• This topic has 6 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by cy.
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  • Roadrat drop bar options
  • 16stonepig
    Free Member

    Hi all. Looking for a bit of advice…

    I currently have a large/long Cotic Roadrat, with flat bars. I am thinking of sticking some drops on it (along with gearing it up, but more on that later…).

    Currently I have a 120mm stem, and that feels nice and roomy, without being overly stretched. However, looking at the specs for the complete bikes on the Cotic site, the combined top tube/stem length on the short/drop version is 680mm, but the long/flat version is 730mm

    Am I really going to have to fit a stem that is 50mm shorter to make this work? That's going to be 70mm. Being completely new to drop bars, I have no idea what the handling will be like, or if it's a serious faux-pas that will have all the roadies tutting at me?

    What's a good starting point?

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    No-one will tut at you, least of all people who ride road bikes (MTBers are the kit snobs). Just get a cheap short stem and some bars and give it a crack.

    Remember that road bars are 26mm diameter, so get a suitable stem.

    Seamus
    Free Member

    I did a similar thing with mine changing from flat bars to midge bars. Initially I reduced the the stem from 130mm to 100mm but felt a bit stretched. Have now gone with an 80mm stem which feels right and I can't say I've noticed any deterioration in the handling.

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    kelvin
    Full Member

    70mm stem and Midge bars here on a long rat, and yes, you will need the shorter stem for sure; 120mm stem will be unusable.

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    Note that, as with all things, the dimensions on drops vary quite wildly – some will have shorter reach than others, so this may affect your stem choice.

    Also, if you're going to be adding STIs/Ergos, consider the additional reach to the brake/gear levers.

    16stonepig
    Free Member

    So many variables!

    Might just take the same approach as when I built up my first mountain bike. Buy whatever's cheap and just get used to riding it…

    cy
    Full Member

    You really will need a stem that short! There's a reason we make the short frames so much shorter than the long ones designed for flat bars. We went through this exact exercise when working the short frames out, putting progressively shorter and shorter stems on a long frame until we got it right in terms of reach. We ended up with a 70mm stem on there, so the short frames were designed between 30 and 35mm shorter than the long ones so we could put a 100mm stem on the drop bar bikes and keep the handling good.

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