Cy writes....

I went to Eurobike in Germany last week, and I drove out with Dom Mason from Mason Cycles. It was great to spend some time with Dom. We rode bikes, had a few small-bike-company-owner support group meetings, but also hit upon something that struck us as both ironically funny, but very important.

You see as part of our chatter, over several hours driving the van across Europe, we both at various points bemoaned recent online shopping experiences.

Incorrect, poor quality items, and even poorer customer service from a posh brand that appears to be just a front for a box mover for Dom.

Frustration for me at the waste of time, energy and resources of constantly sending back shorts I am trying to buy, because there is not enough sizing information on the websites, and no one to ask.

We were both in full ranty-flow saying how "WE JUST WANT TO GO TO A SHOP!" when we checked ourselves and realised it was pretty funny to be saying that when we both run direct to consumer bike brands.

So why do we do it? And what makes us different?

People and Privilege

Once we drilled down into our issues with our respective problems, it came down to two big things we do differently to these volume sellers:

People - Despite being an online retailer, you can contact and either email or talk to real people, who are keen to help, knowledgeable, and actually work for the brand you're dealing with. No fobbing you off with FAQ. No "computer says no". We want to help, and we are excited to get you on one of our bikes. The right one for you.

Privilege - I guess this could also double as "respect", but as a small brand in a big pond it is genuinely our privilege to receive the trust each and every one of you puts in our brand when you make a purchase. It's a huge deal to us, because we know it's a huge deal to you. We were upset about difficult online shopping experiences involving a few tens or hundreds of pounds. You regularly trust us with thousands of pounds of your hard earned money, and we feel that responsibility every time we make a sale.

And on the odd occasion something is wrong, we are still mortified to hear about it because all the people here at Cotic will have been directly or indirectly involved in your bike, and we want to get you sorted as soon as possible.

What I am saying at the end of all this is that not all online selling is the same, and at Cotic you touch everyone with your trust in us, every time you buy a frame or bike.

So, from Darren, Hannah, Kelvin, Paul, Richard, Sam, Will and I, thank you. If you ride Cotic, you are part of the family.

Thanks

Cy Turner

Founder and Director