01/11/2016 - This Roadrat Goes Up To 11

A bit of commuting or night time back lanes is just the thing for keeping fitness high during the winter, and we have a new Roadrat for just such occasions; Roadrat 11 (insert Spinal Tap references here)

Mountain bike drivetrains are getting ridiculously reliable these days, especially the latest 1x drivetrains which ditch the front mech in favour or a lighter, cleaner, simpler wide range 11 speed cassette. When we got our shipment of SLX M7000 11spd in for the Silver build mountain bikes, it just seemed such a great match to the Roadrat frame given that it was originally conceived as a fast bike for the roads and lanes, using mountain bike technology.

The bike uses an Alfine 45t chainset to keep the top end gearing for fast road work, with the SLX 11-42 cassette opening up the climbing options to keep the hills a breeze. The clutch equipped SLX rear mech keeps the chain under control on the worst of the urban potholes, or back lanes bumps. It's got nearly the same range as the Sora 2x9 bike, in a lighter, simpler, cleaner looking package.

The base bike starts at just £1099, but we have lots of options to personalise your ride, from the Easton EC70 carbon seatposts and Hope 20FIVE wheels to save some weight, to the reflective sidewall Conti CityRide tyres we have in the photos to maximise your visibility. Via our Go Custom system you tailor the bike even further - Hope headsets, different bars and stems. You can even go for an upgrade Deore XT cassette with the 11-46 range for an even larger spread of gearing. Click on the link below and have a play, and get an order in. It's all in stock now.