[Closed] Rocket or Bandit or Mega TR

Id love a Cotic Rocket, and would be great for all that stuff. I think you can build them up 30lbs no probs, and capable on big terrain.

Other than that orange 5,(leftfield choices - BMC trailfox, Morewood Sukuma, Labyrinth agile)?

Cheers Rob, some moe choices there. I do love that Cotic though.

Just to add, I have a set of 150mm revs and a 31.6 dropper, so a frame that would use these would be great.

I ride a genesis Grapil, which has revs at 140mm also 31.6 seatpost..great bike, use it for everything. can fit a longer shock on the back too if you need to.
however if your set on a rocket, go for it!

I have a Bandit 26 and think its great. It has a really fun character to it, you'll want to pop off every root or rock in sight. It also pedals very well too. I never turn on the pro pedal and leave it fully open all the time. I bought a frame only and got the BOS Vip'r shock upgrade for only £50 extra.

Its a pretty strong frame too so I'm more than comfortable taking down DH tracks knowing I'll break before the bike does. Its designed around a 140mm fork but still feels fine with 150mm. I have U-turn revs and accidentally left them at 150mm for a ride and I was surprised how well it still climbed with the slacker head angle.

Transition UK have a demo fleet that they can send round to dealers so give your local dealer a shout see if they can get a demo in for you.

Bandits looks great, other end of the spectrum, how about a commencal meta AM/SX?? Id love an SX to go with my other bike.

I don't think your comparison is entirely consistent. It should be Cotic Rocket vs Transition Covert vs Nukeproof Mega.

And then to be really penicity, and at the risk of opening a whole can of worms, I would class these bikes as All-Mountian bikes, which to me are Trail bikes, but burlier with a greater slant towards downhill ability with longer travel at the expense of weight and climbing performance.

I have a Covert 29 and it is a great bike and ticks all the All-Mountin boxes - but i'm sure the other two do also. I wanted a Rocket originally, but went for the Covert when it became obvious Cy wasn't going to come up with a Rocket 29 any time soon. No regrets though - its a brilliant bike.

I have a Rocket and love it.

It was ace chucking it down rocky stuff in the Sierra Nevadas and it was pretty quick round a lap of Mayhem this year which I think counts as versatile. On steep, techy climbs it's pretty ace and it was fine on the long climbs to get to the top of the rocky stuff in Spain 🙂

Oh, and it's just good fun.

( I should caveat all this with 'My other bike is a Soul' 🙂

wobbliscott - Member

I don't think your comparison is entirely consistent. It should be Cotic Rocket vs Transition Covert vs Nukeproof Mega.

And then to be really penicity, and at the risk of opening a whole can of worms, I would class these bikes as All-Mountian bikes, which to me are Trail bikes, but burlier with a greater slant towards downhill ability with longer travel at the expense of weight and climbing performance.

I have a Covert 29 and it is a great bike and ticks all the All-Mountin boxes - but i'm sure the other two do also. I wanted a Rocket originally, but went for the Covert when it became obvious Cy wasn't going to come up with a Rocket 29 any time soon. No regrets though - its a brilliant bike.

Agreed, although I narrowed my choices not just on what pigeon hole they fit into due to spec/travel etc, but how they perform, and what they'd be best for. The rocket has the uphill ability of the other 2 on my list from what I can make out, despite the difference in spec. It's also designed, built and tested in the sort of areas I want to ride in which counts for a bit. I guess on paper your 3 choices are more comparable though.

Or PocketRocket vs Bandit vs Mega TR. If you want it soon I think you might find availability might well determine what you can get - Rocket out of stock, PocketRocket not yet out, Bandit stocks low I think.

Don't discout the Covert on climbing ability. It'd be every bit as good as the Rocket. Zero bob and climbs well despite its burlier weight (mines comes in a 33lb's, probably a tad under now since i've gone 1x10). Out of all these, the Bandit would/should easily out-climb them all, but that's what its desinged for moreso. I have no problems hauling the Covert up hill and on a number of occsions on steep technical climbs i've remained on the bike long after my riding buddies have stopped and are pushing. A definate all-rounder, at least as much as the others. The only downside i'd say is a tendancy for the front end to become a bit vague and light or bob up when it gets really, really steep, but i've got used to that now and its not a problem, and actually its quite helpful to get over big obsticles on steep technical climbs. But either way they're all good. There is no wrong choice.

Hi
I have a Rocket and a 29er Bandit and I love them both.
At the minute riding the Bandit more but not for any particular reason.
The Rocket is a lot of bike if you know what I mean and I save it for "big" rides-lakes, Wales etc whereas I use the bandit for more general stuff.
The Rocket is long low and slack and weighs a little more at 31lb. The bandit is 29lb with a similar build.
If I could only have one of them I would chose the bandit as I prefer it on everyday stuff
Cheers
Steve

Iv'e got a 2012 Mega with 150 Rev's (takes a 31.6 seatpost) and all the other bits I took off a 2010 Five. Although the Mega frame is 1 lb heavier than the Five, its worth it, as it feels far stiffer and I think handles better too. And it still came in under 30 lb's.

+1 Bandit - Super fun bike and takes everything you want to do. Stick a 150mm fork upfront and its a win win. Had one a while back and there is one on ebay with same kinda setup which I'm watching atm - Fingers crossed 🙂

Rocket, in green. I'm not really qualified to give an in depth review or comparison as it' s only my 2nd full suss and the first was an old 2007 I drive. But I really love mine, I just wish it was green.

Is this the new Rocket your waiting for? It seems all these bikes are either non existant or sold out

Canyon strive

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm siding towards a bandit, as I think it will suit the majority of riding I do very well, and be 'ok' for the sort riding I do once or twice a year.

Any idea on a Bandits head angle with a 150mm fork? I like my bikes a little slack.

I've got the Mega TR and I'm loving it, 67 ha with a 150 fork, 13.2 bb, long wheelbase, shortish chain stays, stiff as you like and fast as f%*k. I highly recommend it and I haven't even got it properly set up yet.

I've just purchased a Bandit frame and have almost completed my build.

I dropped the guys at Transition an email about fitting 150mm forks as this was their reply:

"A 150 is no problem...we've got a few guys that have messed with it. I don't have the exact geo numbers, but it's going to be "about" .5 degree slacker HA and SA with maybe a .15" taller BB. The reach is going to shrink slightly, but the ETT should remain the same. All in all, I think it's a good setup and wont void your warranty."

So probably around a 67.5 head angle with 150mm. I got some 150 FIT Float's on mine. Can't wait to finish the build and get it out on the trails.

fatgit - Member

Hi
I have a Rocket and a 29er Bandit and I love them both.
At the minute riding the Bandit more but not for any particular reason.
[b]The Rocket is a lot of bike[/b] if you know what I mean and I save it for "big" rides-lakes, Wales etc whereas I use the bandit for more general stuff.
The Rocket is long low and slack and weighs a little more at 31lb. The bandit is 29lb with a similar build.
If I could only have one of them I would chose the bandit as I prefer it on everyday stuff
Cheers
Steve

Hmm... Do you think the rocket is 'too much' for a do everything bike then? I've pretty much decided on getting a rocket, I come from racing motocross and while I'm not aiming to be doing downhill or any crazy stuff I've a feeling I'd probably be hard on a bike on a trail and would be jumping (or popping) of whatever I could for fun.

Not on your list, but what about a Banshee Spitfire?

I've recently got a Rune V2 and it's turned me into a bit of a fan boi! The KS suspension is great; it pedels well but remains plush on the bigger hits. My Rune climbs surprisingly well for a 160mm travel, 33lb bike.

Banshee bikes are definitely at the slacker end of the spectrum and have adjustable head angles and can can 650b wheels if you want try they. The other selling point for me is that they are a bit different.

Do you think the rocket is 'too much' for a do everything bike then?

I use it as my do everything bike and it seems fine to me, probably depends on what you mean by everything 🙂

Hi
The Rocket would do everything if you want it to.
I have the benefit of having others and out of what I have I would choose the Bandit if I could only have one.
The Rocket is fantastic its just that I'm not!!!
In that way it's too much for most of my riding whereas the Bandit feels a little more at home on mundane stuff-in my opinion!
Cheers
Steve

Slight hijack here but can someone explain the term "too much bike for me" I see it used quite a lot on here but I always tout it was the same as "over biked" but not sure now. Cheers

This is the riding you actually do:
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But this is how you see yourself riding in your head:
[img] [/img]

😉

Dunno, can only imagine it means the same as over biked?

Overbiked means wont fit on or in the audi

too much bike is the girl in the pub you know is a man eater but would love to ride

Slight distinction in my mind is rider versus terrain i.e. if Steve Peat rode his DH bike on a tow path he'd be over biked but it certainly wouldn't be too much bike for him as on DH trails he's got the skill to take the bike to its limit.

I just fitted 150 mm marzocchi 55 cr to my bandit feels awesomer

Yeah the Bandit feels pretty good with a 150mm fork. I have a U-turn Rev and wound it out to 150mm when I rode the downhill tracks at Aston Hill. Forgot to wind them back to 140mm for my normal xc rides around Woburn and it felt fine. It was only half way round the ride I noticed.

I wonder what the max recommended fork length is?

Looks like Cotic are set to restock the Rocket and to release the Pocket Rocket into world that has gone 650b

I have not seen any of the major manafactures release one new 26 inch bike this year. Every manafacture will have either 29er or 650b models only next year .

Well I hope some of them take note that some folk still want to ride 26. Failing that just buy a 650b frame and stick 26 wheels on.