As Paul Revere would put it, “The British are coming!” UK manufacturer Bowman has crossed the Atlantic, creating a second operation in North America. With their expansion, comes their full catalog of bikes. To address a growing cyclocross presence in the western hemisphere, the alloy Foots Cray provides another option to consider. Limbo past the break to get the details…
Bowman’s expansion to Ashland, Oregon allows bikes such as the Foots Cray, and others, to be available through their North American online store. Developing aluminum and steel frames, Bowman builds bikes with their own take on tubing designs, and unique ride quality fundamentals.
What stands out most at first glance is the length of the toptube. Geometry is inspired by mountain bikes, offering a longer distance between the bottom bracket and the front hub, thus providing stability when entering corners at speed. They manage to achieve this by elongating the top tube, and compensating with a shorter stem. There is roughly +20mm difference in toptube length when compared to other road inspired cross bikes.
The Foots Cray is built with triple butted 7005-T6 aluminum. The toptube is shaped into a “T” providing for both horizontal and vertical stiffness. Modular external cable guides and internal electronic cable routing keeps the frame up-to-date with today’s standards. Holding the front wheel is a full carbon, tapered steerer thru-axle fork. CNC’d disc brake mounts allow for 140mm rotors and proper clearance. Furthermore, the bottom bracket is a reinforced, forged shell that adds robust cable protection underneath. Locking the wheels in, the bike sports 15mm front and 12x142mm rear thru-axles.
The Foots Cray comes as a frameset at $1100. A complete build option with Sram Force and Ritchey components is also available for $2600.
