Moots Titanium Open Trail Stem and Cinch Layback Seatpost Combo Review

Gorgeous, Tough, and Pricey–Is it worth it?

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.  Read more