Moots Womble Review: First Impressions of the new Moots Hardtail
The last mountain bike featured on the Journal was a lightweight full suspension build with a catchy paint job best described as extremely vibrant. In many ways the Moots Womble could not be more different from that build and style: a polished hardtail with none of the flamboyant color of the Specialized Epic.
While the Epic is a race focused carbon build, the Moots Womble is constructed as an all-arounder using the ultimate all-around material: titanium. Featuring progressive geometry and clearance for 2.6 inch tires, we’re looking forward to a proper long-term review of the Womble. But in the meantime, we have some first impressions.
The aesthetics: cutting to the chase, the Moots Womble is strikingly beautiful. This is what we have come to expect from Moots, but every new build that we received from Colorado is just another reminder their capabilities. The complete package is a mix of burly tubes and perfect welds. While Moots is rolling out an ever longer list of premium anodized finishes, for this frame we went with a super clean polished finished. For our vote it’s close to perfect aesthetically, and we love that the frame was built right here in the USA.
Build notes: The Womble is available in completely wireless AXS builds. But after much debate this bike was completed with Shimano mechanical bits, paired with an ENVE cockpit and wheelset. For a splash of color the build was topped off with an eeWings Tie-Dye crankset to match the Chris King hubs. For squishy bits the build uses the Pike Ultimate 140mm fork that Moots stocks on these frames. Its admittedly a high-end build, but one that should hopefully show pretty good durability.
How does it ride: here is the thing, on the trails the bike rides almost precisely like you might guess given the frame material and the geometry. We touched on our love for titanium in our long-term Moots Routt RSL review and all of that appeal holds true in a MTB application. The Womble simply swallows bumpy singletrack better than the carbon and aluminum framesets we have ridden in the past.
This contributes to a solid and confident feel on the descents. But the Womble also climbs far better than I expected. Sure, the high-end build components help as the complete bike weighs in somewhere in the 26 pound range. But the geometry makes for a bike that is just as competent uphill as downhill.
Bringing it back to the Specialized Epic that we started with: there are undoubtedly sections of trail where full suspension is faster and more comfortable. But after a few months switching back and forth between the Moots and the Specialized, I ultimately settled on a preference for the metal hardtail build. I love the stability of the Womble on the flowy singletrack that we ride most often, and have yet to find it lacking in speed.
I’m eager to put the Womble through another few months of use. Stay tuned to the Journal for a complete long-term review after we get some more time in the saddle with it.
Want a Moots Womble? As is the case with most of the Moots that TBD rides, this beautiful machine was built by our friends at ACME Bicycle Co. Whether you’re looking for a Moots MTB, a gravel focused Routt, or the all-around focused RCS, ACME is your go to for Moots in the tristate area.
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
