Moots Routt RSL Gravel Bike Frame

The Moots Routt RSL: A Performance-Oriented Titanium Gravel Bike

One thing all cyclists can agree on is that riding in heavy traffic sucks. It’s dangerous, loud, and stressful. That’s one reason so many of us have glommed onto this whole gravel grinding movement. The Moots Routt RSL is the perfect performance-oriented gravel bike for anyone looking to escape the cares of road riding and take gravel grinds to the next level. Updated to accommodate wider tires, it is likely the most capable performance-oriented titanium gravel bike on the market.

That shouldn’t be surprising because ever since Moots introduced the Routt RSL, it has stood at the top of the Ti-gravel pecking order. But with the latest innovations, you can count on the RSL not only being gravel race ready but also equipped to handle Rocky Mountain-sized obstacles. That’s largely because the RSL frame has expanded its capacity. That means that the frame has been out-sized at the chainstays to allow for greater tire clearance without having to make the chainstays longer or resort to a dropped stay. They have been able to do this because component brands like SRAM and Shimano have developed gravel wide-specific groupsets. These are groupsets that actually move the chain ring or double chain ring out and simultaneously add 2.5mm to each side of the crank.

Geometry Tweaks in the Moots Routt RSL

Keep in mind, that means that the updated Routt RSL can only fit a gravel wide specific groupset, which currently only Shimano and SRAM offer. So if you had hoped to build it up with Campy you are out of luck, at least until that august Italian brand catches up with the cool kids in gravel design. The tradeoff is minimal considering the Routt RSL can now fit up to 45mm tire widths while making the chainstays 43mm, which guarantees the handling will stay snappy and road-worthy. Seeing that lots of their customers will be pushing their rubber widths to the limit so that they can push their bikes and bodies even further, the Moots designers have tweaked the geometry ever so slightly. The RSL always had a longer top tube than other Routt versions, but they have also made the head angle a touch slacker, and they are also pairing it with shorter stems and wider bars, à la gravel practice. This will ensure that when you are at speed on loose and unpredictable surfaces, you will still feel in control.

As with all titanium Moots, each bike has been given size-specific tubes with things like tube thickness and shapes being strategically guided by the size of the frame. Smaller frames don’t need the same tube thickness as the larger frames, but that doesn’t mean that the smaller frames will be wigglier. The flat mount brakes with the 3D printed rear dropout allows for the disc caliper to be tucked inside the rear triangle to continue the clean look and offer that extra bit of protection from damage those times you take a tumble. Available in seven sizes with custom geometry, which is always an option at Moots so you will certainly be able to find the right fit for your needs. You can also fit the frame with a Lauf Gravel Fork if you intend to take this really off road for really long stretches.

The Moots Routt RSL can be whatever you need out of a bike. It has the versatility to be your road warrior or off-road savior. It will help even the most devoted roadie to fall in love with gravel.

Also check Knolly Gravel & CX Bikes.