[Closed] cotic roadrat

The name is a bit of a giveaway. It is designed to be used on the road

Give me strength !
🙄
SS as well ! 😛

It is a fast hybrid. So all in all, it's bad off road, but things that are bad off road can still be fun. It's not so different from the bikes I learned to ride on (in fact it's quite a bit better tbh)

Still, if you're buying a bike specifically to ride off road, it'd be kind of incredibly stupid.

Ah, but how about compared to the Cotic X, eh?

Prob a stupid question

lets leave it there shall we...

A Roadrat will be much quicker on road than any mountain bike. They're really quick, handle nicely and are a hoot to ride. Much nicer ride than my road race bike, and not much slower over a short to medium distance.

OK, I get it. Stupid questioning I know. Maybe the cannondale trail sl ss 29er would be the answer and change to 1x9 or 1 x10.

Or the kona unit

Must be an awful road race bikethat a rat feels better.

Northwind nailed it - its a sturdy fast hybrid- my road race bike is faster and handles better at speed than the road rat

But i love my roadrat- not many bikes smash up cars on impact and ride off to see another day

OK, its not the right choice for. All I'm looking for for is a needle in haystack - rigid mountain bike, full gears (3x9), seal or aluminium and 26/29" wheels under 1000 off the shelf.

So, maybe a kona unit or cannondale trail sl. Both 29er singlespeeds and convert to geared?

My race bike is less comfortable, and has twitchy race bike geometry. The rat has more relaxed geometry and is less stiff so rides better and over short distances is just as quick. Over longer distances the benefits of the race bike start to come into play. You wouldn't find a stripped out, lowered track car with stiff suspension more comfortable than your family car would you?

I'm confused, your asking about a hybrid for road use and comparing it to MTBs. What is it you want to use it for?

its a sturdy fast hybrid- my road

Except they aren't sturdy. Put a decent load on them and they turn into a wobbly flexy mess.
A Trek FX is a better bike.

I am looking to use for long distance rides on and light off road, short blasts through woods - Ashton court/Leigh woods/50 acre.

[i]not many bikes smash up cars on impact and ride off to see another day [/i]

My Canyon roadlite pretty much wrote off a Hyundai Accent and all I had to change was the front wheel 😉

Is the roadrat in the same class as bikes like the Salsa Vaya, Kinesis Virsa Tripster, Genesis Day One etc, all of which seem to be designed with a bit of cyclo x/touring/light offroad/sneaky detour through the woods stuff in mind?

Seems to tick all the same boxes.

simonlovell999 - Member
I am looking to use for long distance rides on and light off road, short blasts through woods - Ashton court/Leigh woods/50 acre.

When you say long distance are you talking 100m+ or 30m? I wouldnt want to do 100m+ on anything other than a road/touring bike actually I wouldn't want to do it at all. For say the 30m range the roadrat should be just fine (this is what I am considering one for) the Cotic X will probably be faster on road and possibly a bit more aggressive off road but is also more expensive.

The Roadrat is not intended to be a tourer to be loaded up with gear. It's a lightweight, nimble cross bike that is very configurable to suit whatever commute you may want to do - city, road, canal paths, light off-road, 26" wheels, 700C wheels, 29er wheels, 650B wheels, Single speed, geared, flat bars, drop bars, disc brakes, Canti-brakes, etc.

I used a RoadRat as a commuter for a while, I've replaced it with a Ragley Rodwell as I wanted to run drops.

The only problem with the RoadRat is the mech hanger thingy if you run it geared. I never had a puncture thankfully but after changing tyres at home I was glad I could wash my oily hands straightaway. I wouldn't fancy trying to fix a flat by the side of the road halfway through a 100m road tour...