Custom Moots Routt RSL Feature

Custom Moots Routt RSL Feature

A SPECIAL MOOTS BUILD STORY

We get the chance to build many special bikes throughout the year.  This one is no exception.  Fueled by a passion of climbing peaks, this Routt RSL will be used for local adventures around the Northeast.

1) Client – Tell us a little bit about your new bike and what the inspiration was:

“My company is Top-Tier Admissions, so the mountain symbolized reaching the highest peak and providing the highest level of service for our clients. Also, I am a winter hiker/mountaineer and spent five years hiking all 115 high peaks in the Northeast. I was number 82 to have done all the peaks in the winter season, with only a few of those being women.
Though I have not actually climbed the Matterhorn (it is a technical climb), that is the image we picked for Top-Tier. This being said, we actuallymodeled the design on my bike on the Zuckerhutl (“Sugar Hat”) in Austria. The Zuckerhutl is one of the highest peaks in the Stubai Alps, and I actually climb it.”

Future adventures:  “Luckily I live in beautiful Vermont!  I intend to ride dozens of different challenging routes centered around Weybridge and Middlebury near my home. There are an almost infinite number of beautiful biking roads —among the best in the US!!! My adventures will be local, but that’s the best kind.”

2) Dealer (Fit Werx) – Tell us how the Routt RSL was the right bike for your customer and what went into finalizing the details:

“The Moots Routt RSL performs so well across such a wide range of riding. The bike gives up little when compared to a dedicated narrow tire road bike while providing a lively, supple and stable ride on rougher terrain. It is a gravel capable bike that has a fair amount of race bike genetics and that makes it a really fun and safe choice for a rider like Michele who is going to explore roads of all types, but appreciates a bike that performs and won’t hold her back on the pavement. Moots has also significantly expanded anodization, paint and other finish options in recent years. Aesthetic options and design were important to providing Michele with a one of a kind ride and making it “her bike”.

3) Bike Builder (Moots)  – How was Moots able to provide you with the perfect bike to meet those needs?

“Based upon years of experience with building custom bikes with Moots, we had no doubt that the fit and ride of Michele’s Routt RSL would be what she wanted. As usual, the workmanship on Michele’s bike is “Top-Tier”, which Michele instantly appreciated when she saw the welds and the details of things like the 3D dropouts. Moots also worked with her and us on the finish, showcasing some of the latest anodization capabilities that we are pleased to be able to offer riders while personalizing details to make sure that the bike was one of a kind and truly hers. The paint on the fork as well as the top tube anodization are particularly nice touches that look great and connect Michele to her new bike.

Michele’s Routt RSL turned out really well. It demonstrates what is possible when a bike fitter/retailer, an athlete and a manufacturer are working together to fulfill a dream.

About Ian

From first time riders to Olympians, Ian has helped thousands of athletes achieve their cycling and triathlon goals. Ian develops much of the Fit Werx fitting and analysis protocols and is responsible for technology training and development. He is regarded as one of the industry leaders in bicycle fitting, cycling biomechanics and bicycle geometry and design. He is dedicated to making sure the Fit Werx differences are delivered daily and provides Fit Werx with corporate direction and is responsible for uniting our staff and initiatives.

Find out more about Ian Here

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2 Responses to Custom Moots Routt RSL Feature
  • Chris

    Sorry to be critical… But it’s amazing that you’re called Fit Werx yet that Moots is set up completely wrong… The handlebar top looks to be 2-3cm higher than the saddle, stem is positive and short. Do you know what that does to weight distribution and bike handling? Also rider core muscles are not engaged properly for power, center of gravity is too high, steering at speed affected, etc.. Sorry but unless that customer is 90 years old.. you’re not doing him/her any favors on gravel or road.

    • Ian

      Chris,

      While I would agree that many riders could use their core better and that there are power and center of gravity benefits to being able to ride lower, not everyone can do that with a reasonable amount of comfort. It is our job as fitters and bike designers to encourage them to achieve better muscle balance and activation while riding, we can’t force people to do that. It is not our job to make them miserably uncomfortable, as your “fit” suggestions would directly create if this rider were to take them. That just leads to people quitting riding bikes altogether.

      We have fit riders who have competed in the Olympics, raced in the Tour de France, won their age group at Kona and who hold World Records. Different goals, experience and needs = different riding positions. Discussions of the needs and set-up for these types of riders can be found on our blog by doing searches for topics like “aerodynamics”. That is what makes a Fit Werx fitting unique – we don’t treat everyone the same or prescribe to some generic process or thought of what is “right”, we focus on their individual needs.

      The rider of this Moots loves this bike. It is the most stable bike she has ever owned and it was designed and built specifically for her using decades of fit and design experience on the part of Fit Werx and Moots. Needing a tall handlebar height does not mean that a bike will always be unstable. Needing a short stem because your bike design has taken everything from toe clearance to your fit needs into account does not mean your bike will be unstable. If that were the case, MTB riders would all still be on 120-150mm stems instead of 50mm.

      To criticize the set-up and riding position of someone you have never met or worked with is what is truly “completely wrong”. There is a lot more to bike fit and bike design than should ever be assumed without knowing the specifics of a situation or the end result. Doing so does riders of all levels a disservice by spreading generalized misinformation about bike fit and bike design.

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