Moots have been crafting bikes from titanium since 1981 and their range now covers road, mountain bike, and everything in between. Moots has now expanded into a new genre of bikes with their latest Express adventure electric gravel bike.
This is quite the departure for Moots, as not only is this their first motorized bike, but it's also their first carbon-framed bike ever having previously solely worked in titanium.
The decision to use carbon is most likely due to the required tube shapes to neatly mount the motor and integrate the battery, as this wouldn't be feasible using titanium tubing.
It's the spec that caught our eye though.
As far as I am aware, this is the only electric gravel bike to feature Shimano's Auto Shift drivetrain. The technology was released earlier this year but up until now, we have only seen it on mountain bikes.
Auto Shift automatically shifts gears based on the rider's torque and cadence. Although the Moots press release doesn't specifically mention it, the bike would presumably also have the Shimano Free Shift function – which allows the rider to change gear while freewheeling by using the motor to turn the drivetrain independently of the cranks.
To be able to feature this technology, Moots has specced Shimano's newest Shimano EP801 which has been limited to 60Nm – rather than the full 85Nm that it's capable of. There's good reason to hobble the motor for gravel, as high power delivery isn't as important due to the gradients being shallower when compared to mountain biking. It also means that Moots are able to confidential claim the Express is capable of covering over 100 miles of range from its Shimano 504Wh battery, although the real-world range depends on assist level use, rider weight, and elevation gain amongst other things.
Gear range certainly won't be an issue as Moots has paired the motor with a Shimano LinkGlide 1x11 XT system with a 47-tooth front chainring and an 11/50T rear cassette.
The motor and gears are both controlled using gear shifters. The right shifter controls the derailleur while the left shifter adjusts the assist mode to seamlessly add or reduce available power assist.
The bike is finished with Shimano GRX carbon wheels and fitted with 50mm Panaracer GravelKing+ tires.
The rest of the bike is finished with Moots' MOD carbon handlebar and stem that were recently released alongside their Routt CRD gravel race bike.
Moots will offer the Express in S, M, L, and XL sizes although at this time they haven't provided any detailed geometry details.
Pricing starts at a whopping $9,999. For more details, head over to Moots.com.
