Posted on February 3, 2022 by Jessie-May Morgan

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.

Rear rack, two full size water bottles inside the front triangle, another one under the downtube, bolt-on top tube pack, Anything Cages… all are accommodated by the Cotic Cascade Gravel Bike, not to mention the bar bag, seat pack and trailer you could run too.

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.

Fun Fact: The Cotic Cascade went through numerous iterations during its three year development process, including this DropLink Gravel Bike created from a pre-production 2015 Rocket frame and a custom Cane Creek shock. Founder Cy admits it didn’t work tremendously well.

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.

The Cascade runs a 53mm Boost chainline, dedicated to 1x drivetrains with a maximum chainring size of 38T (36t Oval). It runs a Conventional English Threaded/BSA BB.

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.

Cotic’s own steel rigid fork, as well as the Salsa Firestarter 110 Deluxe Carbon fork shown here, can take a 29″ x 2.6″ tire (or a 27.5″ x 3.0″ tire)

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.

It would seem the Cotic Cascade Gravel Bike’s versatility is limited only by your imagination

Though some of Cotic’s steel mountain bike frames are fabricated in Edinburgh by Five Land Bikes, the Cotic Cascade Gravel Bike is hand made in Taiwan

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. 

A Flat Mount+20mm brake allow the use of a 160mm diameter rotor on the rear

Cotic say the Reynolds 853 34.9mm seat tube gives great precision to the ride, especially when loaded

The downtube gets bosses at 64mm bottle cage spacing for maximum luggage and cage flexibility. These also double as the cable/hose routing points.

The Cascade gets stealth routing up the seat tube for a dropper seatpost

Here it is in its most aggressive build, with a 100mm travel suspension fork in the form of a RockShox SID SL Ultimate

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.

Jessie-May Morgan is the UK & Ireland Tech Editor of Bikerumor. She has been writing about Mountain Bike Riding and Racing, and all the technology that comes along with it for 3 years. Prior to that, she was an Intern at the Mountain Bike Center of Scotland, and a Mountain Bike Coach and Leader in the Tweed Valley, and prior to that, a Biological Research Scientist at the University of Edinburgh. Based in Innerleithen, Scotland, Jessie-May can regularly be seen riding the Tweed Valley’s Enduro and Downhill Tracks, often with a race plate tied to the handlebar.

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Interesting bike, but I can’t help think that when the trail gets that chunky flat bars are simply better. With the colossal reach on these frames I think you easily run a flat bar. If I were building one for bikepacking I’d be looking at a Velo Orange Crazy Bar on it to give some hand position options.

I also think it’s the time when we realise that drop bar brake handles, are alot worse for downhill riding, than flat bar handles.

That Microsoft build is unique

so weird. 2019. just saying https://theradavist.com/2019/10/2019-grinduro-olivetti-drop-bar-mtb/

“… particularly exciting prospect for those keen on drop bar trail riding.” I want to meet a single person in the world that is doing “drop bar trail riding.” Honestly message me please! I want to know you are real, and understand how a mind like that cam exist

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