Archive: FlareMAX Gen2
Years of production: 2018-2019
The second generation FlareMAX was our 29" wheel, fast and fun trail bike: a proper sweet-spot chassis. Light and responsive yet fiercely capable, it was plenty of bike for big hills while staying engaging on mellow, flowy trails. Big wheels and mid travel, with 120mm or 132mm rear travel options. As Singletrack magazine put it, the FlareMAX does fast, fun and far.
Finishes: Gloss Blue with Orange, Dark Metal and Mercury.
Sizes: Small (new for Gen2), Medium, Large and XL.
What changed from Gen1
- Longshot geometry, designed for 30-50mm stems, replacing OFI geometry
- Optimised around 130mm forks, with 120-140mm options (Gen1 maximum was 130mm)
- New Small size
- Dedicated 1x drivetrain design with forged swingarm heads, a wider swingarm pivot and an integrated Cotic x OneUp top guide
- 6066-T6 aluminium swingarm
- 190 x 45mm metric shock (Gen1 used 200 x 50/51mm)
- Internal stealth dropper routing only
Longshot geometry
Longshot geometry keeps the bike stable through the rough stuff, planted in the corners and pinpoint accurate in steep tech. Pair a super short stem with the optimised head angle and the bike pushes you on, looking for every stump to boost off, rock to gap and berm to rail, with incredible poise and composure.
Steel, MAX wheels and droplink
Reynolds 853 builds a light, lively and robust front end, including our ride-tuned Ovalform top tube, with steel's compliant, ground-hugging feel giving grip and feedback where you thought there was none. The FlareMAX runs 29" wheels with tyres up to 2.5" or 27.5 Plus wheels: 29" and 27.5 Plus roll easily and give stability and speed in rough terrain, while 27.5 x 2.8" Plus gives more comfort and traction for a little more weight. The MAX frame proportions (longer rear end and wheelbase, taller front end) suit taller riders especially well.
Cotic droplink suspension is supportive and progressive, keeping the 120mm of travel lively and interactive, with grip to spare on the descents and support and traction on the climbs.
132 Pack (Summer 2019)
For riders wanting more big-terrain capability, the 132 Pack boosted rear travel to 132mm with a longer stroke (50mm) Cane Creek shock. Complete bikes with the 132 Pack were paired with 140mm X-Fusion Trace 36 or Cane Creek Helm forks. Read the original news story.
Frame details
- Longshot geometry for 35-50mm stems: responsive steering with confidence at speed
- Reynolds 853 Ovalform and DZB tubed front end
- 44mm head tube with external bottom cup for taper steerers and zero stack top cup
- Custom Cotic 35mm heat-treated cromoly seat tube supports the main suspension pivots
- 31.6mm seatpost, internal stealth dropper routing
- ISCG05 mounts on a threaded bottom bracket
- Rear mech cable routed internally through the steel seatstay
- Dedicated 1x design: maximum-width swingarm pivot, low drop, forged swingarm heads with integrated OneUp top guide
- 6066-T6 aluminium swingarm with Syntace X-12 Boost 148 x 12mm rear axle
- 15mm pivots at the BB and a thru-axle-style droplink linkage clamp
- One bottle mount
- Tyre clearance: 29 x 2.5", or 27.5 Plus up to 3.0" (we prefer 2.8")
- 120mm droplink rear travel (132mm with the 132 Pack)
- Weight: Gold spec bike 30.3lbs without pedals
Geometry
120mm travel forks
| Frame size | Small | Medium | Large | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube (centre-top) | 390mm | 425mm | 460mm | 495mm |
| Top tube (effective) | 604mm | 631mm | 657mm | 689mm |
| Head angle | 66.0° | 66.0° | 66.0° | 66.0° |
| Seat angle | 74.0° | 74.0° | 74.0° | 74.0° |
| Chainstay length | 447.5mm | 447.5mm | 447.5mm | 447.5mm |
| BB drop | -34mm | -34mm | -34mm | -34mm |
| Head tube length | 100mm | 110mm | 120mm | 130mm |
| Reach | 435.0mm | 458.5mm | 482.0mm | 510.0mm |
| Stack | 607.2mm | 616.3mm | 625.4mm | 634.6mm |
| Wheelbase | 1188.0mm | 1215.8mm | 1243.2mm | 1275.3mm |
| Usual height range | 165-172cm | 169-180cm | 178-188cm | 186-195cm |
| Stem length | 30-50mm | 30-50mm | 30-50mm | 30-50mm |
| Frame wheel travel | 120mm | 120mm | 120mm | 120mm |
| Wheel size | 29" or 27.5+ (650B Plus) | 29" or 27.5+ (650B Plus) | 29" or 27.5+ (650B Plus) | 29" or 27.5+ (650B Plus) |
| Maximum tyre size | 29 x 2.5" / 27.5 x 2.8" | 29 x 2.5" / 27.5 x 2.8" | 29 x 2.5" / 27.5 x 2.8" | 29 x 2.5" / 27.5 x 2.8" |
| Maximum seatpost insertion (incl. actuator) | 160mm | 197mm | 232mm | 267mm |
All measurements static, based on a 120mm travel fork. Maximum seatpost insertion leaves 25mm clear below the actuator for hose or cable routing; an externally routed dropper won’t need this margin.
130mm travel forks
| Frame size | Small | Medium | Large | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top tube (effective) | 605mm | 632mm | 658mm | 690mm |
| Head angle | 65.6° | 65.6° | 65.6° | 65.6° |
| Seat angle | 73.6° | 73.6° | 73.6° | 73.6° |
| BB drop | -32mm | -32mm | -32mm | -32mm |
| Reach | 432.0mm | 455.5mm | 479.0mm | 507.0mm |
| Stack | 609.2mm | 618.3mm | 627.4mm | 636.6mm |
| Wheelbase | 1191.0mm | 1218.8mm | 1246.2mm | 1278.3mm |
All measurements static, based on a 130mm travel fork.
140mm travel forks
| Frame size | Small | Medium | Large | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top tube (effective) | 606mm | 633mm | 659mm | 691mm |
| Head angle | 65.1° | 65.1° | 65.1° | 65.1° |
| Seat angle | 73.1° | 73.1° | 73.1° | 73.1° |
| BB drop | -27mm | -27mm | -27mm | -27mm |
| Reach | 429.0mm | 452.5mm | 476.0mm | 504.0mm |
| Stack | 612.2mm | 621.3mm | 630.4mm | 639.6mm |
| Wheelbase | 1194.0mm | 1222.8mm | 1250.2mm | 1282.3mm |
All measurements static, based on a 140mm travel fork.
Seat tube, chainstay (447.5mm), head tube, sizing, tyre and seatpost details are the same for all fork options. With Longshot sizing, we recommend the size for your height on the chart with a short 30-35mm stem. If you upsize, check your dropper will fit: the collar can hit the seat tube top, or the post can bottom out on the droplink pivot. Email size@cotic.co.uk for help.
Component sizes
- Seatpost diameter: 31.6mm (380mm long minimum)
- Front mech: not applicable, 1x drivetrains only
- Fork: minimum 120mm, maximum 140mm travel, 551mm axle to crown (without sag)
- Bottom bracket: 73mm width, conventional English/BSA thread
- Chainring: single only, Boost chainline
- Chainguide mounting: ISCG05 bottom two tabs; integrated Cotic x OneUp top guide included with frame or bike
- Headset: 44mm for taper steerer forks (Hope 2H, Cane Creek ZS44 top / EC44 bottom, Chris King InSet i7)
- Rear hub: Boost 148 x 12mm bolt-through
- Rear axle: Syntace X-12
- Rear mech hanger: Syntace X-12 Type 1 (conventional or Shimano direct mount)
- Shock: 190 x 45mm metric (50mm stroke with the 132 Pack)
- Shock fittings: 15.75 x M8 down tube end, 24.0 x M8 seatstay end
- Dropper routing: stealth via the down tube
- Rear brake mount: IS, compatible with rotors up to 203mm
Setup guide
Cotic droplink suspension works best with 25-30% sag, and we prefer starting at 30%. With the 45mm stroke shock (120mm travel) or 50mm stroke (132 Pack) that means 11-15mm at the shock; we suggest starting around 13mm. For the fork, aim for 20-25% sag: about 24-30mm on a 120mm fork, 26-32mm on 130mm and 28-35mm on 140mm.
To set shock sag, start with 170psi, turn off any lockout or climb switch, and put on your riding kit (including a full pack or bottles). With the saddle at full height, bounce on the saddle while riding, stop, slide the o-ring down to the seal, sit on the bike with your feet off the pedals, then get off carefully and measure. Adjust the air pressure to suit. For the fork, start a new fork at 60psi with compression at minimum, measure sag in a balanced standing position, then recheck the rear. Set up by sag, not by a generic pressure, because weight distribution differs between bikes.
Cane Creek DB Air IL (as delivered, counted from fully open): no volume spacers, HSC fully open, LSC 6 clicks, HSR 1.5 turns, LSR 4 clicks
Cane Creek DB Air CS (as delivered, counted from fully open): no volume spacers, HSC fully open, LSC 4 clicks, HSR 1.0 turns, LSR 2 clicks
Our base settings run on the lively, fast-rebound side. Give them a couple of rides before changing anything. For other shocks, start with rebound 3 clicks from open and compression or platform switched off, as droplink doesn't need a compression circuit to pedal well. On the fork, start with high-speed compression fully open and low-speed in the middle of its range, and add a volume reducer rather than more damping if you're using full travel too easily. Don't set rebound by bouncing the bike in the street; adjust on the trail, change one thing at a time, and keep notes of a base setup you can go back to.
Download the droplink user manual (PDF)
Review
Pinkbike: reviewing the FlareMAX Gold Eagle build, Pinkbike found the suspension and geometry let you attack the trail with the conviction normally reserved for bigger bikes, and called it fun, fast, engaging and exciting. Read the Pinkbike review.
Origin
Designed, developed and tested by us in the Peak District, with Cy Turner as lead designer and engineer, and lab tested beyond ISO 4210. Gen2 frames were hand made in Taiwan by our selected framebuilder, zinc phosphate dip-coated inside and out before painting and clear-coating, then QC'd in Taiwan and again in the UK. Complete bikes were built to order in the Peak District.
Photo gallery
