Moots, the renowned American bicycle manufacturer well known for its titanium bikes, has unveiled its latest bike, the Express. The bike not only marks the brands’ first foray into carbon-fibre construction but also the e-bike market.
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The Express bike represents a departure from the high-end titanium builds characteristic of the Moots company. The brand’s reason for using composite carbon instead of titanium is quite simple: “For short, we would need to use so much titanium in spots on the frame to make it safe to ride that legendary ride quality characteristics would be lost.”
The Express is a chunky and capable e-gravel bike, which has been described as a “sleek and fully capable partner for whatever adventure lies ahead. The Express is a game changer, where every time you step out the door, adventure awaits.”
The Express comes in a single colourway and configuration, equipped with a class 3 Shimano EP801 drive unit that produces 60Nm of power. This comes compliments of a 504Wh battery, the power curve of which can be customised through Shimano’s E-Tube app. Moots says the system offers a range of about 100 miles.
The drivetrain is a Shimano XT Linkglide 1×11 with a 47T front chainring and an 11-50T cassette. The right shifter handles gear changes, while the left shifter allows you to adjust the power-assist mode effortlessly. The Shimano EP801 system even offers riders the choice of two levels of Autoshift control, automatically adapting gearing based on torque and cadence input.
The bike rolls on Shimano GRX carbon wheels, shod with 50mm Panaracer GravelKing+ tyres, leaving space for bigger as the max clearance stated is 29 × 2.1in. It’s clear from the component choices and ample mounting points that Moots has designed the Express to be an adventure-ready gravel bike. It comes with two water bottle mounts in the main triangle, cage mounts on each fork leg, and integrated mudguard mounts front and rear.
To keep the look of the bike sleek, Moots has routed all cables internally through the brand’s own MOD (Moots Own Design) series carbon finishing kit, including the handlebar and stem.
There are four sizes available: S, M, L and XL. The whole bike is said to weigh 14.9kg in size Medium. And the price? $9,999 (£8,100).
