Cotic bfe or similiar ?

pastey_boy

im looking to get the new cotic bfe when it becomes available as im after a hard tail that will take big forks yet have sweet handling. also my hydraulic post will slot right in. in fact all my bits from my current bike will port over. but the problem is im also a very impatient boy whos itching to get a new frame now. im after a hardtail that will handle 160mm forks ,not weigh a ton and preferably have a 31.6mm seat tube. had a good look and cant really find any alternatives. just wonder if anyone has any ideas

supersonic

Ragley MMMbop?

pastey_boy

the ragley looks a good option apart from the frame material. i wanna stay away from aluminium. to easy to dint and harsher than anne robinson. ti and steel look to be my only real options. the carbon 456 looks promising but the wait doesnt

supersonic

Steel can be harsh too! Don't assume they all feel the same.

pastey_boy

i have quite a vast experience when it comes to alu vs steel and yes some steel frames are very harsh. i started out on the the old alpinestars nickel plated tru-temper frames then had a park-pre tange prestige and had a couple of the old sunn hardtails .... revolts if my memory serves me right all had that springy whippy feel i love in a bike. had a parkpre and a muddyfox ti frame along with a pastey howler ti had giant alu and carbon hardtails a cove hand job a genesis altitude 853 and many full sussers. but now i want to get back to the simplicity of a hardtail. im quite a big bloke so i need something strong and as most off my offroad riding is confined to trailcentres i need a longish travel fork . im not far off 17 stones and i find no matter what full suss frame ive ever tried i get lots of ghost shifting and i wear shock bushes out rather quickly. the bfe looks perfect as it strong enough for me its stretched out so i can climb on it and as ive mentioned it will take all my existing bits. but was just wondering if cotic are the only ones doing such a bike

pastey_boy

the ragley ti has caught my eye but at 4 times the price of the cotic is it 4 times better ?

supersonic

In steel there is the Ragley Blue Pig too which is only slightly heavier tha the BFe. And of course the NS Surge, Evil Soveriegn, Dialled Alpine - all big hit, tough steel frames.

pastey_boy

ahhh dialled ..... was trying to remember them. just had a look basically a sovereign clone at a much nicer pricepoint. it all depends on if i want to ditch my £200 uppy downy post which i love and cherish and sleep with at night

joshtp

ragley blue pig would be a good bet, as would the evil sov although im not sure if that can handle up to 160MM? im not sure if the 456 will take 160mm but its another good bet, although its aimed more at hardcore XC/AM than freeride.

pastey_boy

im running a set of coil lyriks so i could turn them down slightly if need be but the big thing is being able to use my adjustable post that i have come to rely on. i know a couple of manufacturers are bringing 27.2 models out but they are a long way off i reckon. i could sell my post along with my current frame i suppose but i may just find myself waiting for the cotic. if the adjustable 27.2mm post comes along whilst im waiting it opens up a whole lot of choices

HandjobDan

Exactly how tough do you NEED this bike to be, as the new CEN tested Soul is pretty tough and designed with mostly the same geometry as the BFe but is lighter and available sooner, although £100 more expensive.

pastey_boy

the soul is designed for 140mm max forks. i want to be able to use my lyriks as they cost me almost £800. and as ive mentioned im nearly 17 stones in weight so it has to be pretty strong. a few months back i was running a genesis altitude with fox vanillas up front at 140mm and i got quite a bit of flex .the soul with a similiar fork would not be to different in my opinion

HandjobDan

I was watching a video where the guy who makes them said the CEN test standard is 50,000 cycles of whatever it is they do, The old sould would get to 37,000 then bust, the new one they took off the machine at 244,000 cycles after they had gone through 5 sets of forks.

I know it's from the manufacturer and they're not likely to say their product is rubbish, but if true, that's pretty tough.

I understand what your saying about the forks, but are they the best for your style and ares you are riding?

pastey_boy

i never considered a gravity dropper post over the ks cobra 900i a currently run. its 27.2 mm dia would give me a much broader range of frames to choose from. the dialled bikes alpine has caught my eye along with the ns surge as mentioned by supersonic

pastey_boy

HandjobDan wrote:

I was watching a video where the guy who makes them said the CEN test standard is 50,000 cycles of whatever it is they do, The old sould would get to 37,000 then bust, the new one they took off the machine at 244,000 cycles after they had gone through 5 sets of forks.

I know it's from the manufacturer and they're not likely to say their product is rubbish, but if true, that's pretty tough.

I understand what your saying about the forks, but are they the best for your style and ares you are riding?

the lyriks are the first fork ive felt safe with if im honest i run the with a hope moto v2 + vented disc as i pick up quite a bit of speed on the downs but i also like to climb so the lyriks are strong enough and just about light enough. ive spent a fortune on forks in the last few years and with recent price hikes im not prepared to shell out anymore unless i break them so my new frame has to take my old forks

HandjobDan

I like the BFe and was thinking about getting one to start a new HT build.

The gravity droppers are quite expensive and the mechanism is very mechanical, ie spring and pin engagement. The KS is preferred by MBUK, if you do decide to get rid I have a Santa Cruz Blur 4X I could use it on.

Have you tried a non-vented V2?, Do you know what the performance difference is? I have them but fancied the vented disc, not for size or weight or anything just the bling factor.

Northwind

HandjobDan wrote:

the mechanism is very mechanical, ie spring and pin engagement. The KS is preferred by MBUK

The basic mechanicalness of the GD is what makes it great, it's so basic it's hard to kill and easy to fix should you manage it.

KS might be good now, they're were absolute s**t till recently though, supposedly the internals have all been redesigned. My mate is hoping to get a complete ride out of his before it breaks now

pastey_boy

i just wanted to keep the brake cool as ive cooked numerous sets of pads on avid juicys and even hope mono m4,s .never had a problem with the vented v2 and they stop me on tap . from now on im gonna stick with what works as i reckon ive spent an obscene amount over the years trying to find the perfect bike .

pastey_boy

i had a massive problem with my ks post but was sorted under warranty and has been fine since. would like to know how much play a gd post has also like the idea that the cable for the remote is fixed and does not flapp about like all other posts

Northwind

pastey_boy wrote:

would like to know how much play a gd post has

A little, at full length... Have to say I'm not aware of it unless I think of it but that could just be me, I'm sure it could drive people mad if they notice it all the time. It makes a little clunk as well sometimes. When it's dropped, it's got quite a lot of play if you sit on it, but obviously you don't do that all that often. The Pure seems to be a little more stable, when it's working anyway