Suspension-equipped gravel bikes are still a hotly debated subject. Are they really just old school mountain bikes with curly bars, or are they finding a solid foothold in the market? While we’re certain suspension works on gravel bikes, Moots has dialled things up a notch as its new Scrambler gravel bike gets a geometry shaped for gravel riding, as well as a 100mm cross-country mountain bike fork.
- Gravel bike suspension and dropper posts – do you need them?
- Ignore the naysayers, gravel suspension WILL make you faster! Here’s why I think it should be standard on all gravel bikes
- It’s official: Canyon’s new Grail Rift Edition gets new DT Swiss and Canyon developed suspension fork
Moots is a brand that needs no introduction as it creates high-end bikes of a monstrously high quality. The brand says that the new Scrambler is a direct descendant of the Routt ESC and the Baxter, but what makes this bike stand out from its predecessors is its 100mm of suspension bolted to the front.
While suspension on gravel bikes is becoming more common, such tall suspension figures aren’t, and 100mm of travel is usually found on a very niche circle of drop bar mountain bikes. Moots says that the Scrambler rustles up some rear-end compliance through its wishbone seatstay shape. Of course, there are a plethora of double butted titanium tubes welded together to form the frame.
Although the bike certainly takes inspiration from cross-country mountain bikes, with its fork and 2.4in tyre clearance, Moots has designed its geometry around drop handlebars. With that, there’s a 70-degree head tube angle, a 74-degree seat tube angle, and a 444mm chainstay length. A large frame then benefits from a 389mm reach.
As for features, the Scrambler dons three bottle cages in the front triangle with more mounts on the downtube and on the underside and upper of the top tube. There is stealth cable routing for a dropper post.
Moots is offering the bike as a frame only or with only one build kit that’ll include a mixed Shimano GRX RX22/XT M8100 drivetrain, a RockShox SID SL Select fork, a Chris King MTN30 SL 29″ Boost wheelset, and a Moots titanium stem and seatpost. The handlebar is handled by Zipp with the XPLR Service Course handlebar.
If you’re in the market for a line-blurring gravel bike, the frame only will set you back £4,750 in its brushed colourway, whereas the complete bike will be £8,350 in brushed titanium, £9,425 with an anodised finish, and £9,850 with a Topo anodised finish.
