or Cane Creek Helm forks.

Geometry

The chart is a guide to frame size. The BFe featured Longshot geometry.

This approach brought larger reach steps between sizes so everyone could get their stem nice and short. We recommended aiming to size your bike with a 35mm stem if possible. Wide bars and short stems make for very responsive steering, so we slackened the head angle to balance this out, and steepened the seat angle to keep you in the middle of the bike. The result is a beautifully balanced ride, with a stable, confidence inspiring feel at speed, think-and-you're-there steering and amazing front end grip for slicing through the singletrack. If you prefer your handling slightly more conventional, simply size down, add a 50mm stem and a longer dropper post to get your pedalling height, and away you go.

All measurements are based on a fork with 25% sag (rider on board).

Frame Size	XS	Small	Medium	Large
Seat Tube (centre-top)	345mm	390mm	425mm	460mm
Chainstay Length	428mm	428mm	428mm	428mm
Head Tube Length	100mm	100mm	110mm	120mm
Usual Height Range	150-164cm	165-173cm	174-182cm	183-191cm
Stem Length	30-50mm	30-50mm	30-50mm	30-50mm
Max Tyre Size	27.5 x 2.6" or 26 x 3.0"
Seatpost minimum insertion (including actuator mechanism)	216mm	251mm	251mm	286mm

Seatpost minimum insertion is guidance based on leaving 25mm clear below the actuator for any hose or cable to route through our frames. Your post may need less or more, and if you use an externally routed dropper you won't need this margin at all.

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

Fork	Head Angle	Seat Angle	BB Drop
120mm	67.0°	74.0°	48mm
140mm	66.0°	73.0°	43mm
150mm	65.5°	72.5°	40mm
160mm	65.0°	72.0°	38mm

Top tube length, reach and stack also change with the fork (XS / Small / Medium / Large):

Fork	Top Tube (effective)	Reach	Stack
120mm	587.5 / 604 / 629 / 655mm	417 / 434 / 456 / 479mm	581 / 581 / 590 / 599mm
140mm	589.5 / 606 / 631 / 657mm	410 / 427 / 449 / 472mm	587 / 587 / 596 / 605mm
150mm	590.5 / 607 / 632 / 658mm	406 / 423 / 445 / 468mm	590 / 590 / 599 / 608mm
160mm	592.5 / 608 / 633 / 659mm	405 / 420 / 442 / 465mm	593 / 593 / 602 / 611mm

Component sizes

Seatpost diameter: 31.6mm. You need 100mm minimum insertion into the frame at full pedalling height
Dropper routing: internal (stealth) and external dropper post hose/cable routing options
Front mech: 34.9mm, Shimano Side Swing front entry only
Fork: maximum 160mm travel, 551mm axle-crown (without sag)
Bottom bracket width: 73mm
Bottom bracket thread: conventional English/BSA
Headset: 44mm cup: Zero Stack ZS44 top cup, external EC44 bottom cup
Rear hub: dedicated Syntace X-12 142x12