We are open at Cotic HQ Saturday 11th October.

Test ride any of our bikes, browse the showroom

To book on, email demo@cotic.co.uk or call 07970 853531.

Just fancy dropping in for a brew and a browse? The showroom will be open from 9:30 - 16:00 with our full range of bikes to check out.

Hopefully we'll see you there.

Cheers,

Cy

It's official! The Cotic Rocket ebike is a production reality. After shipping the first frames/drive system packages to customers last week, this morning we had a very special Factory Collection: Gwyn collected is Rocket. It's the first customer bike to be handed over, and it's so exciting. It was an absolute pleasure to set the bike up for him.

Gwyn's bike is Crimson Matte, a Gold Trail build with the 150mm fork, and he sent in some Chromag bars and stem and SDG saddle and grips for us to fit. He upgraded his cranks to 5Dev 155mm to grab a touch more clearance. The Rocket is already designed around 160mm, but as this is our C1 (smallest) size, he wanted something a little shorter. Very nice they are too!

Rocket's are now in production, and we have a handful of frames ready made, waiting for paint. Why waiting for paint? Because every single Rocket is A La Carte of course! Your choice of colour included in the price. If it's not in stock, manufacturing time is about 8 weeks right now.

Frame/drive system to build up yourself from your parts start at £5,999. Bronze build bikes start from £7,599.

Order yours : Order Your Rocket

Its almost that time of year again, Ard Rock 2025 is just around the corner.

Join us at the biggest and best MTB event of the year in the Yorkshire Dales Friday 25th - Sunday 27th July.

Demo Bikes at Ard Rock.

We'll have our demo fleet on hand for you to test ride. There are two dedicated demo stages, perfect for showcasing what our mountain bikes can do on proper trails. You can only ride these trails one weekend a year, why not ride them on a fantastic steel bike??

You don't need to have an entry to any of the races to attend Ard Rock, if you want to come to demo a bike and check out the massive expo area, you can park for the day. There is also delicious food, craft beers, live music and many heckling opportunities trackside.

Demo bikes are available from 9:30 - 16:00 all three days from the Cotic stand.

If you'd like to test ride a bike at Ard Rock, email demo@cotic.co.uk or call us on 07970 853531 to book on.

Test riding a Cotic is totally free, you just need to bring your preferred pedals and leave some photo ID and a credit card or car key with us.

Ard Rock CC Ride - Friday 25th July.

Already have a Cotic? Join us for a ride at the best MTB Festival!

CC MTB ride from the Cotic stand on Friday 25th July. We absolutely love the riding in Swaledale, and the annual Ard Rock CC Ride is always a highlight of the summer. Wheels rolling at 18:30.

As always the pace will be sociable, we'll adjust the route according to conditions on the day, but you can expect some great local singletrack, technical sections, speed and some challenging climbs. We'll ride for around 2 hours then head back to the stand for beer. Any Cotic MTB will be spot on for the ride

Drop us a quick email to demo@cotic.co.uk to let us know you're coming, or if you have any questions about the ride.

Fair warning now, pump your tyres up harder than you would for riding in the woods! Swaledale is notorious for punctures.

Hopefully we'll see you at Ard Rock, please do drop by our stand over the weekend to say hello if you'll be there.

Here's hoping for a nice dry one!

Sam.

Logan at bikepacking.com has just published his long term review of our latest BFe hardtail, and it's a belter!

It's a wonderfully detailed review, so grab a brew and see what he has to say.

He has ridden everything from technical singletrack to doing a "bikefishing" trip loaded up with rods and sleeping kit and beer!

Nicest of all for us is that is really liked it, saying the "tubeset feels sublime" and has "Superb geometry".

Logan has form with our bikes. He liked the SolarisMAX he tested in 2020 so much he bought it! Whilst steel hardtails are clearly his jam, he has tested a bunch of other brands bikes that purport to do things similar to Cotic, and from what he has written here, he is a bigger fan of the way Cotic do it that the others.

I also love that he can see the value in our heritage, and how long we have been developing and refining our bikes. Mainly I am so happy that his defining conclusion here is that despite it's 'Burly Iron' tag, the ride feel of the BFe is what really impressed him. It's always about the ride feel with Cotic. Accept no substitutes!

If you like what you read, then we have stock of all sizes ready to go right now. And if the BFe is a little bit much bike for your riding needs, the Solaris will be perfect.

Frames can with with you within a couple of days. Bikes are about a week depending on spec.

BFe Details here

These days we have a pretty extensive range of bikes to choose from, but with choice sometimes comes doubt, especially if you are new to Cotic and not too sure where your riding might best fit with our range of bikes. To help you out, we have designed a short quiz to find out a bit about you and your riding, and once we know that, we email you a personalised recommendation for which Cotic bikes will be perfect for you.

It's easy, quick and a bit of fun. Let's start the conversation!

Sometimes it doesn't always go to plan. Darren and I set off with hours in hand to get down to Surrey for last week's demo trip. The idea was to get checked into the hotel in plenty of time, grab a bite to eat, kit up and head over to Peaslake with spare time for the usual car park faff. However the M1 and M25 conspired against us. Barely 30 minutes down the road from Chesterfield we hit traffic, and what should have been a 3.5 hour drive turned into a 7 hour mission through crawling Friday traffic.

We arrived mere minutes before we'd planned to hit the trails, to an eager group of Cotic owners in the sweltering Peaslake car park, keen for a Cotic CC ride. There is nothing like a bike ride to take all your troubles away though, and as soon as we began spinning through the village and up the first climb, we'd all but forgotten our full day behind the wheel.

The UK has been experiencing its driest spring for decades, and while it feels like droughts and hose pipe bans may be featuring in our near future, it has meant even worst draining trails are buff dry and rolling fast. Most of the group had very little experience of the trails around Peaslake, so we hit a classic first. Yoghurt Pots is notorious for holding water, its roller-coaster vibe of dips and crests means it holds water pretty much all the time in its low spots, giving the trail its name as it usually has gloopy, stagnant puddles in several places. Not today though, even the deepest craters on this Surrey classic were dry, bringing speed and grins to everyone.

Two more of the Surrey Hill's greatest hits followed, Telegraph Row and the crowd pleaser that is Barry Knows Best. Despite the thousands of tyres that roll down these trails every year, they hold up surprisingly well and still put a smile on every riders face, especially when you're hanging onto the back wheel of the rider in front on such a glorious summer evening.

For the second part of the ride, we crossed back over the road and up a frankly disgusting climb. Doing most of my riding around Sheffield and the Peak District I'm used to pedalling up steep and technical trails, so for a southern Cotic CC ride I had to include something to break up the nice cruise-y fire road spins and remind myself of home! The downside of the hard way up is heart rates hitting the roof and conversation stopping; the upside is that height is very quickly re-gained, and we were soon flowing down more singletrack gems and chatting away again.

Next up was Captain Clunk, one of my favourite trails in the area with its fast berms, floaty jumps and a sting in its tail with a steep and loose finish. Its always fun to push the limits of my SolarisMAX with it's more XC focussed build, it constantly amazes me what I can get away with on a 120mm hardtail with lightweight parts. The last trail was John The Baptist, a long contour hugging ribbon of singletrack which has had a few features added in recent years, including a couple of jumps which are perfectly roll-able. However, with the undergrowth somewhat obscuring my line of sight, the first one sprung up on me a bit sooner than I expected, while I was going too quick to roll them. A last minute pull and I sailed over it to a smooth landing, pleasantly surprised! The exact same thing happened just a few seconds later, maybe I hadn't remembered the trail as well as I'd thought! Thankfully the dry conditions and fast rolling Maxxis Forekaster/Rekon tyre combo meant I had plenty of speed, and the local trail builder's spade work flattered my technique, making me feel like a hero.

The trail dropped us right back in the car park, which we promptly rode straight through and sat outside the pub. Low strength hazy pale ales in the dying light of the longest day, a pretty much perfect way to end a ride.

Sam.

Something a little more philosophical today. I have been considering this for a while now, but it's been quite hard to admit to myself.

I am more and more certain that becoming a Cotic owner is not a rational decision. You don’t buy a Cotic with your head. You buy it with your gut. Your heart. Something older than logic.

I consider myself a pretty rational person; I'm a qualified engineer for goodness sake! My profession tends to define ourselves a the epitome of rational people. But, when it comes to bikes, it's more than computer aided design and stress analysis. That's why I have always loved steel bikes. And I use the word love advisedly. It's a feeling.

When I started Cotic, it had to be a steel bike. I wasn't thinking about watts, or energy transfer or getting to finish lines first, I was thinking about something that felt alive in my hands in a way that other bikes in other materials simply hadn't delivered. If I had wanted the lightest/fastest/cheapest, pretty much any other material would have delivered those spreadsheet metrics, but let’s be honest, none of us are here for a spreadsheet.

Yes, our bikes are engineered with precision. Geometry dialled to the millimetre. Tubing chosen for longevity and strength. That rational part of me is very good at those bits! It isn't the whole story though, is it? I can't call any bike a Cotic unless it has that magic, that certain something.

The soul.

I read a great passage on this recently: "A bridge can be demonstrably right. Engineered to perfection in terms of strength, life, cost. Rational. All can be measured. But as soon as you deal with anything that interacts with a human, it all gets rather messy. Humans aren't rational. They make all sorts of decisions that fly in the face of rationality for all sorts of reasons. And just because they aren't rational, doesn't mean they are wrong. In these cases, there can be more than one way to get it "right". The opposite of a good idea can still be a good idea."

This really made me think. Take a long, hard look at myself, actually. The upshot is that Cotic is not rational, and it's not all science, but it is very human. I just love steel, and how it feels, and how it makes me feel when I ride it. I think you might too.

And since when has being rational had anything to do with why you ride?

Cheers,

Cy

Founder and Director

Blatant "look at this beautiful bike" post today. With our friends from Hope we built a very, very special Escapade UK 853 to celebrate the launch of their new RX cranks. Just look at it!!!!

It just looks so amazing! It will ride so beautifully with the 853 tubes and gorgeous parts.

Just imagine yourself spinning along a lovely, dusty dirt track in the sunshine on this beauty. Look at the view, feel the steel. What a very nice way to pass the time.

We still have the last handful of UK 853 frames available in 54cm and 56cm, with your choice of A La Carte colours and Hope kit if you want a bike just like this. In fact, someone dropped by the showroom yesterday and saw this bike and did exactly that. His will have the new Smoke colour Hope parts.

And if you need a frame a little larger or smaller than those sizes, we are fully stocked on regular Escapade, and that would wear all these lovely parts very nicely too.

Get in touch to start the conversation about your next gravel bike.

Cy is on the Downtime Podcast this week talking about the Rocket ebike, why it's steel, why it's UK made and a bit of the development story. Plus he gets into why we have changed up the look of the brand and what that means for the future. Get it wherever you listen to your podcasts, or watch the ebike portion of the chat on Youtube now.

Hope you enjoy this look into how we do things here. If you have any questions or thoughts on this, drop us an email anytime. And if the Rocket seems like a bit of you, then head over to the Rocket page to learn more.

Join us to test ride a Cotic from Peaslake in the Surrey Hills on Saturday 21st June.

Demo any Cotic bike in the South East of England, totally free.

Demo Day.

Sam and Darren are heading down to the MTB hotspot that is Peaslake in the Surrey Hills for a demo day on Saturday 21st June.

Test ride a Cotic on some sweet singletrack, we'll do three group demo rides from the Walking Bottom Car Park in Peaslake; 10:00, 12:30 and 14:00.

Rides will last around an hour each in a small group at a sociable pace, with both of us on hand to make sure the bikes are running perfectly and answer your questions. Booking is essential, so please email us at demo@cotic.co.uk or call 07970 853531.

Cotic CC Ride.

Already have a Cotic, live in the South East and fancy joining us for a summer evening ride? We're running a Cotic CC MTB owners ride from Peaslake on Friday 20th June. We're making the most of the long days, wheels rolling at 6pm for a couple of hours on the trails. Drop us a quick email on demo@cotic.co.uk to let us know you're coming.

As always the pace will be sociable, exact route will be decided on the day but you can expect classic trails such as Barry Knows Best, Supernova and John the Baptist. Any Cotic MTB will be spot on for the ride.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

SOUTH AFRICA.

You know that feeling when something you've planned for months is suddenly happening? That's exactly how we felt pedaling out of Cape Town. Nervous energy fizzing through our veins, we couldn't stop grinning at each other like "Is this really happening? Are we actually doing this?"

After being stuck in Cape Town for three weeks longer than planned (luggage drama - don't ask), we were itching to hit the road. With Namibia's heat creeping up by the day, we decided to power through South Africa faster than we'd originally planned. We whizzed up the country in just 10 days, looking back, I wish we'd lingered there for longer.

We stuck to the coastal route - partly for safety, partly for those jaw-dropping ocean views. The turquoise water stretching to the horizon became our constant companion. On a whim, we detoured through West Coast National Park, which turned out to be one of our best decisions.

"Terrapins!" Saoirse would shout, pointing excitedly at wildlife that seemed to appear out of nowhere, quickly fumbling for her camera before they scurried away. We spotted ostriches strutting about and ate lunch in a bird hide, which felt magical. Though I'll admit, every wild wee became a nerve-wracking experience - the constant fear of getting bitten on the bum by a cobra is real.

The roads were a treat. Baby-smooth tarmac that felt like cycling on clouds. And the drivers? Lovely! About 90% of vehicles passing us would give an encouraging toot or wave, which was such a morale boost when we were melting in the midday heat. Even the massive trucks would give us plenty of space and flick their hazards on to say hi. A world away from the white-knuckle cycling experience back home in the UK, and a total contrast from the stories of danger and violence we’d heard about South Africa. We were pleasantly surprised.

Whilst we improved through the trip, our mornings were comically inefficient, particularly when camping. We were covering so much mileage that we were cream crackered at the end of the day, but to beat the heat we needed to get up before dawn. It wasn’t long before we were burning out. To keep us on track we established "soft" and "hard" leaving times - the soft time being when our idealistic selves thought we'd leave, and the hard time being our absolute deadline. Spoiler: we never once hit the soft time. We're "faffletes", not athletes!

South Africa was experiencing a record-breaking heatwave during our visit - CLASSIC. We developed a system to keep ourselves cool: start early, wet EVERYTHING and pray. By 11:30 each morning it was too hot to ride unless we wanted to spontaneously combust. The heat reflecting off the tarmac gave me a tomato face and gorgeous freckle moustache. A. Vibe.

When the heat became unbearable we'd dive into the nearest roadside shack, often wooden structures standing alone in the middle of nowhere. We'd camp out on their front decks, slithering into any available shade until the worst had passed.

The landscape transformed as we headed north - from glittering coastline and vast, dusty stretches alongside railway tracks, to rocky boulder fields in the north. And hills. So. Many. Hills. South Africa is deceptively hilly, and some days felt like one endless climb after another. Thank god for Sudocrem!

South Africans have to be the most hospitable people I've ever met. Everywhere we went, someone was inviting us to join them for a braai. I lost count of how many times we ended up sharing meals with complete strangers who quickly became friends.

One evening, as dusk was falling, we were frantically searching for accommodation when a couple pulled up beside us. "Are you lost?" they asked. When we explained our situation, they exchanged a quick glance, nodded, and invited us to stay with them. The only condition? We had to share stories and drink wine with them. It took us about a nanosecond to say yes.

Our last town before Namibia was Steinkopf, where we stayed at a 200-year-old guesthouse owned by Letitia. The moment we met her, she wrapped us in one of those hugs that makes all your muscles relax at once. Her place was a haven for everyone - even the neighborhood cats who weren't technically hers but "just come here" because they felt the same warmth we did.

Letitia shared her story of rebuilding her life after losing everything, her wisdom striking a chord with me. "You can't let the bad things in life break you," she told us. "You have to use it and make something new."

The next morning, as we prepared to cross into Namibia, Letitia was baking bread for her church group. Of course, she carefully packaged some for our journey.

As we pedaled toward the border, I couldn't help but reflect on how South Africa had surprised us. We'd come seeking adventure but found so much more - kindness in unexpected places, strength in challenging conditions, and a country that had thoroughly captured our hearts.

NAMIBIA

Cycling through the Namibian landscape is a humbling experience. At over 50 million years old, this desert is considered the oldest on earth. Snaking between burnt orange dunes and jagged, rocky peaks that have been sculpted by wind for millions of years made me reflect on how ancient the planet is, of all the people and animals who’ve roamed these sands long before me, and how small I am in comparison.

Sunsets in Namibia are especially awe inspiring. Each night I would settle down in the sand with and marvel at the dramatic display of colour; the soft pastel pinks of the desert turning fiery orange and scarlet as the sun sank beneath the horizon. Something about the sunsets here feel different; more powerful, sharper. But the sunset is just the first act, after the sun goes down the stars emerge. I spent many nights watching the stars dancing and twinkling above my tent, wondering how many others who’ve existed here looked at the same stars, too?

As an introvert, I relished the desert's solitude. Hours would pass with nothing but the crunch of gravel under my tires (and my heavy breathing). Our days were long and the terrain was tough, after smashing it through South Africa fatigue was creeping in. The vast stretches between settlements meant planning was crucial, particularly where to find water. I was drinking around 7 litres a day on the bike and liked to have a couple extra at camp, fortunately, we encountered a few tourists along the way who stopped to offer us ice cold water from their coolers - heaven!

Despite its arid conditions, Namibia is teeming with wildlife. Oryx’s, zebras, springboks and ostriches are a regular sight - they’ve adapted to survive with minimal water. Namibia is also home to more ‘exciting’ animals like leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and lions, so we did have to be careful but luckily, the lions hang out further north. Most of the landscape in Namibia is fenced off so the wildlife doesn’t come onto the road too often. Though one morning, I spotted some suspicious prints in the sand. A quick photo and chat with a local expert confirmed – cheetah tracks!

Given the remoteness and heat of Namibia, prioritising safety was imperative which meant reassessing and changing plans. We had ambitions to do a famous road called the D707 which is notoriously beautiful (often referred to as the most beautiful road in Namibia) and brutal in equal measure. It’s 200km of exposed landscape; deep sand, zero resupply and no shelter.

Both Saoirse and I had excitedly gotten everything ready, fitting our bikes with as much food and water as we could carry. That morning, Saoirse set off before me and I was around 30 minutes behind her. After a while I noticed a car on the horizon. After a few miles I could make out the shape of a cyclist and 3 people, one of them had to be Saoirse. The closer I got I realised she was sitting in the trunk of the vehicle downing some water and immediately I recognised the other two as Sarah and Michael, a honeymooning couple who’d stopped to give us water a few days previously. Turns out, Saoirse had thrown up and by some stroke of luck, Sarah and Michael happened to be driving past.

Saoirse brightened up a bit so we said farewell to Michael and Sarah and continued on the journey, but within 20 minutes Saoirse had been sick again (and we hadn’t even reached the entrance to the D707).

Now, we were under the midday sun with zero shade and no one around for miles. We made a makeshift shelter with our tarps against a fence and we waited for a passing car, who knows how long it would be. Around an hour later a white pick up truck came hurtling down the road, I ran towards them waving my arms and hoping they’d see me. They did. Thankfully, they agreed to take us to the next campsite where Saoirse could rest and get some fluids. Once there we asked the campsite owner about the D707 and whether we should do it, she advised us not to. She said ‘This is the wrong time of year, it’s coming into summer. We have many fatalities on that road and I fear you would be one of them’. Another man pointed into the desert and said ‘you see that red sand over there? That’s where my best friend died. He thought he could walk it but the sun was too strong. The desert is a dangerous place’.

After some deliberation, we decided not to do it. It’s tricky knowing when to take heed of other people's advice, many times i’ve been told I shouldn’t do something and really, it’s been a fear based projection from the other person because they believe THEY can’t do it, or it's gender bias. However, this felt like advice we should take seriously, after all, the locals know best and given the rising temperatures, Saoirse’s condition and our lack of experience, to me, it felt reckless to continue.

It was tough letting go of the plan and the allure of ‘the most beautiful road in Namibia’ but there’s a fine line between adventuring with calculated risk and being reckless. For me, this was the line.

We continued through the desert stopping at the iconic Deadvlei and Solitaire, home to petrified trees thousands of years old and a cool car junk yard with world famous apple cake, all the way to the coast where we finished our Namibian section with some beers and a big sleep.

Along the way I had some incredible encounters with wildlife including a herd of wild zebra running alongside me as I descended a long gravel track through the NamibRand Nature Reserve, finding a brown hyena by my tent one night and encountering a gorgeous farm puppy who followed me through the desert for 4 hours until I hitched him a ride back with a lovely couple called Iva and Stephan, also on their honeymoon. Thank god for dog lovers, eh?

As we prepared for Botswana, I reflected on how these two countries had already transformed us - South Africa with its unexpected kindness, Namibia with its ancient beauty and harsh lessons in respecting nature's power.

Look out for more instalments from Abby soon.

We are open at Cotic HQ Saturday 7th June.

Test ride any of our bikes, browse the showroom

You can demo any of our gravel or mountain bikes on a sociable group demo ride at 11am and 1pm.

Rides last around an hour on our 5.5 mile demo loop, and are accompanied by one of us to show you the way and chat about the bikes. You can book onto both if you want to try a couple of bikes or sizes.

Can't make the morning, or prefer to do your own thing? No problem. You can demo a bike from 1430 at your own pace.

To book on, email demo@cotic.co.uk or call 07970 853531.

Just fancy dropping in for a brew and a browse? The showroom will be open from 9:30 - 16:00 with our full range of bikes to check out.

Hopefully we'll see you there.

Cheers,

Cy

If you spotted our Bespoked show coverage, or indeed if you have been on the website over the last couple of weeks, you will have noticed a new Cotic logo and a different look on the show bikes we have been presenting.

People who own Cotic's or follow what we do are so passionate and supportive, and I appreciate every single one of you for that. I also know that you often appreciate the detail and background to what we're doing, so let's get into this.

As you know, I spend a lot of time focussed on the physical design and engineering of our frames. For the brand work, I brought in the help of Nick Larsen, the man behind Charge and Fabric (and for those with very long memories the Pashley TV Series bikes) amongst many other things. We wanted to reflect the effort I put into the bikes in the look and feel of our brand, the paint finishes and all the other touch points of the company.

We have been working on the brand update for a while now. It's not just our logo / wordmark, it's also refreshing our website and the whole experience of buying a Cotic, hopefully making it a little more approachable and easier.

We've been exploring a lot of options, and our objective was to rethink the way we approached both the branding and the paint finishes so we could create something recognisable from afar, but also accentuated the frame itself. Make more of those elegant steel lines.

Historically, big down tube designs have been the predominant graphic of Cotic frames. Some, like the wrap design from the 2010's, were very recognisable to those that knew, but pretty much impossible to understand to those that didn't! The current down tube design it much more easy to read, but maybe a little more conformist. Now with a smaller, but legible wordmark located on the top tube, we have more space to explore new paint finishes and ideas, whilst establishing a distinct Cotic look.

Rest assured nothing is changing about the frame designs themselves, and all the things we stand for. Cotic is still steel bikes and low impact. We will always value ride feel and longevity over anything else, and we build bikes for you, the riders. We are just updating the brand.

We're really excited about the change, but as you might expect, there is a process of crossover between the down tube graphic and the new top tube based look. I want to show you what that will mean for new bikes ordered now.

From now on, this is the Cotic look.

For droplink bikes, each model has a Stock colour as follows:

FlareMAX - Teal Gloss

Jeht - Sage Matte

RocketMAX - Ember Gloss

You can specify A La Carte colours on any of these bikes. There is also the new option of the spectacular three colour fade (white Cotic branding area, then two other colours) like the FlareMAX show bike on top of the A La Carte single colour choices.

The incoming Cascades look like this:

Standard colours here are Army Green and Damson, with the option to open up your choice of A La Carte paint for an extra £150.

Rocket will also get the top tube logo look for new orders from this week, and this bike is A La Carte only. You chose your colour, we paint it! The three colour fade like the show bike is also there for you, giving the option for something truly individual and special.

The feedback so far has been super positive, and it's nice to change things up. Here's to the future!

Thanks

Cy

Founder and Director, Cotic Bikes

Welcome aboard to our newest supported rider.

Megan is based in London and heavily involved with all sorts of bike related activities.

She will be riding her brand new Froggatt Green Escapade, decked out with some choice Hope componentry. She has lots of exciting plans, in addition to her regular coaching and involvement with Velociposse, the London based community cycling club for women, trans and non-binary riders.

As soon as her new bike arrived, she headed right out to the Welsh hills. Over to Megan:

We're stoked to be working with Megan, and are looking forward to seeing more of her adventures over the summer.

If diaries align, hopefully she'll be joining us for some Women of Steel rides too.

Cheers,

Sam.

We are heading up the UK off road cycling hot spot that is the Tweed Valley for a demo weekend.

We have some spaces available, so join us to test ride a Cotic at Glentress on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th May.

We'll be set up at Riders Retreat Tweed Valley - formerly called the Glentress Hotel - on both days, with demo bikes available for you to test ride.

Whether you are interested in our mountain bikes, gravel bikes or both; you can try them out on some of the best trails in the UK.

If you'd like to book on, simply email demo@cotic.co.uk or call us on 07970 853531.

Test rides are completely free, you'll have each bike for around 90 minutes and you can try several different bikes or sizes.

Booking is essential, so please get in touch.

Cotic CC Ride.

While we're in the area, lets ride bikes!

If you own a Cotic mountain bike, join Darren and myself for a social ride on Innerleithen's famous Golfie trails on Friday 16th May.

We'll aim for wheels rolling at 14:00 so you can knock off work at lunchtime and hit the trails. Bring your Cotic, and expect steep and technical trails. We'll keep the pace sociable and the vibe chilled. Exactly how long we ride and which trails we do will depend on the weather and the group, but we'll ride for at least a couple of hours.

If you've never ridden at The Golfie before its a great chance to try it out. If you're unsure, just drop us an email and we're happy to chat about it.

If you'd like to join this CC ride, please drop an email to demo@cotic.co.uk so we know who's coming.

We can't wait to get back to the Tweed Valley, hopefully we'll see you there.

Cheers,

Sam.

Jo Burt ventures up North to talk all things Mint Sauce, and the collection, in book form, that is "Lost Summers and Half Forgotten Afternoons". There will be a chat about the book and the history of Mint with Jo, led by Max Leonard of the publisher, Isola Press, then a Q&A and book signing. Books will be available to purchase on the night, and there'll be original vintage Mint artwork on display.

The event is ticket only as we have a maximum capacity limit here at Cotic HQ, and these are £5. Complimentary refreshments are included (tea, coffee, soft drinks), but we're not licenced so feel free to bring your own beer if you want to.

You may have spotted on our social media over the weekend that our Bespoked show bikes featured a very special headbadge.

We have teamed up for an exciting collab with Hex Components on a super limited run of stunning titanium headbadges.

These gorgeous pieces of bike jewellery are 3D printed in titanium, with Ben at Hex Components hand polishing each one individually to bring out the depth in the design.

Only 10 were made in this limited run, 2 went on the show bikes and a few were snapped up at Bespoked before we even got chance to share them with the world.

We have a very small handful in stock and they are available to order now on our website.

They are £100 including UK VAT, plus £5 postage in the UK.

Ben at Hex Components is a great guy, and a huge fan of his Cotic Jeht.

Big thanks to him for doing such a fantastic job on these headbadges. His design puts some beautiful detailing into the headbadge to really make the Peak District inspired design sing.

Grab yourself something really special, quick before they're gone!

Happy trails,

Sam.

We love the way a lot of Cotic's are bought by people spreading the good word about amazing steel bikes. It means a huge amount to me, and we want to spread the word further. So, I need your help to understand where you first heard about Cotic, so we can get more people on Cotic's!

If you wouldn't mind, could you click an option in the following poll? Thanks.

Feel free to share. Thanks.

Last weekend a very special A La Carte painted FlareMAX was at the Sea Otter Classic in California, in collaboration with our new friends at Tailfin. The bike was fully kitted out with Hope parts and wheels, and our other old friends at WTB brought the speed with their new Macro tyres, Volt saddle and grips.

As well as showing off what we can do with our A La Carte custom paint service, the custom made bags were a collaboration between Cotic and Tailfin to fit around the suspension, and demonstrate that bikepacking doesn't have to mean a gravel bike or hardtail.

Whilst he was at the show, John from The Radavist took a typically beautiful set of photos of the bike. Here are a few, but get over to The Radavist for a full rundown.

If you are interested in Tailfin bags, get in touch and we can talk through options. And if you want want your own special painted FlareMAX - or any droplink bike for that matter - we can certainly help there too. Make it yours. Make it a Cotic.

Our first indoor show for a few years is happening in two weekends time. We are really excited to tell you that we have a stand at Bespoked Manchester 2025 on 25th-27th April.

It's being held at the amazing Victoria Baths venue again, which is only a 10 minute bike ride from Manchester Picadilly station if you want to head over and leave the car at home. We will be there with two very special show bikes. The opening hours are:

• Friday 25th April 1400-1800
• Saturday 26th April 1000-1800
• Sunday 27th April 1000-1600

Cy is doing a talk and Q and A on the Rocket ebike project at 1400 on Saturday afternoon, and we will be there all weekend to get #stokedforbespoked.

Tickets are available here: Bespoked Manchester 2025

We are open at Cotic HQ this Saturday 5th April.

Test ride any of our bikes, browse the showroom and grab lunch.

You can demo any of our gravel or mountain bikes on a sociable group demo ride at 10am and 12pm.

Rides last around an hour on our 5.5 mile demo loop, and are accompanied by one of us to show you the way and chat about the bikes. You can book onto both if you want to try a couple of bikes or sizes.

Can't make the morning, or prefer to do your own thing? No problem. You can demo a bike from 13:30 at your own pace.

To book on, email demo@cotic.co.uk or call 07970 853531.

The food van will be there from 13:00 selling their delicious stew and we'll have plenty of tea, coffee and biscuits available for free as well.

There won't be Cotic CC or Women of Steel rides this time due to staff availability.

Just fancy dropping in for a brew and a browse? The showroom will be open from 9:30 - 16:00 with our full range of bikes to check out.

Hopefully we'll see you there.

Cheers,

Sam.

Just look at this! John over at The Radavist has built up his very own FlareMAX into a stunning bike.

After reviewing the bike last year for the popular USA based website, John was so keen on the bike that he wanted one for his own stable.

This C5 Amethyst frame is dripping in some beautiful silver components, and those BTCHN Bullmoose bars are something to behold.

If you love the look of this bike and fancy a bit of this action yourself, we have a couple of Amethyst FlareMAX frames in stock right now in C2 and C3 sizes.

As they are in the building, they currently have a whopping £500 off!

It is also a colour on our A La Carte menu, which means you can choose it not only on your FlareMAX, but also on your Jeht, RocketMAX, Solaris, EscapadeUK853 or Cascade.

You wouldn't be the first, check out these recent Solaris and EscapadeUK853 bikes both using Amethyst:

If you're interested in your very own FlareMAX, or any of our gravel or mountain bikes, don't hesitate to get in touch.

We are always excited to chat about bikes!

Cheers,

Sam.

Last weekend was our monthly Saturday open day at Cotic HQ.

It was a great day with busy Women of Steel and Cotic CC rides, some great demo rides and plenty of cake.

Here are some photos from the day.

The Cotic CC headed out for a gravel ride on a new route which Paul had scouted out, heading out of Chesterfield on a mix of towpath, quiet roads and gravel tracks eventually reaching the singletrack Adventure Trail at Silverhill Wood.

A nice route and lovely sociable group, thanks to all who came along.

We have a couple of ideas for the next one for another new route, keep your eyes peeled for news very soon.

There was a great group for the Women of Steel Social Ride too, who enjoyed a ride round our long demo route on a wide variety of bikes. Our Hannah is back from maternity leave now and loved getting back involved with riding, getting out on the Rocket eMTB prototype.

Our next Super Saturday is 5th April. If you like the sound of joining us on a Women of Steel or Cotic CC social ride, want to demo any of our bikes or visit our showroom to check out what we do, get the date in your diary and drop us an email to book your demo ride.

We're looking forward to it.

Cheers,

Sam.

As you may know, we open our Chesterfield Showroom one Saturday a month, and the next one is coming soon.

Join us for demo rides, owners rides and more on Saturday 15th March.

You can demo any of our gravel or mountain bikes on a sociable group demo ride at 10am and 12pm.

Rides last around an hour on our 5.5 mile demo loop, and are accompanied by one of us to show you the way and chat about the bikes. You can book onto both if you want to try a couple of bikes or sizes.

Can't make the morning, or prefer to do your own thing? No problem. You can demo a bike from 13:30 at your own pace.

To book on, email demo@cotic.co.uk or call 07970 853531.

CC Gravel Ride.

We'll be running a social ride for Cotic owners, wheels rolling at 10:15 from the showroom. We're saying 'Gravel', but as with all off-road riding round here you won't be out place on a hardtail MTB.

Soul, Solaris, BFe or Cascade will be great. If you ride an Escapade, you'll need to have off-road tyres and your brave pants for a couple of places.

Exact route will be finalised next week. If you'd like to join, please drop us an email to let us know you're coming.

The pie van will be there from 13:00 for a post-ride refuel and we'll have plenty of tea and coffee available for free as well.

Women of Steel Ride and Kit Swap.

There will be a Women of Steel Social Ride, which is gravel and MTB friendly and a chilled pace. Ride will be a variation of our long demo loop, so around 12 miles.

As with all Women of Steel rides the focus is on fun, making new friends and a relaxed vibe. The ride is free, and is wheels rolling at 11:00.

Let us know if you'd like to join.

We are also running a kit swap! If you have some riding gear you no longer need or use, bring it along and swap it for something you will!

Kit must be clean and in good condition, anything left will be donated to Dean Trail Volunteers, who sell used riding gear to raise money for trail building and maintenance in the Forest of Dean. An area we often run demo days.

Kit swap is open all day, from 9:30.

Just fancy dropping in for a brew and a browse? The showroom will be open from 9:30 - 16:00 with our full range of bikes to check out.

Hopefully we'll see you there.

Cheers,

Sam.

Great news, the BFe frames have arrived!

The brand new BFe is our hardcore hardtail, incredibly capable and packed with heritage.

All sizes are now in stock.

The latest in a long line of genre defining steel hardtails, the BFe features our new Double Decker Dropout, making it possible to run the bike either as a full 29er or a dedicated 'mullet' with the 27.5 rear wheel.

130-160mm forks, big tyre clearance and geometry that's ready for anything.

The BFe is a bike you can ride all day, on all trails.

Sizes C1 to C5 are all in stock now, in both Gunmetal and WhiteCMYK colourways.

Frame only is just £699 / $889 / €845.

Complete bikes start from £2099 / $2669 / €2537.*

*USD and EUR prices correct as of 4th March 2025.

As with all Cotic bikes, each BFe is built to order. You can customise the build to almost any spec, click the link below to create yours:

Frames are ready to ship, so you could have your new BFe in time for Spring.

We're looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Sam.

One year on from her epic African bikepacking mission, Cotic Brand Ambassador Abby Popplestone is reflecting on her incredible trip in a series of articles. Grab yourself a brew and get stuck into part one. Over to Abby...

The ancient Namibian desert stretched before me, a panorama etched as far as my eyes could see in rich shades of ochre and burnt orange. It’s a scene so breathtakingly vast I held my breath in awe.

Little did I know how much the journey ahead would test my limits, but also reward me with moments of profound beauty and connection.

Abby rides a CASCADE, our genre defying adventure bike which you can build either as a drop bar or flat bar machine, starting at just £1849.

We have a handful of XS and XL frames in stock, and a fresh batch in all sizes is coming in the spring.

If Abby's ride has inspired you, get in touch to chat about pre-ordering yours.

Look out for more instalments from Abby soon.

After another lovely day of bike chat this Saturday, here's the next few Super Saturdays we have planned... Saturday 15th March and Saturday 5th April.

Put the dates in your diary. Come and see us if you can't make it over Wednesday - Friday.

This Saturday 15th February is our first Super Saturday of 2025.

We're throwing our showroom doors open for our monthly weekend open day, join us to demo a bike and much more.

You can demo any of our gravel or mountain bikes on a sociable group demo ride at 10am and 12pm.

Rides last around an hour on our 5.5 mile demo loop, and are accompanied by one of us to show you the way and chat about the bikes.

Can't make the morning, or prefer to do your own thing? No problem. You can demo a bike from 13:30 at your own pace.

To book on, email demo@cotic.co.uk or call 07970 853531.

The pie van will be there from 13:00 for a refuel and we'll have plenty of tea and coffee available for free as well.

Just fancy dropping in for a brew and a browse? The showroom will be open from 9:30 - 16:00 with our full range of bikes to check out.

Hopefully we'll see you there.

Cheers,

Sam.

The Solaris went up against a rival aluminium hardtail in MBUK last month and came out the victor. It's a fabulous review and well worth a read now it's up on Bike Radar.

The full comparison test is over on Bike Radar at :

www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/versus/hardtails-head-to-head-steel-vs-alloy

Head over to the Solaris product page to get yours!

The sun was shining last week, so we decided to grab some new photos of the Escapade.

Gravel is the name for a whole genre of bikes, but the Cotic Escapade debuted before gravel was even a thing. Whilst it's great on those unsealed roads, it's also brilliant in the Superstore Wilderness. Those underpasses and back streets. Tow paths and tunnels. Centuries old meets brand new.

And just because it's drop bars, doesn't mean you can't have a little play on the way.

Don't take it so seriously. Smile. Breathe.

Doesn't have to epic. If you're turning the pedals you're winning.

Have an Escapade.

Saturday saw our annual winter social ride for the Cotic CC and Cotic Women of Steel, the Beat the Winter Blues ride.

We've had some weather over the years, but 2025's edition was a stunner of a day.

It was brisk, but crystal clear and bright for some awesome 360 degree views.

The Peak District was really showing some ankle, and we put in a nice big day on the hills. Draggy climbs and few biting headwinds meant we really earned our post-ride refreshments in the pub, but with Cotic staff on hand to hold gates on the descents, everyone enjoyed some excellent riding.

We had a nice mix of bikes from Souls to RocketMAXs, all handling the Peak's trails perfectly.

We are always keen to hear suggestions for where we should run Cotic CC rides, please do get in touch if you have an idea.

We'll aim to get some more in the diary once the warmer months get here.

For now though, our March Super Saturday will be the next one, with Cotic CC and Women of Steel rides from our Chesterfield showroom. Keep an eye on the website and mailing list for news.

Thanks to Chris @bearlegged for grabbing some shots, my gloves stayed firmly on, and my phone in my pocket for 99% of the ride!

Remember, if you own a Cotic you are in the Cotic CC. Get in touch to chat about your next bike.

Sam.

Hello! How's things? Today we are introducing custom paint on all our full suspension bikes. Our UK made FlareMAX, Jeht, RocketMAX and upcoming Rocket eBike are now built and painted to order in any of our A La Carte paint colours.

Just like our Solaris and EscapadeUK853 frames, the A La Carte custom colours give you a choice of any of our current or previous UK colours on any full suspension model.

As well as having the service set up for our other UK and EU made models, this grew out of helping some customers get their dream bikes towards the end of last year, putting things like the Copper Orange onto a Jeht, and the Light Metal silver on a FlareMAX amongst a few others.

Want a Moonstone Jeht? We can do that. Missed out on Teal on a FlareMAX and really want that colour? You can order yours now!

When it hits production in the spring, our new Rocket eBike will also have the full choice of A La Carte custom paint.

If you don't see your favourite colour on the menu, just ask, but 18 options is certainly a good place to start!

Sale on in-stock droplink frames.

With custom paint for each full suspension frame being the new normal; we have a sale on the handful of FlareMAX, Jeht and RocketMAX frames already painted and in stock.

In stock droplink frames are now £500 cheaper than A La Carte frames.

So, if you like the current colour/model combinations then now's the time to hit "buy". When they're gone, all full suspension Cotics will be made and painted to order.

Get in touch to discuss your new custom colour full suspension bike, email us on info@cotic.co.uk or call us on 07970 853531.

Cheers,

Cy.

Not only does it glow in the dark, but our brand new hardcore hardtail rides brilliantly as well.

Check out this video of Dave Camus shredding on the new BFe.

We're loving the crisp winter vibes, top work Dave on the riding and Mat on the filming and edit.

You can pre-order frames and complete bikes now with just a 20% deposit, the frames are expected to be with us in February so you'll have it ready for the spring.

Full 29 for smoother rolling and capability in rough trails, or mullet for a more playful nature and getting airborne.

You can pedal the BFe all day and stick it down the rowdiest trail you like. Whether you enjoy flowy jump trails or techy rocks, the BFe will do anything.

It is such a versatile bike. And once again, the WhiteCMYK one glows in the dark!

We'd love to chat about your new BFe, just drop us on email on info@cotic.co.uk or call us on 07970 853531.

Cheers,

Sam.

Yes, you read that right!

The new White CMYK BFe glows in the dark!

We kept our powder dry on this fact until we had the photos to prove it, and just look at them!

Our all new hardcore hardtail brings it's ethereal glow to brighten up the darkest winter days.

Did somebody say perfect winter hardtail?

130-160mm fork travel, 29 or mullet thanks to its Double Decker Dropout and ready for anything you can throw at it.

You can pedal the BFe all day and stick it down the rowdiest trail you like. Whether you enjoy flowy jump trails or techy rocks, the BFe will do anything.

Frame only £699 / $716.25 / €689.13*

Complete bikes from £2099 / $2151.21 / €2069.37*

The frames are on their way to us and are expected to be in stock in February.

*USD and EUR prices correct as of 20/01/25 according to Google, excluding shipping.

We'd love to chat about your new BFe, just drop us on email on info@cotic.co.uk or call us on 07970 853531.

Cheers,

Sam.

Our flagship hardtail, the Solaris, is tested head to head against an alloy competitor in this months' MBUK Magazine. It's a fabulous review, the Solaris came out on the winner, but what is most satisfying is that we won based on all those uniquely Cotic elements we bake into everything we do. Here's just a few of the wonderful quotes:

"The Solaris is the kind of machine that lulls you into that happy place without you really noticing, because it's so easy to work with."

"At it's core, the Cotic comes over as a bike that's been refined to handle as sweetly as possible, and displays a real sense of passion and nit-picking for the ultimate ride quality."

"Despite the extra cost (even compared to other steel hardtails)....if we were to grab a bike from this pair to go for a ride on, it would be the Cotic Solaris, all day long. There's no caveat either, and the statement stands whether than was an XC mission, a trail outing or even hitting up some rougher enduro style tracks."

MBUK is out now in shops, so grab yourself a copy, get yourself a brew and enjoy reading an Actual Magazine^(tm) for a little while.

Check out this awesome new video of our flagship hardtail, the Solaris.

On a very wintery day in December we headed up onto the bleak but beautiful moors of Cut Gate, a classic Peak District trail, to shoot the Solaris in its natural habitat.

It was bitterly cold, and the ground was very wet in between all the rocks but the video came out great. Proper winter adventure vibes with some stunning light.

While hardtails aren't just for winter, they do excel at this time of the year. Light and responsive on the sloppy trails, less to maintain and the sleek and elegant lines don't clog up with mud anything like a chunky full suspension bike.

We have the brand new batch of Solaris in stock now in all sizes from C2 to C5. Stunning gloss finish, beautiful welds and now featuring UDH dropouts with Sram T-Type compatibility.

If you're quick, you can order your Solaris with your choice of 'A la Carte' custom paint. We have a small number in each size which are unpainted, ready for a custom colour right here in the UK. Size C2 'A la Carte' is already sold out, so don't wait too long!

If you're looking for the ultimate steel hardtail, look no further, you've found it.

We also have the last few frames from the previous batch in a few sizes, reduced to clear at just £999. A bargain for such a top quality Reynolds 853 frame handmade in Europe.

Get in touch to discuss your Solaris today.

Cheers,

Sam.