I admit that after many years of blogging I have become jaded when it comes to new bikes:
Plus I was already jaded even before I became a bike blogger, which is why I started this blog in the first place.
All of this is to say the embargaderoed bike I mentioned the other day was this one and…[checks pulse]…nothing:
It’s a Moots Scrambler something. Adventure something. Titanium something. Boost suspension fork other stuff insert tire clearance here [x]. It’s…I dunno, what can I say? Moots are very nice bikes. I visited Moots when I went to Steamboat Springs in 2014. I got to borrow a mountain bike and a road bike and they were a real pleasure to ride. I totally wanted one afterwards. No doubt this one is really nice too.
And yet it makes me sleepy just looking at it.
Though I do think they should also add some rear suspension to make it really current…or else bring it back to 2006, I’m not sure which:
It certainly does seem like titanium is coming back in style these days, and here’s another new bike made from the stuff. It’s an aero road bike, which is the only type of bicycle even more boring than a gravel/adventure bike:
Did you know aero titanium bikes are the hot new bike category because they’re possible now?
What’s the new bike category?
The new category is that of aero titanium bike and until now it wasn’t possible.
I dunno, call me crazy, but I seem to remember them being possible in the ’90s too:
[From here.]
Hey, I didn’t say they were pretty, I just said they were possible.
But yes, I guess the whole thing now is, even though the one good thing you can say about carbon fiber is that it’s perfect for making road bikes that are both super light and super aero, you should instead pay a steep premium for a bike that should be made out of carbon fiber but is instead made of titanium just because:
The pricing is £8,995 for a frameset with the complete bike as shown priced at £13,925. There’s also limited availability as “Speedform will be limited to 10 build slots worldwide for 2026. Customers can reserve a Speedform frameset or full build for £1000” by contacting the J.laverack team.
But hey, if you’ve got lots of money and titanium makes you snug in the bib shorts and you’re looking to get into one of their extremely tight build slots then go for it. What goes on between two consenting adults is none of my business.
Still, I have to ask…what the hell is that?
Never mind, I figured it out, it’s a $799 fairing for your rear derailleur:
You know what would be really aero?
Get rid of the stupid disc brakes!
I wonder if they make a derailleur fairing designed to fit the Rivendell OM-1 derailleur–and speaking of which, look what came in the mail!
It’s against my principles, but I’m almost tempted to keep it in the box forever like a “Star Wars” action figure:
Though I now realize Rivendell really blew a big opportunity with the accompanying booklet:
I mean it’s a low normal derailleur, so shouldn’t the book read from back to front, like Japanese manga or a Passover Haggadah?
They’re the low normal of booklets!