Cotic's Escapade was one of the early do-it-all drop bar bikes, predating the current gravel riding trend by a good few years. For 2021, this fourth iteration of the design keeps the skinny steel tubing but revises the cable routing to better suit 1x setups and gets a 142x12mm through-axle rear end.

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The geometry, ride feel and versatility all remain - just as well, because we liked the old bike when we reviewed it last year. The frame is made from butted chromoly steel, with an ovalised top tube, with a full carbon fibre fork plugged in the front. There's loads of clearance for 700x42mm tyres or chunky 650bx47mm in the rear and even fatter in the front, while there's a full complement of rack and guard mounts too.

The main update to the bike comes from a move to the now-standard-for-road-bikes 142x12mm hub spacing at the rear, while the front is 100x12mm. You also get flat-mount brakes front and rear.

The other main tweak has been to the cable routing. If you're running a 1x setup, it's now possible to hide the cable away entirely, though there are still removable external guides if you want to run a 2x setup or 1x with a dropper post.

Frames are available to pre-order now and cost £699 with either a lovely orange or more understated grey on offer. The most basic 2x Shimano Tiagra build it adds £1,200 to that total and at the other end of the spectrum, the GRX 800 build with Hope wheels will set you back a total of £2,574, though it's possible to add options onto that with Cotic's custom build options.

• www.cotic.co.uk

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