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Transition Bikes
Preston FR
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Submitted by
David
a
from South Florida USA
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Any flowy trail on a cool ,sunny day | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Transition Bikes | | Strengths: | This bike seems to do everything well. From epics and XC trails to jumps and hucks,it just doesn't complain. I can pedal with my xc buddies one weekend and the next weekend,go to a freeride park all on the same bike. What else could anyone want from a bike? | | Weaknesses: | It sits in my living room...taunting me to skip out on work and take it for a ride instead...STOP TALKING TO ME PRESTON!! | | Similar Products Used: | Jamis XAM, Santa Cruz Heckler, | | Bike Setup: | DHX air, Pike 454 air,TBC revolution wheels /chain guide and pedals...complete bike weighs 35 lbs even | | Bottom Line: | If you are a Free rider at heart but are forced to pedal or a pedaler at heart and are forced by cruel friends to jump and huck...This bike works perfectly.The folks over at Transition Bikes are great people and always willing to help you out as well.
If you want something flimsy that lacks style and versatility or you want a bike from a faceless corporation that probably hates you,stay away from the Preston..it isn't the bike for you (maybe your local Trek dealer can find you something to ride that fits both those bills). | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan Reeve
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Vernon Bike Park, Sunshine Coast, Pocupine | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | Transition Factory | | Strengths: | Nice tight design. Low TT standover hight. Headtube angle. Burly frame. Responsive pedaling. Silky smooth cornering. Smooth, predictable jumping/dropping. Great customer service. | | Weaknesses: | Cable routing around rear seat gets in the way of QR. Shock seems to need regular (but not constant) adjustment. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Coiler, Specialised SX. | | Bike Setup: | Stock from Transition. Upgrade to Fox 36 Float R forks. Replaced Hayes 9 with Shimano Deore brakes. | | Bottom Line: | Like everyone else, I love my Preston. I'm on my second Preston (06), riding them for the last 4 years. It really does everything well. Helped build my confidence as a free-rider. With roll down Fox 36, makes bike climb well considering it's stocky build. Absolutely love it in the bike park, technical single track, flowing XC. Can manipulate tight, gnarly North Shore switchbacks with the same ease it rips down flowing burmed bike park corners. The bikes value allows you to upgrade your Preston to totally dial in this bike.
Add all this to the fact the owners are great guys who have been totally committed to provided their customers with complete rider satisfaction. They back their gear 100%.
Every time I ride my local tech XC area (in Victoria, BC), everyone always stops to compliment my Preston. It's kind of funny when all these lycra clad XC dudes are staring covetously at my burly short travel freeride ripper.
The bottom line is this: If you are looking to own only one bike, the Preston FR is THE BIKE. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ben crocker
a Downhiller
from stevenage UK
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | chicksands | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay babey:) | | Strengths: | super sweet looking, uber strong to ride on
goes uber smooth and quiet down the hills and still god enough to get back up
good for hucking aswell:) | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | preston fr frame 2007, manitou 150mm travis , transition revolution wheelset, e13 srs,sram x7,deity seat bar and stem, hope M4 | | Bottom Line: | if you want an all rounder that can still handle feeride this is the bike to get, its different and tranition have really created something wiked here | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jen
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Galbraith | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$3500.00 | | Purchased At: | Frame from Adrenaline Bikes, part from ebay | | Strengths: | Short tight geometry, Transition name and reputation, strong and burly, capable all-around bike. | | Weaknesses: | A bit on the heavy side, paint is a little weak, small engineering details (i.e. cable routing, bottom pivot in the way of the front derailleur) could have been worked out a little better. | | Bike Setup: | 2007 small green Preston, Fox Van R shock and Fox TALAS 36 RC2 fork, XT/XTR drivetrain, Thomson stem & seatpost, King headset, King hubs with Mavic 823 tubeless rims, Wellgo magnesium pedals, Formula Oro K24 brakes, Answer Protaper bars, Race Face Atlas cranks, Hutchinson Barracuda 2.35" tubeless tires, etc. | | Bottom Line: | I bought this bike sight unseen based on its geometry and intended purpose. I was not disappointed. I have ridden it on everything from XC trails with 2000' climbs to downhill riding at Whistler, and it has performed very well. My usual riding is technical singletrack, and it really shines here, allowing me to descend with more confidence than ever before without much weight penalty. It's a little heavy at 35 lbs and no way to lighten it much further without compromising durability, but it climbs in a tractor-like way and the short top tube makes it easy to shift my weight back and forth as necessary to keep traction. The short geometry also makes it turn like no bike I've had before -- tight switchbacks are no problem for me now. I love the head angle and seat angle, they're just right for downhill confidence while still being able to pedal uphill. The bike looks great too, better than in the photos, and I get compliments on it all the time. The green is a metallic candy green that sparkles in the light... nice! The paint scratches a bit easily though.
When I first got it, I had a Fox DHX 5.0 Air rear shock, and it never felt right. If the sag was set right, the shock was harsh and I didn't get full travel. If I set the air pressure for plushness, it bottomed out all the time. Finally I swapped the air shock out for a Fox Van R coil shock, and wow, what a difference. Suddenly I had a lot more travel, small-bump sensitivity, bottom-out resistance, and traction. The change really made this bike come alive! Now I love it and feel it's the perfect bike for all the riding I do. It's lighter than the Bottlerocket with many of the same capabilities, plus the ability to climb. I can't imagine anyone would regret buying this bike! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hale
a Weekend Warrior
from charlotte, NC, mecklenburg
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Snowshoe WV | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | I'll apoligize in advance about this review, but does anyone out there have anything to say about the new Pr freeride? The one with the latest modifications... It looks intriguing to me, but I can't find any reviews of it. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Bottom Line: | any reviews of latest model pr freeride bike? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jimmy
a Downhiller
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Galbraith | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$3250.00 | | Purchased At: | TBC | | Strengths: | Damn strong!
This bike is awesome in every way imaginable.
Transition bike company is top notch! They got me the complete bike 4 days ahead of schedule. I was more stoked than a kid on Christmas day.
Deserves 2 times as many rating points. | | Weaknesses: | None at all, except that I wish I would've purchased one sooner. | | Similar Products Used: | Transition Bottle Rocket, Specialized SXT | | Bike Setup: | Large 2007 Preston FR
RS Lyrik fork
TBC components.
Juicy 7 brakes.
DH tires. | | Bottom Line: | It's the perfect bike for people who want to ride the bike and not have the bike ride them.
The best way to describe to bike is "balanced". It feels perfectly balanced in every way:
Front and rear suspension travel.
Weight distribution.
Climbing and descending ability.
This bike also wants to dive through corners, jump off every bump in your way, and just flat out fly all over the trail. It get's bored with straight lines.
This bike is by far way more fun to ride than any 6-8 inch bike I've ever been on. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a
from British Columbia, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$685.00 | | Purchased At: | http://www.dropnzone.com/ | | Strengths: | Very versitile frame can take decent sized drops and jumps without sacrificing the ability to climb | | Weaknesses: | Paint scratches and wears off very easily. | | Bike Setup: | 2006 Preston frame, 2006 Marzochi All Mountain SL, Shimano XT/LX drivtrain, Truvatic crankset and Sun SingleTrack wheels | | Bottom Line: | So far I have used this bike for some XC riding and a few trips to the bike park to ride some black diamond trails as well as a little 4X course. This bike flows very well downhill and sticks to the corners nice and tight. Its not exactly built for massive hits, but it has no problem flowing off average sized jumps and drops with the Manitou swinger dialed in properly it sucks up the hits very well. This frame a great all around trail bike as it isnt TOO heavy and with a good pedal stroke pedal bob is a non issue. My bike built up wieghs about 36 pounds. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
christopher
a Downhiller
from dillon, co
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | MilkHead-High Speed 1/2 Jam-Money | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Monster Drop SHop | | Strengths: | Durability, cost, versatility | | Similar Products Used: | Bottlerocket, SX trail, Reign X0 | | Bottom Line: | I bought this bike to be a light Freeride/AM bike to enjoy riding more then just my pure XC bike. Well, the day it showed up the shock on my VP Free blew out. Instead of getting built for pedaling it aquired all the DH stuff straight off the VP while I am waiting for the shock to get fixed. As it is now, 66 rc2x, Codes, 729's on Hadleys, E.13 srs... it comes in at 38lbs. About 5 pounds heavier and with a fork I never intended to put on it, but I couldnt go without downhilling for 3 weeks. I know it wasnt intended as a DH/FR bike, but wow, it does it. Ive ridden every day for the last week on it at Keystone, 5-9 runs a day. I can tell it isnt my VP, but mostly in rock gardens or when I dont pick a smooth line. But as far as being able to ride the mountain, its great. It is so fun to ride that I even started hitting our 20' gap/8' step down jump. And it has handled drops to good transitions of over 10'. Even took it to our local dirt jump park and was really impressed at how it does there. It handles all that stuff, even not being designed for it. Once i get my shock back and I get this built to do the riding on it I intended to do Ill post an update on that, but as far as handling everything at Keystone, it does it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Alexandria, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Strengths: | It's agile, and versatile for many types of builds. You can deck it out for a burly cross-country ride or build it up with freeride parts for a trail bike that can handle the big hits. It feels very well balanced and inspires confidence. | | Weaknesses: | If you're a heavier rider, I would be wary in getting this bike. I weigh about 190 pounds geared up and I bottom out the rear shock (Winger 4-Way) quite frequently. It happens just riding along rooty portions of trails and almost any time I bunny hop. If I soak up a landing very gracefully it is usually okay but if I had known about this fact when I was shopping I probably would have gotten a Dirtbag. That said, I will actually be buying a Dirtbag later this year. If you're a lighter weight rider, this bike should suit you fine. If you're heavy like me, you'll have to keep the rear shock very tight, which makes it rather unresponsive. Other than this, the bike really has no weakness. I wish I could get down to the 170 pound ideal weight for this thing but it would leave me looking like a skeleton.
Also, invest in a quick release clamp for the seat. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi FRII (?) front shocks, Manitou Swinger 4-Way rear, Maxxis High Roller tires, Sun Doubletrack rims, Holzfeller cranks, A-Frame pedals, Hayes HFX-9 Hydro discs, Shimano shifting. | | Bottom Line: | If you're a lighter rider around the 170 pound mark or less, I totally suggest this bike. It can't be beat for the value and as everyone says, Transition is a cool company and their customer service is great.
It'll take abuse and come back for more. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jaal
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellingham, WA, US
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Galbraith Mt | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1350.00 | | Purchased At: | Used on craigslist | | Strengths: | Review is for the 2006 preston fr.
This bike is a great all around bike. It pedals with no noticeable bobbing, and 4" (to 5") of travel feels like plenty! It corners well, and jumps smoothly. The head angle is great, enough to make things easy to roll, not too much to make singletrack hard. | | Weaknesses: | This bike is great! Just try to avoid the maxxis high roller tires if you ride in muddy conditions. | | Similar Products Used: | Iron Horse Warrior LE Full Suspension (much worse) | | Bike Setup: | 2006 frame, hayes brakes, marzocchi z1 sport fork, manitou swinger 4-way shock, maxxis high roller tires, dangerboy 2 finger shaped levers (awesome!) TBC wheels, handlebar, stem, hubs, and seat. | | Bottom Line: | This bike is great for anyone who wants to fly down rough trails, do jumps, do some cross country, and ride up to go down. It is a great bike, and for a good price! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary
a Weekend Warrior
from Cache Creek BC. Canada
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Purchased At: | Transition | | Strengths: | Beefy frame, let's you ride beyond your ability without even
thinking about it. Gives you the ride of a long travel bike
with excellent technical handling. | | Weaknesses: | Paint isn't clear coated so it rubs a little easily. I'm not
a fan of cables sitting on top of the top tube. But both of
these issues are fixed on the 07 frames. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | 140vanillaRLC, RP23, Raceface cranks,BB,stem,headset,Hayes9s,
Sun Ditchwitch wheels, XT drivetrain. | | Bottom Line: | I actually chose this frame based partly on the reviews from
mbtr. and I spent weeks attempting to source the bike through
an online store in Canada with nothing but annoying results.
I finally ended up ordering directly from Transition which
turned out to be a charm. I'm glad I took the chance on buying
a frame that I had never seen let alone sat on but that's not
the best way to shop for a bike. This product impressed me so
much I decided to open a shop and carry it. My wife is just
happy I didn't order a fishing pole and then open a baitshop. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joel
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Porcupine | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | direct from TBC | | Strengths: | Well built frame, versatile (great ride on any trail), great components in complete bike kit from TBC. Frame floats over bumpy, jarring sections and absorbs everything I have hit so far without a problem. Great warranty (will probably never need it) and the guys at Transition are easy to reach and extremely helpful. Thanks Cam. | | Weaknesses: | Matte paint tends to chip easy, but looks sweet. | | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi Z1 RC2 ETA front fork, SRAM x9, Manitou 4 way coil shock, hayes nine brakes, FSA. | | Bottom Line: | This bike allows me to keep up with my cross country friends on the long uphills and bomb past them on the downills. I can also keep up with my downhill friends on steep descents and pass everyone on the uphills. It is heavy enough to take every hit with no effort at all but light enough to get up technical uphill sections. I wouldn't recommend the 06 frame for riders heavier than 190-200 pounds because of the coil shock setup, however this problem has been remedied with the 07 frame as they increased the coil length. I am a 165 pound rider and this bike rides perfect for my size. I couldn't be happier with this bike and my next bike (it will be a while) will definitely be a Transition. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brigham
a Downhiller
from Logan, Utah, US of A!
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | good ones | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | transition | | Strengths: | Super tough, cheap, good looking, great warranty, everything you want. Love it. Great all around freeride bike that won't kill you to do a little XC on. Takes bigger drops than you'd think, and jumps pretty darn good, too. | | Weaknesses: | Nope. | | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mountain Switch | | Bike Setup: | swinger 4-way and travis | | Bottom Line: | buy it. It's just really fun, and so good all around. And the guys at Transition are great to work with. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike@ pedalshop.com
a Weekend Warrior
from Ashburn VA
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | huck it | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Price Paid: |
$1111.00 | | Purchased At: | Pedal Shop | | Strengths: | tough as nails frame... simple and pure design, not one those funky multi pivot designs like so many other brands out there. good cable routing, good looking like my future ex wives. nice build kit from TBC | | Weaknesses: | a smidge heavy for a bike with this amount of travel but it is still bomb proof | | Similar Products Used: | not if you want to call the K2 Razorback the same... it's the closest thing design wise. | | Bike Setup: | TBC's stock kit... | | Bottom Line: | I nver took it off road but the ones we sold all came back with great reviews. We used the one we had in the parking lot and on the little stunt/jumps we made out back. It was able to handle drops and jumps fine. One of the guys who bought one from us comes by the shop quite often. He's always talking it up. IF he had a computer at without the Fort Knox of firewalls, he's post a review too. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug Jackson
a Weekend Warrior
from Moraga, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Cinderella, Sweetness | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$979.00 | | Purchased At: | Transition Bikes | | Strengths: | Buy this bike! If you are a freerider who likes to RIDE UP and then bomb down, this bike is for you! I can rail and flow all of my favorite trails so much better and faster, and with more control than ever. The harder I push this bike, the better it feels. Truly a bike that begs for abuse. | | Weaknesses: | I just wish I had bought one sooner instead of messing around on a Kona for the past year! | | Similar Products Used: | '98 Rocky Mountain Pipeline, '05 Kona Dawg Deluxe | | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi Z150, Raceface, Shimano, Hayes Hydros, Bombshell rims, Maxxis Advantage 2.4" tires (fit more like 2.8") | | Bottom Line: | This bike will make you a better, faster rider. This bike is perfect for aggresive trailriders and light to medium freeriders. If you consider yourself a huckster, go with the Dirtbag!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dan
a Weekend Warrior
from alexandria
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | fr stuff | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | transition | | Strengths: | just read below. its all true. | | Weaknesses: | nonoe, zilch, nad. really nothing is wrong with the frame at all. the only thing people might camplain about are the long chain stays. just remember though that is what makes the bike so stable. | | Similar Products Used: | none really. i have ridden short travel bikes but they really can't do what this bike can. also have ridden other long travel bikes but this bike can do what they can and more. | | Bike Setup: | i bought frame only and then add parts (including shock)
rockshox mc3.1 on the back and a pike 454 on the front (incredible setup)
dual ring chain guide and there fr stuff | | Bottom Line: | to be honest i can't say anything that has not all ready been said. the bike just rocks. i have ridden in the rough (rock dh rough) and on some of the smoothest xc trails around. it really shines the worse the conditions get. case and point is one of my favorate dh places. there is a spot called 2 tree shoot. every time i have tried riding it in the pasted i failed, even on a full on dh bike that i use to onw. on this bike i got it first shot. this suprised me alot because i hadn't ridden dh in over a year at that point.
basically the bike rocks. period. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DW
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$950.00 | | Purchased At: | Fanatik | | Strengths: | Slack geometry in either travel setting, Stable, laterally stiff, responsive, solid, silent, confidence building, feels like way more than 5" travel, I can forget about the bike while Im riding and focus on the terrain for once! | | Weaknesses: | None. Transition Bikes - I wouldnt change anything on this frame, it is perfectly awesome. My biggest dilema was deciding between the preston and bottle rocket! | | Similar Products Used: | There is nothing that compares. I had a sluggish Giant VT-2 before. | | Bike Setup: | Medium size (I'm 5-11 and its fine) Mostly FR/DH components. Maxis 2.35s, FSA, chain guide, Marzocchi Z1 FR, Manitou 4way coil, Ridden in 5" travel mode always. | | Bottom Line: | This bike really shines when setup as a freeride bike that can still climb when needed. Mine came in a 36 lbs with FR level components. It can be setup as a light freeride/all mountain bike, and would even work for aggressive XC guys who are not weight freaks. It really performs well on flowy trails with lots of bumps and jumps and drops to bounce off of. It can handle large drops within reason, assuming you know how to land. It rails corners very well, and goes where you point it (what a concept). As others have said, this bike will make you do things you shouldn't, because it makes you feel like you can handle anything. The frame is an incredible value, and backed by a rider friendly company. A big improvement over previous years was the rocker arms that allow 4 or 5" travel without changing the geometry. This keeps the angles slack even in 5" travel mode, good for us freeriders and not as good for XC folks, oh well :) Very stable at high speeds, and very confidence inspiring. Buy one while you can, there was a waiting list for mine... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Downhiller
from Warrensburg, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Transition Bikes | | Strengths: | Everything, this bike is amazing, makes you want to ride more and more. | | Weaknesses: | nothing, might be a little heavy for some but i dont care about weight. | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Heckler, Bullit, Transition Dirtbag, Foes Weasel | | Bike Setup: | Fox Talas 36R, Swinger 4-way, SRAM drive train, MRP LRP, Hayes hydro disc, Sun MTX wheels | | Bottom Line: | do not hesitate to get this bike, more than one reason this bike got freeride bike of the year. tight, and snappy. you get solid and instant response from this bike. burly enough to handle just about everything, and even pedal up hill with ease. i use it for everything, just swap the wheels and tires around, XC, FR and Urban. and just when you think it doesnt get any better, you chat with the guy at Transition, Kevin, Kyle and Cam, amazing customer service, and warranty (not that you would ever need it) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jesse
a
from Albuquerque
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$850.00 | | Purchased At: | Transition | | Strengths: | Strong, responsive, affordable, utterly rideable | | Weaknesses: | a touch heavy but still entirely reasonable | | Similar Products Used: | Yeti ASX | | Bike Setup: | '04 frame, Pike Race, Louise FR, Thompson, King, Hope, SRAM... | | Bottom Line: | It should be noted that this is a review for the 2004 frame which I believe was unchanged from the company's inception in 2002. This is not to say that this frame is flawed just that if you buy one now you get the benefit of ISCG mounts, wider tire clearance and slacker HT geometry by about 2.5 degrees. Frankly, I could not be happier with this bike. It meets every need I have for a bike: it is tough like nails, it is versatile enough to be built up reasonably light (~34 lbs for my set up), it comes from a rider oriented and owned company that focuses on product and service above all else. And every time I go to or through the garage I stop to just stare at what is the best bike I have ever had the peasure to ride. The so called, short travel is ample for a bike intended to go up as well as down. I have hammered on this bike repeatedly in my quest to learn to grow huge bronze balls like the guys in the magazines and movies, and it has stood up beautifully. I have replaced a derailleur and a derailleur hanger and blown out my fork so badly that the LBS could not figure out what to do so they sent it elsewhere. The frame though, is unstoppable. It is possible that I will ride this bike until I have grand kids. There is no significant pedal feedback on climbs and the rock gardens on the way down are nothing. This bike inspires confidence not only for its ride quality but because of its build quality as well. It is solid. When you ride this bike you get the super cool feeling of being bullet proof. You know that no matter what you ride over (or don’t) the frame is going to come out unscathed. I prefer to run my set up as versatile as possible (adjustable travel fork, QR seat clamp, light-ish wheel set, blah, blah,blah) to take full advantage of this bike’s capabilities. But then I am a dork for that kind of thing, riders way cooler and tougher than me ride this bike in rock solid Freeride configurations all the time and it gets them everywhere they need to be See this URL for a really cool web site and the best running log of what this bike is capable of (http://spudhucksters.com/homepage1.html). As a final note you should look this mtbr discussion thread for tons of super helpful information about this and other Transition bikes (http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=78851) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Roberto Bouza
a Weekend Warrior
from Miami
Date Reviewed: February 25, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Razorback Ocala | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$979.00 | | Purchased At: | Transition Bikes | | Strengths: | really strong frame, very good construction, excellent bearings, nice colors, awesome geometry... but the guys at transition are the best. They are bikers that know what you need and how you need it. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | Pike race, Azonic Outlaw wheels, thomson elite seatpost, avid juicy seven 180 front and 160 rear discs, race face evolve BB and Crankset, crank brothers candy pedals, race face diabolous head set, race face deus XC stem, race face evolve XC handlebar, sram Xgen front deraileur, Sram X9 shifters and rear deraileur, lizard skins moab grips, specialized avatar saddle. | | Bottom Line: | This frame is awesome, as soon as i finished building it and started using it I knew it was going to be a blast. The geometry is awesome, big jumps are no problem, fast downhill is not a problem either and going up NO A PROBLEM!!!. If you want a really good frame to enjoy your rides, any type of ride, downhills, XC, freeride, crazy jumps this is the frame for your next bike. You shouldn't have any doubts by now... so go and buy one!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ken Bennett
a Downhiller
from Phoenix,AZ , USA
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | South Mtn. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | Rage Cycles | | Strengths: | This is actually a follow up to my review from last Dec. I've had the bike for over a year now so I figured a long term review might be helpful. Well to put it simply, this frame is solid. I've had the shock rebuilt once but nothing else has needed work. I haven't even had a pivot bolt get loose. I made some changes to my setup and got the weight down to 34 lbs. for a bit (running tubeless)but it's back up at 35.5 lbs now (regular DH tires and tubes). I would place this frame right in the same group as the Bullit, Stinky and Turner frames for reliability and handling. The new frames come with the ISCG mount and they offer colors now. The price went up a little but you get the Dangerboy link plates. | | Weaknesses: | They already corrected the problems I noted earlier. | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Bullit, Kona Stinky, Psyclewerks | | Bike Setup: | Med. frame, Fox Vanilla 130mm fork, Mavic Crossland wheelset with Kenda Nevegal fr. and Maxxis Mobster rear. RaceFace cranks, E-13 DRS chainguide. | | Bottom Line: | I haven't been this happy with a bike in a while. It does everything I want it to and it never breaks. The company is still just 2 riders making stuff for riders. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Timothy Grant
a Weekend Warrior
from Kilmarnock,Scotland
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Any | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$799.00 | | Purchased At: | uk.transitionbikes.com | | Strengths: | Strong Frame, plush yet stable suspension, geometry,company customer service | | Weaknesses: | Makes me do stupod things | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | 2006 19" preston fr, MAnitou sherman Flick+, Mavix xm321 rims on hope bulbs, RF Diablous Headset stem bar and grips
XT groupset, continental vertical tyres. | | Bottom Line: | A very sweet bike, the suspension is simple and easy to adjust between settings, the 5 inch setting is very plush yet still pedals very well. The frame is solid but can be built up to a reasonable wieght.
This bike has not made me a better rider as only I can do that however it has greatly improved my confidence and that is makeing do things which I previously was to scared to try, as a result I am improving greatly.
Its also great to be able to email or call and have someone who rides and undersrtands the bikes answer your enquiries.
My new favourite excuse is "The bike made me do it".
Kudos to the boys st transition for such a great product | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joel Yang
a Downhiller
from Issaquah, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Sticks & Stones, Northstar, (CA) - Tiger, Seatac, Tapeworm (WA) | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$849.00 | | Purchased At: | Transition Bikes | | Strengths: | Stable
Inspires much confidence
Beefy but not excessively heavy (sexy linkage plates)
Pedals super well
Tight handling
A true freerider as the frame allows you to keep a full length seatpost as most of us still climb! (interrupted seatposts SUCK!)
Beefy Derailleur hanger (how come other companies aren't taking note of this!)
Bomber Pivots
Travel feels more like 6" when suspension is set up right
Romic shock just feels good whether on drops or rock gardens & has less crap to fiddle with(nice thing is that Romic can also custom tune the shock to adapt to your personal style of riding too)
You’d get Kevin or Kyle (the owners) if you called up, not some corporate answering system or schmoe who doesn’t even ride the product he sells! And those guys are the coolest guys about answering any questions.
If you're torn between a Preston and a Dirtbag??? call em up, those guys are more than happy to take you out to Galbraith on one of their own bikes to help you make your decision........now which other company will be willing to do that for you???
| | Weaknesses: | Many people have complained about not having a QR on the seatpost but this is really a matter of preference...
You get off your bike to adjust the seat - what's 5 more seconds to reach for your allen wrench?? A QR collar is more convenient but also catches the brake hose sometimes (be careful) a bolt on is much narrower in profile, neater - but then gives you the hassle of whipping out the wrench....but man, that is hardly even worth complaining about.
| | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mountain Pipeline, Kona Staab, K2 Tirade, Diamondback X6, Marin team DH, Spec Big Hit, Banshee Scream - Inferior bikes not included!!
I have definitely ridden my fair share of bikes to truly appreciate everything about this bike.
| | Bike Setup: | 05' Preston 4-5" travel - Romic Shock
Z150SL
Hayes Maggies
GRC Levers
Mavic D321 Wheelset
Nokian Gaaza 2.6 front, NBX 2.5 rear
Titec El Norte Handlebars & seatpost
Truvativ Holtzfeller Stem & Cranx
LX/XT mismatched shifties
Homemade Dual Ring guide from the entrails of a Truvatix Boxguide
| | Bottom Line: | I was one of those riders that got onto the whole “more suspension will help me take bigger drops trend”...until I rode super tight technical trails and suffered going all over the place with too much mush and not tight enuff handling.
I have always been super skeptical about getting a bike with less travel than 6" on the rear, not because I weigh 200lbs but because most of the less than 5"travel bikes are not built for riders who also enjoy riding superGNAR rocky trails, drops, DH courses, concrete jungles & stairs. – most of the other offerings are pretty specific for their intended uses..um…we don’t recommend you ride Northstar with that bike…or…your warranty will be void if you install parts that weren’t spec’d….or do drops bigger than 3’
Seriously – how could anyone justify buying from a company that really doesn’t stand behind their products???? Well Transition Bikes is definitely a company that does…. They go ride Galbraith on their Prestons, not an Intense, or a Santa Cruz, these guys ride what they design and sell – and that is your biggest validation right there.
I was initially a little worried about my revert to a shorter travel bike...will I bottom this out? will it handle my weight??? and then I decided what the hell? just go for it like I normally would...and I ended up hitting drops with this bike that I normally would only feel comfortable doing on Banshee Scream - I never bottomed out and it actually made a 5'drop feel like a 3'drop for some odd reason haha!
This is the most stable 4 -5" travel bike I have ever ridden.
You can ride a dozen other bikes with the same design...but this one will feel different.
This bike is for the guy who wants a supercharged trailbike that’s steady, stable, and quick that can go on epics and also won't shy away from a +6' drop. My bros Ian and Brad are riding Prestons here just to show you that http://www.spudhucksters.com/RedCliffs10122005.html
If you want something lighter...go test ride other bikes...but throw your leg over this one and I guarantee that you'll have that Instant Smilage go from ear to ear. You're gonna walk away with this one - knowing you're gonna have some wicked rides ahead!
This is the Batmobile that is disguised as the Honda Civic with a civic pricetag!! Best Bang for the buck!! I would have paid more for this bike! If this bike were available 5-6 yrs ago I would have saved myself some serious $$$ and trouble!
I still plan on keeping my DH rig but I can tell you after the first ride, I knew that I am most likely going to be spending the most time on my Preston....and maybe even save up for a Gran Mal!!
If you're still trying to decide whether this bike will hold up to your mad skillz - go to www.transitionbikes.com and check out the vids. You'll see the factory riders, and even Kevin & Kyle push their own bikes.....no suits or corporate BS for this company!! Rock on!!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Josh
a Downhiller
from Lynn MA
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | Transition | | Strengths: | This thing is a tank period, the romic is sturdy and the frame hold up well.
Some people say the romic isnt plush....for me i am about 130(i know im light) and ran a 500lb spring and the shock felt like butter.
the frame has excelent welds and tough paint that doesnt chip easily..ehem santa cruz...ehem
And lastly the pivots are high quality and this is the 1st bike i havnt had to replace the bushings constantly | | Weaknesses: | However the lack of the standard 4/5 inch rockers on my frame set me down
romic refuses to use steel bushings and instead uses alum which wear out twice as fast on the shock.
Seat-bolt on....what where you thinking guys! get a qr on there! | | Similar Products Used: | Santa cruz bullit, santa cruz heckler, santa cruz nomad, Iron Horse Mk III expert, Iron horse 5.7, mountain cycle fury | | Bike Setup: | 2004 preston (best year geo) 2006 marz z1 150mm, shimano saint cranks, e13 drs, avid juciy 7's, mavic deemax, sram x9, maxxis minions, sic bar/stem, wtb ti seat, ect. | | Bottom Line: | People claim that this bike is heavy.....well you can look at my build....mine weighed in at 30.265lbs! i dont call that too heavy.
The product is well made and worth your money, the shock is supple and really really plush. However i am in consant fear i will hear that blood curtling clank as the shock bottoms but so far so good. a qualitly high preformance product.
And best of all, no one has mentioned this yet......there is a LIFETIME crash and replacement no questions asked...can you say a rider company that is always behind you no matter what? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
J Hall
a Weekend Warrior
from Arlington, VA USA
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | still looking... | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$949.00 | | Purchased At: | dropnzone.com | | Strengths: | Very tight frame all around. Handling is impeccable and the geometry is perfect to me. Romic feels very nice after setting it up correctly. Frame is super strong and doesn't feel heavy to me. Pedals very well with Romic. This is one hot looking frame. | | Weaknesses: | At first I set up the Romic way too stiff thinking I needed to preserve my 4to5 inches of travel and hated the ride. After setting it plush and riding for a day it is progressive enough to handle hard hits while staying supple over fast or slow bumps. Number one downfall is that it came without a QR seat collar but I knew that was coming. No other complaints. | | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mountain RM7, Cannondale Gemini with Romic. | | Bike Setup: | Pike Race, Hope Mono M4 brakes (8"/7"), X.O shifting, Race Face NS cranks, singletrack wheelset w/Ringle hubs, Maxxis FR/R Minion 2.35 SP tires. | | Bottom Line: | Sold my DH bike and built my Preston FR before moving from NW Washington state to the DC metro area. I miss the gnarly trails of the Pac NW but my Preston easily makes up for it in ride fun here. The frame also acts as a little piece of nostalgia, being built where I rode. This is a great mid-core frame that feels very similar to a DH bike and is still a blast on the trails. Easily recommended. This was the first new/warranteed frame I have purchased and was very happy with the price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Trailetr
a Weekend Warrior
from Presque Isle, ME
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Nordic Heritage Center Trails | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Bike Boutique | | Strengths: | Smooth and stable. | | Weaknesses: | Had to true the rear wheel after downhilling but that was due to landing on a square rock at the end of an unseen gap. | | Similar Products Used: | First FR bike. Still have a Giant NRS-2. | | Bike Setup: | Double ring kit with Firefly+ | | Bottom Line: | The PFr is a great all-around bike. I've ridden it downhill at Bromont and Mount St. Anne in Quebec, and on singletrack in NH, ME and VT. It swallows up 5' |
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$ 849.00
