Moots Routt RSL or Seven Evergreen?

[mod6]

Originally Posted by joevers

https://moots.com/bike/routt-rsl/

This seems like a running change they made at some point in the last year.

It's still a 68mm bb, but my guess is the cranks or chainrings would hit the frame for standard road cranks on the current model.

Interesting and I stand corrected. Funny if I need 50mm tires on a gravel ride I'm just going to grab my ti hardtail. That a discussion for another day

[BlueHampsten]

I too cannot see how you could go wrong with either choice. I have owned a custom Hampsten road bike frame fabricated by Moots and loved every ride. I liked the finish on the frame, the ti ride and the Moots build quality.

My friend owns a Seven road bike frame that he likes every bit as much as I liked my Moots for the same reasons.

As far as the Rout RSL and the Seven Evergreen frames go, I have ridden neither. So, the only thing I can say is that I really love the rear triangle on the Moots.

I have installed the Shimano GRX 11 speed mechanical group set on my steel gravel bike and love the way it performs. I also love the tacky feel of the finish on the GRX shift levers. The installation and setup of the group set was simple and quick.

Look forward to seeing which you choose and to seeing the final build.

Best of luck!

[Pegoready]

Originally Posted by uber

If I could not use a road crankset on the Moots, how much would this limit my ability to use this as a road bike? Of course it will depend on what size cranks and the cassette choice, but what else am I missing?

Well, what Moots is saying is if you want to run a 2x drivetrain, you have to use either a GRX or Force WIDE crank meaning 48/31 rings (GRX) or 43/30 rings (Force WIDE).

Road cranks are usually 50/34 for Shimano or 46/33 for SRAM now. (SRAM big rings are smaller across the board when compared to Shimano because their cassettes also start smaller, 10T instead of Shimano's 11T.)

Only you can decide if the smaller chainrings will pose a frustration to you for road usage. If you're planning on throwing 700x28 tires on the bike and really mixing it up with a fast group on the road you might want the capability to run a full sized road crank. Otherwise the gravel gearing should be fine. It's entirely up to your riding habits and how strong you are.

[Mikej]

Seven - way more options for the price.

[Buzz Killington]

Who’s going to bring up welded in bottle bosses versus riveted in? I guess I am....

[Mikej]

Originally Posted by Buzz Killington

Who’s going to bring up welded in bottle bosses versus riveted in? I guess I am....

Now there is a quantifiable performance mark if I’ve ever seen one.

[Hilltopperny]

Can’t go wrong with either. I have owned a few Moots and have one inbound now. Very nice ride with utilitarian look and beautiful welds. The ride quality is wonderful and build quality is high level.

The Seven is more customizable at the same price point and I am sure every bit as well made. High quality with a long history of making great titanium bikes.

As far as carbon goes I have had a bunch of those as well. My favorite and current carbon gravel bike is the Salsa Warbird. It is everything that is good about a gravel bike and extremely versatile to boot. No toe overlap, good front center and it does not beat you up over long hauls! Outstanding bike IMHO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by Pegoready

Well, what Moots is saying is if you want to run a 2x drivetrain, you have to use either a GRX or Force WIDE crank meaning 48/31 rings (GRX) or 43/30 rings (Force WIDE).

Is Force Wide....
the regular Force crank on a longer spindle
or
a wider crank arm on the same spindle?

I saw a Built here recently where it uses a Easton EC90 SL road crank on a mtb spindle..a neat way to buy some room while not going overly wide. Is Force Wide the basic idea?

[buddybikes]

If you are east of the Mississippi - Seven, west Moots

[ti_or_die]

I have a Routt RSL and have owned it since March 2019. Coming off a cross bike, my immediate impression was that it was slower and not nearly as responsive - much of it was from the 32 vs 38 tire difference. I would go on gravel rides on differing days trying each bike. I will definitely echo the observation that my body remains fresh throughout the ride on the Routt RSL. In 2020, I didn’t touch my cross bike once as my choice was always the Routt RSL...it was just that good and comfortable as I was going on longer and longer rides.
I am sure that both Moots and Seven provide great bikes. If you are planning on doing a gravel race, you might think about wheel options and factor that in if price is an issue. You might want to try a 650b setup with wider tires (that is the next thing I want to try in the spring).

[poff]

Go with the Firefly.

[DarrenCT]

Originally Posted by poff

Go with the Firefly.

What he said. Contact Justin @ Black Oak Velo and get a Firefly faster than anyone else.

[skouri1]

Firefly are amazing.
Wait time is definitely significantly greater (and F/F price I believe tho that also probably depends on spec)
* see above, DCT would know best.

[EB]

It's a longer spindle: https://www.sram.com/en/sram/models/fc-frc-w-d1

I upgraded to Force AXS Wide 2x on my Scarab - I have nothing bad to say about it. I am definitely not a Q-factor weenie, though - the 5mm increase might bug you if you are.

Originally Posted by sparky33

Is Force Wide....
the regular Force crank on a longer spindle
or
a wider crank arm on the same spindle?

I saw a Built here recently where it uses a Easton EC90 SL road crank on a mtb spindle..a neat way to buy some room while not going overly wide. Is Force Wide the basic idea?

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by ti_or_die

I have a Routt RSL and have owned it since March 2019. Coming off a cross bike, my immediate impression was that it was slower and not nearly as responsive - much of it was from the 32 vs 38 tire difference. I would go on gravel rides on differing days trying each bike. I will definitely echo the observation that my body remains fresh throughout the ride on the Routt RSL. In 2020, I didn’t touch my cross bike once as my choice was always the Routt RSL...it was just that good and comfortable as I was going on longer and longer rides.
I am sure that both Moots and Seven provide great bikes. If you are planning on doing a gravel race, you might think about wheel options and factor that in if price is an issue. You might want to try a 650b setup with wider tires (that is the next thing I want to try in the spring).

I’ve never heard anything but praise for the Routt RSL.

Moots is kind of funny. They aren’t the flashiest bikes with a matte blasted finish, a straight headtube and ye olde external headset...but they ride so nice, remarkably nice. My CR and RSL rode beautifully, each in their own way. The Routt RSL must be imbued with the same magic - it better be for that price. High on the list.

Seven(s) are very nice. Their HQ is a few miles away from where I sit, and there are many Sevens rolling around. Happy customers. I’ve ridden a few and inspected many. All were very tidy. The ones I rode were good bikes but didn’t ring for me.