It’s clearly all happening at Cotic. To say it’s a small outfit would be to stretch the definition of “understatement”, but the UK brand is certainly punching above its weight right now.

Hot on the heels of the recent launch of a pair of new frames – the singlespeed Simple Soul and sturdy BFe – and the announcement that top endurance racer Kate Potter will be racing for Cotic/Bontrager in 2007 comes the first official Cotic Test Centre.

The Test Centre in question is Sideways Cycles of Alsager, Cheshire. It’ll have permanent in-store demo bikes for potential purchasers to try and will be offering a full custom build program on all Cotic models, including the titanium Soda.

Sideways’s Tim Johnson says, with tongue gently lodged in cheek, “We’re amped to the max to be able to work with Cy on this project.”

Sideways Cycles is at www.sidewayscycles.co.uk or call 01270 883785. See Cotic stuff at www.cotic.co.uk.