Tanglefoot Cycles is back with Moonshiner v2, a subtle evolution to their rigid steel dropbar mountain bike, aiming to reach more alternatively-minded adventure cyclists. In a sea of lightweight race bikes, this is a bike that just wants you to ride to have fun. But still, version 2.0 does feature some proper upgrades. It gets more tire clearance, a much lighter fork, a revised tubeset, new dropouts, and tweaked geometry. Plus, it now comes in 2 extra sizes to better fit even more riders…
Tanglefoot Moonshiner v2 rigid steel dropbar mountain bike
“Listen: can you hear the siren call of overgrown trails, campfires on remote promontories, rocky singletrack, and boggy forest roads? Think bike design should be based on more than the flavor of the month? Want a bike you can field service with a multitool, not a phone app? Dig around in the woods a bit and you might unearth a Tanglefoot Moonshiner.“
All of that out of some progressive retro minds in a sugar shack in rural Vermont. In the two years since we last caught up with the first run of Moonshiners, the Analog Cycles brain trust behind the Tanglefoot Cycles bike brand looks to have come out of the wild a bit. Evidently, moving into a shop with electricity & running water in bustling Poultney, VT. Yes indeed, that’s a genuine technological upgrade from the OG off-the-grid bikeshop.
What’s New in the v2 Tech Details?
The Tanglefoot Moonshiner v2 is a chromoly steel bike welded in Taiwan. A big update is that the new framesets get a much lighter fork, that’s also “a bit longer” to make room for taller tires. The new fork is a 5-piece segmented style with a custom-drawn tapered steerer tube. Compared to the lugged original, it saves a whopping 2 pounds overall. The new Moonshiner gets a new custom-butted tubeset, developed & tested for off-road abuse with the longer fork.
While rigid steel and dropbars seem retro for a mountain bike these days, the Moonshiner is secretly modern and progressive. Think of it like a monster of a monstergravel adventure bike. It gets Boost spacing via more friendly updated dropouts, plus a flat mount 160 disc brake. Use 160mm or 180mm rotors with a regular flat mount adapter. (A Tanglefoot-specific Discord adapter is needed to go 180mm up front.) It gets a 30.9mm seatpost with internal dropper routing, external cable routing, 73mm threaded BB, 44mm headtube, and all the cage/rack/fender mounts you could need.
And there’s tire clearance for up to 27.5 x 3″ or up to 29 x 2.8″ tires.
Not to mention, there’s the slack dropbar-friendly geometry to fit everyone.
Good Geometry – The same ride in all sizes
A key feature of Tanglefoot’s bikes is a consistent ride for riders of all sizes. “All sizes feature the same head tube angle, seat tube angle, and bottom bracket height.” That’s a 69° headtube angle, a 71.5° degree seat tube angle, and 50mm of BB drop.
Thanks to their innovative 0mm Discord stems, the Tanglefoot Moonshiner doesn’t have the reach and toe overlap issues of most small dropbar bikes. So, they don’t have to fudge the seat & headtube angles to make small riders fit.
“There is no toe overlap on any size Tanglefoot, even the XS with 27.5 x 3″ tires, platform pedals, and Muck boots. (Muck boots, for those who live somewhere temperate, are the riding shoe of choice from November to mid-April in Vermont.) Most bikes that claim no toe overlap could not actually pass the test with a platform pedal and a big winter boot“, according to Tanglefoot’s Casey Johnson.
Tanglefoot Moonshiner v2 – Pricing, options & availability
Word is that the Moonshiner v2 framesets are set to land in Vermont soon, which officially means autumn 2023 bike availability. But they are available now for pre-order through the Tanglefoot dealer network, with some dealers expected to have the frames in weeks, not months.
Find your closest new favorite steel bike shop here. Tanglefoot’s new Moonshiner 2.0 sells for $1400 for a frameset, now available in 5 sizes (XS-XL) in Moss green with teal logos.
