In just a matter of a couple of days a group of hardy souled cyclist will push away from Banff, Canada to set our on this years Tour Divide route.  It’s the same route year after year with very small deviations depending on snow pack and road construction.  At Moots we have close ties to this event.  The 2745 mile course travels through the area we live in and comes just 200 yards from out front door.  Many of the riders on course make a stop to share their stories and sit in the shade of the building.  Another tie we have to the event is the number of Moots bikes that have made this journey along the divide. Some in it for the fun and adventure, some in it to chase the win.  This year there is about 6 or so Moots bikes pushing away from the start on Friday June 14th heading south.  As they make progress towards Steamboat we’ll update on our friends and those that choose to stop in for a spell here at Moots.

Moots in The Tour Divide 2013:

Andrew Carney: Carbondale, CO (MX 29 hardtail w/gears)

Scott McConnell: Nashville, TN (MX 29 hardtail single speed)

Yair Nahmias: Israel (26” Ybb)

Father & Son duo (both on 29 Ybb’s)

For now we have our GrassMoots hard man Andrew Carney posting this lead up to his Grand Départ on Friday.  He’s rolling his Moots MX 29 hardtail to the start line this year.  Can’t wait to see him pass through Steamboat.

Andrew writes:

“It seems like just yesterday I was shivering in the cold winter chill of Summit County day dreaming of racing Tour Divide this summer, however; time has flown by and I am currently just a week and change out from pointing my bike south out of Banff. I am ready as you can ever be for an undertaking like this, but when staring down the barrel of 2,745 miles and a mind numbing 200,000 vertical feet of climbing can you ever really feel prepared?  You pack, repack, check, recheck, tweak, change, research, and prepare until your eyes bleed and then suddenly one day it’s just time to go.

I can’t yet completely wrap my head around the entire route nor do I really want to. Sure, it’s a race and I fully expect to experience soul crushing lows and silly giddy highs however I really am out there for the experience of traversing the county (and then some) via bicycle and seeing what my limits are both mentally and physically.

So, starting the morning of June 14^th you can follow along as I drag this beast up and down the Rocky Mountains in search of a comfy patch of ground to lay my head in for a few hours that night.

You can track Andew here: TOUR DIVIDE LIVE TRACKER

It’s always nice to see the people that carry our bikes ride them.  They have access to any brand they carry, so we always feel a very special connection when they choose ours as thier personal ride.  Here’s a quick look at Kevin Schwartz at Belmont Wheelworks and his Vamoots CR:

RIDER: Kevin Schwartz

Position at Belmont Wheelworks: Sales

SHOP: Belmont Wheelworks, Belmont, MA Moots Dealer and historic shop: BELMONT WHEELWORKS

BIKE: Moots Vamoots CR

THE BUILD:

Saddle: Specialized toupe expert Ti

Post: Moots Ti

Handle Bar: Enve carbon 44 cm

Stem: ritchey wcs

Headset: Chris King

Fork: Moots

Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium SLR

Tires: Yksion Pro

Crank: Campy Chrous carbon ct

Shifters: Campy Chrous Carbon

Rear der. : Campy record

Front Der.: Campy record

Brakes: Campy Record

Pedals: Shimano Ultergra

Quote from Kevin:

“First words I said when  I walked in the door this morning from a good fast ride ” MOOTS MAGIC!!”  Incredible ride!!”

Over the long Memorial Day Weekend the NAHBS award winning Moots Trail Maintenace Bike was christened on the trail.  Since this beast was built during the dead of winter, we have not had the chance to really put it through an on trail work day.  Finally our local trails have peeked from under the deep winter snow and late spring storms we have had this year, so it was time.  Our local trail club scheduled a work day to take care of an upper section of Emerald Mountain known as Quarry Mountain.  Caleb and Ned who are typically using their hands to weld Moots frames, represented us during the Saturday trail work day and put the bike through its paces.  Caleb wrote us a short note on how it went.  You can read it below:

Hey Fools,

So, I had a good shake down day out with Routt County Riders and the trail bike…(and Ned). For better or for worse, it was not a chainsaw day. Though the work started at the top of Quarry Mtn Trail. So, I got to do some climbing! Due to time constraints Mark Sehler picked me up at the Quarry for the charge up Lane of Pain. It goes with out saying that it was quite the conversation piece! I tried (not too hard, haha) to carry a good bit of weight. The bike actually was pretty nice for climbing. Not the crawl it could have been. Yes, the front end is kind of floppy, but it is not unmanageable at all.

On the trail the bike is actually nice! Ned used it to shuttle drinks to the various work groups which was fun.

During our lunch at the top, Kelly Boniface showed up, shot some photos (Moots tagged on FB), then laughed at me all the way down Lupine! It was really fun! Odd and long, but fun. Chicanes through tight trees are interesting!!

Gretchen and Mark asked if they might use the bike later this week to check and clear Beall Trail. That actually seems like a great project for the bike, since they will be moving through the whole trail, not just working one part.

Caleb

ps Some adjustments definitely need to be made this week. Starting with the pretty but terrifying Brooks grips! It’s like trying to hold on to ice cubes and steer an elephant!

Hi there Charli!

You know when you’ve worked with or around a group of people for a good long time, you can just about finish sentences for them? Moots can get to be a little like that.  The group here has spent a good deal of time together.  Close work enviorment which spills over to life and times after work hours. Bike rides, burger nights, family events and the joy of welcoming a new little one into this world.

We have a new addition to our group in the form of Charli Rae Meers.  She is the new daughter to our front line office manager Tami Summy and her partner Clay Meers.  If you’ve called Moots in the last couple of months you didn’t get Tami on the phone, she was out having a baby! Well, she’s back with us now and we have a new little one to welome to this crew. Please help us welcome Charli!

Hey, wait…is that the?…Still so sweet.

Tami gave us some specs on Charli:

Name: Charli Rae Meers

B-Day March 29^th, 2013

Likes: eating

Dislikes: being hungry.

LOVES her bath time…water baby for sure!

Welcome to the family!

Congrats to Tami & Clay!

David Gensch joins Moots this year for his second season on the GrassMoots Team.  He’s and amazing person, adventure on skis, bikes and life. This time around he takes us on his White Rim in a day trip.  For those of you that know this route and for those that don’t, it’s a ride that either done over multiple days with support or one big ride with no support, it’s an experience either way.  For today you can read Dave’s account of it below:

My breath deepened and slowed as my mind expanded with the horizon line, realizing just how log it had been since I was last in the great South West desert.  After setting up camp at the bottom of Mineral Bottom, the evening light broke through the afternoon thunderclouds and gave us quite a show during our walk to set up the beer cache.

The alarm went off early and just as quick as the night had ended the coffee was brewed.  Oatmeal, spiked with Honey Stinger gel took a bit more work to get down, but we were off shortly after 5:00 A.M.  This was Matt’s first time riding both the White Rim as well as this length of ride.   I had no doubt that he would stick it.

The first hour and a half is a climb in the pre dawn light and at sunrise we crested the high point for the day.  Riding a few miles further to the top of the Schafer Trail where our water cache was, we noticed the morning chill.  Dropping into the canyon, our thin rain jackets did little to shelter us from our chattering teeth and numb toes but the decent is fast and soon we were committed to the next 75 miles of desert.

It always seems that the next ten or so miles trend decieviously uphill but I wonder how much of it is my mind telling me to settle in for the next 8 hours.  I hear some of Matts fist heavy sighs and feel my own tweaks and twinges as the early season creeps its way into our ride.

The morning sun trended upwards and our layers began to shed as the rhythm of our pedal strokes regulated themselves.  Stopping at some of the more spectacular viewpoints, we made sure to keep fueled and hydrated.  By mid day we were half way and although I felt different parts of my body more than others, the simple joy of peddling my bike in the desert far out weighed any discomfort.

Lunch on top of Murphy’s Hogback was timely and welcomed as some famish and heat goose bumps teased us both.  The cool rock and warm sand soothed our poorly prepared spring bodies while we lightened our packs by grubbing down.

The rowdy double track downhill off of Murphy’s sets up the remaining 30 something miles with some more featured and fun riding and stunning scenery.  We lucked out with not too much afternoon wind and enjoyed a smooth pace.  Late in the afternoon, dark clouds came quick and we put in a push to get over Hard Scrabble before any rain would come.  We enjoyed a beer at the top that I had previously frozen and it was still nice and cold.

I told Matt that there would be a sand section towards the end of the ride and it was soft and deep this year.  It’s definitely a, “put your head down” section and not much fun but we had a beer cache at the old corral.  Another treat to bring in the last 6 miles.

We washed off the day in the Green River and cooked some burgers to enjoy by the fire.  We had no flats or mechanicals and although we both were not in biking shape we had great day in the desert.  It’s always a gift to spend time in these ancient and ever-changing places…

BEER CACHE

Many thanks to Nic at Aloha for setting our bikes up as we had a completely maintenance free day.

Josh Cady gets his miles where he can, when he can.  Like a lot of us our commutes can help add some much needed milage, when time is tight. Josh flys the Moots flag on the GrassMoots Team…he writes:

…..It’s groundhog day.  Again.  Living in Los Angeles makes everyday feel a lot like the day before.  Cycling here can either make you complacent or motivated.  After being moved here for work two years ago, I chose to be motivated.  I’m not sure if it is the weather or the location, but there is a lot here to be thankful for.

I get to ride to work every day of the year.  Sometimes that means I follow a familiar, less inviting path

but a lot of times I find myself on my cyclocross bike, burning up the local fireroads prior to reporting to work.

The majority of the time I’m riding my Moots Psychlo-X RSL.  I’m continually challenged in the local road, mountain, and cyclocross race series so I feel like getting on the Psycho-X covers all the bases.  In the summer I switch out the front chain rings and run a 50/38 or 53/39.  In the fall/winter, the bike gets prepped and run in a pure cross setup.  This year, with Cyclocross Nationals close to home, I’ve let the bike stay setup in cross mode a little longer, something I’ll be dialing in until January 2014.

Where ever you are, getting up early to ride is often a good idea.  Here in LA, you get a little more for your money.

Sand, sun, green grass and bike racing! This all sounds really good to us just as we get nailed by yet another “spring” winter storm.  Oh the humanity.

Moots will be attending the 2013 SEA OTTER CLASSIC on the sun drenched hills of Monterey California.  We’ll be showing our NAHBS Award Winning Trail Maintenace Bike, complete with chain saw, as well as our 27.5 YBB.

We will also have demo bikes on hand for you to check out.

Stop in and say hello, we’ll be under the Moots flag!

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday the worlds finest handmade bicycles will be on display at BESPOKE BRISTOL-UK.  Our outstanding Moots Dealer, Mosquito-Bikes in London will be on hand to display our craft.  The show itself is standing room only and is a wonderful time to get up close to the amazing details that run through our hand crafted industry.  Steel, carbon, titanium and alternative materials will be on display.  Please make your plans to attend and bring a comfortable pair of shoes.

You can find the fine folks from Mosquito-Bikes in booth number 61.

Mosquito Bikes location in London, England.

123 Essex Road

Islington

Just prior to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show we had the chance to show the crew at Velo (Velonews) around our place.  Last summer several of them had come to stay with us to relax and ride.  This time around we went into an in depth Moots tour.  Showing them just how we build our bikes and explaining to them some of the things that guide us in design, technique and our small mountain lifestyle.  You can pick up a copy of the May issue of VELO to read the entire special section on a select group of small frame builders.  For now you can click on the link to our story titled “The (Little) GIANT, we hope you enjoy it.

VELO MAY 2013—MOOTS “The (Little) GIANT

By now you may have seen the coverage of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show or NAHBS and our project bike called the Trail Maintenace Bike.  We though it might be nice to give you a little insight to the background, build and just how this bike came to be.

IN THE BEGINING

Let’s back up to late September 2012…you remember…late summer, warm weather with Fall colors right around the corner.  Back then the idea of a project bike for NAHBS came up around Moots.  We don’t often go down this road of one off-show-specific-bikes….it’s just not our nature.  Building show specific bikes takes a lot of time that pulls us away from our normal builds, that keep our dealers and customers happy. One feeling that really drove this project from the start was that it would be a REAL-USABLE-BIKE in the end….meaning that when the snow melts, we’ll be out maintaining our trails with it, and also loaning this rig out to our local trail club for trail days and hopefully passing the bike around to other trail days beyond Steamboat. Plus the crew put in loads of after-hours work on this….a labor of love and dedication. So off we started……

We invited our local IMBA chapter club (The Routt County Riders) and some good folks from the IMBA Headquarters office in Boulder, Colorado. We sat down with this group of people and asked a list of questions to base the direction of this build.  First and foremost we needed to know what tools it would need to carry.  The list of key tools was made and then we moved onto the plateform that we would use….Wheel size.  29er plus…not a fat bike, not a normal 29er….bigger tires to spread the load and carry both equipment and rider to thier destination with good ride quality.

DESIGN

Once the basics where covered off on, the crew here at Moots starting laying out drawings (really big drawings) for the frame work.  The tube set started coming together….some of our tubing and spec choices:

44mm head tube

100mm bottom bracket shell

Moots Custom built Titanium Fork 1 1/4” diameter, smooth gentle curve, with Paragon 9mm drop outs 135mm front wheel spacing

1.64” downtube

1.64” top tube

Rack material: 3/8” tubing

Chainsaw bar gaurd: 3/8” double wide, custom bend

7/8” Chain stays….extra long, extra stout

7/8” Seat stays large diameter and curvy

170mm rear wheel spacing

Rabbit Hole 29+ rims

Shimano Saint 4 piston disc brakes front & rear with 203mm rotors (post mount on both)

Shimano Xtr clutch rear der

The crew wanted to show off there skills and what was possible in tube forming, joining and one-off customization.  The frame itself borrows several ques from our stock line of bikes…curved tubes in large diameter, machined parts of perfection, a custom chainsaw bar-gaurd as well as two custom racks to handle any load…(in this case a chain saw and rouge hoe….and “beverages”).

Custom built titanium bar gaurd.

3/8” Tubing for racks, front & rear…31.8 stem clamps to hold hoe handles…

Engraved Mr. Moots and welded in place racks.

The crew at Moots is very happy the way the project turned out.  As Spring rolls our way we will be planning trail work days in Steamboat and looking at ways we can tie other IMBA trail days into the use of the bike. BUILD IT. RIDE IT. IMBA played a big part of the inspiration of the build of this bike.  Our hope is that this will move more people to get involved with their local trails and groups that make it possible for all of us to enjoy those trails that get us outside, riding and smiling.

You can learn more by clicking IMBA and find out what is happening with the trails in your area.

We are also selling a LIMITED EDITION MOOTS/IMBA/ROUTT COUNTY RIDERS T-SHIRT with all proceeds going to these two great organizations. Get yours today!

You can visit our MOOTS FLICKR account for many more photos of this great build.