Raleigh UK have announced an exclusive partnership with Corratec. It's been a long time since this individual German brand has been seen on these shores, so we took a look at the new range.
In addition to the standard equipment versions, Raleigh and Corratec will offer custom specs to order, with each model built to whatever configuration you have in mind. Click on the thumbnails on the right to see close-ups of each model.
Super Bow
Those of you who remember the last time Corratec were on these shores will recall their iconic bow mountain bike frame with its top tube running from headset to rear axle. The Bow design's claimed advantage is that by creating a frameset with much smaller triangles you end up with a chassis that’s very stiff and allows the use of lighter tubesets.
The Team WC edition shown at the top of this article comes with a full complement of Shimano XTR kit, a RockShox Reba fork with lockout and Avid Juicy 7 hydraulic stoppers. Zzyzx again provide most of the finishing kit, while Mavic are called upon for the Crossmax SLR wheelset. The Super Bow Team WC is available for £2,299.99. The range starts with the Trail model for £549.99.
An alternative to the standard Super Bow is the titanium framed Titan version. Specced to the customer's requirements, it is only available in very limited numbers.
Revolution
The Revolution World Cup is aimed at the same level as the Super Bow WC but with a more traditional frame shape, though it's not made of traditional hardtail material. The TCM carbon frame is a true one-piece monocoque, even down to the carbon dropouts, and one of the lightest carbon hardtail frames out there. The rear triangle has curved seatstays that mimic the lines of the Bow design and these, along with the top tube, are deeply ovalised, which Corratec claim helps dissipate vibration while staying stiff.
The range topping Revolution has the same core finishing kit and groupset as the Super Bow, but the wheelset is Zzyzx Disc Cross Attack – not a wheel we’ve come across before but they certainly look interesting. The World Cup model is £2,999.99, with the range starting at £1,699.99 for the Race model.
Air Tech
Corratec's Air Tech cross-country bikes feature a suspension design called 2CIRCLE. This platform is exclusive to Corratec, and the principle behind the design is to keep a linear force acting upon the shock throughout its travel. This is claimed to produce a smoother spring action and damping, with no ramping up. Corratec also claim that because the design all but eliminates lateral movement, the life of the rear shock is extended. Bold claims to be sure and we’ll have to reserve judgment until we can get a bike in on test.
The model shown here is the Shimano XTR-equipped World Cup edition, which comes with a RockShox Reba Team fork, Mavic CrossMax SLR wheelset and full XTR groupset for £2,999.99. The 2CIRCLE range starts at £999.99 for the Zone model.
X-Force
The X-Force is Corratec’s all-mountain machine, designed with a rear end that can be adjusted to provide 120mm or 140mm of suspension travel. The X-Force differs from the Airtech cross-country rig with its reinforced head tube and gussets at all the main tube junctions. Up front, it gets a 140mm travel Fox Talas fork, while rear suspension is handled by an X-Fusion 02-RL shock. Zzyzx Hart Attack all-mountain wheels are fitted, and the drivetrain is mostly Shimano XTR with the addition of an XT front mech. The XTR-equipped 01 is £2,999.99 while the 02 model retails for £1,999.99.
X-Vert
X-Vert is Corratec’s trail mountain bike range, starting with the all-aluminium S 04 (a mix of Shimano Deore and XT) and topped by the S CA pictured here, which shares the same carbon/aluminium technology as the road going Forcia (see below). This hardtail gets a RockShox Reba SL (100mm travel) fork, Shimano XT groupset, Avid Juicy 5 brakes and Zzyzx Cross Attack wheelset. The X-Vert range starts at £499.99 and the CA retails at £1,699.99.
29er One
Opinions are still divided over 29-inch wheeled mountain bikes, but Corratec have jumped on the bandwagon by calling their 700c urban/trekking bike the 29er. The 29er One is a fully specced Euro-style tourer complete with Shimano Alfine hub gearing and disc brakes, and the price includes front and rear lights, mudguards, a side stand and rear rack. The One retails for £1,199.99, with a lesser specced Two version at £799.99.
CCT Pro
The flagship of the road range is the all-new CCT Pro, designed by Italian frame builder Maura Sannino, a builder for over 30 years who made his reputation building bikes for the Polish and Russian national teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The CCT Pro is based around a carbon monocoque main frame with the now almost standard 1/8in 11/4in head tube. As it’s a bike developed for, and in conjunction with, the Volksbank team, it's built for out-and-out stiffness. A large-diameter bottom bracket shell keeps things in check while the rear stays kink upwards to the rear axle to keep the chainline as clean as possible. The bare frame weighs in at a superlight 900g.
The flagship bike comes with a carbon integrated bar/stem, laidback carbon post and tubular-only deep-section carbon wheels, all from Zzyxx. The fork has a prominent curve to help reduce road buzz but the legs arc backwards to sharpen handling.
Groupsets available for the Pro include Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Campagnolo Super Record. Other options include Campag Chorus and Record, and Shimano Ultegra and standard Dura-Ace (as shown). The CCT Pro range starts at £1,899.99 for the Ultegra-equipped model, rising to £3,000-plus for the custom spec version shown here.
ForciaCA
The CA is Corratec’s mid-range road bike, sitting below the CCT Pro and CCT Team, and is based around a frameset that mixes aluminium and carbon but in a way you may not have seen before. The frame starts as an aluminium core, or skeleton, which is then layered with carbon fibre to create the chassis (Giant have a similar concept with their Alliance designs). The Forcia range starts with a Shimano 105-equipped bike, then Ultegra and Dura-Ace. If you want Campagnolo, it's Chrous through to Super Record. The price for the Ultegra model shown here is £1,699.99.
