Moots Routt YBB review

Moots Routt YBB review

Soft tail titanium gravel bike

Our rating

4.5

7535.00

Robert Smith

Published: August 9, 2019 at 10:00 am

Our review
Achingly beautiful, amazingly comfortable, endlessly capable: the Routt YBB is stunning

Pros:

Impeccably built frame; YBB system; awesome ride quality

Cons:

I wish it wasn’t above my pay grade

Moots began building steel road bikes in 1981, and introduced the YBB (Why Be Beat) soft-tail design in 1987. Steel fabrication was largely replaced with titanium in 1991, and the first Routt was released in 2014 – as so often with these Colorado innovators, ahead of the gravel trend.

Now 32 years old, Moots has added the YBB spring and elastomer micro suspension system to the 2019 Routt YBB I have here.

YBB suspension system road bike
The YBB spring and elastomer micro-suspension system. Robert Smith

Built with unfussy, round, seamless 3/2.5 titanium tubes, and displaying immaculate welding, the Routt YBB includes a titanium, 3D-printed rear flat-mount disc mount and dropout, as well as a third bottle mount beneath the down tube, beautiful internal routing ports, and simply extraordinary colour shift anodised graphics.

There’s clearance for 700c x 45mm tyres, or 650b x 52mm, and it’ll accept full-length mudguards.

There are suggested builds available, or you can customise the components, the geometry, and as much as you can afford. Of course such craftsmanship isn’t cheap, but hand-built metal bikes can have such tangible long-term beauty that you can clearly see what you’re paying for.

The frame relies on the springy titanium to flex along the chainstays so the YBB unit can compress by up to 20mm. It’s surprisingly active, and on bumpy terrain can be seen moving from the saddle.

Moots Routt YBB
I love the shiny colour-shift graphics on the titanium frame. Robert Smith

The combination of 27.2mm diameter curved titanium seatpost, YBB system and 35psi in 45mm tubeless tyres makes for a supremely plush feeling rear end, even on tarmac. It doesn’t wallow, and has great directness and response, reacting quickly to additional efforts.

Impeccable road manners and raw speed make ticking along at 20mph a breeze, and long climbs hold no fear, just positive upward progress.

Letting rip on gravel roads, the Moots is clearly in its element. The ever-composed nature of the Routt YBB breeds confidence, and little is out of reach, although with a front end that’s lazier to turn than a cyclocross bike, more weight shifting is needed at times.

A steep, sketchy, rutted descent showcased great poise and the Moots’ deft line control, before tarmac took over again.

Hydraulic disc brakes on Moots Routt YBB
Super-reliable Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc brakes ensure rock-solid stability.

Despite bike-pummelling ride conditions, it’s hard to think of another gravel bike with such superior seated comfort as the Routt YBB.

Just how much the YBB system adds is impossible to say, but as a package, the Routt YBB is a thing of beauty with a ride to match.

Moots Routt YBB geometry (54cm)

  • Seat angle: 74 degrees
  • Head angle: 71.5 degrees
  • Chainstay: 43.7cm
  • Seat tube: 51cm
  • Top tube: 54cm
  • Head tube: 15cm
  • Bottom bracket drop: 6.9cm
  • Stack: 59.1cm
  • Reach: 37.1cm

Product

Brand moots
Price 7535.00 GBP
Weight 9.2600, KILOGRAM (54cm) -

Features

Fork Moots flat mount disc cross carbon
br_stem Moots Ti
br_frame Seamless 3/2.5 titanium
Tyres WTB Riddler 45mm
br_brakes Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc, 160mm/ 140mm rotors
br_cranks Shimano Ultegra 50/34
br_saddle Fizik Aliante R3 Kium
br_wheels Mavic Ksyrium Allroad Elite
br_shifter Shimano Ultegra Di2
br_cassette ShimanoUltegra 11-34
br_seatpost Moots 27.2 Cinch Post
br_handlebar Fizik Cyrano R3 alloy
br_availableSizes 50, 52, 54*, 56, 58, 60cm
br_rearDerailleur Ultegra RX