The ultimate go anywhere, do anything bike!
This might be the most solid bicycle I've had the opportunity to ride. Honestly. It's nothing short of amazing. It has the smoothness of steel with the stiffness of a good carbon bike but with the ability to carry a crazy amount of weight. It's not a feather, but it was never designed to be. With the rear rack, no panniers or fenders, it came in around 27.7lbs. Bottom line? By far the most fun bike I've ever had. It's basically a road bike that I can ride anywhere and not feel like I'm going to break it. Read on for more Moots magnificence!
Note: the links below are only to show what the components are. Support your local bike shop, please. They can help you more than just about any online source. Plus, they're usually staffed by cool people!
Frame: Moots Psychlo X (with couplers, next size up head tube, slider dropouts, rack and fender mounts, BB30, third H20 bottle mount, and pump peg)
Fork: 1. Moots cross fork (pictured) 2. Surly Long Haul Trucker Fork
Headset: Purple Chris King No Threadset 1-1/8"
Hubs: Purple Chris King Classic 32h
Rims: DT Swiss TK540s 32h
Spokes: DT Swiss Champion with supplied aluminum nipples (294mm: F/R NDS 290mm: R DS)
Skewers: Shimano XT
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour 700x35c
Shifters: Shimano 105 5603
Crank: Shimano 105 Triple (50-39-30t)
Front Derailleur: Shimano 105 Triple
Front Der. Clamp: Problem Solvers 31.9ø front der. clamp for braze-on front der.
Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX long cage (have since found that 9spd non-shadow type works best and will be getting a Deore 9spd derailleur instead since those are the only non-shadow 9speed types available anymore)
Cassette: Shimano SLX 11-36t (10spd)
Chain: Shimano Tiagra (10spd)
Bottom Bracket: Purple Chris King 68mm English Thread
BB Adapter: Sram GXP30 adapter for English Thread 68mm BBs
Brakes: TRP CX9 V-Brakes
Seat Post: Ritchey WSC Alloy 1-Bolt
Stem: Ritchey Comp (100mm)
Handlebars: Ritchey Pro EvoCurve (44mm)
Saddle: Still figuring that out...
Pedals: Shimano M540s
Racks: Surly Nice Racks (front/rear)
Panniers: Ortlieb City (pictured), Axiom La Salle
Handlebar Bag: Axiom Joliette DLX
Bar Tape: TBA
Frame: Moots Psychlo X (with couplers, next size up head tube, slider dropouts, rack and fender mounts, BB30, third H20 bottle mount, and pump peg)
Fork: 1. Moots cross fork (pictured) 2. Surly Long Haul Trucker Fork
Headset: Purple Chris King No Threadset 1-1/8"
Hubs: Purple Chris King Classic 32h
Rims: DT Swiss TK540s 32h
Spokes: DT Swiss Champion with supplied aluminum nipples (294mm: F/R NDS 290mm: R DS)
Skewers: Shimano XT
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour 700x35c
Shifters: Shimano 105 5603
Crank: Shimano 105 Triple (50-39-30t)
Front Derailleur: Shimano 105 Triple
Front Der. Clamp: Problem Solvers 31.9ø front der. clamp for braze-on front der.
Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX long cage (have since found that 9spd non-shadow type works best and will be getting a Deore 9spd derailleur instead since those are the only non-shadow 9speed types available anymore)
Cassette: Shimano SLX 11-36t (10spd)
Chain: Shimano Tiagra (10spd)
Bottom Bracket: Purple Chris King 68mm English Thread
BB Adapter: Sram GXP30 adapter for English Thread 68mm BBs
Brakes: TRP CX9 V-Brakes
Seat Post: Ritchey WSC Alloy 1-Bolt
Stem: Ritchey Comp (100mm)
Handlebars: Ritchey Pro EvoCurve (44mm)
Saddle: Still figuring that out...
Pedals: Shimano M540s
Racks: Surly Nice Racks (front/rear)
Panniers: Ortlieb City (pictured), Axiom La Salle
Handlebar Bag: Axiom Joliette DLX
Bar Tape: TBA
Frame and Fork
As I said above, one of the best bikes I've ever ridden. I couldn't be happier with it. If you're in the market for the best do-it-all bike available, look no father. Titanium is light, it won't rust, the ride quality is second to none, it's beautifully built (see the photos below to see the famous Moots "stack of dimes" welds), it can carry a ton of weight, and it's reparable! Moots has a lifetime warranty on their stuff, so rest assured that they'll take care of you. They will.
Since this bike is such a multi-tasker, I do have a second fork for it that is not pictured. It's a Surly Long Haul Trucker fork in black. I bought this for when the bike is set up in full touring regalia. It has braze-ons for a front rack and fenders, which the carbon Moots fork does not. The Surly fork with the rack is about 5lbs heavier than the Moots one, but a lot more practical for touring applications. I run the Moots fork most of the time, when I don't need a front rack. The steel Surly fork is more rigid however. I can tell the bike twists less when its equipped with it under load.
Since this bike is such a multi-tasker, I do have a second fork for it that is not pictured. It's a Surly Long Haul Trucker fork in black. I bought this for when the bike is set up in full touring regalia. It has braze-ons for a front rack and fenders, which the carbon Moots fork does not. The Surly fork with the rack is about 5lbs heavier than the Moots one, but a lot more practical for touring applications. I run the Moots fork most of the time, when I don't need a front rack. The steel Surly fork is more rigid however. I can tell the bike twists less when its equipped with it under load.
Racks, Panniers, and Bags
After spending a lot of time researching just about every conceivable rack on the market, I settled on the Surly Nice racks. They're made of steel which, while heavy, is easily reparable if need be. Anyone with even the slightest knowledge of welding can fix one in a pinch. For the piece of mind, the extra cost was worth it. They're also wider than a lot of racks which makes them more useful in my opinion. The added surface area of the top potions allows you to put bigger items there more securely. How about bringing home two large pizzas from Jet's in Nashville? Check.
I haven't spent much time in the rain with my Ortlieb bags, but they're supposed to be as waterproof as all get out. Soon, I'll be testing their mettle. The Axiom bags are only water resistant and for most intents and purposes, I think that's ok. I put my less critical items in those bags anyway, like food which is already wrapped in its own packaging. The handlebar bag I have is an awesome convenience. It's my mobile trash can, cup holder, map table, snack bar and media center. It is pretty wide however, and the front shifter lever pushes against it when shifting. Just something to get used to I suppose.
I haven't spent much time in the rain with my Ortlieb bags, but they're supposed to be as waterproof as all get out. Soon, I'll be testing their mettle. The Axiom bags are only water resistant and for most intents and purposes, I think that's ok. I put my less critical items in those bags anyway, like food which is already wrapped in its own packaging. The handlebar bag I have is an awesome convenience. It's my mobile trash can, cup holder, map table, snack bar and media center. It is pretty wide however, and the front shifter lever pushes against it when shifting. Just something to get used to I suppose.
Wheels
These might be the heaviest single elements of the bike. The rear wheel alone without the humongous 11-36 cassette weighs about 5 lbs. BUT it's about as indestructible as you can get too (as long as you don't try to bunny-hop a big rock and land on the corner of it with all your weight moving at 20 mph... more on this below). The double-walled DT Swiss TK540 rims are tanks and make up a significant portion of the weight equation. They're the stoutest rims DT make and are listed on their site as touring rims. The tires are even heavier than the rims. Wait, what? Yes. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour tires are basically run-flats. Anything more puncture resistant would be a solid rubber tire. Don't believe me? Check this out.
Going on, one of the best spots to add some bling to a bike is the wheels and these ones are no exception. Last November, Chris King offered a limited edition run of purple bits, including hubs, headsets, and bottom brackets. Purple has been among my favorite colors since I was a little kid and I just had to have them. The hubs are King's classic road set (not the R45s) and are drilled with 32 holes. All of the Chris King components are incredibly long-lasting and often times the hubs outlast the rims... maybe even thrice!
I did put a lighter set of wheels on this bike for a century ride earlier this year. The bike took them great! It was a whole new machine, but most bikes would be with some 1,380g Dura Ace wheels...
Going on, one of the best spots to add some bling to a bike is the wheels and these ones are no exception. Last November, Chris King offered a limited edition run of purple bits, including hubs, headsets, and bottom brackets. Purple has been among my favorite colors since I was a little kid and I just had to have them. The hubs are King's classic road set (not the R45s) and are drilled with 32 holes. All of the Chris King components are incredibly long-lasting and often times the hubs outlast the rims... maybe even thrice!
I did put a lighter set of wheels on this bike for a century ride earlier this year. The bike took them great! It was a whole new machine, but most bikes would be with some 1,380g Dura Ace wheels...
Brakes
So, I have an old (1990s) Giant Rincon mountain bike and it is equipped with cantilever brakes like most bikes of its day. There's nothing wrong with them... except they don't stop worth crap. Imagine if they got wet. Fugget about it! Fortunately we're not stuck with canti-only options in the 21st century. I opted for the TRP CX9 v-brakes which are designed to work with the brake lever throw ratio of the Shimano/SRAM shift levers. TRP also makes a version compatible with Campy shifters. Huzzah! So far I'm impressed. I can do front wheelies and endos all day long.
Note: upon initial set-up, the front brake emitted a piercingly loud squeal when applied. Toe-ing them in has helped tremendously.
Note: upon initial set-up, the front brake emitted a piercingly loud squeal when applied. Toe-ing them in has helped tremendously.
The more miles I put on this bike, the more I'll be able to comment on the various elements. If you want specifics about certain parts or pieces, simply let me know in the comments. I intend this post to be a continual work in progress. In the mean time, enjoy the detail pics of the bike below!
Also, special thanks to Corey at Moots and the guys at MOAB Bicycle Shop in Franklin, TN for making all of this happen. If you want to talk bikes for any application, MOAB is the place to go. Aside from a killer inventory, the knowledge and customer service is some of the best in the South East. Do yourself a favor and check 'em out!
Also, special thanks to Corey at Moots and the guys at MOAB Bicycle Shop in Franklin, TN for making all of this happen. If you want to talk bikes for any application, MOAB is the place to go. Aside from a killer inventory, the knowledge and customer service is some of the best in the South East. Do yourself a favor and check 'em out!
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