COTIC JEHT GEN2 XT GOLD
£5,996 custom build Has Cotic’s refreshed steel chassis ignited the Jeht?
Designed in the Peak District and made in Scotland, Cotic’s second-generation Jeht has a range of updates over the Gen1, including a revised front triangle plus tweaks to the suspension and sizing. This do-it-all full-susser features 140mm of frame travel, controlled by the brand’s ‘droplink’ suspension platform and paired with a 150mm fork. The updated bike rolls on 29in wheels and has been designed to be highly versatile, with nimble handling for tight trails and ample travel for descents, plus capability – via Cotic’s ‘Longshot’ geometry – to work well uphill.
THE FRAME
The new front triangle is constructed from Reynolds 853 steel, made in Birmingham, from recycled metal – about as environmentally-friendly as frame production can get. Cotic have redesigned the ‘Ovalform HD’ down tube to make it stiffer and stronger than the Gen1’s, without being heavier. There’s also a new brace joining the down tube and seat tube, to bolster front-end stiffness and durability.
As on the brand’s other full-sus bikes, the alloy swingarm is shipped in from Asia. It drives the rear shock via a small rocker link, which Cotic have tweaked to make the suspension more progressive. They say the Gen2 bike is more supple in its initial travel, increasing grip and comfort, before ramping up late in the stroke to give greater control on bigger hits. The 15mm main pivot rotates on large Enduro MAX bearings.
Cotic’s ‘Longshot’ geometry is thoroughly modern, with our C3-size Jeht – the middle of five – having a long 482mm reach, slack 64.5degree head angle and steep 76.2degree effective seat tube angle. They’ve lowered the bottom bracket by 6mm compared to the previous bike, and increased chainstay length to 448mm, to ensure the rear end is balanced with the longer front end.
The frame has two bottle cage mounts, and room for 2.5in tyres. Cables are routed externally for ease of maintenance. Interestingly, the brand haven’t chosen to adopt the SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger standard.
THE KIT
You can buy the Jeht as a frame only (£2,199 with shock) or as one of a range of stock builds, which can be customised with a wide choice of parts. Our Jeht was based on the Gold XT Cane Creek bike (£5,799), but with significant alterations. Kit highlights included a top-end RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork and Super Deluxe Ultimate shock, plus Hope Tech 4 V4 brakes and Fortus 30 SC wheels, shod with WTB rubber. The drivetrain was Shimano XT, BikeYoke supplied the dropper and Cotic the finishing kit.
THE RIDE
Like the previous iteration, the Gen2 Jeht is a sturdy feeling package but it
rolls up meandering climbs and handles technical challenges with calm composure. Our C3 size gave our 6ft (182cm) tester a comfortable seated position, with the top tube length providing plenty of space over the bike.
The rear end is stable when pedalling, so we rarely used the shock’s lockout lever. Even when you’re up out of the saddle, the suspension doesn’t get wayward, unless you start really mashing the pedals. Traction is good, too, with the WTB Trail Boss rear tyre hooking up well and the back end taking the sting out of rocky or rooty steps. The Jeht’s Achilles heel is steep pitches, where your weight compresses the suspension, slackening the seat tube angle. Here the lockout helps, but the Cotic is no rocket uphill.
Downhill, however, the Jeht’s afterburners are ignited. The suspension is super-smooth in its early stroke, enabling you to carry speed over stutter bumps and mid-sized roots. It stiffens a touch when you’re on the brakes, but not so much that the bike becomes too rigid on rough descents. Progressive support enables you to carry unreal speeds over mid-sized chunder, as the shock remains in its mid-stroke until you really start to pound into the terrain. The Cotic deals well with bigger hits, too, easing into its late stroke when required, but with sufficient progression that we ended up removing volume spacers to ensure we used all the travel. This also helped the bike access the final bit of travel without such a pronounced ramp-up.
The Jeht’s calm demeanour at speed is only accentuated by how quiet it is. Add in a little steel ‘magic’, and it feels effortless to ride. The geometry works, too – the long wheelbase helps you ‘point and shoot’ through the gnarliest sections, and keeps the bike straight as a die in the air. Thankfully, the brace above the BB also seems to have given the front triangle that little extra stiffness that we felt was lacking from the Gen1. Tom M
The new Jeht is a blast – highly versatile with nimble handling, and capable on the climbs, too