Spotted: New Moots Frosti 5” (And 29er+) Fat Bike
Could bikes such as this become the any-season, one-bike quiver?
The gang from Moots recently rolled out their latest creation, the newly updated Frosti 5”, a titanium fat bike frame with spacing to accommodate 5-inch wheels. Just as noteworthy is that the Frosti 5” will work with the 29er+ platform, so you could conceivably ride it all year long — on snow, sand or dirt.
For the uninitiated, 29er+ is a platform coming out of the Surly camp that combines their 50mm-wide Rabbit Hole wheels with Knard 29×3 tires. “We see 29er+ as something that could be especially good for things like adventure touring,” explained Moots marketing man Jon Cariveau. “It’s also what we used when we built up our [chainsaw-carrying] trail maintenance bike.”
Yet another application for 29er+ could be to give the hard core fat bike racer additional wheel/tire options depending on course conditions. If the track is super soft, opt for the 5-inch set-up, but if it’s packed down and firm, swap on the potentially more efficient 29er+ set up where tires measure about 3 inches when mounted up.
To make the Frosti 5” 29er+ compatible, Moots extended the chainstays. Bottom bracket height was also adjusted. It’s now higher, allowing for more clearance when running flat pedals in the snow. Finally, the Steamboat Springs, Colorado-based bike maker designed the front end around suspension corrected fork geometry with the anticipation that sooner rather than later, fat bike suspension forks will be hitting the market.
And as you can see in the photo below, the Frosti 5” can also be set up with a Fox 120mm 29er fork when running 29er+ wheels. This isn’t something Moots is officially signing off on, but since this is their photo, they’re clearly not discouraging it either.
The Frosti 5” can also be set up with a Fox 120mm 29er fork.
Other geometry specs include a 44mm head tube, 100mm bottom bracket shell, 135mm front spacing, and 190mm rear spacing.
One potential drawback, especially for summertime riding, when you’re more likely to be clipped in, is the 100mm BB shell. “It’s pretty wide, kind of like riding a horse,” conceded Cariveau. “It just depends on a person’s Q factor sensitivity. It might not bother some people at all.
The Frosti 5” comes in four sizes (16”, 18”, 20” and 22”) and retails for $3,975. Orders are being taken now for late December delivery. If you’re not overly Q factor sensitive, run this rig with a 1×11 set up and it might well be the perfect all season riding companion.
The Moots crew hasn’t done a lot of summer testing just yet, but with 61 inches of snow falling at the Steamboat Ski Resort since October 1, there has been plenty of opportunity for winter riding.
Check out the video below to hear Moots miter shop manager Nate Bradley talking about the new bike — and making some powder turns.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLiiZL1Ygn0
For more information visit Moots.com.
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