NAHBS 2012: Moots Cycles’ Winning Titanium PsychloX RSL Cyclocross Bike

Cyclocross Magazine readers are probably quite familiar with Moots’ top-of-the-line titanium PsychloX RSL cyclocross bike. We covered the Moots PsychloX RSL at Interbike 2010 and 2011, and had an in-depth review in our Issue 15 (available as a print back copy, digitally, or on the Apple Newsstand).

NAHBS judges in Sacramento finally got an opportunity to appreciate the same bike you’ve seen, and came to a similar conclusion — it’s a stunning, well-executed race-worthy cyclocross bike, worthy of the Best Cyclocross Bike award along with Six Eleven Bicycle Co.’s brazed steel cyclocross beauty.

Moots’ 2012 NAHBS build featured an even higher spec of components than our test bike, with a SRAM Red drivetrain, TRP Magnesium EuroX cantilever brakeset, Moots titanium seatpost and stem, a Moots carbon cyclocross fork, a 3T Team Ergonova carbon handlebar, and Zipp’s 303 Firecrest carbon tubular wheels dressed with Challenge Grifo tubulars.

At a show filled with fancy, intricate lugs and extravagant paint jobs, it would be easy to walk right past the subdued made-in-Colorado Moots PsychloX RSL.  But upon close inspection, the perfect welds and the small details are indicators that a lot of thought and man hours went into the bike. The three main oversized seamless 3/2.5 US-made titanium tubes are double butted, the top tube is shaped for shouldering comfort, and modern features like a Press Fit 30 bottom bracket and 44mm headset are utilized for versatility and greater stiffness.

Colorado racers are used to see this bike at the front of races under Jon Cariveau and the rest of the Moots team, and now the bike is available to the public and finally featured on Moots’ website. It’ll cost you, with the list price of $4975 for the frame and fork, but with Moots’ NAHBS award, we’re sure there will be even more demand from those looking for a rust-proof high-end machine that might last a lifetime.

With titanium cyclocross bikes on display at NAHBS by companies like Mosaic, Ericksen, Moots and Independent Fabrications, it appears that titanium is making a comeback in the handmade bike world, now that carbon is commonplace.

Cyclocross Magazine was the proud title sponsor of the cyclocross category (but did not judge). For their winning bike, Moots Cycles receives a generous ad package for the print mag, digital mag and website.

We’ve got a ton of NAHBS 2012 content still to come. Check back often for more eye candy and new cyclocross products, and view our published NAHBS 2012 coverage.

Moots Cycles PsychloX RSL Photo Gallery: