2015 Junior National Champion and World Cup podium finisher Gage Hecht has been traveling around the world with his “A” and “B” Moots PSYCHLO X RSL titanium cyclocross bikes (See our review in Issue 15 in print, or available instantly via our digital version.)
Hecht is one of the few riders medaling at top European races who is not racing on an Asian-made carbon frame. His made-in-the-USA titanium bikes and results are certainly garnering attention in Europe, and obviously caught our attention in Austin as well.
We were able to get a close-and-dirty look at his “A” bike just after he finished his race at Zilker Park. The tires were complete with layers of Austin mud, along with his pedals and the space between his tire and disc fork.
We also caught up with Hecht to talk about the bike we photographed in Austin in the profile below. See Part two of our feature on Gage Hecht with our exclusive pre-Worlds interview here, and more of our ever-growing 2015 National Championship bike profiles here.
Hecht’s Moots PSYCHLO X RSL is built with custom butted titanium tubing and comes with short 42.3cm chainstays to swing around the tightest corners. While Moots had a similarly branded model with a more relaxed geometry, it has since been rebranded as the ROUTT and includes a brother model, the ROUTT 45. Moots’ Jon Cariveau had explained the major differences to us: “The ROUTT was also designed to be a lower [than the PSYCHLO X RSL and the previous PSYCHLO X].” The bottom bracket drop on the RSL is 6.1cm compared to the lower 6.9cm drop of the ROUTT, and the earlier model has a 1cm longer top tube.
Hecht still maintains a relatively upright position on the bike through stem and handlebar positioning, with his stem turned upright. From the way he is able to dial in his cornering in the roughest conditions that Europe has to offer, clearly he has his setup just as he likes it.
Hecht’s titanium PSYCHLO X RSL came fully equipped with a vast array of Fizik components and TRP mechanical disc brakes. While his drivetrain is built from a SRAM Red 22 group set, his chainrings have been swapped for a set of 36/46 WickWerks chainrings.
From the drive side or non-drive side, Gage Hecht’s Moots PhychloX RSL was caked with layers of mud in Austin on its way to first place in the 17-18 Junior Race. © Cyclocross Magazine
