NBD: Cotic Escapade, Sonder Broken Road, Chris King bits, Purple Hayes (slight return)…

Roses are red, violets are blue, Wednesday was Valentine’s, but we have bike news… Here’s a round up of PR that’s landed this week.

Let the Press Releases rain down upon us!

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Purple Hayes

Like the green version of Hope, this is for sponsored riders – except in this instance there’ll be limited numbers for sale to us mortals too.

Historically associated with royalty, the color purple represents power and high standing. The expensive and complex nature of the procurement of the dye ensured that only a select few privileged individuals were to be seen donning the illustrious color. The purple associated with Hayes since the brand’s inception, serves to underline the prestige, power and high standing of brakes that are designed, built and held to a higher standard. The Purple Hayes colorway provides a visual cue to the justly earned position of the brand’s brakes amongst MTB component aristocracy.

While the power, performance and reliability of the Hayes Dominion brakes are available to all, the PURPLE HAYES version of the iconic brakes is, as with dyed fabric reserved for historic royalty, available only to a select few. Official Hayes riders across all disciplines will compete with Purple Hayes, building up their bikes with a more visible badge of pride known as Dominion in the highly regarded purple. However, as brakes are produced for MTB royalty at the professional level, an additional quantity will be made available for a few lucky consumers who wish to not only ride the same quality as the pros, but desire to build their bike with a visual statement of their great taste in fantastic braking performance. While available in all markets, the quantities of the Purple Hayes brakes are limited to the extra quantity associated with the athlete production run and as such will be sold in a first come first serve basis while supplies last.

The limited-edition release of the Hayes Dominion A4 “Purple Hayes” Brake Kit may fit the royal metaphor yet it is truly a symbol of its own heritage more than anything else. The purple colorway is a testament to the early days of mountain biking that saw Hayes bring a technology to the world that was to forever change our sport. The early editions of Hayes disc brakes were both groundbreaking and disruptive. To celebrate such a fantastic ride, a quarter century of molding the definition of fantastic braking performance for mountain biking, Hayes is to produce a limited run of the highest performing brake to date, the Dominion A4, in a colorway that recalls perhaps the brand’s most iconic and visually striking model.

The Purple Hayes, launched in 2000, were an immediate success as much for their loud colorway as for their bombproof zinc construction and quickly gained cult status amongst those in the know. While the purple colorway wasn’t seen on the professional circuit, the same 2-piece zinc DH master cylinder bodies were on the top teams of the time (Specialized-Mountain Dew, Volvo-Cannondale, Trek-Volkswagen, Tomac Racing, Maxxis, Foes, Fisher, Be-One Racing, Haro, Mongoose and several others) only in the stock color, Champagne, with purple logos. Eventually this same brake garnered such attention that a version available to the public, in a purple anodization, a play off of the purple Hayes logo on the team version.

The Limited Edition 2023 Purple Hayes A4 Brake Kits are a fitting celebratory piece of not only the iconic past product but a fantastic way to commemorate what an impact Hayes has made over its 25-year history in the cycling world.  Revolutionizing the Mountainbike industry with the introduction of some of the sports very first hydraulic braking systems in 1997 led the way to setting standards that shaped our sport from its infancy to current day. Hayes was instrumental in developing the standards around performance, rotor sizes, mounting hardware, mounting dimensions, open systems, fixed caliper, radial mount and slotted adjustments among others.

Parallel to developing the standards, Hayes worked diligently with OEMS to integrate these standards and with suspension manufacturers to set testing standards.

Innovations followed, some setting standards, others at proprietary technology that would dictate what not only a hydraulic disc brake was but what an advanced one should look and operate like. Launching the original Hayes Mag was just the first step in a long tradition of continuous innovation that has never slowed down and still has a valid claim on producing the finest, most reliable and top performing brake on the market. Purple Hayes, blowing minds from 1997 straight through the current day…  Get yours quickly as quantities are limited!

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Sonder Broken Road ST

The versatile Sonder Broken Road hardtail is now available in steel as well as titanium, with some very affordable builds to choose from.

Sonder is excited to announce the launch of the highly anticipated Broken Road ST hardtail trail bike. Drawing on their popular Broken Road Ti, this well established model is renowned for exceptional performance for adventure riding.

Despite current conditions across the cycling industry, the release of Broken Road ST is a testament to the brand’s unique positioning as a bike for the true multidiscipline rider. Designed and built in the UK, Sonder retains meticulous control over design and development ensuring the final product and its components are not only of the highest quality, but also meet rider’s needs and demands.

As Europe’s first B-Corp-certified cycling brand, Sonder boasts some of the industry’s most ethical and environmentally preferable standards. See full details of their sustainability report here.

Introducing: Broken Road ST

Broken Road ST, crafted from resilient 4130 chromoly steel as an alternative to the titanium model, offers an exceptionally sturdy frame designed to withstand challenging conditions and terrains. Its robust construction ensures reliability and easy maintenance, making it a reliable option for bike-packers and long-distance riders. The bike features signature sweet-spot geometry, adjustable dropouts, and multiple attachment points, enhancing its versatility and appeal for those seeking thrilling outdoor experiences.

Taking a modern twist to traditional mountain bike geometry, Broken Road ST provides a comfortable riding position on the flat and whilst climbing, yet maintains a fun and responsive down-hill and trail riding experience. The slacker head angle epitomises Sonder’s innovative approach to classic MTB design and its relentless focus on improving rider experience.

The Broken Road ST stands out for its remarkable versatility, whether you’re seeking the excitement of a local trail ride or embarking on a breathtaking journey across continents. Its design caters to both spur-of-the-moment fun and long-haul adventures. The adjustable dropouts add to its adaptability, allowing for seamless transitions between derailleur and a single-speed setup. Additionally, the straightforward internal cabling coupled with dropper post compatibility simplifies maintenance and enhances comfort, making the Broken Road ST an ideal choice for a variety of trips.

Like Broken Road Ti, the steel model comes equipped with multiple attachment points on the frame and forks. However, competitively priced against its Titanium counterpart, Broken Road ST makes high-quality versatility more accessible. Born for bike packing, a dream for long distances and, thanks to Sonder’s build options, customisable to the nuances of individual riding styles. Broken Road ST is an attractive option for riders who enjoy the thrill of riding anywhere and everywhere.

With ten shop-in-shops across the UK, Sonder offers a unique experience where every bike and wheel is built to order. Renowned for its exceptional service, custom options, and bespoke bike frames, Sonder stands resilient and poised for continued success throughout 2024. With plans for further bike launches in 2024, Sonder is committed to supporting the evolution of multi-disciplinary riders.

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Chris King Releases DropSet 6, the Latest GripLock Headset in Their Lineup

One for the DH riders, now you can add some Chris King bling to your headset.

In the 10 years since being awarded a patent for their GripLock® headset technology, Chris King has released headsets for a wide variety of bikes, from road and gravel to XC and trail. Now they are bringing this innovative tech to a new generation of downhill mountain bikes by adding the DropSet™ 6 to their headset line up. The DropSet™ 6 is a new fitment of the DropSet™ family, using IS41/IS41 bearings to fit the straight head tube and steer tube combinations found on many contemporary downhill bikes.

King’s GripLock® technology protects a fork’s steerer tube from excessive preload and protects the headset bearings from excessive shock load created when riding. The system uses two isolated wedges to separate headset bearing adjustment from steerer tube location. GripLock® solves the problem of loose headsets on long travel mountain bikes and also eliminates the chance of headset inflicted fatigue on the lightweight carbon steerer tubes found on modern road forks.

DropSet™ 6 is available now in the full array of King’s 2024 colors. It will cost $176 with steel bearings, or $296 with an upgrade to ceramic bearings.

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Cotic Launches UK Made Escapade

Cotic revealed the Escapade UK 853, a small batch British production run of their award winning gravel bike.

Supple, tough and light, this Escapade is built using Reynolds 853 tubing, carefully crafted into the perfect gravel bike. They are hand made and painted right here in the UK within an hour of Cotic HQ.

The stock colour is Cirrus – as shown in the photo above. However, for a small upcharge, we are offering an A La Carte colour choice of 10 different frame colours, and because the graphics are painted on, we can also offer the same 10 colours on the graphics too. Plus gloss or matte finish. That’s 200 potential combinations. Mix n’ match to your hearts content.

This is a connoisseur’s gravel bike with the best ride quality, the 853 UK edition saves weight and gives this Escapade an extra spring in its step. All the heritage of Reynolds tubing, with Cotic style modern performance and versatility.

• These bikes start at £2699 for the Escapade UK 853 Special Deal 700c build, based around the SRAM Apex1 11spd groupset.
• Next up at £3249 are the Silver GRX 700c builds in either 1×11 or 2×11.
• Gold builds are GRX 12spd with Hope wheels and headset at £3,749.
• Platinum builds are available with either Campagnolo EKAR at £4,199 or our Force/X01 AXS wireless drivetrain with Hope wheels at £4,849.
• Framesets are £1,999 with the Cirrus paint.

All builds are available with either 700c or 650b wheels. Remember, it’s Your Bike Built For You, so if you want some colour matched Hope bits like the bike in the photos, go for it. Wheel options galore. 5 different tyres options. Cane Creek eeSilk suspension seatposts and stems. The list is almost endless!

A La Carte colours are £149 upcharge.

Sizes available are Small (54cm), Medium (56cm), Large (58cm) and XL (60cm). We have a large and XL Cirrus in stock. All the frames are built and waiting your colour choices. Lead times on paint are around 1 month.

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