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Totalled my roadrat, head on collision with a mobilty buggy. Front axle now touches the bottom bracket, now on the hunt for a replacement. In an ideal world, I'd just get a new frame, but the roadrat is discontinued. I ridden a few drop handlebar bikes and I can't get on with them, so it's got to be a hybrid of some description. I liked the road rat as it was a little bit different from the average hybrid, so suggestions on a post card please, what's around.
I'm in a similar predicament, can't be doing with drops so I'm looking at something like a Spesh Sirrus. Maybe a Speedwork if I get a decent discount from my LBS.
Missed an immaculate Roadrat a couple of weeks ago but alas, it was a medium & I'm a short arse.
Freewheel have the Saracen Levarg Flat Bar in their samples sale. Might be worth a look at the sale price.
https://www.freewheel.co.uk/saracen-2019-levarg-fb-md-bike-sample-used-rna51354sp001
Escapade with flats?
How about a Genesis CDF flat bar?
Spa tourer flat bar? https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s225p3932/SPA-CYCLES-Steel-Tourer-Flat-Bar-%28Ex-Demo%29
You may have found market gap here. Some ideas in this recent thread on more or less the same topic:
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/frame-suggestions-flat-bar-adventure-does-it-even-exist/
You may have found market gap here. Some ideas in this recent thread on more or less the same topic:
This. It would appear than few manufacturers realise it. (or don't produce quite enough for demand)
I've been looking for something for about 6 months but there's nowt about in my size within a reasonable distance to look at/sit on.
Second hand/new old stock Transition Rapture?
Frame suggestions – Flat bar adventure…Does it even exist?
I'm pretty sure thats pretty much any cross country biased hardtail from the last 30 years?
Is no one going to ask about the crash with a mobility buggy?
There's not really anything out there. Best bet is to look for a 2nd hand frame or bike. Thats what I did and ended up with an Orange Expresso.
I looked at the On-one bootlicker but it's only designed around 1x 32t chainring, far too low if you do many road miles.
XC frames are ok, but they are often designed around a suspension fork, which means long axle-crown if you replace it with rigid and makes fitting full mudguards a right faff. Plus they don't have any frame mounts for guards/rack.
bike-discount.de sometimes has frames for sale, as does commencal, but i can't see a frame only option for this which looks good... https://www.commencal-store.co.uk/fcb-c2x31379400
The hybrid scene does seem to have thinned out abit. In the past I've looked at Kona dew range, but they appear to have gone a bit tame recently, the PhD is no longer made it seems.
Some good suggestions guys, I rode a hardtail with rigid forks for years before the roadrat,worked okay but the roadrat was better suited to the role of commuting. It may well come down to an escapade with flats, the medium rat and the large escapade have similar geometry but sacrifices standover height.
The mobility guy was fine, I came round a left corner after a rise in the cycle track, positioned to left of the track. Mobilty buggy was coming the other way on right of the track (from their perspective). Think it was one of those perfect storms, his approach speed and my approach speed was such that we were both obscured by the vegitation on the side of the track. Im pretty wary of the turn and always check, genuinely didn't see each other. My speed was around 11mph at impact. Frame is folded in on itself, although the front wheel is still true and the forks appear undamaged.
I converted my old Escapade to flat bars - long stem, layback post etc.
It still felt too short.
Sonder Santiago maybe? They do a flat bar version of that one. Don't know anything about it mind - I have a Camino which is ace, but that's not really any help!
Does it need to be singlespeed? Brother cycles Kepler is what’s tempted me to swap out the old roadrat
Edited to add- I know it’s generally seen as a drop bat but there have been a few nice flat bar builds on the internet too
Canyon Roadlite?