John’s Cotic FlareMax: An Alpenglow Build – John Watson & Spencer Harding | The Radavist | A group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors.

After the Cotic FlareMax review bike left a lasting impression on John last year, he worked out a deal with the UK-based brand for a frame. Late last year, he received a size C5 Gen5 FlareMax in Amethyst and got to work on this unique build…

Alpenglow

I’ve been wanting a shorter-travel, full-suspension bike to accompany the Murmur, my 135/160 trail bike. During my review period, I enjoyed the Gen5 FlareMax’s balanced demeanor on some of our less rowdy terrain in Santa Fe. It felt more pedally and well-rounded for everything from swoopy XC to steep mountainous trails.

For a road trip bike, the 125/140-travel FlareMax also makes a lot of sense for riding in Arizona and California, two places where I enjoy riding a shorter-travel bike. I couldn’t afford to buy the review bike I had last year, but at the end of the 2024 season, Cy offered a demo frame to me. We made a deal, and he shipped it out.

When it showed up, I immediately had an idea for its photo shoot. The color reminded me of alpenglow, or how sunlight is reflected after sunset on the faces of mountains. This happens during what photographers call the “blue hour.” The rich amethyst color would look awesome propped up in front of some purple mountains, accentuated by some silver components to mimic the beautiful silvery skies during blue hour.

This is where my mind goes as a photographer, particularly with Beautiful Bicycles galleries. I want to make you stop scrolling, even for just a second, and say, “That’s nice.” Admiring both the natural landscape and the bikes themselves is why I love environmental portraiture, too.

Last fall, I had disassembled some bikes and found myself with almost a full frame kit in spares, so I got right to it.

Purple and Silver

Curious how “silver” I could go with modern mountain bike parts, and being halfway there already with a left over silver RockShox Pike from my old Womble, limited edition PNW Components dropper, and a Vivo derailleur, I began looking in the Rad Bazaar for parts. Surprisingly, I immediately found some 175 mm Middleburn cranks and even a silver Garbaruk cluster. Thanks to those sellers for being amazing!

I overforked the FlareMax ( from 130 to 140 mm) as I did with my Murmur (from 150 to 160 mm).

My BTCHN Bullmoose bars on my Murmur were a game-changer, so I reached out to Tyler to do a purple splatter anodized finish on a set to put the purple over the edge on this build. The Chris King MTN30 AL wheels balance it out with their matte black finish.

The end product looks eerily similar to my Milwaukee Bruiser from the PiNP days!

I Have Notes

Since reviewing the bike last year and now having spent more time on the platform, I have a few notes.

Almost immediately, I noticed that the UK-made FlareMax offers a very centered riding experience. Coming from months of heavy riding on the Murmur, I felt more spread out while pedaling across town. Its 75.4º seat angle isn’t as steep as the Murmur’s 78º, so you don’t feel as over the front of the bike. The tip of saddle to grips dimension is the same on both bikes, 56 cm, but the FlareMax still “feels” longer because the steep seat angle does not push you forward. All this is due to my body’s relationship to the bottom bracket.

This translates to pedaling in undulating terrain as well, which the FlareMax feels more comfortable in. However, it’s a trade-off, and the FlareMax loses the ability to rock crawl with ease up steep switchbacks without scooching all the way forward on the nose of the saddle. On the Murmur, I don’t even have to think about this shift in body positioning.

This more even-keeled geometry feels similar to the Chumba Slackr, which is why I feel like the FlareMax is a great companion to the Murmur. I’m not afraid to ride more XC-oriented trails on the bike, but it still holds its own in the chunky stuff since I’ve overforked it to 140 mm travel on the front end.

While the Murmur’s higher bottom bracket – when running a 160 mm fork, versus a 150 mm fork – aids in the bike’s ability to plow, the FlareMax’s lower bottom bracket height requires more finesse, another reason I prefer to have it overforked as well.

Eventually, I’ll put a chainring bash guard on the bike – the FlareMax has mounts for an ISCG05 bash guard – because when doing big bunnyhops onto rocks for slab riding, I’ve smashed the chain a few times already.

Bottom Bracket Height

I was really curious how the bike would ride with 175 mm crank arms. The bottom bracket is fairly low on the FlareMax, and while rock strikes don’t bother me – they’re just something you adjust your riding for – I was looking forward to feeling like I could pedal normally and efficiently with the longer crank arms.

The FlareMax’s bottom bracket is lower than my other bikes and only manifests itself with rocky sections – I don’t mean a few rocks here or there, but rather, the trail is rocks. I’ve definitely banged my pedals a few times, mostly on new trails where a surprise doinker catches me off guard around a blind turn.

All bikes are a series of compromises. The low bottom bracket on the FlareMax makes it a rocket on high-speed descents. It is by far one of the most planted-feeling bikes I’ve owned. While it’s not as jibby, jumpy, or aloft-feeling as the Murmur, it loves to plop down any trail with swooping turns and arroyo g-outs.

For those of you who have ridden in the 50 Year trail network in the Oro Valley outside of Tucson, it is a hoot to ride in the Chutes…

I’ve compromised pedal strikes in favor of pedalability. I cannot physically run short cranks, and I struggled with Cotic’s specs of 172.5 mm cranks during the first FlareMax review. My long legs favor leverage, and shorter cranks made me feel like I was always firing on fewer cylinders. It took me a few rides to figure out what felt so “off” about the bike. Then I saw the crank arm length labeled on the inside of the arms one day and knew why.

FlareMax Feel

Unlike my single-pivot Murmur, which is a flexy-feeling bike, the FlareMax is noticeably stiffer. This is partially due to the tubing, and probably more due to the Droplink kinematic design of the bike. Swapping between the two, the difference is very notable. Yet, both bikes still lack the hollow resonance feel of carbon. The FlareMax still has the feel of steel.

The rear end of the FlareMax feels more acute and defined. It tracks through rocks and follows my lead, so to speak. The 34.9 mm seat tube also adds to frame stiffness, as do the beefy aluminum chainstays. How a bike feels is a recipe of many geometric and material ingredients.

Ultimately, the FlareMax is a more “planted” feeling, secure, and stable bike. It still jibs, and I worked on tuning the suspension to make the bike feel playful. Spencer hopped on it for a second and immediately commented how plush the fork felt. The rear Cane Creek shock deserves a review of its own, too.

I wrote a LOT about the FlareMax in my original review, so if you’re craving more, roll on over there and dive in.

Made in the UK

As I ride more bikes, I end up with more bikes, desiring certain riding characteristics for specific terrain. The Starling Murmur and Cotic FlareMax are a unique pairing, offering different qualities depending on where I want to ride. I admire what the two brands are doing, and UK builders overall seem to be pushing the metal full-suspension market in dynamic ways.

For now, I’m really into how the build came out and, most importantly, the niche the bike has filled. I had a lot of fun documenting the build and finding locales that made its personality come alive. Perhaps a byproduct of working with UK brands is how much they love our photos and their “desert vibes.” As a photographer, having a brand want to use your shots is one of the most fulfilling feelings.

Many thanks to Cy and the team from Cotic for being so stoked about our photos. And thanks for making rad bikes. The FlareMax and the Murmur cover all the bases for my favorite rides.