Aluminum Race Assassin

WHAT: Moots Smoothie AL HOW MUCH: $1650, frame only. WHERE: www.moots.com

Moots have for the longest time now symbolized some sort of ethereal higher plane amongst the cognoscenti of the fat tire set. Feathery titanium bikes, immaculate tig welds, razor sharp handling, custom matched everything, and stratospheric prices.

So it comes as something of a shock to see the sartorial Moots of yore branch off in the direction of potential new markets. Full suspension? Al Yew Min Ee Um? My God, what is this, some sort of joke? Moots? Aluminum? NEVER!

But, yup, there she be, the Moots Smoothie, rendered now in less expensive 6061 aluminum (but still costing a pretty $1650 for frame and shock alone). Quality of construction is still superlative – the welds are flawless, the machine work is impeccable, and the finish is as good as it gets in the industry. But, it is odd to see a Moots sporting a Thompson stem and seatpost, and Easton bars, as our test bike was. Almost as odd as it is to see a Moots made out of something other than titanium. It’s sort of like getting some Beluga caviar, but getting it as part of a peanut butter sandwich. Probably tastes just fine, but just not something you’d really expect to see. We’re used to drooling over $6000 bikes from these guys. As such, it is harder to drool over something from the same company that only costs in the mid-$2k’s.

But, we’re troopers. SO, we donned our rattiest old cycling duds and tried our best to slum it…

And, wouldn’t you know, the Smoothie AL is pretty damn fun. It is stiffer and snappier handling than the ti version. It is light and sharp. It levitates, just floats, up the steepest and gnarliest of hills. Really. Climbs like a homesick angel. Which, given it’s steep 71/73.8 angles and short 16.8” chainstays, and its modest 3 inches of rear travel combined with the platform stickiness of a 5th Element air shock, you would hope. The bike doesn’t disappoint. The Smoothie AL delivers the goods when it’s time to climb.

When the ground tips the other way, however, it’s a different story. From Moots’ own website: “Often compared to the YBB with 3” of rear wheel travel”. That about sums up the ride. Makes for a great climber. Doesn’t make for a very good downhill rig, nor does it signify plush, bump gobbling suspension prowess. This is a short, snappy, quick handling bike with not very much suspension. What suspension there is tends to be outclassed by other designs of similar travel. The Smoothie AL rides a lot like a YBB with more travel, or more precisely, almost exactly like a Cannondale Scalpel. Ride it like you would a more active, or longer travel, bike, and it will slap your ass silly before spitting you into the rocks. Ride it like you would a hardtail, however, and it is a weapon. Just don’t expect it to be plush. And don’t ask it to get up to warp speed in boulder fields.

If I was looking for a new do-it-all trailbike, this one is a bit too nervy for my neighborhood. For the price, there are plusher, more surefooted bikes on the market that weigh the same. I’ll miss the climbing manners, but would be happier everywhere else.

If I was looking for a new bike to be a race assassin on, however, the Smoothie AL would be near the top of my list. It is ungodly fast up hills, and extremely quick handling. It feels, for lack of any better comparison, like a Bontrager Race Lite rendered squishy for the new millennium. That’s good race-fuel. But if I was doing that, I wouldn’t cut corners. I’d want the chi-chi bling-bling stem and bars and seatpost, too. The rest of the bike’s too pretty to try and do for less money. It’s a Moots, for cryin’ out loud. Make that wallet bleed, man!