Moots Express Review

Moots, who is known for their titanium bikes, has entered the ebike game with Moots Express. They’ve used their extensive knowledge in the gravel bike space to create a fast, high performance e-gravel bike. To many people, this seems like a complete curveball from a company like Moots. But in our eyes, it is exciting to see a company like Moots create an ebike with all the knowledge they’ve gained from years of experience in the Gravel bike space. Lets get into our review of the Moots Express

The Moots Express is Class 3 electric bike, pedal assist up to 28mph. It uses a Shimano EP801 drive unit with a 504 watt hour Shimano battery integrated into the frame which is removable. The frame is made of carbon fiber and it comes in 4 different stock sizes

The Express uses a Shimano XT Linkglide 11 speed drivetrain. Moreover, this is an ebike specific drivetrain with Autoshift and Freeshift. The Shifters are Shimano Ultegra R8170 Shifters and flat mount brakes with a 160mm rear rotor and 180mm front rotor. Additionally it uses a Shimano EN600 display as well as a Shimano on off/control switch on the top tube. Additionally, all the cables are routed internally and this is made possible by using the integrated cockpit with the Moots MOD handlebar and MOD Stem.

Along with the carbon frame, the wheels are Shimano GRX RX 879 carbon wheels. On those wheels are Panaracer Gravelking SK+ tubeless 50mm tires. Furthermore, there are fender mounts as well as mounts on the fork as well. The Moots express weighs 33 pounds and has an estimated range of up to 100 miles and comes with a price tag of $9999.

When I first saw the announcement of the Moots Express it actually caught me by surprise. Since hearing about Moots when I really got into cycling, their quality, handmade titanium frames really caught my eye. It was always a pleasure seeing a Moots out on the road and you would know that rider was serious about cycling and most likely dreamed about that bike for a while. 

The Moots Express looks like a real serious bike, and it definitely is one. From the oversized carbon tubing, to the component specs they didn’t hold back on anything. It also comes in relatively lightweight at 33lbs. 

I am in between a small and a medium bike in their chart and opted for the small. I personally like having more seatpost and a lower standover height. The reach on the bars is a bit shorter than I would normally ride, but it didn’t affect my comfort or ride experience. Having that shorter stem gave a more upright seated position which was beneficial in the gravel, but for more road riding I would like a bit of a longer stem.

This was the most time I have spent on the Shimano EP drive unit and it was impressive. The EP801 drive unit produced smooth power in all the power modes, and was pretty quiet as well. There are 2 different pedal assist modes you could choose from in the settings, Jaunt, which gives you 3 Pedal assist levels, or Adventure, which spreads the power over 4 pedal assist levels. Mine was set in Jaunt, which gave more of a jump between levels. Adventure is a smoother curve for those all days rides where you want to extend the range for the day.

This motor and computer paired with the Shimano Linkglide wireless drivetrain was very nice. The left shifter/front brake lever controlled the pedal assist levels and the right shifter/rear brake controlled your cassette. These both worked smoothly and seamlessly with each other and felt very natural.

There is also a button under the top of the hood that can put you in Manual shift, or Automatic. Yes, Automatic shifting. The Shimano drive unit senses when you reach a certain speed/cadence and will shift the bike for you. I did an entire ride while using only automatic and it was strange at first, but I could see how it could be wanted for some. On the computer, you can set what cadence you want the Autoshift to shift at, and, like magic, it does it for you on climbs. On descents when you start going fast from a higher gear, it automatically moves the chain to a smaller cog as you go faster, even when you’re not pedaling.

The ride overall on the road is nice and smooth on the road, and that actually transfers over onto the gravel well. Additionally, the GRX carbon wheels feel stiff when you are putting on the power. That, combined with the 50c Panaracer tires dampen a good amount of the bumps and vibration. All of this was confidence inspiring and made me want to ride everywhere faster.

It’s nice that there are various mounting points for different accessories. Having those integrated fender mounts on the frame is pretty great for the wet conditions we get. I just unfortunately didn’t have any while testing so I got pretty muddy.

The only thing that I would have liked is if I could have chosen a different stem length and bar width. This stock combo may work well for most people, but for my preference it would be nice to have a choice. The Express handled really well in all the conditions I took it on, and made me want to go ride and explore more. That is essentially the goal that Moots was after when creating the Moots Express.

This bike may not be for everyone, especially coming in at a price point of $10000. Moreover, it may be a bit off putting to the Moots purists. Nevertheless, we definitely see the place that it holds in the Moots lineup. This is for the Moots rider who may not be able to put in the miles they used to but still wants to get out there and enjoy it with a bit of help. As well as the rider that wants to take their gravel experience to another level.

Moots really hit the mark with making a fun, fast, good looking electric gravel bike. If you are in the market for a premium electric gravel bike to take your gravel adventures to another level, definitely consider the Moots Express. This is a bike we wish could stay in our garage for much longer than it has been. 

Price: $9999
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
Weight: 33lbs
Website: www.Moots.com