Eurobike 2014: Transition Bikes

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Transition were showing three new bikes for 2015 at Eurobike, which according to the company have been designed for “riding up and down mountains”. They’re ignoring all the traditional categories of all mountain/enduro/trail…

Transition Patrol

Patrol
Patrol

First up is the Patrol; a 155mm travel trail bike with a 65º head angle,  short chainstays and a long and low front end. The aim is to produce a bike which will feel “stable through rowdy terrain” without feeling heavy and sluggish on the climbs.

430mm chainstays are common throughout all sizes of frame. The medium measures up with an 1181mm wheelbase, 15mm BB drop, reach of 432mm and effective TT of 583mm.

The frameset has a US price of $1999, UK pricing to be confirmed.

Giddy Up linkage
Giddy Up linkage

All the frames have Transition’s Giddy Up suspension platform/linkage (think mispronounced Horst, yeah?). We’ll let the video below expand on that concept.

Transition Scout

Scout
Scout

Weighing in in the 125mm travel slot is the Scout. Designed to take a 140mm fork up front it’s taking influence from slopestyle bikes and translating that into all day trail blasting fun. Again short seat stays (425mm) are married up to a long and low front center and in this case a 67º head angle.

US pricing is $1799 for a frameset.

Transition Smuggler

Smuggler
Smuggler

And lastly another entry into what we’re calling the ‘nu skool of 29’. The Smuggler is a 130mm/115mm 29er with short chainstays (435mm) and long and low (40mm BB drop) front end that looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun to rail the trails. The move to 29ers which roll easily but which are responsive, playful, and pretty misleading in their feel when you consider the short rear travel seems  like a good direction to take these bikes in.

US pricing on the frameset is $1799, again UK pricing to be confirmed.

Transition are distributed in the UK by Windwave

GiddyUp Bikes Press Release

https://vimeo.com/106423928

The GiddyUp link is the newest suspension platform from Transition Bikes, and is now featured on 4 entirely new models in 3 wheel sizes. Each frame has a very distinctive riding characteristic to suit your style and give you the ultimate freedom whether going up or down mountains. The GiddyUp platform is extremely easy to dial in, once set there is no need to mess with platform adjustments, you can just focus on the ride and wherever it leads you. GiddyUp!

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Comments (11)

    Transition bikes like to be airborne. There must be something wrong with mine :lol:

    Great video from Transition once again!

    Am I right in thinking that the Scout *isn’t* the equivalent of the Bandit then? Sounds like they are trying to suggest it’s more like a Bottlerocket in it’s burliness.

    Colours don’t hide the fact the transition have gone from one of the most interesting (and loved) frame designs to one of the most generic

    My Bandit is like a chameleon. It started orange but is steadily turning the colour of aluminium #QualityPaintJob :lol:

    Aside from the quality of the paint I love it and would certainly be interested in trying a new one if I’m ever allowed to spend that much money on an MTB again.

    Hey Alex, here’s a quick summary of the bikes:

    PATROL (27.5″ Wheelsize, 155mm Rear Travel/160mm Front Travel)
    SUPPRESSOR (26″ Wheelsize, 155mm Rear Travel/160mm Front Travel)
    SCOUT (27.5″ Wheelsize, 125mm Rear Travel/140mm Front Travel)
    SMUGGLER (29″ Wheelsize, 115mm Rear Travel/130mm Front Travel)

    Did they have the 24″ wheeled RIPCORD on show?
    I’m thinking about the boy…

    So that’s a new 2015 26″ bike then?
    Though I assume no front mech compatibility on all of them?
    And are they all proper four bars?

    James:
    From the newly launched website “E2 Low Direct Mount Front Derailleur Support”
    I think Lars is running an XTR 2x.
    They are all horst links except the Ripcord.

    Top tunes for the edit! :D
    Also the Smuggler looks sweet.

    Hi James, he Patrol, Scout and Suppressor can all take a front mech, only the 29’r Smuggler cant take one for packaging reasons.

    I took a Scout out for a ride, and initially I was horrified. It was dead and unresponsive. However after resetting the sag (30%), centering all the damping, and getting tire pressures sorted and saddle in the right place the bike really came together. It really does encourage you to go much faster than a 125mm figure would suggest. Tracked really well on small and medium bumps, and large impacts didn’t overly worry it. It didn’t skitter about, and really likes being hurled and thrown at and over obstacles. Makes my (10 yr old) Cove Hustler feel flexy and hesitant. However the bike is not a climber. Sure you can sit and grind, letting the pedal damping work, but on the technical sections you need to shift your weight a long way forwards to keep it from wandering. Fire roads where not bobby, if you flicked the shock over, so that’s good for the majority of my rides, and as for the tech sections, it’s more about adapting my (lazy) technique and more time on the bike.

    In Summary: Huge Fun and Playful nature once setup to taste. Climbing not its natural habitat, but will get you to the top relatively efficiently. Deposit placed.

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