PipeDream Cycles The Full Moxie – Final Report

With the PipeDream Full Moxie now approaching over half a year of riding, I’ve got to know the ride and its qualities well. In short, it’s a confidence-inspiring, hard-charging bike that can climb well despite the number on the scales. It has a definite downhill focus but doesn’t let itself down at all for more general riding. While it’s not a cross-country machine, it’ll happily churn out long days.

• Buyer’s guide to waterproof mountain bike and gravel jackets
• 2021 Fox Factory Series 36 Float 27.5 160 GRIP2 fork review
• The best ways to find new mountain bike trails

PipeDream Cycles – The Full Moxie build

PipeDream-Cycles-The-Full-Moxie-Longeterm-Review.jpg, by Jim Clarkson

​
With its single pivot design, easily serviceable bearings, and full-length cabling, there is a definite feel for long life, easy maintenance and weatherproofing. The Full Moxie has an excellent all-around level of quality with tidy welds, durable paintwork with only some slight wear points from cable – easily remedied with some clear frame protection. The whole frame has a feel of attention to detail and consideration to it. 

The Full Moxie bucks the trend for internal cables. It runs full-length outer cables tidily on the top of the down tube, neatly tied at regular points. Easy to build, easy to take apart and as effective as internal cabling. It’s a simple solution and aesthetically is executed as cleanly as most internal guides. The 4130 custom butted tubing is apparent everywhere – lots of shaped and carefully made tubing make up the frame’s clean lines.

PipeDream Cycles The Full Moxie 2021 long term review non-driveside.jpg, by Jim Clarkson

The dropper cable does run internally with a nice tidy rubber grommet to keep it weatherproof. The internals of the frame is all coated in ED – an electro treatment that coats the tubing inside to minimise oxidising. The bottom bracket is 73mm internal threaded – I think we can all be glad that push-fit is now mainly gone. There is a bash and chain guide mount. 

Elsewhere, the boost rear axle is tidy, with nice cowled finishings and a replaceable drop out. With a 160mm disc mount that allows up to 200m rotors (I ran 180mm), there is an obvious consideration for making the bike play to its gravity-focused ride. The slimmer seat stay and chainstay are cleverly shaped and add to the ride feel – more about that further on..

PipeDream Cycles The Full Moxie 2021 long term review drop outs.jpg, by Jim Clarkson

A couple of parts worthy of discussion are the shock yoke and the swing arm brace – both machined from alloy, they are crucial to delivering the suspension and ride. The shock yoke has two smaller 6900 bearings and ties in the seat-stays, and the main pivot turns on 6804 bearings – all of which have lasted well, with no side to side movement, but the smaller ones feel a little rougher for sure.

There are mounts for a bottle cage, but on the low downtube, which is a prime target for muck and strikes – a downside for some, but not a deal-breaker. You could get a bottle under the top tube with a clipped on sideload style cage. 

PipeDream Cycles – The Full Moxie – How it rides

The geometry is pretty contemporary with its 64-degree head angle, 77.5 seat angle coupled with the 470mm reach in size long (the size called ‘longer’ is 520mm). It ticks all the boxes for a modern trail bike. The longish wheelbase adds to the stability at speed and in faster, wider corners. 

Due to the seat post angle, the seated climbing position helps with the climbing, and whilst it doesn’t goad you into fast or quick climbing, it is more than able and bearable. At times, the front wheel would lift, but only on the steepest climbs, borderline walking or carrying.

Out of the saddle, climbing isn’t especially a strong point, but sprinting downhill wasn’t compromised. The shock is quite active when out of the saddle. Still, if run closed off, you minimise this – I ended up running the shock open all the time, as I felt that seated climbing was the best option. For short, stabby moments in climbs, the suspension action didn’t hinder that. I used two air shocks – A DVO and a FOX DPX2 – both had similar ride feels. There is room to run a coil shock as well.

PipeDream Cycles The Full Moxie 2021 long term review cross brace.jpg, by Jim Clarkson

I feel it strikes a balance with agility against feeling skittish on downhills and undulating terrain – it’s got a feeling of holding energy and a sort of snap out of turns. The Full Moxie’s weight helps it hold lines when it’s especially rocky and there is a level of confidence to be found that is beyond what the travel suggests. 

The Full Moxie is a bike that can take all that you throw at it and just keep on coming back. The steel frame is tough, with some fairly hefty clouts on the chainstays and an especially loud hit on the down tube. The steel makes it robust and also adds to the lively ride feel when the bike feels whippy at times. It’s not a flex that feels detrimental to the ride, but more the tubing goes some way to keep the bike feeling smooth.

PipeDream Cycles The Full Moxie2021 long term review swing arm.jpg, by Jim Clarkson

What I liked the most was the way it handles steep, slower technical descents while remaining balanced on fast, open riding – like a trail centre. Running it with the mullet (27.5″ rear wheel) set up added more confidence on the very steepest of trails, and it already felt reassuringly planted and behaved well in those situations anyway.

To get the most from the Full Moxie, it really rewards an active and engaging ride – if you work the bike, it returns with a liveliness that is the most fun on descents, but also on more traversing downhill trending trails. With a good, grippy set of tyres, the shock open, and saddle down, it’s an absolute hoot to attack trails with. 

PipeDream Cycles – The Full Moxie – Summing up

The Full Moxie likes a pilot, not a passenger. Still, the planted, sure-footed ride feel makes it a great bike if you want something strong, reliable. With the single pivot, no-nonsense suspension type, it’s perfect for British (wet) riding. In terms of value, £1,500 gets you the frame, then on top of that is the shock cost, which will add £350-600 depending on what you choose. That’s pretty good value when compared to Cotic Jeht that retails frame only at £1,800 upwards.

PipeDream Cycles The Full Moxie 2021 long term review suspension yoke.jpg, by Jim Clarkson

Whilst built up and tested using harder wearing, more durable parts, the Full Moxie is undoubtedly heavier – it only felt really noticeable when carrying for long periods or when hopping it when tired. That doesn’t spoil the ride. I like the reassuring feel to it, and considering the tube material, it’s not overly hefty. My test bike weighed in the region of 16kg depending on what tyres or wheels I was running. For a frame that’ll take a lifetime of hard use and keep you smiling and riding up to and beyond your limits, that’s a small compromise – it’s an absolute pleasure to ride. 

As a frame that can handle everything but with a bias to gravity, the PipeDream Full Moxie is an excellent example of good geometry, thoughtful frame material and solid technical attention to detail – it’s a well-executed, great riding trail bike with a gravity focus. 

• pipedreamcycles.com

You might also like:

• Your complete guide to the RockShox rear shock range
• Ten top tips for Alpine riding trips