I fancy a road rat from those Cotic people…I did receive an offer email for their road rat with all singing and dancing commute kit in cluding gears for £1000 (cost price £1100) but I fancy a SS version. Any had exp of road rats and can they recommend them as a commute bike? I have a 5 mile in and a 10 mile home commute currently. I am using my SS crosser which is alu framed and has drops.

comments on drops versus bars for the rat would be helpful too…

I've a singlespeed one. Flat bars. Added my own disc brakes. Ran it with bar ends for a while and didn't like it – too twitchy cos bars too narrow. Took bar ends off and had an epiphany. My commute home is 4 miles. A few times I've extended it to 20 just because I want to carry on riding. It just handles beautifully. Looks nice too. For me the best thing about it, is it's a road bike designed for people who ride mountain bikes so the handling just 'works' if you mainly ride a mountain bike. It really is a lovely bike to ride. And being so flexible you can turn it in to a geared tourer/CX etc bike too if you want…

I love mine, it's run singlespeed with disc brakes and flat bars (with barends). I also have a 'proper' drop handledbar roadbike for long distances but for quick hour-long blasts it doesn't get a look in and the roadrat gets the nod everytime. It's just fun to ride.

is a road rat not just an mtb frame with a rigid fork?

I do fancy the flat bar and SS version. mt crosser is SS with drops and I do like the drops but flats give you more control if less hand positions.

I think I will buy a singlespeed flat bar version very soon 🙂

Christmas present to me! Wife left me 3 months ago for another guy and took the kids so I think I will treat myself – life too short.

ive a all singing flatbar medium for sale, better spec than the offer one from cotic(i think) for £500, get the bits for ss and you have all options covered. mail in profile for specs and pics.

Tang, YGM

I absolutely love mine. I've got the drop bar version which I run singlespeed with Schwalbe cross tyres. Fast on road, an absolute hoot off-road. I actually ride it far more than my MTB.

If you give it a chance it's far more capable off-road than it's given credit for – will do anything that an early 90s MTB would do, and more. It's really got the feel of the bikes I started out riding back in the day.

i had a SS road rat with flat bars and bar ends and it was great. Make sure you put a long stem on, 130mm ish to stop it being twitchy, used to run 44t chain ring and 17 or 18t rear cog on my commute with a moderate hill on the way home

Disc mount on the front of the fork? That's unusual, why they like that then?

I think the idea is that in a conventional set up the directional force could potentially force the wheel out of the dropout when braking hard. If it's front facing it's the opposite way round.

mansonsoul-no mail yet

Its like that so you can still fit mudguards.

I think they're road bikes for mountain bikers who've never tried a proper road bike. My advice – try a proper road bike.

My advice – try a proper road bike.

You're right I'm sure, but with heavy panniers my is stable and predictable. It also allows fairly big tyres and is fun off road.

DezB – Member

Disc mount on the front of the fork? That's unusual, why they like that then?

Pathetic attempt at niche-ness.

BigJohn – I have a team carbon boardman and a cyclocross SS so tried proper road bikes 🙂

Tang – YGM!

Not sure about bar ends. i do not really want a off road SS MTB style bike but an on road commute bike…

BigJohn – I think that's a common perception but they're a completely different animal. Just really versatile – I've done stuff on mine that I would never attempt on a real road bike, and they're bags more fun and better handling than a standard hybrid.

Re the fork – from Cotic's website:

"Disc mount positioned on front right ; brake forces always go into the dropout and there's no interference with mudguards. Max rotor size : 160mm."

Tang – YGM properly now, crap copy and pasting on my part email error…