Review | The Moots Routt YBB: A Beauty and a Beast

Dean checks out an unusual boutique titanium drop bar soft tail all the way from the USA: the Moots Routt YBB.

Brand: Moots
Model: Routt YBB
Price: £5700 (Frame and Fork)
From: Moots / Saddleback
Tested by: Dean Hersey
Duration: 7 weeks

Moots has been producing the highest quality bike frames and select components from their base deep in the Rocky Mountains since 1981. It was a few years later when they released to the world their first YBB (Why Be Beat) soft tail suspension frame and it became the brand’s signature model.

Ten years after they started, Moots took the decision to move from steel frames to the titanium that they swear by today. The brand is a true artisan bike company making some of the most sought after titanium bikes in the game. Offering a wealth of customisation with their bikes, if there is not a frame size to match your shape, you can even have it custom made to your specification and geometry.

Moots has a range that includes bikes for tarmac roads through to mountain bike trails; with the Routt YBB being part of the Moots gravel/CX family bikes holding the middle ground in between. This bike is beautifully finished from every angle. The frame finish is truly breathtaking; the welding on this bike is a work of art. I wouldn’t think twice about hanging this frame on the wall at home to just admire. It almost seems a shame to get it dirty (don’t worry it got a really good covering of winter mud).

The Moots frame colour is a classy etched matt titanium finish. You can expect a wide range of custom touches such as anodized logos and patterns complimenting the exclusivity, with a range of build options and the rarity of the bike ensuring that the chances of seeing another bike identical to yours are slim.

My usual gravel bike sports a full carbon fibre chassis and 650b wheels paired with 2.1 inch mountain bike tyres, so I was intrigued to see how a change in frame material and the combination of the soft tail with 700c wheels would stack up on my regular rides. Would the mix offer comfort at a detriment to speed? Are suspension frames for gravel riding a step too far? Is this a gimmick, a show pony and mantelpiece ornament?

The Bike

Just like all bikes in the Moots line-up, the Routt YBB is made from premium titanium tubing. The tubes are seamless, meaning they are drawn as opposed to rolled and welded, thus ensuring the frame’s strength and the quality is of the highest level.

The tubeset is tacked together before being double pass welded to increase strength and also give the frame its alluring welds. The high grade titanium is cold worked and stress relieved (CWSR) tubing and features a varying wall thickness to produce the desired compliance and feel. The tubing wall is thinner in the middle of the length and thicker at each end. The frame also features internal butting tubes to keep the external diameter as large as possible whilst maintaining thin walls. These techniques ensure the material is worked to the correct dimension whilst also maximising the strength to weight ratio and enabling the ride characteristics of the bike to be tuned. The frame is backed up by a lifetime warranty against material defects.

Everything in the process (apart from the 3D printed dropouts and the carbon fork) is done in-house in their facility based in Steam Boat, Colorado. Moots adopted this technique for their dropouts so they can make the intricate part accurately and also strong enough to take flat mount disc brakes.

The Moots Gravel/CX carbon fork specced on this build offers plenty of clearance for 45mm tyres on a 700c wheel or 2.0 on 650b. Featuring a tapered steerer tube, a well executed internal routing and it is flat mount disc brake compatible. It also boasts a 12x100mm thru axle and a 47mm offset. Bang on the money for a modern gravel bike.

The classic clean lines of the tubing and styling of the bike enhances the aesthetics and provides a finish to match its price. The details are prevalent whatever area of the bike captures your gaze. The internal cable routing is very neatly executed. The frame features three bottle cage bosses, also eyelets for a mud guard and clearance for 45mm tyres. I really like the striking metallic green anodizing of the Moots logo against the matt frame colour. The craftsmanship of the hand painted headtube badge is the perfect complimenting touch.

What about the YBB suspension unit I hear you cry? Well this is a throwback to the suspension technology of yesteryear, but what isn’t broken and all that. The Routt YBB features a simple spring over elastomer setup with a bush that sits inside the frame offering around 20mm of undamped rear travel. There are no pivots or bearings to worry about. It comes apart easily in minutes and to service it just requires a simple clean. The YBB unit relies upon the engineered flex in the titanium chainstays to offer the rider a smooth and comfortable ride taming any gravel road buzz.

The components specced on this particular bike really showcase the highest quality that is on offer to do the beautiful frame the justice it deserves. The cockpit components and seat post are from Enve. The bars width measures up to 46cm mated to the 100mm carbon stem.

The standout parts on this build are the pairing of carbon Enve rims and Chris King hubs. These wheels not only look extremely flash but they are functionally light weight, roll very quickly and the pick up from the Chris King hubs is instantaneous. Importantly the rims and the hubs are backed up by a lifetime warranty.

Mounted to the Enve G23 rims were a pair of hip tan wall WTB Riddler tyres set up tubeless. At 37mm wide, the Riddler is narrow compared to what I run on my usual gravel bike, but the tyres are fast rolling and light weight, hinting at the speed that is poised and waiting to be unlocked from the Routt YBB.

The 1x 11 speed drivetrain and brakes are Shimano GRX items. On this bike the shifting is taken care of by the unflappable electronic DI2. The cassette 11-42t range combined with the 40t chainring up front was ample whilst off road. In addition to the standard levers this bike came equipped with a second GRX sub brake lever offering riders an alternative braking position from the tops of the handlebar.

The Ride

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The 56cm frame fitted my 180cm height well, just a tad more racy than what I’m used to. I put this down to the wider bars and longer stem length on the Moots. Nothing major at all and a little fine tuning with the saddle position got me comfortable for longer rides. I actually welcomed the added room especially when really getting going, granting me space to move my weight about.

Talking about riding at speed, the Routt YBB inspires confidence, allowing me to really push on through rougher sections of trail. The reduction in trail chatter is the first thing you notice with the bike, resulting in more comfort especially if you remain seated in the saddle. There is a capable, direct and responsive feel when on the power. Despite no “real” dampening there isn’t unwanted wallowing or bouncing, it is subtle and goes about its business with you barely noticing . The YBB unit won’t soak up bigger hits or holes, so don’t expect a mountain bike shock level of performance.

At the front end the steering is direct and precise. This bike didn’t feel awkwardly stiff despite the carbon cockpit, wheel and fork and is a testament to the taming effect of the titanium.

The bike is beautifully balanced, noticeable when attacking climbs and also when things get going and the ground begins to rush beneath you. It has a reassuringly stable feel especially during descents. Yet it climbs gracefully and has a sprightly demeanor that I put down to this build weight of 9kg (without pedals and cages). The light weight and stiff carbon wheelset accelerate like a rocket and adds to this sense of responsiveness.

With the 37mm tyres (inflated to 32psi), the 27.2mm diameter seat post and the forgiving flex offered by the titanium frame and the YBB unit all make for a magic carpet ride off road. With little or no let up, the Moots Routt YBB relentlessly begs you to push harder, screaming to go faster.

I particularly enjoyed the level of feel from the chassis allowing me explore the grip of the tyres further boosting my confidence. I did have a couple of close calls, the Moots goaded me into getting a tad too optimistic, maybe asking too much from pure gravel tyres in the worst of this winter’s trail conditions. The speed and confidence I was carrying out-weighed the amount of grip that was on offer. Some snake like reactions (read as a lucky save) and quickly unclipping, just kept me rubber side down.

I chose to get my elbows out between the tapes and to take the Moots Routt YBB up to race Hit the North. The race, held in March, is notoriously plagued with wet weather and more than just a smattering of mud around the course. Seeing as up until then I found the bike so capable, I thought it would be a great test.

I swapped out the gravel spec WTB Riddler tyres for some more aggressive rubber. I settled on wider (42mm width) Teravail Rutland boots that still allowed plenty of clearance for the mucky stuff. The bike certainly flattered me with my result and I thought the test was a resounding success. No mechanical issues to report and the frame clearance paid dividends with others riding mountain bikes shod with guards struggling with mud clogging.

To get the best out of this super bike, especially if you intend on using it year round, you are going to need to have at least a couple of tyre choices. The wider more aggressive tread tyres unlock this bike’s true potential, enabling you to tackle more than just gravel roads Routt YBB has been marketed at.

The resounding feeling from the Moots Routt YBB is one of both speed and compliance. I compare the ride of the soft tail frame to that of my usual bike’s 650b wheels shod with squidgy 2.1inch mountain bike tyres. Both bikes offer some undamped compliance. The key differences are that the geometry felt more aggressive on the Moots. With fast rolling lighter tyres on larger wheels it accelerates like a rocket and carries speed and makes the most of the soft tail frame for rider comfort.

Pros and Cons

So is there anything not to like? I would save (some) money, I wouldn’t spec the additional levers on the tops. I usually only use that position for seated drawn out climbs. I understand some riders might swear by this setup for events such as the Three Peaks. I got used to the wide bars, but I also would sacrifice some width for a more flared handlebar for added control whilst on the drops.

Standard brakes are likely enough – unless you’re determined to do the 3Px.

Okay this build is eye wateringly expensive. But this is a quality bike and one for life. If you look at it like an investment, the Moots Rout YBB to keep for many years to come. It also goes some way to closing the gap between back road and gravel bikes, dare I say mountain bikes. My curiosity says ‘Why not go the full hog and and spec some short travel forks’ – the Routt YBB will even take the Lauf fork. This would complete the package and unlock one of the fastest, most compliant and capable gravel bikes money can buy.

The aspect of the bike I like the most is the confidence it gives the rider. The control and stability at speed, mixed with the comfort gifting the rider bags of belief. My opinion is that the personality of the bike is owed to the soft tail frame and the simplicity of the YBB unit. The reliable build, the geometry and sizing screams for you to attack and push the boundaries of what you thought would be capable of a gravel bike. For the duration of the test the bike never missed a beat, even my riding buddies were surprised to hear not a single puncture!

Overall

So I conclude that the Moots Routt YBB comes close to being ‘the one bike’ for me and my local trails and gravel roads. I appreciated the soft tail design on longer days in the saddle. It is far from a gimmicky show pony. You could go some way to justifying the cost by making it the only bike you need, the true quiver killer.

This build is of the highest calibre and the exquisite finishing detail of the componentry accentuates the craftsmanship and quality of the Moots frame. This is a fun, fast masterpiece to ride and beautiful to behold in the metal. I definitely don’t want to give this dream machine back!