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Flat bars on short Roadrat?

16 posts & 10 voices | Started 1 year ago by SprocketJockey | Latest reply from Brainflex

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SprocketJockey - Member

Anyone running flat bars on a short Cotic Roadrat frame? If so, what stem size are you using, and does it really screw up the handling?

Due to a forthcoming very hilly commute I'm considering adding discs and gearing mine up as a 1x9 on the cheap using existing bits in the shed. If I do, am going to need to ditch the drops for now (otherwise would need new shifters / levers etc).

Looking at the specs it's only a 30mm difference in top tube length between the short and long versions so I'm wondering whether it really makes that much of a difference.

Posted 1 year ago #
Retrodirect - Member

Just over an inch is a lot. It will handle fine, but it will not fit you.

Posted 1 year ago #
SprocketJockey - Member

It will handle fine, but it will not fit you.

I'm struggling to work that why that would be the case. Surely it's going to be a similar riding position to if I have my hands on the flat part of the drops currently, which works fine for me. Or am I missing something?

To be honest I'm generally on the hoods or the flat anyway, and only rarely use the drops.

Posted 1 year ago #
cynic-al - Member

Meh, I have a road bike that's 59 adn one that's 55, both fit and handle fine.

It's about what you can get your head around. is it single speed just now?

Posted 1 year ago #
SprocketJockey - Member

Yes - singlespeed currently. I guess I just need to try it out, but wanted to see if anyone had done anything similar before I get the bigboxofbikeydelights (tm) and my allen keys out

Posted 1 year ago #
Retrodirect - Member

My apologies, I skim-read and thought you were just going to clamp a set of flats on without changing stem or anything else.

Heres a long-winded answer;

Two bikes with identical bar-saddle-bb positioning but with differing toptube lengths WILL handle differently.

On a drop-bar bike:
Riding with your hands on the flats is fine when your sat in the saddle; but try standing up and sprinting with your hands there and it's much different.
Go out, have a shot and you'll see. You tend to move forward on the bars the harder you're riding (your body will drop too). On flat bars you can't do this so you need to have the bars further out than where the flats-of-a-drop-bar would be, to compensate.

The short Roadrat with a Longer Stem will want to stay travelling in a straight line when your weight is on the bars much more than a long roadrat. The effect happens when you are standing up sprinting, hill-climbing etc. The stem acts as a control-spring wanting to return your bars to the neutral (wheel facing straight forward) position.

Basically, to run flat bars put a longer stem on.

Posted 1 year ago #
GavinB - Member

To the OP:

Yes, 120mm negative rise stem (-10 deg, I think), Easton EA30 bars (low-rise) - basically, what I had lying around. Works fine. You will not die!

Posted 1 year ago #
cynic-al - Member

Basically, to run flat bars put a longer stem on.

Yep

Posted 1 year ago #
theboatman - Member

I'm about to pop some flats on my medium short roadrat; I'm currently have a 100mm stem with 0deg rise on with the drop bars, but was going to stick on a 120mm stem with a -6 deg drop for the flats. Really inline with the reasons retrodirect suggests.

Posted 1 year ago #
SprocketJockey - Member

Thanks all - will give it a go. I've got a zero rise 120mm stem knocking around somewhere I think.

Wondering whether something like an On One Mary bar would do the trick to get over having to have too long a stem.

Posted 1 year ago #
cy - Member

I've run up to 130mm stem on my long RoadRat, so long stems won't bother it as the head angle is identical between the two frames.

Posted 1 year ago #
rp16v - Member

go for a flat bar with straight bar ends feels nice for out the saddle grinding i may then have enough leaverage to keep it ss (granted mines a diffrent bike but i prefer it to drops

Posted 1 year ago #
SprocketJockey - Member

Thanks all for the advice folks but am having second thoughts having been out on the bike today. I reckon I'm using the drops more than I thought so reckon I may miss them.

Am going to see if I can source some cheap bar end shifters so that I can keep the drops - if I can't then it's back to the flat bar option.

Posted 1 year ago #
Woody - Member

Wide'ish flat bars and bar-ends should sort it out with maybe a longer stem if you feel the need. Can't see as problem myself other than when it's windy and that could easily be overcome with a zero or -ve rise stem.

The pic below is a similar version and it's fine with a bar swap and a longer stem.

Posted 1 year ago #
Vortexracing - Member

yip, bought a new one of Cy a few weeks back, short rat, 1x9, discs and an EA30 105mm stem and EA30 Flat bars.

feels spot on to me

P1030364 by eastham_david, on Flickr

when I try some drops which I have i'll be using a 90mm stem

Posted 1 year ago #
Brainflex - Member

Hi, got flats on my short roadrat, this is coupled with a 110mm stem and is perfect for me.

Posted 1 year ago #

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