Moots Vamoots RCS: US brand launches all-new titanium bike that can do 'just about anything'
Moots's second new model in two years has more clearance so that it can tackle any surface
The new Vamoots RCS, or Routt County Special, is a bike the employees of the craft titanium bicycle frame manufacturer in northwest Colorado have been dreaming up for several years, according to the brand.
The bike is designed to cover a mix of ever-changing surfaces: smooth pavement, rougher chipseal, and well maintained dirt roads that are common fare in Routt County, the home of Moots.
Moots says the Vamoots RCS is by all measures a modern road bike with a classic look that will deliver the hallmark smooth Moots ride and impeccable handling, but it has clearance for higher-volume tyres up to 35mm that are designed to work with new fastback seatstays and cold-worked chainstays. There's also a brand new Moots-designed carbon fork for wider tyres.
>>> Best titanium bikes: how they are made and why you might want one
The frame is made from Moots’s own double-butted RSL tube set, with butting specified to each size frame for strength and ride quality. According to Moots, the tubes are precisely mitred to allow for full tack welding before being finished with a second-pass 6/4 titanium alloy weld for added durability and the trademark ‘stack-of-dimes’ appearance.
In addition, the Vamoots RCS features a newly designed 3D-printed dropout that Moots claims gives it perfect rear axle and disc brake alignment.
“The Vamoots RCS is a bike we’ve had in the back of our minds for some time now,” said Moots marketing manager Jon Cariveau. “We all go out and ride together at lunch, and the roads we typically ride are this mix of pretty smooth asphalt, chipseal county roads, pretty well-maintained ranch roads. Over the years we’ve all sort of said ‘what if’, and now with the evolution of other bike technologies, we’re finally able to put all the pieces together and offer the Vamoots RCS, a bike that can handle just about anything, and one we’ve all been dreaming of for years.”
2021 marks Moots’s 40th anniversary, and every Vamoots RCS, as well as any other frame model produced this year, will get a special edition head badge commemorating the brand’s history and heritage. More information at www.moots.com.
Pricing has yet to be confirmed – stay tuned for updates.
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Simon Smythe is a hugely experienced cycling tech writer, who has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2003. Until recently he was our senior tech writer. In his cycling career Simon has mostly focused on time trialling with a national medal, a few open wins and his club's 30-mile record in his palmares. These days he spends most of his time testing road bikes, or on a tandem doing the school run with his younger son.
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