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28/03/2024 - Opening Times



EASTER BANK HOLIDAY

Cotic will be closed (apart from online orders) for the Easter Weekend

Phones and email closed Friday 29th March — Monday 1st April

Showroom closed Friday 29th March and Saturday 30th March



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S41 9QG

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25/03/2024 - In Praise Of Little Bikes

In Praise Of The Little bike

Cy writes....

I have just had one of the most fun weekends' biking for ages, and whilst I'm still buzzing, I wanted to write in praise of the little bike. The mountain bike of the lighter, shorter travel variety, because I am convinced that a lot of why I loved riding my bike this weekend was due to the choice of bike.

Over the last few months, my main mountain bike has been of the shorter travel variety. At the tail end of last summer I needed to do some setup and kit testing for our downcountry style builds, so I got on a FlareMAX with some light wheels, fast tyres and shorter travel. It was a LOT of fun. Zipping along on fast rolling tyres felt like cheating, and just the shear vivacity and liveliness of the shorter travel, lighter bike made me smile.

FlareMAX short travel steel full suspension bike

As the autumn turned to winter, I got more and into rallying the little bike. I found I was seeing trails in a new light, changing up my rides a little. As the weather turned the trails sloppy and wet, my fast Wolfpack Race/Trail combo wasn't really sticking to the floor, so they got swapped out for something toothier, but still reasonable weight.

I'm going to level with you here, running Cotic at the tail end of last year was very, very hard. When your work is bikes and it's tough, riding a bike with my company name on it is sometimes the last thing I want to do.

For years my bike of choice has been a RocketMAX built pretty enduro, with big sticky tyres. Across three generations I have loved riding and racing those. But, riding something a little bit different helped up the fun factor on local trails I know well. Gave things a different feel, and as I wasn't riding much at that time, the lighter bike was flattering on the climbs rather than a chore. I even fitted a 28t front ring when I changed my chain. Sometimes you just don't want to 'man up', you just want to be looked after and have a nice time. My lightweight little bike with easy gearing did just that.

Rallying little bikes is the new enduro

Thankfully things are a little easier now, and my will to ride - and my fitness - have improved again, but the little bike has been the constant thread of encouragement and fun through it all.

I took apart my RocketMAX before Christmas and transferred all my lovely bike-industry-idiot build kit across, but kept the light wheels and tyres right where they were. I ditched the SIDs and bumped the fork up to 130mm and swapped in my favourite Cane Creek DB Air IL rear shock. I have the 4 pot Maguras off my RocketMAX on there with 38mm rise bars. It's a right mashup, still a good weight, but NOW we are rallying!

As I said, the move to the little bike has mostly been to switch things up and keep things fun on my local, but as my capacity and desire to ride has come back, so has the variety of locations I ride in. Then the doubt creeps in. The FlareMAX is my only mountain bike currently. Is it enough for everything I want to do? Will it deal with the spicier end of things? One of the luxuries of riding a RocketMAX is that you are never, ever under-biked. It's as happy zipping through some trail centre singletrack as it is at the Golfie, or uplifting on gondolas in the Alps. Wherever you are, that bike has got your back. And here is where we circle back to last weekend......

Guy Kesteven is a big fan of the little bike, and loves a FlareMAX too

Last weekend I had a bunch of old riding buddies up for visit, and we did a big ride at Wharncliffe on Saturday. Now, this is the place that helped make Steve Peat the rider he is - we actually bumped into him and Laurie Greenland on the ride - and it is mostly not for the faint hearted. It is steep, janky, technical, and on that particularly day it was very, very wet and slippery.

I don't ride there much because it's right the other side of the city, and the Peak District is much closer for me. I have also never really gelled with the riding there. It's quite a particular style of riding; technical, committing, sometimes high consequence. I like techy riding, but Wharncliffe is almost wilfully awkward in places.

I rode there a few weeks ago with a few mates on our ebikes, and despite it being lovely to be out and ride with friends, I'm not convinced I enjoyed the riding that much. The ebike made light work of the big, steep hill that Wharncliffe sits on, but wrestling 25kg of bike through those peculiarly janky, tricky, rocky trails was very high effort and not especially rewarding. Not helped by the fact I don't know the trails well enough to find those little 'unlock' moves to open them up a little. My shoulders hurt more than my legs by the end of the day!

As a result of that ride, and despite there being a few ebikes in the group this weekend, I committed to riding the little bike. And you know what? It was FLIPPING BRILLIANT! The easy pace of the big group combined with my ickle chainring meant climbs weren't too tiring, but my goodness it was brilliant on the main trails.

It was easy to make trialsy moves through the jank, a pleasure to pop up rockovers. It carried speed across the faster sections. It definitely wasn't holding me back.

In the steep stuff it was great! It might not have a 63.5deg head angle, but it's still got that lovely Longshot geometry front centre and I have my bars set pretty high. My brakes are brilliant, so riding with poise and precision down some really steep trails was no problem at all. It was just fantastic.

As I hung it up (after the worst/hardest/longest post ride clean of the winter) that evening, I involuntarily said out loud "Bloody love this bike", to no one in particular.

Now at this point Paul - if he's reading this - will be rolling his eyes and making 'told you so' noises, as he has long been an exponent of riding light, short travel bikes very fast everywhere. It taken me a while to come around to it, and it might not last forever, but for now 2024 is the year of rallying little bikes. You heard it hear first.

Want a little bike like mine? Start with a FlareMAX Trail build and spec it up as you like it. Your Bike Built For You.

I've got HUNT XC Wide wheels and run the 2.25" Wolfpack tyres for SPEEEEEED in the summer, so you could pick those to keep the weight off. For right now UK conditions the Vigi/Boss combo will work well. Closest spec to my actual bike is the Platinum build, but you don't need to go nuts unless you want to. Any of the FlareMAX bikes with fast, light wheels and tyres will be brilliant. If you have any questions on specifying your bike build, just drop me a line. Otherwise, hit the button and let's get rallying!

Order your FlareMAX today

Order your FlareMAX today

See you out on the trails. I'll be the one popping off every trail feature in sight with a silly grin on my face.

Cheers,

Cy

Founder and Director, Cotic Bikes

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11/03/2024 - The Old Ghost Road

The Old ghost road

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Neither Kelly or I have much bikepacking experience, let alone through mountains higher than anything in England and Wales and miles away from the nearest civilisation; but New Zealand is famed for it's multi-day adventures. Tramping (or Hiking if you aren't a Kiwi) is big scene there, with several routes perfect for escaping to the backcountry carrying everything you need. The Old Ghost Road is one of a few routes which are open to mountain bikes as well. 85km of singletrack, one-way, from Lyell in the Upper Buller Gorge down to Seddonville just set back from the wild West Coast. It seemed daft to visit this incredible country with our bikes and not tackle a multi-day ride.

We were fortunate enough to spend five weeks road tripping around the South Island for our slightly belated (thanks Covid) honeymoon in December and January, and while the riding hit-list was mostly bike parks and shuttle days, we were both really keen for a bit of wilderness too. It didn't take much researching to stumble across the Old Ghost Road, mostly aimed at mountain bikes, this trail was only completed in 2015 and has well stocked huts to break the journey. This meant we only needed to carry food and clothes with us, helpful for keeping the hold luggage within the airline's limits and also not loading the bikes down with too much gear. We both opted for a handlebar bag and a rucksack; Kelly on her FlareMAX and me on my RocketMAX. Yes you can go bikepacking on an enduro bike!

We tackled the ride about half way through our trip, between Christmas and New Year, so we were well settled into holiday mode and comfortable on the bikes by this point having done plenty of varied riding already. Certainly more in those two weeks since arriving in NZ than we'd managed in the 3 months before the trip! We opted to take our time, and do the ride over 3 nights, so 3 and a half days riding. Leisurely pace for sure, but it still felt like we had a challenge ahead.

I'll admit to it being a fairly restless night before the first day. The weather forecast for later in the trip was sounding pretty serious, the kind of weather that would be sort of fun to endure for a day out when you're never too far away from your car or a warm pub. Not the sort of weather to be out in the proper wilderness for the first time. But we figured we'd crack on for the first day, and we could always turn back if the second day started off dangerous. A short, and very scenic, drive from our digs to the Lyell car park and we began assembling bikes and attaching bags. As I say, we aren't experienced with bikepackers, I'd done the Sandstone Way back in 2019 and really enjoyed it, but so much has happened since then that it feels a lifetime ago. Kel has done a couple of trips with panniers on her Escapade, but never a mountain bike ride with bags and overnight stops, so we'd adopted the attitude of “let's just jump in and have a thrash about”.

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If you've ever been to New Zealand, you probably know about the Sandflies. Their bites are quite nasty and they are belligerent little buggers. Boy were they out in force in the Lyell car park! Not ideal for standing around faffing about with bag straps and bike setup, but the deet spray does work. Rental car keys nervously dropped in the safe box for the car relocation service, photos by the start arch and we set off. Immediately having to dismount to get through the gate and over the first suspension bridge. Day one was all uphill, and the dense bush made the air close and sweaty. The gradient was never steep though, and the trail is littered with interest. You'd never know it now if it wasn't for the odd scrap of rusting metal and slightly haunting old rotten boot at the side of the trail, but there was once a thriving town here. The 1860s gold rush had brought several people hoping to make a fortune to New Zealand, and the town that once stood here boasted a hotel, schools, post office and housing for several people employed at the gold mine. Once the hill had been mined of the majority of it's gold though, the mine closed and the town died almost instantly as everyone moved away in search of work. It amazed us how the native bush has almost entirely erased the evidence of settlement in a relatively short period of time.

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The nature in NZ was one of our highlights of the whole trip in general, and the Weka became instant favourites. A cheeky, flightless bird about the size of a chicken, they are very inquisitive and will steal anything that vaguely resembles food the minute you turn your back. They know when you are watching them! While we sat and ate lunch, a particularly brave one tried to untie my shoelace.

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Mentally we had prepared for a difficult day of climbing, but as we pulled up to Lyell Saddle Hut neither of us felt too tired, sore or demoralised. We were definitely glad to see the hut, but we arrived early enough to get settled in and soak up the incredible views. These kinds of hills in the UK have all been clear felled years ago for farming or shooting, so to see hills absolutely covered in dense trees was quite a difference to the usual views. Quiet too, other than our wooden hut and the slither of singletrack we'd been riding, there is no evidence of people at all. Drinking in the views in the evening light with Kaka, a native and increasingly rare parrot, flying past squawking overhead made a lovely relaxing end to a day.

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On the morning of day two we awoke to the sound of rain on the roof, the forecast had been accurate. However we were relieved to see it didn't seem anywhere near as heavy or as windy as predicted, so we decided to layer up and crack on. The first part of the day was more climbing, and the gradient kicked up a notch or two making it hard to tell if the not particularly breathable waterproofs were helping or hindering. As we eventually emerged out of the tree line and onto open hillside, we realised how sheltered we'd been in the bush. It wasn't dangerously windy though so we pressed on to the top shelter. A basic shed providing respite from the elements. This whole next section of trail was littered with features, views, exposure and more. However we experienced almost none of it! Visibility was about 4 bike lengths at best, so we'd climbed for a day and half for no views at all! Frustrating, but there was an eerie vibe and definite sense of being out in the wild that was pretty special. We began to descend as rivers ran down the trail and visibility worsened further. Ghost Lake Hut was a welcome sight for a lunch break. Kettle on and a tactical base layer change to something dry was a reviver.

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The section that followed was the gnarliest of the whole ride; Skyline Ridge. A good sprinkling of spice immediately after Ghost Lake Hut, before a difficult switchback climb with some tricky steps took us sharply uphill and into even thicker fog. Up until this point the riding on the Old Ghost Road had been fairly safe; fun singletrack, but nothing too hectic. Skyline Ridge was a sudden change of pace. Tight, steep and rocky with no margin for error and some seriously sharp hairpins. I suspect the exposure would have added an even harder dimension had we had any visibility beyond the edge of the trail too! I was managing to keep it together despite rain, gnar, fog and more bags than I'd like to have been carrying in such technical terrain, until I clipped my hand on the exposed bedrock at the side of the trail. It properly shook me, wobbling the bars and forcing me to stop right before a particularly narrow and committed rock garden. Toys came very close to leaving the pram, and I walked that next part with my tail somewhat between my legs. Discretion is the better part of valour, but I will admit to feeling a little frustrated having cleaned the rest of the ridge in the very challenging conditions.

The next section however was never going to be ridden. As the ridgeline comes to an abrupt end, the only way off the hill is down the Skyline Steps. 60 vertical metres of uneven, unrideable wooden steps through dense bush. I opted to hoist the bike onto the back wheel ahead of me, and cover the rear brake as it bumped down each step. Kel went for a bike at the side approach. Neither was easy, and descending the stairs required more concentration than we expected. Rain continued to pour.

Once we'd reached the bottom, after what felt like much longer than it actually took, we saw evidence of a new section of trail under construction which will bypass the steps and be rideable all the way. The day's poor weather, my 90% success rate at riding the Skyline Ridge and this new section of trail were all combining to suggest we'd have to come back to the Old Ghost Road again at some point to settle unfinished business.

While on the one hand I'd like to return to settle some scores, I would also very much like to go back to repeat the section which followed again. It was probably the highlight of the entire route. The roughly 10km of trail which followed the Skyline Steps was simply sublime. A few cranks to get moving and the flow kept coming in gallons, despite the equal amounts of surface water. Never too technical, never dull, the singletrack went on and on and on. We carved, flicked, flowed and giggled for what felt like forever. After each switchback corner there came yet more inviting trail through achingly pretty forest, it felt like it would never end. When it eventually did, we'd reached our hut for the night; just tired enough and ready to get dry, but with uncontainable grins following one of the longest and most fun descents either of us had ever enjoyed.

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We entered Stern Valley Hut to find the log burner roaring and some cheery walkers drying their gear. A very welcome sight, as I don't think I've ever had a wetter day on a bike. Dry clothes on and all the wet kit hung up, we tucked into another surprisingly tasty dehydrated meal and supped a warming miniature bottle each. A tiny Whisky for me and a Port for Kel. Well earned. Each hut sleeps around a dozen or so people, and we whiled away the evening chatting with everyone, a varied group ranging from seasoned solo travellers to a young lad of 8 who was hiking the route with his mum, putting us all in our place! What was really refreshing was everyone's interest and understanding of our different methods of transport and ways to enjoy the wilderness. No conflict between walkers and bikers here, just a healthy mutual respect and shared appreciation for what a few days in such a remote and beautiful place does for you. I've met plenty of so called 'outdoor enthusiasts' who could take a lesson from not just this group, but from Kiwi's in general.

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As with the previous night, we were sound asleep before 10pm, and slept like logs! The walkers had got up with the larks as they were in for a long day. From the profile of the route for the day ahead we knew we'd cover the distance fairly quickly, so had a more leisurely start and made the most of the morning sun. Loaded up again, we set off to steadily climb on pretty singletrack, grateful to have swapped waterproofs for sunglasses. It wasn't long before we reached the ominously named 'Boneyard', a switchback climb through a recently created eerie landscape brought into existence by seismic activity just a few years ago. The landscape in the UK simply doesn't change that quickly, and this was one of a few instances in our NZ trip we came across landscapes which had had such a significant and recent natural alteration. Quite a hard thing to grasp given the scale as well, I wouldn't have wanted to be in that valley when it happened, let alone pedalling slowly up the side of it! A warning sign indicated the risk was still very real; “No stopping or lingering for the next 1km” which happened to also be a pretty stiff climb with no shelter from the increasingly warm sun.

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We stopped to admire the view once we'd passed that kilometre, it was very nice to see some hills after the previous day's grey-out, and a great sense of just how far from civilisation we were. The climb re-entered the trees and their shade was welcome, and it wasn't long until we hit Solemn Saddle and left the valley for the next one. What followed was another awesome, long descent littered with tight turns, water splashes and flowing, grippy singletrack. This eventually dropped us alongside the south branch of the Mokihinui River, which after the previous day's constant rain was in full spectacular flow. After crossing a large suspension bridge the trail followed the river through yet more, slightly different, forested scenery for several beautiful kilometres. Mostly flat, but slightly downhill meaning we could enjoy the sun rays beaming through the canopy. Very pleasant indeed.

The North and South branches of the Mokihinui meet at the appropriately named Mokihinui Forks, if we thought the South branch was lively, the forks were absolutely raging. Really spectacular stuff, some of the biggest rapids I've ever seen. It wasn't long until we rolled into the last hut of the trip, Specimen Point. This place was stunning and the large decking, despite being covered in everyone's drying clothes, had some incredible panoramic views over the river; which didn't appear to drop in level for several hours. I braved the Sandflies for a swift rinse in the lo-fi bush shower, a simple wooden shed with no roof and a bucket to fill. It would have been refreshing, but as we'd lost altitude and gotten closer to the river, the flies were out in force which meant funky dance moves and a very quick shower!

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We caught up with the same people we'd shared the hut with the previous night, we'd gradually overtaken the walkers throughout the day, as the flatter gradient after meeting the river meant we covered ground much faster than their increasingly tired legs could. We spent another lovely evening discussing the day and occasionally zoning out to stare at the views. It was another early night, with talk of more rain to come from those who had walked out from the Seddonville end that day, and had seen more recent forecasts than we had.

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Lo and behold, we awoke to the sound of more West Coast weather on the hut roof. It was warm though, and with only half a day's ride ahead of us we opted for just waterproof jackets rather than overtrousers as well. We regretted this minutes after setting off, as water flowed down the trail and sprayed back up at us by the gallon. Too late, we were already soaked but thankfully not cold. This section of trail clung to the steep sides of the valley with several suspension bridges and some pretty exposed parts. A few techy bits kept us on our toes, and the stream crossings were pretty sketchy with the amount of water around. The final sting in the tail was a 400m section marked 'steep climb' just as we neared the last couple of kilometres. Despite tired legs I wasn't letting this one get away, and the sign wasn't lying! A few minutes staring at my stem cap and it was done, all downhill to the finish line. Even the very last few hundred yards stayed true to the Old Ghost Road's habits of constantly changing scenery, we passed through different, younger trees on wriggly singletrack and suddenly burst into the car park and over the line.

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Sensibly, we had booked into the Rough & Tumble Bush Lodge for the night, a touch of luxury which we very much enjoyed. The best shower of my life, one of the best pizzas of my life, a couple local beers and both asleep by 10pm on New Year's Eve! Rock n Roll. The family of the young lad and his mum had met them at the end of the trail, and were surprised to see them complete the trail on time. Not because of little legs, but because of the amber weather warning for rain which had been given out while we were all out in the mountains! That definitely added to the sense of accomplishment.

While planning for the Old Ghost Road, I had wondered if maybe we were taking our time with it a bit, should we have planned to do it over two nights rather than three? While we could have managed it in two, I'm glad we opted to take it at a more chilled pace. The weather was definitely an added challenge, and given our lack of riding over the few months before the trip, taking our time a bit meant we never had to dig too deep or fight the clock. It was a holiday after all, and bike rides should be fun whether they last an hour or several days!

Escaping the world for the wilderness was a real tonic. It felt very refreshing and reinvigorating as well as being heaps of fun. A holiday within a holiday, good for the soul.

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Chatting with other riders who had done the Old Ghost Road before, lots of them had done it more than once, some more than twice. With so many routes and riding potential in the country, I'd wondered why they'd done it several times. It's only been open a few years, so they can't have left it too long before repeating it. Having done it though, I can totally see why. The constantly evolving views must be different every time and in every season. Even if we'd had the amazing views and perfect weather, I would be well up for doing it again; but given the fact we missed out on the 'top of the world' feeling, spine tingling exposure and I didn't quite clean all of Skyline Ridge, I absolutely have to back for another go.

The huts were all great, the people so friendly, the trail well maintained and the landscape simply breathtaking. If you find yourself in the Southern Hemisphere, get yourself to the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island and ride the Old Ghost Road.

We are already looking for similar adventures closer to home for the summer, any suggestions?

Happy trails,

Sam.

Panorama
Panorama

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27/02/2024 - New Solaris photos

New European built Solaris

Solaris

The first of our European built Solaris frames have now been assembled into bikes at Cotic HQ in Chesterfield and dispatched to our most patient customers. Those of you that held fast and waited for these... we can only thank you. For those still thinking about getting on board... we've taken some fresh studio photos so you can get a closer look...

Solaris in EmberSolaris in Forest

More frames arrive in March... but don't wait, some options are already sold though completely, and other options are running low. This is especially true for options for taller riders... if you've after a C5 (our largest size), get your order in as soon as possible to avoid missing out.

Solaris in EmberSolaris in EmberSolaris in EmberSolaris in EmberSolaris in EmberSolaris in Ember
New European built Solaris

See more Solaris photos in the gallery…

Reserve your Solaris bike now…

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21/02/2024 - Cotic Says No To Titanium

Cotic Says No To Titanium

This one came out of a conversation I had with a very good Cotic customer last week when he dropped by the showroom. This guy has bought a few Cotic's (for which we are very grateful!) and had bought a couple of used examples of the recent titanium frames we have done; the SodaMAX and the Tonic. Over a coffee he was asking me if we had plans for a ti Cascade, and my answer took me by surprise!

Ti frames - shiny but harmful

I think what surprised me wasn't that I said "no, we're not doing a ti Cascade", but the reasons I gave. I have come to realise a lot of why we aren't doing titanium anymore isn't commercial, or quality assurance (although both are issues), it's that it doesn't sit well with Cotic anymore.

We've always used steel because we love the fact you can build really durable, long lasting frames out of them. Before we even did a Sustainability Statement for the business, we intuitively knew and liked the way our bikes aren't "disposable", which had to be better for our planet.

Once we realised - through the great work of Reynolds and Trek's sustainability reports - that steel is the lowest impact material you can make a bike out of, it all clicked. Add to this the fact that as offroad cyclists we are very aware of our surroundings and the changing climate, it left us wanting to run Cotic in a way that consistently strives to lower our environmental impact.

Steel has three key attributes which help us keep our impact low:

If you're interested, our Reduced Impact Statement is over on the website.

Cotic Reduced Impact Statement here

Cotic Cascade - Awesome steeliness

But when you consider titanium, it misses two of steel's big attributes, and is marginal on the third.

As an aside, it's worth noting carbon fibre is:

Titanium might not be quite a dirty as carbon fibre, but it is a very high environmental impact material. As a result, it simply doesn't fit with what we want a Cotic to be anymore.

The lowest impact frame we make: The Escapade UK 853 uses a majority of UK sourced tubing, and its built and painted close to Cotic. Minimising supply distances is another key to reducing impact.

It you have a titanium Cotic, we're not berating you though! Hey, we had them made and sold it to you in the first place! But we've learnt a little more now, and decided that it's not for us anymore. The best thing you can do to minimise its impact - now we have built it and you have it - is to use it as much as possible for as long as possible. They are lovely things that will last years and years.

Ultimately we won't make another titanium frame - or stainless steel as it leaves a similarly large dent in our planet too - but we will continue to make amazing, beautiful, tough, long lasting steel bikes you can love for ages.

Get your lovely low impact Cotic here

I know lots of my riding buddies who take the view that "it's just one bike, what's the harm?", but it's one of tens or hundreds of thousands of carbon or titanium bikes and parts that are made. If people didn't buy them, brands wouldn't make them. But by the same token, I think brands are being disingenuous to hide behind "it's what people want". Sometimes you have to do what you believe is right and take the lead.

We're not perfect, and I know we have a carbon fork on the Escapade, but we're trying to be better every time we make a decision. As we continue to learn and develop as a company, we will continue to work towards building the best bikes with the lowest impact.

Thanks

Cy Turner

Founder and Director


Shop your lovely low impact Cotic…


08/02/2024 - Kelly Film

Kelly


07/02/2024 - New built in Britain steel gravel bike - Cotic Escapade UK 853

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NEW UK BUILT STEEL GRAVEL BIKE

Escapade UK 853, reynolds 853, lifestyle, gravel, road, cycling, mountain biking, bikes, steel bicycle

NEW UK BUILT STEEL GRAVEL BIKE

Escapade UK 853, reynolds 853, lifestyle, gravel, road, cycling, mountain biking, bikes, steel bicycle

Escapade UK 853 - STEEL GRAVEL MADE IN BRITAIN

Just launched! Our Escapade UK 853 limited edition gravel frame is manufactured and painted in very small batches, right here in the UK. As well as the fetching matte Cirrus colour scheme shown above, our small batch UK production allows for an "A La Carte Colour" option (for an additional £150), which allows you to pick two colours from the palette of Cotic colours shown below.

You can choose the base colour and the colour for the logos. This allows for 100 different colour schemes, all available in either matte or gloss finish. Your dream bike in your own colour scheme using your favourite Cotic colours...

Army GreenArmy Green (RAL 6003)

BlackBlack (RAL 9005)

EmberEmber (RAL 2011)

ForestForest (RAL 6004)

Light MetalLight Metal (RAL 9006)

MetalMetal (RAL 9023)

Navy BlueNavy Blue (RAL 5011)

Sunny YellowSunny Yellow (RAL 1028)

TealTeal (RAL 5021)

WhiteWhite (RAL 9003)


Escapade UK 853 product page…


07/02/2024 - Cotic CC Beat the Winter Blues Ride Report 2024

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Beat the Winter Blues

Beat the Blues 2024

A couple of weeks back we held one of our favourite Cotic CC rides, the annual Beat the Winter Blues Ride.

Now a firm fixture in our calendar, and one of the best attended owner's rides of the year, the 2024 edition was a great day out on the bikes.

It was also one of the warmest yet. We normally have to fight through snow at least once on this ride, but this year the jackets were taken off pretty much as soon as we left the car park. Assembling at the Traveller's Rest pub just outside Hope in the Peak District, Cy almost had a tear in his eye seeing so many eager Cotic owners chomping to ride.

There was a great mix of bikes from Souls to RocketMAXs, with plenty of familiar faces and some new friends too. We span up the quiet lanes and disused railways to the Ladybower Dam, before beginning the long and technical climb up to Whinstonlee Tor. It starts with a punch; loose and steep, but fairly soon the gradient eases with lots of fun line choice if you want it. Big views are over the reservoirs are well earned, and we had lots of height to loose.

The descent we rode from this point is usually done the other way round as a climb, as it has quite a few gates. With a squad of us Cotic staff on hand though, we dropped in ahead of the group to hold the gates open. It makes for a screaming descent; deep ruts and surprise drop offs in the first section, flat out with tonnes of lines in the middle before techy bedrock sections and a scary flagstones finish. It was awesome!

Beat the Blues 2024Beat the Blues 2024

Next up we cruised round the water's edge and climbed up a steady fire road to a classic Peaks descent, Hagg Berms. Paul and I hadn't clocked that Cy had already dropped in to get the gate part way down, so we dropped in with the intension of doing some gate duty, but got a surprise full run down! It's a trail of two halves as you can rail the corners up top with minimal braking, but the lower section gets seriously loose and scary with the speed you carry in. Despite a loud clang from my rear wheel, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one, we all got down without damage and grinning like idiots.

We then climbed up a fairly steep and sometimes technical bridleway through gorgeous woodland, up to the Hope Cross. At this point the group split, with some riders razzing down the Roman Road back to Hope, and others opting for a lap of The Beast, one of the best descents in the Peak District. It's a classic trail which is great at this time of year as it is mostly on big lumps of grippy gritstone bedrock. It's fast and rough with some great line options. However this did mean we had to climb up again to get home!

Right at the bottom of the climb, local lad Chris's Jeht picked up a huge stick and smashed his mech hanger off. I hung back to assist, with the added benefit of a good rest before the appropriately named Sh*t B*stard climb! A fresh Syntace bolt in there and it was all fixed. With heart rates lowered, we cruised up for the final descent.

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Right at the bottom of the climb, local lad Chris's Jeht picked up a huge stick and smashed his mech hanger off. I hung back to assist, with the added benefit of a good rest before the appropriately named Sh*t B*stard climb! A fresh Syntace bolt in there and it was all fixed. With heart rates lowered, we cruised up for the final descent.

It was a bit of a breezy run down the Aston bridleway, but the last section once you're off the open hillside is scary fast, especially with some more well placed Cotic staff to hold those gates open!

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Pints and chatter in the pub after a winter ride is always nice, and this year we had the added bonus of not needing to thaw out quite as much.

We're keen to do more Cotic CC things this year, and would love your suggestions for where to host some rides. Pretty much anywhere in the UK is on the cards once spring and summer get going, so please get in touch. Uplift days, short rides, long rides, gravel rides, MTB rides; we're up for it all.

Big thanks to everyone who joined us on the Beat the Blues ride this year, if you like the sound of a day out with us and bunch of other like minded Cotic owners, get in touch to discuss your new Cotic.

Remember, if you own a Cotic, you're in the club.


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