Mooto X YBB: Building a ‘Dream’ Bike First Impressions

Maybe I have an addiction, but so what. My addiction isn’t the bottle or pills – it is a bit larger and may cost as much as a substance addiction, but it is much more beneficial to my health. I have once again fallen victim to my addiction…I am putting together a new bike.

When I build bikes, I usually know if it is going to be one that I keep for a few years or in excess of a decade. The last ‘dream’ bike that I built was back in 1998 and it also started as a titanium frame – that Merlin XLM is still hanging in garage. My Merlin XLM has taken me through thousands of miles of trails from sea level to over 12,000’. It has been with me during 24 hour races and numerous Leadville Trail 100 races. I still love to take that bike out and rip through tight, smooth singletrack, but that ‘dream’ bike is soon to have a new friend.

Recently I became the proud owner of a Moots Mooto X YBB 29-er frame. The title of this article is a little mis-leading – it really is not a ‘first impression’. About two years ago I purchased a used 2003 Moots YBB 26-inch wheeled frame. Since the late 1990s I had always wanted a YBB and the opportunity came up to purchase this frame so I snapped it up. That bike has been a good bike and took me across the finish line last year in another Leadville Trail 100 race in one of my fastest, personal times. It has been a good bike, but just does not have that ‘dream’ bike feel. Maybe it is due to the fact that it was used or maybe it is something else, but I do know that it is going up on the sale block just like the other five or so bikes that I have sold since first purchasing that Merlin XLM.

When my friends and I first saw the YBB, it used to be spelled out as ‘YBBeat’ for ‘Why Be Beat’. The YBB is a titanium, pivotless full suspension frame that has a little over 1” of travel. Moots has been building high-end bike frames in Steamboat Springs, Colorado since 1981, but the first frames were made out of steel, not titanium. It was not for another ten years until Moots would debut their frames in titanium. One of the most appealing features of the YBB rear suspension is that it does not have a pivot. The titanium tubes of the chain stays have enough flexibility to allow the 1-1/8” of rear travel without requiring a pivot. This ultimately reduces the maintenance required since there are no pivots to rebuild – less time on the repair stand and more time on the trails!

Last year I had the chance to go to the Interbike Outdoor Demo in Boulder City, Nevada. During those two days there was the opportunity to ride numerous bikes from countless manufacturers on the dry and rocky trails of Bootleg Canyon. I was with a group from Tam Bikes of Mill Valley, CA who were there to test mostly long travel, full suspension bikes – the bikes that appeal of their clientele. I also test rode a number of full suspension bikes, but I made sure to make my way over to the Moots booth. I had tested 29-ers from Specialized, Specialized and others, but I wanted to make sure to ride a 29-er version of the YBB frame.

The reps over at Moots happened to have an 18” Mooto X YBB on hand for a test ride. My current YBB is also an 18” frame, but has the 26-inch wheels. The Mooto X YBB felt big, but not cumbersome. Once the 29-er version of the YBB is pedaled up to speed, it effortlessly rolled over the terrain. Through the rocks, tight turns and small gullies of Bootleg Canyon, the larger wheels easily handled everything encountered and seemed to float through the trails. The geometry felt perfect for the larger wheels, the Mooto X YBB was not sluggish at all in the turns. I had to have one!

It took another eight months for me to order one. During that time I had the chance to test a few 29-ers from Specialized which almost swayed me away from the Mooto X YBB (the Epic 29er is a great ride). The final decision was to purchase the Moots, and at the beginning of May I placed my order. At that time the factory was on an eight week production schedule, but it was possible that the frame would be completed sooner. As it turned out, eight weeks was correct and the new Mooto X YBB arrived in July.

During those eight, long weeks the rest of the parts were ordered. The build kit is a mix of Chris King, Stan‘s, Sram and Race Face; but there is still one major component missing – the suspension fork. Though 29-ers have been out for over a decade, they have become extremely popular in the last few years. Sometimes there is a time lag when sourcing 29-er parts. This seems to be the case with Fox.

The assembly has started with the parts on hand. Personally building a bike allows you to really examine a frame up close, and this Mooto X YBB is flawless. The welds are small, tight and consistent – a real testament to the skills of the welders at Moots. The bottom bracket shell and head tube were both faced allowing easy installation of the bottom bracket and headset. The water bottle mounts are welded, a process that takes more time compared to using rivnuts – a practice used by many other manufacturers. There is no paint on this frame so any flaws cannot be masked. The frame is simply bead-blasted for a consistent finish and the decals are applied – all of which was done with the utmost care. Each frame is shipped with a with an owner’s packet which includes a yellow tag, signed by everyone involved with the production of the frame.

Bucking the trend of longer travel suspension in the mountain bike industry, the Mooto X YBB is designed to use an 80mm suspension fork. It is suppose to be a lighter bike used for cross country rides and racers – a bike that can be ridden all day both up and down the mountain. With less than a month until my sixth Leadville Trail 100 race, hopefully the Fox F29 fork will arrive soon. Not only is that race coming up, but so is a two-person 24 hour race…funny thing is that my teammate in that race will also be riding his ‘new to him’ Mooto X YBB. The truth is that this bike is going to be quite a big change over what I have been riding for the past 20 years. 29-inch wheels, disc brakes and tubeless tires are all new to me, but if all goes well, this new ‘dream’ bike will be with me for years if not decades to come.

MOOTO X YBB Official Website