2026 Cotic

Rocket Trail / Gold

Cotic’s new e-bike stays true to its signature steel frame style of 21 years, and uses a wholly UK-built frame to minimise ecological impact and maximise build quality. Mounting the battery externally looks outdated, but brings a host of low-weight, high-practicality benefits too. It’s retro aesthetics and premium pricing mean it’s had a roasting in the online comments. So are the trolls right, or does it Deliveroo where it really matters – on the trail – enough to stand among the best e-bikes on the market? I, for one, wanted to find out. Cotic Rocket e-bike need to know Steel-framed trail/enduro e-bike Designed and hand-built in the UK 150mm rear suspension travel MX wheels Shimano EP801 motor with choice of external batteries (stock bike comes with 418Wh) Frameset, complete bike or custom build options starting at £6,350 Frame and geometry At first glance the plastic-encased Shimano battery pack bolted onto the slim steel down tube undoubtedly gives the Rocket a ‘retro/JustEat/DIY’ look depending on how rude you want to be. However, designer/founder Cy Turner has spent several years sweating the details of this Marmite design, through several prototypes (including a full-alloy Cotic frame with internal battery) and those efforts became clear when I got up close. The down tube is a custom Reynolds pipe with a DH-strength rating to handle the weight of the battery even on the sendiest of bike park days. The steel mount for the Shimano motor is also totally custom, saving over a kilo compared to off-the-shelf designs. The chassis is a collaboration with other UK companies to minimise environmental impact and maximise build quality. The mainframe is meticulously (the welds are truly sensational) built by Five Land up in Scotland. Coal Bikes produces the alloy chainstays in Nottinghamshire, using machined parts from Rideworks in Coventry, who also makes the linkage. Bear Frame Supplies makes the pivot bosses and axles, just down the road from Cotic in the Peak District. A bespoke offside motor cover and cable management system is 3D-printed by 76 Projects in Cambridgeshire, and used to keep the Shimano motor neat and well-protected. While the vertical shock and ‘Rocklink’ suspension look similar to the original Cotic Hemlock FS bike, the kinematics are very close to Cotic’s current Droplink range. 15mm pivot thru-axles and Enduro and SKF bearings are mostly proven pieces from previous bikes too. However, a unique floating roller bearing mount for the trunnion style shock has been added to stop side loads getting to the causing premature wear – it’s a clever bit of innovation from Cotic. Paint is applied in the UK with an à la carte custom option alongside the copper, crimson and topaz stock choices. In other words, in many ways this bike couldn’t be further away from the e-bike conversion kit jalopy some have compared it to. And you’d hope so, given the frameset, motor and battery module option cost a not-insignificant £6,350. This is artisan rather than Ali Express, even if some of the areas around …Continue reading »

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The way Cotic's founder, Cy Turner tells it, the penny dropped when he started adding up how much weight he could save with an external battery and a normal-sized steel downtube compared to the generic internal battery prototype they were previously working on.

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