I
had a Moots MonsterX bike. Rode it all over the state--
dirt road,
doubletrack, and
lotsa singletrack.
I even had a set of deep section carbon road wheels laced up for it, but in ~2 years I realized I'd only actually used the road wheels on
one day ride. One! What a waste--of wheels.
I also have a pretty OK snowbike. But it's so purpose specific that I hate taking it out and beating on it in the rocks (our snow trails are still pretty chunky...). And I hate riding it through the sleet and slop and road grime all winter. Call me a snob (the shoe fits!) but I think it's a shame to beat the tar outta this bike. I want it to last at least as long as I do on this planet.
So I got to thinking...
Why not punt the MX bike and build a newer, more appropriate dual-purpose bike?
If not for the arrival of Larry this fall that thought might never have gained any momentum.
But Larry, oh luscious Larry...
...he's changed everything.
Suddenly you can ride a snowbike like a mountain bike again. Carving turns. Leaning and drifting. And sliding, but *predictably*, which many of us had forgotten makes all the difference.
See where I'm going with this?
I wanted a
mountain bike. One that I could stick 29" wheels onto and ride, grinning, all over Joseph Smith's green earth. And then, in winter, I could stick psick phatties onto it and ride all over jehovah's whiteness.
A drawing, a few phone calls, and lots of back and forth followed. Brad @ Moots happened to be starting a similar build for himself. More ideas. Tweaked drawings. Water jet cut yokes. Then some thinkering, lots of measuring, cutting, mitering, machining. And some gorgeous welds.
If you look closely, this frame and my now-departed MX frame are pretty dang similar. The differences, aside from tire clearance, are in the very fine details. Once I actually have the frame here I'll go into detail on those, um, details.
Cheers,
MC