Cotic has given its Flare slightly more capability for 2020.
The Sheffield mountain bike brand, which is renowned for its commitment to steel tubing and thorough engineering logic, will be offering an improved version of the Flare 27.5-inch for 2020.
Cotic’s Flare 27.5-inch has always been marketed as its mid-travel trail bike, prioritising trail feedback instead of chasing pure suspension travel millimetres.
For 2020, Cotic’s engineers have managed to reconfigure the shock and release a touch more travel from the drop-link single-pivot suspension. The new Flare 27.5-inch now has 135mm of terrain absorption at the rear, balanced by a 140mm specification fork.
The increased travel, which has grown from 125- to 135mm is facilitated by a 50mm stroke Cane Creek DB Air IL rear shock, which has been superficially tuned for the Flare 27.5-inch application.
Beyond the increase in rear travel and new shock specification, all the familiar features which garner Cotic its loyal following, remain unchanged. The 2020 Flare 27.5-inch features a Reynolds 853 steel front triangle, which is linked to an aluminium rear, which in turn has sufficient tyre clearance for 2.6-inch rubber.
The Flare’s geometry chart blends a slack head angle of 66-degrees with progressive reach numbers. For reference, a size large has 490mm of reach, creating a very roomy cockpit environment, which places the rider at an ideal balance point between the front and rear axles.
Cotic is positioning its 135mm Flare at £1,999, if you are looking to purchase a frame with the Cane Creek shock. Complete builds start at £3,299 and peak at £6,599.
