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" Only a short time ago flat-barred road bikes were a breed apart. Once the personalised steeds of streetwise couriers, these mutant machines mixed and matched parts from road bikes and mountain bikes to offer the best of the both worlds. Splicing the speed of one with the riding position of the other turned out to make a whole lot of sense, and it wasn't long before manufacturers were lining up to offer their take on the formula. In fact, the flat-barred setup appeals to many. You might be an older roadie looking for a more upright, comfortable riding position without too much loss in performance; a commuter who enjoys a fast turn of speed on your ride to work, as this same geometry offers an improved field of view through traffic; or indeed anyone new to cycling - flat-barred cockpits, with their improved braking and easier shifting, plus the visibility bonuses, are more confidence inspiring. Lastly, they're also a bridge to those heralding from an MTB background - a familiar riding position only with a slicker, faster ride. "
" While most flat-barred bikes use a road frame as their starting point, the Roadrat is the opposite. Being from the Cotic family, it's the award winning, dirt driven Soul that provides the blueprint. The top-tube length is identical, and once you've taken into account sag in the suspension fork, seat angles are similar too, while classic 'cross angles on the head-tube and 45mm fork offset ensure no toe overlap. Hence the MTB look: lots of exposed seat post and standover clearance. Slender tubing is butted chromo from Taiwan and finish is simply superb - a glossy black powder coat should mean the Roadrat hides its age well. Indeed, we were impressed by the overall attention to detail, including neat mini-gussets on the downtube and chainstays, beefing it up for roughstuff duties too. And if you do stray off the black stuff, there's ample tyre clearance. We shod it with 35c Schwalbe Racing Ralph cyclo-cross tyres, with ample room for mud and leaves - without 'guards, it should take up to 38c. There're mounts for both discs and V-brakes but it's a shame the bosses aren't removable. A neat and minimal sliding dropout transforms it from fixed or single-speed city rat to fully geared light tourer. The only downside is that the chaintug/derailleur hanger, though beautifully machined, is a bit fiddly to remove when fixing a flat - production models will feature a tweaked, narrower version, with two adjustment screws for easy repositioning of the wheel in single-speed mode. Like Surly's Crosscheck, the 132.5mm rear drops will take both road and mountain bike hubs. Elsewhere, there's rear rack and mudguard eyelets, and a clever forward facing front disc mount to deal with any mudguard compatibility issues too. There're even neat cable bosses at the head-tube, so no paint rubbing from the cables to worry about. "
" The Roadrat injects a whole new lease of fun to zipping round the urban landscape, confidently darting down backstreets and skipping over potholes. Initially, the 130mm stem looked long - but once in motion it works a treat, balancing the lively frame nicely. The wide handlebar (25in) helps with stability and steering but can encroach on tight traffic corridors. The longer stem also puts you into more of a low-slung position for road work compared to an MTB - particularly with the stem flipped down. In this regard, expect an involving ride, rather than the upright, sedate position of some flat bars. I'm a big fan of a single chainring and rear cluster combo. It's easier on the legs than a single-speed, and is all you need even in hilly locales like Bristol - side benefits being a lighter bike and fewer parts to maintain than standard gears. Although the whole bike feels very tight and together, there's just room for a couple of standard rear panniers without heel clearance issues, or toe overlap with touring width rubber - extending its horizons. The Tubus and Tortec racks we tried fitted fine and cleared the disc callipers. "
Cotic 9/10
" Snappy handling, individual looks, cool and very desirable frameset - the price is pretty nifty too "