Hotlines brings all new Rondo RATT to the UK

Rondo has launched what it’s describing as the next step in the ‘all-road’ movement – a bike with maximum versatility engineered into for both road and gravel riders.

The RATT features a 650b wheelset, passive suspension built into the lower part of the seat tube, and the rear of the top tube, and the ability to decrease the trail and slacken the head tube angle for a more relaxed and forgiving ride if your terrain is more gravel, than road.

Featuring a visually striking frame design, with tube shapes engineered for function, Rondo make it clear that the RATT has been designed for comfort without compromising the stiffness in the areas crucial to the responsiveness of the bike. Essentially, RATT combines the speed of a classic road bike with the
all-road character of a modern gravel bike, appealing to anyone wanting a sporty yet versatile ride for both on and off the road.

How can a gravel bike ride like a fast road bike?

Rondo have made this possible by combining a number of elements including the geometry of the RATT carbon frame, combined with:

• Wide 650B tyres, to keep the overall diameter of the wheels small.
• A specially designed fork with extended offset results in less trail at the front wheel and a steeper head tube angle, which cleverly compensates for the sluggishness of the wider tyres.
• Switching to the LO position of RONDO’s own variable TwinTip axle, which decreases the offset making the trail longer, the head tube angle flatter and the bike more forgiving on uneven and off-road terrain.

Effectively the larger contact area of the wider tyres provides exceptional traction and stability, coupled  with reduced rolling resistance, without any detrimental effect on the speed. The result is the perfect mix of race-like high agility, a direct response and more riding comfort. Narrower tyres can also be used on the RATT – ideal for those who do not want to miss the classic road bike position and razor-sharp reaction on steep climbs or in the final meters of a sprint.

• Uniquely, changing between LO and HI position on the TwinTip axle is possible in a few minutes – even mid-ride.

To fulfil every aspect of versatility a hybrid bike should possess, the frame is equipped with a mount for a front mech. As a result, the bike can be fitted with a 2x groupset.

The RATT is available in two model variants: the CF1 and CF2, and its equipment further underlines the all-road capabilities of this new RONDO bike. The CF1 comes with a Shimano GRX RX800 groupset, RONDO X HUNT 650B wheels and Vittoria Terreno Zero tires with 47 millimetres in width. The CF2 is equipped with a Shimano GRX RX400 groupset and Rondo Lit wheels. Further expansion of the RATT family is also planned for the 2023 season.

2022 marks 5 years of Rondo in the UK via Hotlines, with the gravel scene going from slow burn niche to fully fledged category, supported by multiple UK gravel events attesting to the popularity of the category.