TBD x Moots: Emerald Green Custom Geo Routt 45
When it comes to choosing which bike to take on a ride, I have a tendency to use the wrong tool for the job. I’ve commuted on my cross bike, taken my track bike on River Road to Nyack, and ridden my road bike on too many gravel roads to count. This is usually fine — except for an ill-advised single-track shortcut down the side of a mountain in California, most of my road bike gravel rides have been on the fairly tame roads and trails of Westchester and northern New Jersey. But last fall, when some teammates started talking about traveling to gravel races like SBT and BWR, I figured it might be time to get a bike better suited to the kinds of big rides and adventures I wanted to have (these were simpler times).
Once I decided to get a gravel bike, choosing a Moots was a no-brainer: they’re beautiful, they last forever, and helping Yosef pick out components for his new Routt was giving me serious bike envy. The only potential problem was sizing: I’m very short (5 feet) and the smallest stock Routt frame would have been too large. Luckily, the folks at Moots and Acme were willing to build a fully custom frame, which turned out to be a surprisingly complicated and fascinating process (more on this in a follow-up post)!
All photos by Scott Rettino — @wheresscott
It took a couple months to complete the design process, which coincided with the start of lockdowns across the country and huge delays for anything bike-related. The components gradually shipped throughout the spring and summer, and last week, the full build was finally done. I’ve only ridden it a few times, but so far, the fit is perfect and I’m loving the feel of the GRX shifters and the cushiness of wider 38mm tires.
Life is a little different now and I won’t be traveling to gravel races any time soon, but I’m excited to ride my Moots on some local roads, and most importantly, down the block to coffee.
The Full Build
Frameset: Custom Moots Routt 45 with emerald mountain green anodized finish
Seatpost: Moots seat post with emerald mountain green anodized finish
Fork: Whisky No.9 CX fork
Groupset: Shimano GRX Di2
Gearing: Shimano GRX 48/31 chainring and 11-32 cassette
Cranks: Rotor Aldhu, 155mm
Chain: Gusset GS-11 Oil Slick
Stem: Zipp SL Service Course, 70mm
Bars: Zipp SL-70 Service Course, 38mm
Headset: White Industries zero-stack, black
BB: Chris King Threadfit 24, matte slate
Wheels: Hunt 650B Adventure Carbon Disc
Tires: Panaracer Gravel King 650bx38mm, tubeless
Saddle: Specialized Power Mimic Expert, 155mm
Build and fit: ACME Bicycle Co
Want a custom Moots Routt 45 like this? Or perhaps a Moots Psychlo X RSL Cross bike? Or a road focused Moots Vamoots? For any and all of these beautiful machines, chat with our friends at ACME Bicycle Co.
