Singletrack Magazine has done a great feature about our demo rides and Sam, our demo man.

"Imagine if you could get a demo of a top-flight bike and ride it on your local trails, with the ability to swap between sizes, or models. Well, that’s exactly what Cotic has set out to do. Chipps spent the day with Sam, Cotic’s demo driver to find out what goes into getting a top brand like Cotic to come and see you on your own trails."

"Sam is Cotic’s demo fleet manager and he’s having the time of his life. For a start, Cotic’s approach to demos differs to most other bike companies. It tends not to go to the ‘bike shop open day’ style of demos where would be (or would be not) potential customers wander between stands, grabbing whatever bike is free and taking it on a coned and taped short lap of the woods before returning to try the next bike from the next brand."

Cotic’s approach is far more specific. Rather than happening upon Cotic at a demo day, Cotic organises its own demos at hot riding spots around the country and, if there’s enough interest from you and your riding pals, it will bring your very own demo to you.

It was a crazy idea, but Cotic isn’t one to do things normally. (Steel hardcore hardtails? Steel full suspension bikes? They’ll never take off… oh, wait.)"

"The idea isn’t to possibly influence the buying decisions of your average bike shop floating purchaser, it’s more to confirm the decision already made by a few hardcore Cotic fans (and their friends) and more about finding the right size, or spec, of a bike you’ve already talked yourself into. Some demo-ers already have one Cotic and they’re either looking to upgrade, or to add to the fleet. Other riders that sign up are Cotic-curious and keen to try a bike (or the whole range!) in an unpressurised environment. Sam certainly isn’t around to be a salesman (Cotic would argue that’s the job of the bike), he’s just there to make sure you get fitted and set up on your test bike and that you have a great time.

Like any ‘too good to be true’ job, Sam’s comes with its fair share of downsides. As well as driving around 18,000 miles a year for work, Sam flits between staying in generic McHotels, friends’ sofas and actual home home – though even that has seen him move out of the flat he shared with his girlfriend in Newcastle in order to move close to Cotic’s Sheffield HQ. He seems to have taken it all in his stride though and appears to be having the time of his life. Apart from a day or two early in the week at Cotic’s HQ where he swaps bikes in and out of his current fleet and catches up on paperwork, Sam is almost entirely out there ‘in the field’.

Before this bike-roadie lifestyle, Sam was literally on the road to being a car-bound rep for a brewery in Newcastle (another job that’s probably not quite as glamorous as it sounds…) As a student, he got ‘REALLY into beer’ though not in a way that most students do. Sam got into brewing in a big way and that led to an interest in the brewing industry and eventually a job."

"If there’s not a demo in your area, or if you really, really, need to try a Flare Max against a Rocket, or a Solaris against a Soul – or if you’ve made your mind up on a model, but want to try a large and a medium, then you contact Sam and he literally brings the demo to you. And if you’ve not ridden a single Cotic before, even better, you and your pals can spend the whole day working through the range on your home trails."

"These exclusive demos work for groups between four or so and 10-12. You book Sam, tell him what bikes you’re interested in and where you’re planning on meeting and riding. Sam is the first to admit that he’s not a mountain bike guide – it’s up to you to pick the route that you want to ride. He just comes along to answer technical questions, help with mechanical issues and just be cheerful at everyone. It makes sense that if you’re going to spend a not-inconsiderable amount of cash on a new bike, you should ideally get to test it on your favourite trails – and this is what Cotic’s exclusive demo service offers."

"Apparently no one yet has organised a demo day for a birthday treat, but it can’t be long before someone does. Imagine pitching up to the Peaks one sunny Wednesday and having your mates around to celebrate your birthday with a selection of well maintained, top notch bicycles…"

"Obviously there’s a big cost for getting the big Cotic van full of bikes to come to a car park of your choosing, full of the shiniest of new test bikes.

"No. No there isn’t. Not a sausage. Cotic maintains that if they were going to be running a test fleet anyway, then they’d much rather be talking to fans of the brand and the ‘Cotic-curious’ than fighting for air time in a crowded car park full of other bike brands. As such, it makes financial sense to keep Sam on the road, ready to help riders choose the bike that they’ve probably already made their mind up about…"