The Berlin brand Kocmo (pronounced "Kosmo") has built up a loyal fan base over the past 30 years with unpretentious but high-quality and affordable titanium bikes. Until the war in Ukraine, frame production in Russia was an exciting background to the bikes, but the concept collapsed virtually overnight. Today, the frames come from an established supplier in the Far East; this does not affect the quality, promises Kocmo boss André Pfeil. On the contrary, delivery capability and reliability have actually improved. The Asians have also mastered certain modern production techniques better.
Kocmo Daytona RS: Sporty claim
Our Daytona RS test bike is one of the latest additions and a sporty offshoot of the Daytona-X gravel bike. The main differences to the successful model are a significantly more stretched seating position, which is still suitable for touring, and brake lines that are completely hidden in the cockpit and frame. Various eyelets for mudguards and panniers are still included, but the RS is now only compatible with electronic gears. The new model will also be updated with a bottom bracket with a T47 thread and the UDH dropout from SRAM, which fixes the rear derailleur directly to the thru-axle and does not require a special derailleur hanger. The Daytona-X is also set to receive these innovations in the near future.
With its extremely long wheelbase and balanced steering geometry, the RS brother is fantastic on the track, even at high speeds; the narrow handlebars make you feel like you're on an aero racing bike. The voluminous 45 mm tyres absorb rough passages well and the bike remains stoically on track; the frame and fork even have room for a few millimetres wider tyres. The jumps between the gears of the SRAM Eagle cassette might be too big for some gravel riders, but the gearbox still has reserves for the toughest terrain.
However, the structure shown is only an example, as is the rather high price. This is partly due to the eye-catching colouring, which is the result of an elaborate anodising process. This looks refreshingly different, but unfortunately costs up to a thousand euros extra. The customised frame option is significantly cheaper, costing just around 400 euros. No wonder that a good third of customers opt for this. Kocmo offers bike fitting at its headquarters in Stahnsdorf near Berlin; tube shapes, bumpers and bearing standards can also be customised.
Kocmo Daytona RS
- TOUR grade: 2,4
- Price: 8750 Euro
- Weight of complete wheel: 9.4 kilos
- Frame sizes: XXS, XS, S, M, ML, L, XL (test size greased)
Geometry
- Seat/top/head tube: 565/585/185 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR: 621/392 millimetres/1.58
- Stack+/Reach+/STR+: 694/581 millimetres/1.19
- Wheelbase/caster: 1060/68 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/gear shift: SRAM Force/GX Eagle AXS (1x12; 40, 10-52 t.) | Grade: 1.5
- Brakes: SRAM Force (160/160 mm) | Grade: 1.5
- Tyres: Schwalbe G-One R 45 mm (eff.: 44 mm) | Grade: 1.0
- Impellers: DT Swiss GRC 1400
- Impeller weights: 1585/2082 grams (front/rear)
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Tidy look, many sizes, inexpensive customised frame option, crash replacement
- Minus: Complex position adjustment
Jens Klötzer
Editor
