OK, I’ve given this one a lot of thought. So many factors to consider: Performance, Weight, Stiffness, Price, Aesthetics, Reputation, Durability, etc., etc. Lets get some of the facts out of the way first:

Moots Open Trail 1-1/8″ bi-ovalized Stem (four-bolt faceplate)
Weight: 166 grams for 100mm length, (according to my digital component scale, don’t dispute me)
Material: Titanium, duh. (3/2.5 Ti for those of you who care)
Look: Super Sexy
Price: ~ $275-$400 depending on your retail shopping savvy. OUCH!!!!

Moots Cinch Layback Seatpost (Setback)
Weight: 222 grams (again, don’t mess with my scale, she’s sensitive)
Material: Same, duh
Look: Hotter than your girlfriend
Price: ~ $230-$305 retail

Now, the weight weenies out there will immediately look at the weight and get pretty excited. The pragmatists among us will look at the Price-to-Weight ratio and reel from sticker shock. The glamour queens will just look at the parts and have to wipe the drool off their chins. The question must be asked: Are these high-line parts worth the dough?

It’s not an easy question to answer, it all depends on the rider, their bank account, and priorities. There’s no denying the performance of these parts, Moots doesn’t need me to defend the quality of their product. I’m a pedal-masher and a gear-grinder, so I gave these parts a legitimate workout, and found no significant flaws. I expected the Open Trail Stem to be a little flexy–it wasn’t. I tried to get some wiggle out of it and couldn’t, it felt perfectly stiff. The bi-ovalized tubing is amazingly strong and the four-bolt faceplate is an improvement over the older two-bolt model. The Cinch Layback Seatpost was what you’d expect from a titanium seatpost, comfortable, although not as comfortable as carbon.  Carbon is definitely cushy, but I love the ti.  I have nothing against carbon fiber components and frames, but titanium lasts forever, literally, and if it fails, it won’t fail catastrophically and you’ll probably get back to the trailhead in one piece.  If you’ve ever heard that nerve-rattling bamboo-crunch of carbon fiber failing, you’ll appreciate having some titanium under your taint.  Plus, the new Cinch clamp is extraordinarily easy to use, the only caveat is that it fits ONLY 7mm rails.

So the Moots gear must be worth the money because the titanium is so light, right? Not really. Like most mountain bikers, I have a special reverence for titanium, but a common myth is that it’s the lightest stuff around. Titanium has a remarkable strength-to-weight ratio, but when you compare these parts to similar aluminum high-performance stems and seatposts, they don’t win by much. I rode these parts on the gorgeous Ventana El Bastardo (review coming soon!), which was sent to us spec’d with a Thomson Elite stem and seatpost (my personal favs). When I weighed the parts back to back, I found the titanium parts were lighter by only a few grams. The Moots stem was only lighter by two grams. Two grams? That’s it???? When you consider the retail price of the Moots combo sets you back about $600 (American Dollars!!) and the Thomson will only cost you about $200, the decision seems easy, right? Well, again, not really. 

Look at it this way: A well-optioned Corvette ZR1 can beat the socks off several models of Ferraris. The Vette will put about a $100,000 dent in your bank account, good luck finding a new Ferrari for less than $300,000 (depending on the model, car guys please don’t flame me, this argument is for demonstrative purposes). Does the difference seem similar? Right, the Vette costs about a third of what the Ferrari costs, similar to the difference in retail price between the Moots and Thomson parts. It’s undeniable, both cars kick ass, but which one would you like to see in your garage? I wouldn’t complain about either, but let’s face it, a Corvette is NOT a Ferrari. So, if money was no object which would you get? I suppose that’s a matter of personal taste, but last time I checked Ferrari wasn’t in fear of going bankrupt, people are still buying them. On a scale of 1-10 for performance, I would give both the Thomson and the Moots parts both a perfect 10. I personally think the Thomson stuff looks plenty hot, I have their stuff on most of my bikes, but when I put the Moots parts on the Ventana, there was no denying its super-bling factor. Simple, elegant, genius, and flawless. Raw titanium is just so damn pretty, and you don’t have to worry about rust. The only aesthetic complaint I have about the Moots combo is the stickers. Stickers? For $600 I’d like to see some kind of machined etching, anything but a limp sticker that comes off in my repair stand.

So, you have to ask yourself, are you a Corvette guy or a Ferrari guy? And don’t be a smart-ass and say “Lamborghini guy,” you know what I’m saying. If you’ve got the cash, and really want to step up the sexiness of your ride, buy the Moots, because every time you go into the garage and look at it you’ll forget how much you paid. I’m still a huge Thomson fan, but it’s really going to hurt when I have to send these beautiful parts back to Steamboat Springs, I’m going to miss them.

www.moots.com

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I threw these wheels on the Thursday before the 12 hour race. The transfer took about an hour and I was amazed at how well the Maxxis tires set in the rim. The dual tension skewers further add to the look of the wheel which provides a super tight and stable fit. 

When I got out to Vail the first thing I noticed was the sound of the freewheel…quick and loud buzz. At first it sounded cool…then I became concerned that the noise would become annoying. After putting a continuous stream of power down I noticed that the freewheel would be bearable and welcomed in some situations…this thing will easily spook the local coyotes and hopefully mountain lions as well.

The wheels climbed well and felt firm. The descents would be the real test. I took them down the punishing Ridgeline descent, a perfect place to test a new wheelset. At first I noticed how fast these things rolled and fell in love with the hubs and bearings…they just love to spin. I hit a couple of drops on the way down and was impressed with the feel of the rim. It was a perfect blend of firmness and forgiveness giving the rider a great feeling of comfort and control on even the most pounding terrain. On the Tunnel singletrack I noticed reeling the wheels back under me and finding myself airborne in a couple of places. This is a section I have run easily 100 times and the slight grin turned to smile by the time I reached the bottom. I left the brakes open on the usual sections and found myself building speed much easier then normal…good stuff!

The wheels passed the test and I will be purchasing a set. After putting these wheels to the test during the race last weekend and some punishing rocky descents in the Santa Ana’s this past weekend, these wheels have proven to hold up. A great all around package and at 1540 grams…wow!!

The only drawbacks I could find with these wheels were the color and price. The color looks great on the Kona, a perfect fit…but I could see how they could clash with other frame colors. Lastly, retailing at $1000 is a bit steep but you do get what you pay for!

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why does bikefix exist? it was born out of the complaints of a couple of guys with what probably amounts to an unhealthy amount of riding different kinds of bikes all over the place. from the daily commute to epic backcountry hike-a-bikes, these guys just weren’t getting the kind of information they needed from reviews found in print or online. needing a distraction from the grownup parts of the internet, they decided to put their musings and criticisms into (virtual) print. while they have extensive industry connections, the vast majority of the equipment tested is bought with money out of their own pockets (and they’ll let you know if not). as a result, they’re particularly aware of value and durability- and understandably upset when things don’t work the way they should.

bikefix aims to provide unbiased, complete reviews that come out of direct experience not only with a particular product but also with its competition. we care where and why things are made the way they are. while we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, everything can’t be the best part/bike/jersey ever,- something we see far too much of elsewhere. every product has its high points and lows. by communicating these to you, we hope that you will be able to make an educated decision and find gear that us ultimately transparent- after all, it’s really all about the ride.

I have been riding Formula Oro series brakes for quite awhile and I think they’re some of the best brakes on the market. When the Ones came out this spring and were billed as a Freeride/Downhill brake but with only a slight weight penalty (37g/wheel) over the top of the line Oro Puro’s, I was extremely excited to try them.

The One shares many similar design characteristics with the Oro series: a 2-piece lever clamp assembly, flip-flop levers, adjustable bite and lever reach, internal reservoirs, and the use of DOT fluid. The big changes are a forged one-piece caliper that fits a single 24mm diameter piston (2mm larger than the Oro), and a master cylinder that is specifically designed for Downhill and all-mountain riding. They weigh a claimed 383 grams which is very light for a brake designed for bombing downhills.

The set-up is easy and the 2-piece lever clamps and they seem to fit well with most shifter types. Formula says that the caliper design allows for pad changes without removing the wheel and while it’s possible, it’s much easier to do it without the wheel in place- especially given that you often have to reset the pistons (push them back a bit) when new pads are installed, and this would be very difficult (if even possible) with the wheel/rotor in place.

All the tech in the world is great, but how did they feel on the trail? Fantastic. They modulate well and have loads of power available if you need it. They rarely fade and then only the slightest bit on the longest downhills (in the French Alps). The pads seem to last a fair amount of time and they are usually only noisy after getting wet. These are very competent brakes and for the weight they should be on anybody’s short list. That said, they really don’t improve on the Oros by a noticeable amount. Downhillers have been using the company’s Oros since they were introduced (especially the DH-oriented Oro Biancos) and doing fine. I know that The Ones are designed to handle heat build-up better and they should be more powerful than the Oros, but if they are, it’s hard to tell. It could just be that my middle finger is less finely calibrated than others’. The Ones are less money than the Oro Puros and about the same as the Oro Bianco’s so they’re still a very good deal, but I thought I should mention it. The One brake sells for about $290.00 per wheel, though rotors and adapters are sold separately for about $30/wheel (good if you’ve already got ‘em). For the cost conscious, Formula also makes the Mega which is a cheaper version of the The One (coming in at $170 plus rotors), but I haven’t tried it yet.

Charlie

www.formulabrakeusa.com

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Industry Nine:

Industry Nine (I9) has been all-the-talk the past year or so. The guys who ride them swear by them. 3 month wait for a custom set – what?! Super stiff alloy spokes, 120 points of engagement, proprietary spoke and hub design, any anodize color you can image, tubeless or tubed…they sound too good to be true. Promises to be lighter, stiffer, faster, stronger than anything out there…

Rohloff:

Ok, so not necessarily a wheel, but more a hub/transmission system the Rohloff speedhub gives you 14 speeds, the equivalent gear ratio of a 3×9 drive-train, but without the mess of derailleurs, dual shifters, extra cables, triple rings, and cogsets. You use only 1 ring up-front, so clearance on your bike is improved while maintenance is reduced. This is not the funky Toy’s-R-Us transmission system of old – this is a hardcore part that takes all-mountain rides and gobbles them up and spits them out… There’s two guys who ride Ellsworth Truths on the same trails I do. I run into them now and then. They both have Rohloff hubs and they swear by them – almost cult-like. With a Rohloff hub you can shift at a standstill, and even better, shift under load. The whole system is sealed (from shifter through hub), so there’s next to no maintenance for your ride. You can run a disc or rim-brake setup (who does rim brakes?!) and you can chose the rim and spokes for your personal set up.

Mavic:

Mavic makes some delicious wheels for all-mountain riding as well. While every racer knows about the crossmax SLR and SL models, fewer riders have taken to the slightly beefier ST series. A couple years ago I owned a set of crossmax XL wheels, no longer in production. The wheelset was suprisingly light, but absolutely bombproof. In my opinion, I9 took a note from the crossmax series from mavic when they designed their AL-spoked design. Crossmax ST was the next generation to replace the XL wheelset (aimed at the everyday weekend-warrior and all mountain rider).

Crank Bros:

Have you seen these? Everything Crank Bros touches is uber-cool. The engineering and machining that goes into these makes them an art piece in themselves.

DT Swiss:

The XR series seems to have a wheel for every rider looking to upgrade from stock. From carbon rims to wide enduros – a very solid line up.

Do you have one of these wheelsets?  Is there a set not mentioned that we should give a serious look at?  Please, respond below in the comments section.

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I know there is a whole lot of techie mumbo jumbo about aerospace engineering and something known as the lost core molding process, but don’t let all that confuse you. What they really mean to say is that their wheels are damn near indestructible because they are made right. Basically their idea seemed to consist of interviewing my psychopathic nephew and following him on a couple of trails. When they learned that by observing him they could witness first hand the insanity a biker can inflict on their bike, they must have put their heads together and said “We can make something even this force of nature can’t destroy!” The final result is a wheel that to date my nephew has not been able to destroy.

So the wheels kick butt but what about flat problems. Well again semi scientific words like high impact, glass reinforced, composite materials let you know that they spared no expense in helping every rider meet the end of their trail with their bike in one piece. Again I figured they must have followed my nephew around to find every possible road threat to a tire. Again they made something near indestructible. I mean when was the last time you didn’t have to worry about a puncture flat? Admitted they still haven’t conquered the problem with pinch flats completely, but even these horrors are highly reduced compared to other wheels.

So okay with all this good stuff you got to wonder what the down side is right. Well despite the totally awesome wheels they offer, the one downside is that you are adding weight. The composite wheel alone weighs 1600g and the front hub 220g and rear 330g, so the total wheelset weighs 3750g.  However weight is a pretty small price to pay when you are looking at the fact that trails you have not been able to consider because of how rugged they were are now just a kick away. Admitted if you are doing a lot of hill climbing the weight can get kind of gruesome. So why not make a compromise? When you are doing a trail or just plain ride that weight is an issue, use normal wheels, but when you are planning on taking on a trail known for wrecking tires and wheels throw on the TAG Wheels and go nuts.

In the end the hobby of mountain biking is about seeing as much as you want to. Isn’t it a good idea then not to limit yourself because of fear that you might thrash a wheel or tire? Here at MTO bikes we believe on making sure everyone can reach their chosen peaks, so do so today.

Buy Now – Each wheelset comes with DT Swiss 440 freeride hubs and DT Swiss Skewers.  The other benefits are that the wheels switch out very easily to accomodate all axle diameters with simple end cap adapters.

FRX5 Front Wheel 100mm QR – $343.00
FRX5 Front Wheel 110mm 20mm Thru – $358.00

FRX5 Rear Wheel 135mm QR – $456.00
FRX5 Rear Wheel 135mm 10mm Thru – $456.00
FRX5 Rear Wheel 135mm 12mm Thru – $456.00
FRX5 Rear Wheel 150mm 12mm Thru – $487.00

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Call today to place your order, 770.676.6289!

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