I'm planning on getting my dream road bike and i'm deciding between the RSL and CR. I was leaning towards the RSL, but now since BB30 and 44mm head tube are a option on both i'm rethinking. I have no plans to race, but do like to ride aggressively, but also want a bike that is comfortable for a 100+ mile ride. I'm aware of the different tube sets and geometry but if anyone that has rode both could cime in on the differant ride quitly and "feel" of each bike that would be great.
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Mark M
MemberI haven't ridden both so I am not the ideal person to comment on this but I faced the same choice as you last fall so I feel compelled to chime in. Like you, I don't race but I like an aggressive seating position and I ride aggressively. I have had a couple of high-end carbon GC bikes with my 6.9 Madone being the most recent but I love my MX-YBB so much, I thought I would give Ti a try for the road. I ultimately chose the CR because I didn't want the press-fit BB30 at the time and, more importantly, I was concerned the RSL might have a little harsher ride than the CR particularly with the wider seat post, 6/4 seat stays, and beefier chain stays. I have to say I couldn't be happier with my choice and I would be the first one to eBay a frame and take a loss if I thought it wasn't the perfect bike for me and go get the RSL. It is plenty stiff for my needs and it is sublime over the rougher stuff. Making the jump to Ti for a road bike was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Posted 1 year ago # -
gearguywb
MemberI have spent the season on a RSL. Have not ridden the new CR but had a compact a few years ago. To me, the RSL is the ticket. It is stiffer, and IMHO, the BB30 is the ticket. Have don a number of 65+ mile training rides on the RSL and it never dissappoints.
Your wheel and tire choice will make a huge impact on the ride of the bike. The difference in ride on the RSL is tremendous depending on wether you are riding deeper/stiffer carbon wheels vs box section 24/25's.
Both are great bikes. Not sure you can really go wrong.
Now I am rock'in (for me :))my RSL :).....Posted 1 year ago # -
Pokey
MemberYou said you don't plan to race but want to ride aggressively and what a bike that's comfortable. That was exactly my checklist...I got the CR and have nothing but positive experiences. Aggressive and comfortable and sorry Mr Moots ...cheaper than an RSL doing 100km training rides like nobody's business on this bike and feeling great. Being 40 isn't sposed to feel this good. So theres a little CR love for ya.
When the world ends only two things will survive..... cockroaches and ski bums.Posted 1 year ago # -
bootsnmoots
MemberI've ridden both. When I bought my bike in 2010, I wanted Campy SR 11, not SRAM Red, so I decided to go with CR vs. RSL. The issue with the BB30 (on RSL) and Campy is probably fixed now (I read reviews where there were issues in 2010, but reviews in 2011 indicate the issue has been resolved.) That said, both models are aggressive and you can always go more aggressive if you go custom geometry. No issues with my CR. The RSL is a pure racing bike and pure climbing bike in my opinion - big difference in acceleration vs. my CR which is no slouch. Try to test ride both - you'll see the difference. Component choice is also a major factor, from gruppo to wheels. You really can't go wrong with both.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Mark M
MemberI think I would have been very happy with either bike but the conventional bottom bracket of the CR meant I could use any group I wanted to down the road and I wouldn't need adaptors for the current crank that I owned which was Shimano. I was also entertaining the idea of putting Campy on the CR at the time and I read about the problems that many of the people on this forum experienced first hand with a BB30 conversion. I felt that gaining a second or two on a hard acceleration wasn't enough benefit for putting up with a stiffer bike on a 50 mile ride. The Madone isn't as stiff as some carbon race bikes but I it is stiffer than the CR. I wanted something with a little more vertical compliance than the Madone and the CR fit the bill. I would never go back to a Madone or any other carbon GC bike since riding Moots Ti. I agree that fork, wheel, and tire choice make a big difference in ride quality as well. I went with the ENVE 1.0 and it compliments the frame beautifully as long as you weigh less than about 195 lb., then get the 2.0. I know there is a part of us that wants to ride what the pros ride sometimes and we get caught up with wanting the stiffest everything and tapered head tubes and the like but come on, 99% of the time most of us are just banging out miles for the love of riding, the scenery, being with friends, and trying to stay fit.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Pokey
Member" I know there is a part of us that wants to ride what the pros ride sometimes and we get caught up with wanting the stiffest everything and tapered head tubes and the like but come on, 99% of the time most of us are just banging out miles for the love of riding, the scenery, being with friends, and trying to stay fit. "
Truer words have never been spoken ..but with all things material ...it will always be a pissing contest.
Posted 1 year ago # -
arm017
MemberI think this is an extremely common question raised by folks in the market for a vamoots. I was going through it a year ago as well. If you don't race, I think the obvious choice is the CR. I love the progress shown in the RSL, but I chose my CR over it for a couple reasons:
The CR has a replaceable derailleur hanger while the RSL does not (I'm not sure if they changed in in 2012 models).
The CR has a threaded bottom bracket (Come on, who really flexes a traditional BB that we need a 6 mm larger spindle).
The CR is cheaper...
The RSL is a beautiful machine, and obviously it will be stiffer than the CR with its oversized tubing. But is that stiffness necessary or worth it? For my 180 pounds, the CR is stiff enough. WIth some mid depth carbon rims, I feel perfectly equipped as a cat 3 racer. Also,I think the RSL looks too compact. With the new fork I don't know it just looks awkward to me. If you want something that is ridiculously stiff, MOOTS is not your brand. If you are in the market for a TI bike, you are buying hopefully for the smooth ride quality, decent stiffness, and light weight. Everything in the bike industry is a compromise. I think MOOTS Ti is the perfect combination of all positive attributes we want in a road frame. The appeal to the brand is its long term durability and timeless class. Maybe I am a retrogrouch, but I am perfectly happy with a threaded BB and standard 1 1/8th headset. I run a enve 2.0 road fork too.
I also second Mark M's sentiments.
My opinion: Buy the CR and with the extra money you save over the RSL, put toward a nice set of wheels that can stiffen up the ride and power transfer. You really can't go wrong with either, but I would say the CR is better suited to what you described. Have fun! Welcome to MOOTS!
Posted 1 year ago # -
gdead1
Memberi have been the proud owner of a compact for 4 years now and i test rode a rsl a year ago. moot family, remember your first moots ti ride? well, i do like it was yesterday... going from my beloved compact to the rsl was like that first ti ride coming from steel. to me, the feel of the rsl vs my compact was that different...same ultra smooth ride but i swear i heard the rsl frame screaming at me to stomp on her as hard as i could. even in the saddle the ride felt different... (note - different wheel set)
i have been going back and forth but i really hope i can swing buying a rsl some day. until then, my compact will remain my most prised possession. ride on!Posted 1 year ago # -
roadiesean
MemberWell, I bought the RSL because I found a virtually brand new one second hand and I couldn't be happier. I do race, but would never race the RSL because when you crash it (like happens endlessly in crit races in the UK) it will hurt much more than just road rash. But I do ride aggressively and I ride a lot of sportives and ride in the Alps and Pyranees every year, and the RSL does it all. I train on it 5 days a week, only stop when its raining, and only then because I have my winter wheels on my Look 585 which is also a brilliant bike and is some winter steed !!
As for grouppo, SRAM Red PF30, they are brilliant, SRAM Red complete grouppo except for Ciamillo Gravitas brakeset which although a pig to set up are stunning. I run three wheelsets on it, Reynolds MV32CUL, SRAM S30AL Race and Fulcrum Racing Zeros with CULT bearings, it rides brilliantly on all of them, it is a bike that feels "zingy" it just seems to want to go !!! When you pedal it almost pushes you forward, I have never owned a bike that makes me sad because I don't feel like I'd ever want to sell it until the RSL, I will never get rid of it. Its harsher than other Ti bikes I've ridden, but you never feel beaten up, rather just at one with the road. When I was buying, I got down to just two in my list, the RSL and the IF TiFLW, it was a close run thing but the Moots is the better long term option in my mind as there is no carbon to deteriorate but they were both just streets ahead of anything else that I had ridden and at the time of buying my quiver included a Look 595, 585, Colnago C50 and Master Olympic, Cannondale Six, Super Six, System Six and CAAD 7. I have now sold everything and am left with the RSL, the 585, the Master Olympic and the CAAD7, and I cannot imagine any bike improving on those, but the RSL is simply head and shoulders over the rest, I never ride anything else, and its only time until the rest of them go too.
Let me put it this way, if it got run over and destroyed tomorrow, I would call Moots and order another immediately, but I'd go custom and I'd put 1 cm more on the headtube, other than its perfect.
Buy one, if you can afford it, you will never be disappointed, don't worry about PF30, its flawless and that bike ROCKS !!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
roadiesean
MemberHi, I am an odd one as I am 6'1/2" with a 30" inside leg and I ride a 54 RSL !!!! Something to do with a bad back, sciatica, ITB issues and 2 broken shoulders means I can't ride the 58's I used to ride !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It looks like a kids bike ! When it arrived I thought I had been conned ! No wonder its light, it is utterly wee !!!
But get the RSL you will never regret it. END OF ;-)
Posted 1 year ago #
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