The Radavist

John here. You can buy the FlareMAX I reviewed from Cotic if you ride a C5. The price is more than reasonable for a made in the UK chassis with XT. Both Cy and myself feel it’s better that it stays in the States now, as shipping it back to the UK doesn’t make sense and is expensive.

If you’re interested, contact me at The Rad Bazaar listing and I’ll connect you to Cotic. I’ll include the Wolf Tooth B-Rad but am keeping the bottle cage! I cleaned it up real nice and it’s boxed and ready to roll.

I really really love this bike, and if money wasn’t so tight right now, I’d buy it.

Is mountain bike pedal kickback a load of rubbish…? Good question. It’s a hot topic in mountain biking, and everyone is obsessed with the idea that our feet are getting blown off the pedals. A lot of bike media will tell you that single pivot bikes are THE WORST for pedal kickback. But is it actually true? Or is pedal kickback something people are worrying about for nothing? Joe from Starling Cycles tackles it all in this informative video.

Germany-based Sour Bicycles announced its two new steel full-suspension bikes today, the Double Choc trail and Cowboy Cookie downcountry. Petor walked us through the Double Choc last month, but let’s check out the bikes below in production detail and spec…

We last looked at Quinda’s prototype Sour Bicycles full suspension at the Atlas Mountain Race. Check out her changes for the Highland Trail 550, a 550 mile (885km) ultra-endurance race through the Highlands in Scotland… Wanna know more about the Sour Bicycles full suspension prototype? Read Petor’s review and stay tuned for more on that front…

We’re not a fan of model years–especially when the updates are tiny geometry tweaks–but it’s nice to have a few new colors offered up each year by small brands. Cotic’s FlareMAX wowed John in his review and this week, the UK-made operation announced two new colors of this “Less is More” shred sled: Amethyst and Moonstone.

Cotic’s steel full-suspension bikes are something else, and next week, John will tell you why with his FlareMAX review, the little sibling to the RocketMAX. Let’s focus on this RocketMAX and its new color, Golfie Green. This stunner of a paint job is now available to order on RocketMAXs and joins Copper Orange in the color choices for the RocketMAX. These frames are made in the UK, in Scotland by the talented lads at Five Land Bikes, with every single Cotic bike built to order at our Chesterfield HQ. For sale as either frame only (from £2199 inc UK VAT) or a complete bike (from £3299 inc UK VAT) built to the spec of your choice; Your Bike Built for You, sold directly to customers worldwide. All the details on the RocketMAX can be found at Cotic.

With the bike industry awash with uncertainty over the future of brands right now Starling Cycles is committed to looking after its riders long-term, both original owners, and those that bought second-hand, offering a 7-year extended warranty…

Ever intrigued by various ways to get stuff off his back and onto his bikes, John has been using the Nook frame bag ($50) from Revelate Designs on some full-suspension bikes this spring and has a quick review for us today. These little bags are an easy way to shift goods from your back to your bike. Let’s check out more below.

The Switchblade has been one of the best-selling bikes in Arizona-based Pivot Cycles‘ lineup since the first version dropped nearly eight years ago. Utilizing a DW-Link platform, it was one of the first full-suspension bikes to incorporate Super Boost rear spacing with either 27.5+ or 29″ wheels. Its last major overhaul was back in 2020 – which saw the bike grow bigger, longer, and lighter – and today Pivot introduces the next iteration of the Switchblade with geometry and kinematic advancements they claim “sets a new bar for how a 140-150 mm travel Trail/Enduro bike should ride.” This launch also celebrates the 35th anniversary of the first bike built by Pivot’s founder/CEO Chris Cocalis back in 1989: the Sun Eagle Talon.

Josh Weinberg, who lives just up the road from Pivot HQ in Phoenix, AZ, recently spent a couple of days getting to know the new Switchblade on some of his favorite trails and, below, shares a first look at the new model and some initial ride impressions…