How Are Titanium Bikes Made? | Moots Factory Tour
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- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- Curious about how a custom titanium bike is made? Si was lucky enough to be invited out to Colorado to the Moots Factory to be shown how they build their distinctive and beautiful bikes.
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What an amazing factory, and talented artisans. Every bikers dream to work in a place like this, with people like them. Great video. Love industry insider features.
This was really cool to see! The quality is over the top!
soulrider.bike/ turkey titanium steel bike
Thanks Agvs, glad you enjoyed it just like we did!
Really? It doesn't seem that fun to me. Add to that the noise, chemicals, and breathing hazards.
I'm a fabricator and welder and I would love to work here
Absolutely brilliant. would love nothing more than a costumized titanium bike! The fact that they've kept up with time and put disc brakes, more clearance for wider tyres is just fantastic. Can't imagine a more enjoyable bike than those.
GCN - Absolute BEST video ever ! Really appreciated the step by step walk through of how a legendary Moots bike frame is manufactured. The painstaking attention to every detail and sheer pride of hand craftsmanship by the Steamboat team were evident at every turn. "Worth every penny" is an obvious understatement when Moots comes up in the conversation :-)
Thanks DblairW!
I love learning about small companies that are still significantly motivated by pride.
While their products will, by necessity, be more expensive, the experience of designing, constructing and owning something like that will almost certainly be more satisfying and meaningful, even if each of those steps takes longer to achieve.
The days of easy come, easy go, are ruining the planet and have already taken any sort of pride out of the process. I for one, congratulate Moots for doing their own work, and doing it with obvious care.
Hopefully, we can see more videos like this one from real manufacturers and not just business models that outsource. Thanks for the excellent video!
Finally got my first Moots and it's a dream. It was probably being made around the time of this video. I scanned the heck out of this vid but didn't see it anywhere.
@Brainjock My build is a monster cross YBB that soaks up rough gravel roads. I have also ridden a Vamoots RSL. That bike was stiff as hell and super buzzy. Being that that is their road race bike, makes sense. They really do tailor the ride quality for the intended use. My custom Mountaineer YBB definitely doesn't beat me up as much as my stiff steel CX/gravel race bike. That's exactly what I wanted.
When we used to weld, titanium, zirconium, and tantalum for the weld bead was “bright is right.” Meaning the bead is bright and shiny, any other color the weld is contaminated.
1) The “tube” around the tungsten is called the “cup”. And there are different size cups and well as different size torches.
2) A “straw color” weld generally means the weld a little hot.
3) All the welds have to be “back purged”, meaning gas is on the back side, or the side opposite where the torch is.
I own a Raleigh full titanium bike which I bought in the mid 90s..still going strong. Beautiful bike for climbs, long rides and sprinting to the finish
Reminds me of the Waterford Crystal tour I took earlier this summer in Waterford, Ireland. Super skilled workers who take great pride in their work.
OMG Watching So try to bend that tube was more fun than I've had in a long time... Thanks 😊
Got a custom geometry moots route rsl last year. It’s been such a joy to ride. Stiff when out of the pedals, but compliant on the bumpy bits of road. Seeing this video makes me a proud owner. What an awesome facility.
I still ride my titanium road bike bought it back in the 90s sometime don’t even remember when and I love it.
Man moots is one of my favorite bike brand for their iconic design. Simple yet strikingly cool
I had a Litespeed 6/4 Palmares back in the day and it was incredible, that said, I've always admired the Moots craftsmanship/ welds as second to none. Awesome stuff.
Amazing workshop, love to see inside factories working...there is where dreams come true...👍👍👍
Wow -- what a great story and well told by Simon. Please keep them coming.
Love see Si visit factory! Thanks GCN!
Really cool process. Thanks for showing us this.
This is super cool and awesome!
The process of producing titanium bikes is so amazing and fascinating! I really like it so much!
soulrider.bike/ turkey titanium steel bike order
Not that exciting. It is basically the same process as making something out of high strength or stainless steel.
I find all manufacturing processes interesting, so I became a machinist and earned manufacturing engineering degrees. Now I have my own business making cool stuff for RC cars mostly, (one man show, usually making more money than any union worker in the world). Did you know that you can become a God? Yes you can. When you think of a product, develop it, produce it and sell it, you are bringing something of value into existence that did not exist before. That makes you a "GOD OF MATERIAL GOODS!!" It makes all of mankind a little better. Let the state call their "workers" hero's, (who produce nothing and live off others taxes who do). Be a God! :)
That was a great video of the Moots factory nothing better than Si talking about Ti! You said you were there 18 years ago you must have been in town for the World Mountain Bike Ch. in Vail CO? Have always liked Moots, I've have a Litespeed Catalyst have had it now for 25 years turned it into a gravel bike a few years ago Ti last forever! Again great job showing us the process!
That’s some good knowledge! I was indeed in town for that.
A factory with passion. And products as well. Nice video as well.
This is your best video this year so far! I hope I cam put my hands on a Moots bike some time int the future!
MOOTS Has always been the best, top shelves. But so is Si he does great videos like this one.
Great vid, I've wanted a Moots ever since I saw a my first one in a mag back in 1993.
I was trying to remember when I first saw moots, think it was late nineties. Titanium frames are just so gorgeous.
What an absolutely fantastic video guys. Just to see all this in detail is excellent. It gives the general public the knowledge to be able too see what these guys do to make a bike. It'd be great to see more videos like this.
Great video, I bought a custom Dean Ti, also made in Colorado 14 years ago. Still rides beautifully, nothing like riding a Ti bike. Love the Moot bikes.
That place reminds me of where I use to work in pa.I worked for Calfab inc.They make golden and jazzy chairs.Power carts for the elderly.
People ignore how complex is to build a bike whatever material is , your video help to be moe awardness about this, thank great video very smart explanation.
Thank You to GCN for yet another superb video. I am a VERY proud owner of a Moots RSL Vamoots road bike. I had it made for me because I tired of the Taiwanese and Chinese invasion of the bicycle market. Best purchase I ever made. I come to tears when I get on the bike and when I dismount off it. I wish everyone could ride a Moots once in their lives. Thanks to the gifted, talented and dedicated artisans at Moots for making such sweet bikes and allowing the GCN crew to film it all.
Made in Steamboat Springs, Colorado USA!
Fantastic craftsmen and awesome company. Best bike I've ever had - love my Moots. Great vid as always !
Fantastic to see the enthusiasm for hand built Ti bikes, I loved watching the video. I've been the proud owner of an a Merlin Mountain for over 22 years, still going strong and after converting it to disk brakes I'm sure it will outlast me. as you say, a bike for life!
AMAZING video. Nice to see the craftsmanship so well presented.
Amazing factory with amazing quality. Thank you so much for sharing this very good document about Moots that I didn't even heard before.
I have a much higher respect for these builders now. What a cool video to see the build process! Thank you and thank Moots too!!!!
Another incredible video from GCN, which reminded me of my summer job at Serotta many years ago!
It certainly is interesting seeing the town I live in on here - glad you enjoyed the tour as well as Steamboat!
Stunning dream bikes, become even cooler over time. Best factory tour film ever👍
Great to see where and how my dream bike (2016 Frosthammer) was made. I will definitely call ahead for a tour while in the area. Thank you for sharing!
Utterly superb presentation. Lighthearted, funny, yet satisfyingly technical for us engineering buffs
State of the art bikes from a state of the art factory
If only I could afford one :(
Last time you rode the moots Routt 45 in Iceland I bought the bike, this jus wants me to buy another one. Moots are expensive but the paying for a handmade product that will last a long time and not need changing is great for the planet. I really want a hard tail frame now, saving up....
I’ll definitely pick one up ! Awesome vid GCN!
Please do a comparison of a Moots and a high end carbon bike with the same components and tires. Thanks and keep up the great videos.
I’ve had my ti bike since 2004. It is indeed my forever bike. I love every ride on it.
This video tell a lot and its great that you were interviewing the owner at the end of the video.. i like his personality 👍
Si knows his metallurgy, I am quite impressed by the detail he goes about the various processes.
Same. Although it's scripted, GCN did their homework before tackling this project. Very well put video.
Great video, titanium bikes are so wonderful to behold, especially those built by the artists at companies like MOOTS.
Fantastic material for bike frames!
I have a 1994 Clark Kent F14 MTB frame and it looks as good today as the day it came out of the factory!
CK where based in Denver Colorado but they were a short lived venture running from around ‘89-96ish when they folded
Being a Ti bike owner this has been one of my favourite GCN videos ever.... Well done Si, very interesting. Moots bike review comings soon...? 😁
YES PLEASE MOOTS BIKE REVIEWWWWWWWWWW
That is beautiful thanks for giving us a tour.
these process just blow my mind!by next time i buy a frame for sure a titanium one!
Your welding looked pretty good Simon.
Beautiful craftsmanship and materials.
Great video, more of this sort of content please. Cheers
I love my Moots - great video about this wonderful company.
I am more interested in Motorcycles than Bicycles.
But it was great seeing the manufacturing of a high end product like a Titanium Bicycle Frame.
Always good to watch video,s that give some insight into how people manufacture a product.
Especially products they are passionate about.
Thanks for the tour.
Peter.
Glad you enjoyed it Peter! We thought so too and love that it draws people from outside of cycling to enjoy it
Superb video. Thanks, now I want one.
at 5:52, started to chuckle... at 5:55 got a full LOL :D thanks, Si, that was brilliant (albeit a bit at your expense). Super video, dude!! I absolutely love my Moots, thoroughly enjoyed this vid, thanks!
One of the best fabricating videos I've seen on bicycle engineering great job
When you say 'reactive to oxygen' I think what you meant was 'explosive when heated to high temperatures in the presence of oxygen'. High temperatures being weld conditions. The vanadium is probably the bit of the alloy that curbs this tendency (if I recall my metallurgy correctly), so that's why it's not outright explosive, but that is the biggest part of the reason you have to use Argon for annealing or welding anything containing titanium. :)
The main reason for the Argon is that titanium when alloyed with oxygen forms a brittle phase known as “alpha”…they call it “alpha case” when you get a layer of this on the surface of a weld.
Thanks, Si!! Another great video!!! Viva Titanium!!!
That was cool.
I liked the detail you presented. Much different than other tour vid.s
I liked it, thank you.
wonderful video Si really enjoyed it getting well informed for my next N+1 really looked like you enjoyed yourself and some epic riding opportunities
Back in the 1990's when I was in Colorado I always wanted a Moots. A couple local mountain bikers had a Moots and they were awesome!
In love with this brand now! Thanks
Fascinating video, wonderful looking bikes🚴
Nicely done. Very informative video. Thanks.
Not only a life time, these frames can last for generations. 👍👍👍
Quality is everything, and Moots prove it.
Great insight into what goes on in the Moots factory. Take the tour yourself if you can. Routt RSL rides fast and smooth, road and gravel.
Love the factory tours.
Very good and unique product.....its frame is very slim and lightweight super aerodynamic look and feel.... Just a speed machine with comfort...!
Si hanging at that lever. Muahahaha. Love it.
Great video!!! I've been looking into Moots for a while now. Someday I'll have one.
Great video, I’m off to the bicycle academy in a couple of weeks, can’t wait to have a go at building something! Glad it’ll be fillet brazing and not trying to weld titanium though!
Own 2 Moots they are great and the factory tour is awesome can’t have too many Moots!
Beautiful bikes, works of art 👌
Absolutely love it!
Fascinating !
I bought a Moots six months ago and it was a huge mistake....
Because I loved it so much I bought another yesterday.
I wandered into the original Moots shop in the weird geodesic dome building years ago and asked for a recommendation for a medium difficulty MTB route in the area. They sent me on a grueling five hour death march. Some of the best singletrack in Colorado but not really a "medium" ride lol!!
Impressing video!
Thank you!
Wow, just WOW!
Fantastic video all round!!
Great video! "If they made that out of titanium it wouldn't have rusted" Cracked me up, Si - thanks for the laugh ;-) Really enjoyed the tour - thanks very much for bringing us along!
I love how the industry has come back around to Moots. The YBB idea has survived so many trends because it works.
i built one for my buddy 20 yrs ago and he's still riding it along with newer Moots Ti frames...
Wow bike, bike is part of my life here in the philippines specially this time when transportation is so pricesy,
Bike help the pilipino a lot hope have one of that,
Thanks for the vids.
Wow great video! Beautifully bikes probably my next one
Brilliant. Very interesting. What a superb company. I hope I’m in a position to buy one someday.
Cool factory, look like brilliant bikes there is just something special about a titanium bike
Amazing! Very informative.
A Moots has always been at the top of my dream bike list. Problem is that I can't decide which model; Routt 45 or Farwell. Maybe one day I will be able to afford both. 😁
I own two Moots, a 2006 Compact and a 2018 custom Vamoots RSL. I also have a 2013 Alchemy Xanthus, 2016 Breadwinner Lolo and 2018 Cervelo S3 Di2 Disc. The Moots are the smoothest riding of all these bikes and my go to bike for long rides.
You lucky thing! 😍
Thanks Tony! Really happy to hear how you’re loving our bikes!
Thanks so much for this video
Well done Si. Very interesting vlog.
Wow Simon i didn't know you could bend Titanium ,a great Company the RR of cycle companies i would think , such a educational video,Thank you clear,precise from someone who knows his subject ,bring on some more please,PD.
AWESOME BIKES !! AND I LD SAY THE ONE CYE IS RIDING WOULD MOST LIKELY FIT ME EXCELLENTLY ;)
I am a proud owner of Moots YBB. A very comprehensive coverage of a high end titanium factory
I bought a titanium Litespeed over ten years ago, and sold it to a friend after only a year. Smooth almost to a fault. I have never had the pleasure of riding a Moots, but I'm sure they must be awesome. Tom Kellogg from Spectrum Bicycles in Trexlertown, PA also was a wizard in titanium and did work for Merlin Bikes as well as his own in-house custom bikes. As to how long materials last, my steel Eddy Merckx is 13 years old with 40,000 miles on it, and it rides like new. And my Jamis aluminum 15 year-old with 60,000 road miles on it is going strong. Both bicycles have had saddles, wheels, and various components replaced, but the frames are solid. I think craftsmanship is key. Obviously Moots cares, and it's why they have such a great name in cycling.
Oh I mentioned Tom because I also own an all steel 1990's Pinarello that was repainted by Tom.
My moots is my pride and joy :-)
Kevin Knutson what kind did you get? Road, gravel, or mountain? I’m going to do the tour in September.
@@michaelkaye4998 I have a Vamoots CR. I updated it with the Ultegra R9000 and Enve 4.5 SES.
Lucky you! 😍
@@gcn expect to see it the bike vault submissions this week :-)
@Brainjock I weighed it today at 8.25 Kg. (Never weighed it before, I need to lose weight before I start asking my bike to lol)
Unfortunately couldn't get a Moots shipped to Mauritius. But got a Dolan ADX Titanium... rides like a dream. And them Dolan guys like any custom/ small business we're like old mates throughout communication along the bike build. Sir John might recognise himself... 👍 Ti 👍 Si 👍 GCN
.005in. is equivalent to .127mm. The last time I used a micrometer on the wall of a cut open aluminum can, it was .004in. (.102mm). A sheet of binder paper is .003in. (.076mm). Most tooling for firearms have a tolerance of .0002in. or smaller, especially if it is a rifling button (the tool that forms the spiral grooves in a barrel).
Thats an incredibly tight tolerance. Thanks for putting it all into a useful context for us