Archive: BFeMAX

Discontinued, replaced by the current BFe, which has a full 29er wheel setup option. This page is kept as an archive record for owners and for anyone researching an older Cotic BFeMAX.

Years of production: 2020-2024

The BFeMAX was our radical, big wheel, rock smashing, hardcore hardtail. A crazy fast, super tough 29er, it was the result of gene-splicing our award winning SolarisMAX 29er trail hardtail with our tough-as-old-boots, 27.5" wheeled BFe.

If you were looking for the fastest descending hardtail possible, this was it. With up to a 160mm fork and 29 inch wheels, the BFeMAX screamed come and have a go: jumps, drops, big mountains, hacking about in the woods and steamrollering down just about anything. There was room for meaty 2.6" tyres with space for mud, and the big wheels carried momentum up and along, then let you grab the bike by the scruff of its neck on the way down. It kept the legendary toughness of the BFe, with a Reynolds 853 down tube spine and Cotic FM custom butted tubeset through the rest of the frame for the classic Cotic ride feel.

Finishes: Smoke, Matte Fast Red, Bright Blue, Bright Blue and Magenta, Sunny Yellow, Gunmetal and Copper, and Dark Grey.
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large and XL.

I've done everything on this bike; there's nothing that it can't handle. You can do anything on it: jumps, downhill trails, XC rides and dual races. It's so easy to maintain, which as a mechanic is very important to me. The BFeMAX never missed a beat. It always made me feel like the fastest guy on the hill.

Will Swinden, Cotic workshop mechanic, who raced his BFeMAX around the Peak District and rode it on some of the roughest trails in Scotland

Longshot geometry

Radical Longshot geometry kept the bike stable through the rough stuff, planted in the corners and pinpoint accurate in the steep tech. Couple a super short 35mm stem to the optimised head angle and the bike really pushes you on, looking for every stump to boost off, rock to gap and berm to rail. Longshot frames are low and long, with plenty of standover room, and we recommended the size suggested for your height with a 30-35mm stem.

MAX: big wheels

Cotic MAX frames use 29 inch wheels: maximum speed, maximum rollover. 29" wheels roll easily and give a lot of stability, confidence and speed in rougher terrain, at the expense of being a little heavier and less playful than 27.5" wheels. The way MAX frames are packaged around the larger wheels (longer rear end, longer wheelbase, taller front end) can suit taller riders better, but whatever your height, big wheels are the way to go for more speed and stability.

Frame details

• Cotic FM heat-treated cromoly throughout, with a 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 reinforced 35mm seat tube for pedalling stiffness and dropper seatpost compatibility
• External dropper remote hose clips under the top tube, plus Stealth internal seat tube dropper routing along the down tube
• Bridgeless S-bend chainstays with Cotic Hexten gussets for improved fatigue life and huge mud clearance: 29 x 2.6" tyres
• ISCG05 mount
• Syntace X-12 148 x 12mm thru axle
• Geometry with commitment: minimum 120mm travel forks, optimised around 140mm, maximum 160mm
• Low slung design keeps the frame out of the way in tight situations, and the long top tube and short stem lets you ride up to the trails without breaking your back
• Loads of bottle bosses
• Sizes: Small (390mm seat tube), Medium (425mm), Large (460mm) and XL (495mm)
• Weight: 6.1lbs for the Large, with axle

Origin

Designed, developed, engineered and tested by Cotic in the Peak District, and lab tested in excess of ISO 4210. Frames were hand made in Taiwan by our selected framebuilder, dip coated inside and out with zinc phosphate before painting, and QC'd both in Taiwan and again in the UK. Complete bikes were built to order in the Peak District.

Geometry

All measurements are at 25% fork sag (rider on board). Maximum seatpost insertion is guidance based on leaving 25mm clear below the actuator for hose or cable routing; an externally routed dropper won't need this margin. Wheel size 29", maximum tyre 29 x 2.6".

120mm travel forks (531mm static length)

140mm travel forks (551mm static length)

160mm travel forks (573mm static length)

Seat tube, chainstay (444mm), head tube length, usual height range, stem length and maximum seatpost insertion are the same for all three fork options.

Not sure about sizing for a used frame? Email size@cotic.co.uk.

Component sizes

• Seatpost diameter: 31.6mm (380mm long minimum)
• Fork: minimum 120mm, optimised around 140mm, maximum 160mm travel (573mm axle to crown without sag)
• Bottom bracket: 73mm width, conventional English/BSA thread
• Chainline: maximum 34t using Boost 52mm chainline, or 36t using 55mm chainline
• Chainguide mounting: ISCG05
• Front mech: 34.9mm band on, high clamp, Shimano 11 speed side swing only
• Headset: 44mm for taper steerer forks (Hope 2H, Cane Creek ZS44 top / EC44 bottom, Chris King InSet i7)
• Rear hub: Boost148 x 12mm bolt through
• Rear axle: Syntace X-12. Mech hanger: Syntace X-12 Type 1 (conventional or Shimano direct mount)
• Dropper post routing: Stealth via the down tube, or external
• Rear brake mounting: I.S., compatible with rotors up to 203mm

Reviews

Hardtail Party's live ride review found the bike much faster on descents than it felt, rated its climbing ten out of ten, and praised the frame as how a steel frame should feel.

Further reading

Listen to Cy tell the story of Longshot geometry on the Downtime Podcast.

Photo gallery