The NEW Moots tapered road fork. 335grams of tapered carbon-go-fast.
The back story.
Going back a year ago we were designing this fork and going through prototypes and pre-production samples. Testing, riding and finally landing on what you see in front of you. But to understand just how much time and effort go into such a project you really have to back all the way up to the original Moots carbon forks that came out about 4 years ago. When we designed the first version of the Moots carbon road and Cyclocross forks we were new at the game. We had made contact with a facility overseas and really liked what we saw and heard from them when we toured their facility. They have an American owner which makes communication really easy and they are willing to keep our designs to just us, i.e. – this source is not an open mold that you will see anywhere else other than Moots. It’s not an Enve fork with Moots logos placed on it. It’s Moots designed from top to bottom, and we think you might like what we’ve done. 
Black on black graphics at the fork leg. Standard quick release.
Those first versions of our forks were 1 1/8” steerer tubes as we had not made the leap to the bigger 44mm head tube on the road bikes just yet. So we learned and had a great experience with those first forks. They ride very nice and have a nice balance of stiffness and weight.
Standard road caliper brake mount. External i8 head set lower cup. Mr. Moots goes along on each ride.
Fast forward to now and the fact that we have moved to the 44mm head tube on the RSL as well as the CR and the need for a tapered fork was apparent. So, we hit the design board again and came up with one fork model that will cover the two models of our standard caliper road bikes. (As a side note; the Vamoots is still a 1 1/8” head tube, the new tapered fork will not work, unless you option to the 44mm head tube).
Late spring of 2015 saw us receive the first ridable test forks, which were mounted and ridden throughout the entire season. In addition to lab testing, we amassed 5-10 thousand miles of real world-on-bike-testing over smooth pavement, chip-seal, dirt roads and remote rock-strewn dirt passes. Some days dirt roads that turned to mud, which helped us test the limits of tire clearance. Did we like what we rode? Yes. The feedback coming directly from the road was nice and crisp without being overly built and harsh. Lateral stiffness is a touch more than the first generation Moots carbon forks, but the most noticible performance benefit was under heavy braking and cornering….here we found the fork to be more responsive and more confidence inspiring when getting on the brakes in heated moments of need. The fork is solid and transfers to an overall ride enhacement for the bike.
Swiss Alps testing after Eurobike 2015. The Grimselpass in the background.
I had the advantage of having a bike with a 44mm head tube that I had been running our regular 1 1/8” road fork on for the past season, so switching to the tapered fork I felt I was able to separate what the fork was doing vs. what the 44mm head tube was doing. When the two (tapered fork and 44mm head tube) are paired together the tracking was more solid….braking hard before corners and then leaning into them inspired confidence.
Testing up the St. Gotthard Pass–12.7km of cobbles, known as the Paris-Roubaix of the Alps.
We signed off on the final version and had our fork partner go into production during last summer. By the time Interbike rolled around we had the final version ready to be paired with the change of the Vamoots RSL & Vamoots CR to the 44mm head tube. A match made in road heaven.
Smooth lines from lower cup to fork crown. Tire clearance for a 28mm.
Some technical bits.
We are doing only the carbon black with the subdued black Moots wheelie gator at the crown and the block logo down towards the drop out. Quick release only….s.tandard road stuff.
You will also notice the move to 2 rakes instead of 3. We are finding that with our geometries (head tube angles) that we can go to a 43 & 50mm rake and still land in the sweet spot of trail, for a great handling bike. Selecting the right rake for your Moots road bike is pretty simple. A check list of things to know before making the move to our new fork:
- Your bike has a 44mm head tube
- Select the 50mm rake fork if: Your head angle is 73.25 or less
- Select the 43mm rake fork if: Your head angle is 73.25 or more
You can reference the geometry chart for the correct fork rake for your given size of frame:
The tech specs on the fork:
Name: Moots Tapered Carbon Road Fork
Taper: 1.25 to 1.125
Brake: standard road caliper
Attachment: Quick release
Color: Black Carbon with black Moots logos
Rakes available: 43mm & 50mm
Axle to crown: 370mm
Max tire: 28mm
Weight: 335 grams (uncut)
Warranty: 3 years
Included: Mr. Moots top cap & adjuster plug
You can visit the Moots store to purchase:
MOOTS CARBON TAPERED ROAD FORK
The full picture.
