Cotic has today announced a new deal with Titanium supremos Lynskey over the production of its hardtail Soda model, after previous partners Merlin could not fulfil production duties ongoing.

The news could have come as a major blow to the popular UK bike brand, whose BFe, Simple, Soul, Hemlock and Roadrat models (along with the Soda) have attracted somewhat of a cult following in recent years. However, it looks like Mark Lynskey will rescue things after agreeing to produce the Soda, which was demonstrated recently at Cycle 2009. Lynskey, seen by many in the industry as the Guru when it comes to Ti, currently produces for Mole favourites On-One and Ragley, as well as for Cove – their Ti model, the Hummer, another common sight on the Surrey Hills.

In a release from Cy at Cotic, he confirmed that Lynskey can pretty much start production straight away with 32 frames arriving in around three months with rolling orders thereafter. The ‘Lynskey Soda’ will feature the same tube manipulation, shaping and finishing previously offered by Merlin with ‘Cotic touches’ such as the return of the cowled dropouts. Frames will continue to come with the full Cotic warranty, which is being supported by Lynskey.

So the price for a Cotic/Lynskey masterpiece? A cool £1,500, which will include a Hope quick release, chainstay protector, vinyl decal options and UK delivery. Some have been quick enough to point out that you can pick up an ‘On-One Lynskey’ for £799, although to paraphrase Cy on the SingleTrackWorld forum today, Cotic ‘has never been about being the cheapest, but about being the best’. Reading between the lines the Soda will be a totally different act from the 456. Well, last time I looked a QR, chainstay protector and frame stickers came in a tad under £700 so you’d hope so.

I love my Soul, the 853 steel version of the Soda, so it will be a long time before I’m forking out over three times as much for a Ti frame, but there are plenty of others out there with deep pockets and loyal followers of a brand that’s growing all the time. OK, so they may manufacture in the far east (they aren’t alone in that!), but they are a British company doing good things for our industry, so good luck to Cy and the team with this new partnership.

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About the author

As Baz Luhrmann said in his Sunscreen song: look after your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone. Well, until they do finally give up the will to live and screech to a halt like a knackered bottom bracket, I'm just going to keep riding because that's what I love.

Whilst I'm more full time parent and part-time biker these days, I still make the best of the time family life affords me, even if the fitness yo-yos massively.

I ride a Cotic Soul, which is currently single-speeded, and also a 2010 Trek EX-8 for drier times.

We are a pretty lucky bunch to live in such close proximity to the Surrey Hills, which gives us an embarrassing amount of trail choice. Some of my all time local favourites have sadly now been 'decommissioned', but with the likes of BKB, Summer Lightening and China Pig, there's still plenty to smile about whichever way you turn.