Updated Mountain Bikes from Scott, Deviate, and Cotic plus New Smartwool MTB Apparel

We take a look at the updated full-suspension, steel Cotic FlareMAX trail bike and the improved high-pivot Deviate Highlander, plus a Scott eMTB that hides just about everything.
Photo: Richard Baybutt/Cotic.

Gear Watch Wednesday is a weekly update on the latest mountain bike gear releases and products that Singletracks has received for test. Have gear news to share, or products you’d like us to check out? Email [email protected].

5th generation Cotic FlareMAX

It’s hard to believe, but the Cotic FlareMAX is now in its fifth generation. The latest steel, full-suspension “downcountry” bike sees a slightly lower bottom bracket and an updated Reynolds 853 tubeset. The Cotic FlareMAX features 125mm of rear travel and is designed to work with a variety of forks with travel ranging from 120mm to 140mm.

  • Price: Frames from £1839.17 (about $2,300)
  • Buy from cotic.co.uk

Deviate Highlander II

The high-pivot Deviate Highlander sees big updates this year, starting with the addition of size small frames (previously only medium, large, and extra-large were available.) The Highlander II settles on 145mm of rear suspension travel, paired with a 160mm fork for what Deviate says is the “ultimate trail bike.”

The Deviate Highlander II is coil-shock compatible and sports a 65° head angle and 77° seat angle. A 490mm reach on size large frames is a bit longer than most, promising a stable ride feel on the trail.

  • Price: $3,600 (frame only, no shock)
  • Buy from deviatecycles.com.
Image: scott-sports.com.

Scott Patron E-enduro Bike

The Scott brand is getting very good at hiding rear shocks (and everything else) inside their frames, and that includes eMTBs like the new Scott Patron. This is a big, enduro e-bike with 160mm of rear travel and a massive 750Wh battery for self-shuttling big descents. The Lumen is Scott’s lighter weight eMTB, with the rear shock tucked inside the seat tube.

  • Price: From $6,499 complete.
  • Buy from Scott dealers.
Provided photos.

Smartwool adds new MTB apparel

Smart wool has a few new options for their mountain bike apparel line, including a long sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, and short sleeve jersey with both men’s and women’s options, various colors, and sizes.