Moots designed this to be the ultimate go-anywhere, do-anything trail maintenance bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
It's unlikely this bike will ever really need this much stopping power but it's there just in case.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The custom main triangle bag holds other trail building essentials such as a folding saw and loppers.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The 50mm-wide Surly Rabbit Hole 29er rims and 3"-wide Surly Knard tires give Moots' trail building bike chops to go nearly anywhere - whether or not there's already a trail.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The rack stays are welded directly on the frame and fork.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Moots stuck with traditional quick-release axles front and rear on this one.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
More trail building essentials - leather work gloves and a flask (you know, in case it gets cold).(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
In addition to IMBA, this bike - and the matching T-shirts - was built to benefit Moots' local trail advocacy group, the Routt County Riders.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mr. Moots is etched into the top of the fork legs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
There's space in front of the longtail rear wheel for a 0.6L fuel bottle. The cage is titanium, of course, courtesy of King Cage.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Moots repurposed pivot plates from its MX Divide model for the rear rack.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The mini-triangle created by the curved titanium tubes provides a perfect place to call one of the benefactors of this Moots creation.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The front rack holds a custom three-piece McLeod titanium trail tool.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
There's also room on the front rack for a six-pack - because building trails makes people thirsty.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The two-piece McLeod handle is attached with Moots stem faceplates.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The front rack looks massively overbuilt until you realize there's a custom titanium McLeod attached.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Careful - that McLeod blade is sharp!(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The rear rack is perfectly sized for a chainsaw. And don't be fooled by the Feedback Sports Sprint workstand tray on the side. That's just part of the rack that's holding the bike up on display.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Moots even crafted a custom titanium cover for the chainsaw blade.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Phil Wood hubs are used front and rear.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Moots previewed at a small pre-NAHBS event at Vecchio's Bicicletteria in Boulder, Colorado its interpretation of the ultimate bike for trail building – and after seeing it in person, we're certainly not about to argue.
Moots' awesome titanium creation is first and foremost a go-anywhere, do-anything rig with enormous 50mm-wide Surly Rabbit Hole 29er rims wrapped with 3in-wide Surly Knard tires to roll over any sort of terrain – whether or not there's already a trail.
The as-yet-unnamed bike's payload will certainly help forge one if necessary. The rear rack handily secures a full-sized chainsaw (complete with custom titanium blade cover, no less), the matching front rack anchors a wicked three-piece custom titanium McLeod, while a custom front triangle bag stores other essentials such as a folding saw, pruners, and rain gear. There's even space in between the longtail's rear wheel and seat tube for a 0.6L bottle of fuel.
All in – chainsaw included – the nearly 100 percent titanium machine weighs in at a surprisingly svelte 19kg (42lb).
Moots didn't build the swoopy rig just for show, however. The Steamboat Springs, Colorado company partnered with both IMBA and its local trail advocacy group, the Routt County Riders, to demonstrate that mountain bike trails can actually be built without the assistance of traditional motorized vehicles.
Moots currently has no plans to put the bike into production and no one there dared to imagine what a retail price would be, given the time invested – but then again, that's what the company once said about snow bikes, too. Moots is, however, selling limited edition T-shirts with Mr. Moots himself gleefully riding along, chainsaw in hand along with the simple yet powerful phrase, "Build It. Ride It."
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Proceeds from the $25 shirt will benefit IMBA and the Routt County Riders, and you'll be able to pick one up at this year's North American Handmade Bicycle Show, held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado February 22-24.
