British steel bike manufacturer, Cotic, has introduced an all-new Gravel bike hat slots into their lineup between the Escapade All-Road Bike and the SolarisMax Hardtail MTB. Coming to gravel more from the mountain side than road, it’s no real surprise to find that the new Cascade can actually take a 100mm travel suspension fork, a particularly exciting prospect for those keen on drop bar trail riding. Here’s how this versatile frameset developed, along with all the relevant details, and how much cash you need to part with in order to get your hands on one. First, a bit of inspiration from the Cornish Coastline.
Cotic Cascade Gravel Bike
Cotic Bikes has released the very versatile Cascade Gravel Bike, constructed from a Reynolds 853 front triangle with ovalform top tube, married to a Signature Cotic 4130 cromo wishbone stay rear. Bikepackers rejoice; this frame is bedecked with more bosses than you could ever hope for offering endless possibilities for gear and water carrying.
High on the list of priorities for any adventure-seeking rider is of course, tire clearance; we’re pleased to report the Cotic Cascade doesn’t disappoint in this department, accommodating tires up to 29″ x 2.4″ or 27.5″ x 2.8″ tires on its boost-spacing back end.
With high volume tires and the ovalised top tube taking care of comfort and compliance, the Cascade frame is also engineered to take a 10mm travel suspension fork for the extra-cushioning required for trail riding, should your ambitions extend that far.
The Cascade features new Sureshot Geometry, based on the principles of the Longshot geometry they apply to their mountain bike frames, but tailored to a drop bar setup. That means that the frames are long and stems are short (for a drop bar bike), typically 60mm. A S-XL size range caters to riders from 5′ 5″ to 6′ 5″, with reach measurements stretching from 388mm to 454mm. Seat tubes are relatively short to allow riders to take advantage for a dropper seat post, so if you plan to run a fixed post it will need to be at least 350mm long.
The Cascade’s gusset-reinforced head tube sits at a head angle of 69° (68° on the Size S), paired with a seat tube angle of 74°. Chainstays measure up at 438mm, consistent cross the size range, with a BB drop of 70mm.
The bike is available with the choice of three different forks; the Cotic Alpaca steel rigid fork, the Salsa Firestarter carbon fork, or a 100mm travel RockShox SID SL Ultimate. All are able to accommodate a 29″ x 2.6″ tire, though only the rigid options have mounting points for Anything Cages, of course.
Frame Details
A large Cotic Cascade frame weighs a claimed 2.63kg/5.8lbs, before you load it up with your adventure gear, that is. It runs Cotic’s signature 4130 cromo wishbone stay rear-end with bridge-less S-bend chainstays and Cotic Hexten gussets said to improve fatigue life.
Pricing & Availability
The Cotic Cascade frame and fork is available in all sizes and colours now, with pricing starting at £849. The £2699 Shimano GRX-based Gold builds are in stock and available right now, with the Microsoft drivetrain-sporting Bronze builds (starting at £2099) will be ready to ship next week.
For full details on pricing, availability, as well as detailed advice on sizing, head to the Cotic Bikes website.
