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On my test ride alone, I came across four gravel backroads, i.e. with a drop bar; the omnipotent bike sold thousands of units during the boom, and rightly so. Secretly, we had perhaps hoped that the flatbar model wouldn't fuel this hype, but it's just too good. To summarise in advance: If you like it sporty, you'll have a hard time deciding between the two versions. The Rose Backroad Flatbar benefits in particular from the super-stiff, angular frame and the short head tube. You sit a good bit more upright than with racing handlebars and the bike makes it really difficult to ride slowly.
Even if you pull with all your might on the handlebars, which were too wide throughout the test, the frame and components don't flex at all. If you're riding with high tyre pressures, the fork might even be a little too stiff, roots or kerbs hit your hands directly, so bend your arms or deflate! The bike has a special comfort feature for your bum: The extra-long seat post only dips directly into the frame at the front and sides; at the rear, it is open and only covered by a cover. This should give the seatpost more distance to flex over, allowing it to carry the rider more comfortably.
Application areas of the Rose Backroad Flatbar
With its sporty stance, low weight, all-terrain weight distribution and great tyres, the park and unpaved paths become the Rose Backroad's hunting ground. Despite its bulky appearance, it is so agile and conveys so much confidence in the grip of the tyres that other bikers become slalom poles. Riders with real power might miss one or two gears at top speed, but the gear jumps are now pleasantly small, and the double crankset has enough small gears for hills.
No other bike is as much fun to chase along firm paths, through easy terrain and around town, and of course you can also roll for a long time, although for longer trips competitors boast more fixed points and, above all, more permitted payload. If you weigh over 80 kilos, you have to limit yourself in terms of luggage, especially as clamps such as those from Aeroe or SKS are not necessarily approved for carbon fibre stays. But this is precisely the advantage of the flatbar over the Gravel: you have more space for handlebar bags. And drybags on the fork have less influence on the steering characteristics due to the wide grip position. In addition, the Rose Backroad Flatbar is much more original than the Backroad Gravel, a real alternative!
Conclusion on the Rose Backroad Flatbar in the MYBIKE test
Of course, even a bike as sporty as the Rose Backroad Flatbar can be ridden with ease, but the proximity to the related gravel bike is omnipresent, and the geometry and riding position are still designed to be dynamic, even in the flatbar version. The large quantities are also an indication of the solid engineering of the frameset, with the high-quality components such as the brake levers, semi-integrated cables and matching spacers fitting seamlessly and consistently. - Timo Dillenberger, MYBIKE editor
MYBIKE tip: Sport/Speed 1/2024
The most important information about the Rose Backroad Flatbar
- Weight: 8.82 kg
- Price: 2599 Euro >> available here
- Frameset: Full carbon
- Maximum system weight: 110 kg
- Frame sizes: 50, 53, 55, 57, 59, 62cm
- Seat tube / top tube: 500 / 550 mm
- Stack / Reach / SR quotient*: 570 / 386 mm / 1,47
- Wheelbase: 1021 mm
- Drive: Shimano GRX-Ultegra-Mix 2 x 11 gears, crank 48 / 31 teeth, Ultegra cassette 11-34 teeth
- Brakes: Shimano BR-RS405 hydr. disc brakes, 160 / 160 mm, BL-RS600 brake levers
- Wheels / tyres: Aluminium wheels 28", 28 spokes 2mm steel / G-One Allround Perf., Classic Skin - 700 x 38C
- Saddle / handlebars: Ergon SMC40 / aluminium flat bar 65.1 cm
