I have a Roadrat, as below, which I don’t get to use any more because of the complications of two school runs which involve a 70km round trip (don’t ask).

I’d like to start doing some sneaky evening/morning miles from the house, and there’s a mix of pathways and roads that’ll give me some quite nice loops to do, and a CX bike is probably the best tool for that job, as I’ll need gears for venturing up the hills – I’m trying to figure out if gearing the Rat is a good idea or not – problem being that the cranks are single-specific, and the brakes won’t accommodate shiters either – by the time I change all that stuff out to get it to a geared bike, am I best off selling the Rat and getting something like an X/Croix De Fer that’ll be right out of the box?

I’m quite fond of the Rat, and it’s got some nice bits – nearly new Crest rims for one – but it’s just going to waste right now, and that bugs me, and there’s the feeling that I could get more use out of something different.

I had the same dilemma with my similarly configured RR after moving to Dartmoor a couple of years ago. I sold mine on as I already had a 1×1 MTB and needed something with gears for longer / gnarlier rides on the moor…. really regret getting rid of it now as I loved that bike.

If in the same position again, I’d be looking at going 1×9 with a RH bar end shifter or a standard shifter on one of those handlebar extensions a la Stoner. Could be done fairly cheaply I reckon.

Or you could sell the Crest rims and use the money to buy an Alfine setup.

Rack, mudguards, barbag & panniers?
Do a bit of low geared touring?

I think someone from here (Stoner?) rode around France on something similar.
I’m sure they can give you some advice.

Not being funny, but you must have paid a lot for that bike.
Did you not consider it’s (& your) limitations before splashing out?

Pic (robbed from letmetalktomark’s thread) of the shifter / handlebar extension combo:

Considered a bar end shifter, although the bars are Woodchippers, really flared out – would be an awkward spot for a shifter. I guess anything like that is a compromise compared to a CX bike which would have the gearing and possible be lighter to boot.

Rusty Spanner – Member

Not being funny, but you must have paid a lot for that bike.
Did you not consider it’s (& your) limitations before splashing out?

It got plenty of use, the school run circumstances are relatively recent, it’s just the last six months or so (and the foreseeable future) that I haven’t been/won’t be using it.

give to me if you are really stuck for ideas. 😉

my vanity searching is slipping… 😉

Rohloff shifter

Rohloff’d CX stylee

Very adaptable off road – from tow paths to rocky ST descents.

Single speed touring across Spain and France.

63″ gear inches, bar bag & saddle bags only.

http://pompinos.blogspot.co.uk/

If you decide to go Alfine – I have just changed my Pompetamine to flat bar – just couldn’t get on with drops (the beer gut isn’t shifting!) so I have a set of 8spd Alfine Versa drop bar levers for drops if you’re interested…

For off-road I run 32T front 18T rear but I spin out in top very quickly on the road – but I can ride up just about anything that my MTB with a standard 3 x 9 set-up can if it’s not too rocky.

Alfine 8 speed and a J-Tek bar end shifter would be my suggestion.

I had an old single speed roadrat which I liked, but wanted gears after commuting on it for 6months so I sold it and bought a factory alfine road rat.

Really like mine, use it for riding on the road, commuting and light off road duties where my FS would be overkill

smokey_jo
If you decide to go Alfine – I have just changed my Pompetamine to flat bar – so I have a set of 8spd Alfine Versa drop bar levers for drops if you’re interested…

If the OP ain’t, I might be, depending on how much you’d be after!

what bars are those stoner? i’m thinking about going to drops of some sort for my RR and they look like the kind of thing i’d want…

I believe those are salsa woodchippers, Xherb

Yummy thumbies

Sorry for the hijack OP – lilchris – mail me to discuss price if you’re interested. The OP hasn’t contacted me yet.
pe_mk at yahoo dot com

I believe those are salsa woodchippers

ta!

Surely MTFU and ride it as is 🙂 Seriously though, can’t you change the ratios to something more SS friendly?

Failing that I’d put an Alfine on it – I picked up a complete wheel and shifters on eBay for around £100 and you could either put the shifters on a bar extender or get a set of Versa shifters.

I run Alfine + Versa on my Peregrine and it’s a great combination. As the gaps between gears on an Alfine are quite large you could easily get away with the shifters on a bar extender and see how you get along?

xherbivorex – Member
what bars are those stoner? i’m thinking about going to drops of some sort for my RR and they look like the kind of thing i’d want…

Have a look at Salsa Cowbells to fella, not aas severe, if you’re not riding the drops all the time.

IIRC Woodchippers are best suited to being permanantly in the drops?

and those on mine are actually midges, but v similar to woodchippers.

will do gents, thanks!

The Rat at the top has Woodchippers, Stoner’s are the On-One equivalent (and are nicer, IMO)

I’m sure there’s a blindingly obvious reason why not here, but why does the Alfine shifter have to be mounted on an extension? Couldn’t you just put it in the middle of the bars? Does it not slip round the curves in the drops or something?

Regards shifters is it not possible to use ‘Band On Thumb shifters’like what old road bikes used to use.

Buy a cheap groupset from one of the online places and some fat tyres.

I have an old xt groupset and 34c cross tyres on mine and its pretty capable (without trying to break it)

I use Midges and bar-end shifters on my geared drop-bar’d bikes with no problems – they are actually my shifter of choice (given the odd mix of 8 & 9 speed I run on a couple of bikes, where the friction mode is an easy fix).