I’ve been using a Kona Jake the Snake for commuting duties, but i’m not getting on with it. It fits, its comfortable, it can get me up the horrendous final climb to the house, but i just don’t enjoy it. The commute is mainly on old railway lines/riverside paths.
I like the idea/look of the Cotic Roadrat. I’d want it to run panniers/rack and tyres upto cyclocross size of 35ish.
So lets see them and have your thoughts.

I am the opposite to you. Ihave a large/short Roadrat frame hanging in my garage that I just didn’t get on with. I much prefer my Kona Major Jake.

Cotic says on their site that it’ll fit a 5’10” person but I think it’s upper limit is about 6’2″ (I’m 6’4″ so a bit wee for me)

Ah…. Forgot to mention I’m looking at flat bars

I’ve got a SS (42:17) long with flat bars. Think mine must be a medium. I’m about 5’10”. Use mine for 25 mile round trip commute. Find it comfy and fast enough. Commute is generally all road, though occasionally incorporate a bit of towpath. I use 25mm conti gatorskins and get on with them pretty well. Upgraded mine from v brakes to SLX discs and added sks mudguards. Seems to suit me fine for my kind of riding

Check in the Sale section. I have a Charge Mixer frame and forks for sale. It meets all that you require including rack and mudguard mounts. If the size is right drop me an email.

P20 what size is the Jake? First dibs if you sell?

I’ve got a medium short with drops, running fixed (45:15), with panniers and 23C tyres – used for the London commute and general runabout
it’s a hoot, not the sharpest bike, but comfortable and quick
in hindsight, I think it might work better as a flat bar bike, but I’m going to try some narrower drops to see if that sharpens it up a bit
I bought it for its versatility (fixed/SS/geared – on road/off road)

mines a small/short. have run it as 1×9.
Now with drops and SS plus some small block eights.

P1030364 by eastham_david, on Flickr

I like my Rat, it’s currently 2×9 with drops and cross tyres, in the past it’s been flat-barred and singlespeed, drop-barred and singlespseed, 1×9, with a mix of slicks and cross tyres and semi-slicks with either XT hydraulics or Avid BB7s, road ones…

It’s very versatile. It’s a bit heavy. At the moment it’s great for mixed road and easy off road longish rides and, if I commuted, would be great for that too.

It’s enjoyable in the way riding any bike is enjoyable, but it’s nowhere near a mountain bike off road, or as blurrily fast as a road bike on the road, or as good at being a cross bike as a cross bike. Which doesn’t stop me liking it. And it’s about to get some Ragley Luxy drops and maybe fattish 29er tyres and go sort of Monster Rat. And maybe some carbon forks cos the standard steel ones are bit brutal.

I can’t see that it would be automatically more ‘enjoyable’ than a Jake on old railway lines and riverside paths or on your horrendous final climb though. What’s wrong with the Jake?

Will these do duty as a cross bike,i love the look of them but would be putting some serious off road rides in.

I’ve ridden with someone around some pretty full-on climbs and descents in the Peak (Potato Alley, Roman Road, Lockerbrook etc), with me on a Soul and him on a Roadrat, and both were fine. It’s a pretty strong frame.

Biggest issue to be wary of though is that the frame is pretty flexy, which is probably what enables it to be ridden on rough tracks, but one you stick a pannier on it, can turn it into a noodlier-than-a-noodly thing IME. I ride mine SS, so on big climbs its where you feel the flex more than anything.

Just about to stick some gears on mine, as towing a trailer will not be an option without them!

I bought an Alfine one on the work scheme, replaced a SS Trek when I decided I needed gears. Its loads comfier, had small block 8s on it over winter.

This should hopefully offend the minimalists with its panniers, rack and childseat!

I quite like mine for commuting. It replaces an and very stiff Cannondale tourer.

I would agree that it is a bit flexy, but the comfort is far better than say and aluminium frame.

School run and road commute do not qualify me to talk about the bikes off road potential!

I am 6’1″ and ride a long/large and feel I could go up a size – if they did one. I am looking to change bikes in July and I want to do some test rides on similar bikes like the Genesis Crox, Kona Jake etc, but may be tempted by something lighter??

mine is built up as a town bike

hand me down part, flat bars, single speed, full guards, flats – head badge removed and “roadrat” text covered with an old inner tube so it hopefully doesn’t stand out when left locked up

one day I might make it more of a utilitarian all rounder by adding a hub gear and a few lighter/ nicer parts.

No pic I’m afraid but I highly recommend a ‘Rat for commuter duties. Got it as the standard s/s flat barred version. Medium for a 5’11, 33 inside leg. Really like the head up position for visibility and really like the handling – good balance of road bike speed and mTB handling. Have discs for quick braking and did put carbon forks on recently after getting a bit fed up of the harshness of the Roadhog ones.
A great day to day bike

Cheers guys. The Jake is on bike2work and has a couple of months left, but i wanted to start looking at replacements now as a bit of research. Prior to the Jake i had been using an old Kona Cindercone which i could manage the climb in the middle ring, but struggle with the Jake. I know the gearing is different, but for essentially a road bike, i just haven’t got on with it. The other option was a 29er, like the on-ones.
However this may be irrelevant, just been told we need to give up our rented house and if we move further away, the commute won’t be happening anyway 🙁

Have you tried swapping the rear cassette with a MTB one instead of the road one fitted to help you up the steeper hills?

Ace childseat.

I had a vague notion of sticking a Sturmey Archer S2C two speed hub on mine but think I’d have to cold set the frame to reduce the spacing of the rear drop outs and I’m a bit scared of that idea.

cold setting the dropouts is no problem doing it once.
2 times as a max imo.
if youre reasonably strong you could do it by hand, i did it to my 92 marin when i changed it from 7 to 8 speed, used it for 15 years after it no problem.
obviously, this applies to steel frames only.

I like mine. Use it for commuting mostly.

I once had a hardcore roadie drafting me for a bit, when he passed he said ‘nice bike’.

You should get one 😀

Only been out on few rides, convinced myself I needed a winter road ride I could do light touring on, and fits the bill.

Frame was second hand sold some old parts to pay for new. Was in two minds about getting a dropbar version, but am finding it so much easier off-road than my last crosser.

cold setting the dropouts is no problem doing it once.

I’ve got a 120mm spaced rear hub in mine and have just spaced it out with some washers and a longer axle

Tried mine with flats, missed the drops, but I guess I’m a roadie at heart. I just think flats bars are the top of your drops without the benefit of the drops

It does me fine on my 28 mile round trip daily commute with 25mm road tyres on, and it puts in the winter and wet miles around this. It’s a bit of a lump and rear flats can be a pita, but it handles fine imo and I’ve never been concerned about any flex. I have used it off road round the derwent valley and white peak mainly and it’s good fun for that. I’ll be at the Hell of the North ride next week on it.

As far as I can get excited for a hybrid, it’s alright.

They’re OK, but load ’em up and it all goes horribly flexy. And if you fit mudguards and a rack with gears it’s a royal pain in the arse to get the back wheel out. And I was ‘between sizes’: a small would have been to small but a medium always felt a bit high and gangly on me.

Fine as a fast, light commuter but not much cop otherwise IMO. I replaced mine with a Carerra Subway which I preferred.