I’d been waiting for Cotic to produce something to replace my Cotic X for ages – it needed to have drops, discs and pannier mounts.
So, I was pleasantly surprised to find a “hidden” page on Cotic’s site with all the details about the Escapade a couple of weeks before it was official. I wasn’t sure if they’d take an order at that stage (I must have been one of, if not the, first), but it all went though ok.
The frame arrived 10 days ago – but there was a problem… they hadn’t sent the forks! I waited another week to build it up. Here it is:
Bolt though 9mm fork ends were fine with my XT QR hub – I just popped the end of the QR skewer and slotted it though. I won’t be able to take the wheel off when I park the bike, but equally it would take a tea leaf ages to work out how to nick it.
Back end is straight from the Roadrat:
With its sibling – a repainted Soul:
I think Duckegg blue is becoming a bit of a Cotic cliche, but I fancied it over the purple-ish alternative. Looks nicer than my X’s gloss black, but will show marks a lot more I’d guess:
It’s running 105 drivetrain, with XT chain and SLX 11-32T cassette. Wheels are XT M756 hubs on Mavic TN719 rims and Conti GP 4 Season 28c tyres. Braking is courtesy of BB5s and finishing is Easton EA50, with a Fizik Gobi saddle.
Frame weight is 2,060g / 4.8lbs – a bit lighter than I expected. Complete bike weight is just under 23lbs.
I’ve only ridden it around the block, but it’s very different from the X. The BB feels lower and the top tube slightly longer. Feels quicker (to me).