Transition..Good or Bad?
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I feel that Transition is a great company with great products, but I do not like their frame designs. The only design that truly caught my eye was the Gran Mal, but I think that's discontinued, right?
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1,538 Posts
Great company, awesome bikes
I don't understand you people, you ask for beefy frames but then complain they're too heavy?
There's bikes on the heavy but indestructible side and bikes on the lighter but vulnerable side... you have to decide where you've got to make the sacrifice, whether it is in weight or durability.
I don't understand you people, you ask for beefy frames but then complain they're too heavy?
There's bikes on the heavy but indestructible side and bikes on the lighter but vulnerable side... you have to decide where you've got to make the sacrifice, whether it is in weight or durability.
I don't understand the cheap paint comments. A lot the people I ride with have one or more Transitions and not once have I heard anything about the paint. The paint on my BR is as good as any other bike I have ever had (but then again I do not buy bikes for the paint job). They are very popular bikes here in the northwest. Durable, the geometry is dialed, reasonably priced, and they work extremely well on the trails out here (elsewhere too). The guys at Transition are very much in tune with the freeride scene, and know how make and support a solid product. If it is too heavy, well, that is what you need to do to make a simple, bomb proof frame at this price point. I really like their approach to designing bikes. They do not create complex designs just for the sake of technology (look at some of the big companies that claim their suspension makes you bigger, faster, better with the ladies... is that actually true or is it all hype), instead they use a strong, simple design that just plain works once you get on the trail and like I said in my opinion the geometry is dialed.
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1,591 Posts
i've got a friend who uses his TOP for DJ and has had all sorts of bad landings on dry, cracked ground and his paintjob is in much much better shape than most others doing the same. i have run into a few problems of loosening pivots (double), but proper torque and loctite should clear all that up.
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1,861 Posts
They have one bike that is similar. Keep your inane analogies to yourself.alpinestar12 said:
On that note, both Kona and Transition are stellar companies.
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371 Posts
If you're on a budget, they're great bikes. Seems to me that the BottleRocket singlehandedly ushered in the new era of slopestyle bikes, and the new Syren is just about the only good 6" freeride option out there for short women.
But if you're not a short woman looking for a 6" freeride bike and if price isn't a concern, you can do better in my opinion. Transition's engineering and suspension designs are not as sophisticated as some of the higher-end bikes out there, so people who value optimal suspension performance may want to look elsewhere. Also, although bulletproof (unless you get one of the Prestons/Coverts with that bad batch of welds), they are heavier than they need to be. If they had access to pricey FEA software, they could get the weight down without compromising strength.
For what it's worth, I definitely agree that people look a lot cooler riding a Transition than a run-of-the-mill Giant, Specialized, etc.
But if you're not a short woman looking for a 6" freeride bike and if price isn't a concern, you can do better in my opinion. Transition's engineering and suspension designs are not as sophisticated as some of the higher-end bikes out there, so people who value optimal suspension performance may want to look elsewhere. Also, although bulletproof (unless you get one of the Prestons/Coverts with that bad batch of welds), they are heavier than they need to be. If they had access to pricey FEA software, they could get the weight down without compromising strength.
For what it's worth, I definitely agree that people look a lot cooler riding a Transition than a run-of-the-mill Giant, Specialized, etc.
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4,271 Posts
Your post really hit the nail on the head. I think Transition is incredibly popular here on MTBR, I can name multiple members that have "Transition Bike Company" stuff all over their sigs. I once saw a "Transition Bike Co > Your Favorite Bike Company". Sorry, Transition isn't better than Turner.A girl from Seattle said:
They're decent bikes, but its not like they're built by god. I think there's this "Indie Biking" movement, everyone is too cool for Giant, Specialized, and Trek all of a sudden, so everyone is going underground riding Transition.
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884 Posts
For some, geometry is more important then "Sophisticated" suspension designs. I personally think that their linkage driven single pivots are much better thought out then a cookie cutter high and forward single pivot bike.
They are not for everyone and most of their bikes are designed to fit a specific niche of riding. Not everyone who rides one thinks they are some "underground, indie" mountain biker. Some of us require a strong, well designed, well thought out, affordable mountain bike from a good company who will stand behind their customers and their products. Transition had that bike for me and has made me a life long customer. It's pretty hard for someone to find a legitmate reason to bag on Transition and I think that says a lot. To each their own.
They are not for everyone and most of their bikes are designed to fit a specific niche of riding. Not everyone who rides one thinks they are some "underground, indie" mountain biker. Some of us require a strong, well designed, well thought out, affordable mountain bike from a good company who will stand behind their customers and their products. Transition had that bike for me and has made me a life long customer. It's pretty hard for someone to find a legitmate reason to bag on Transition and I think that says a lot. To each their own.
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I've had 3 so far and have had only good experience with them. They have had some issues with heat treating or whatever on Prestons (mine included) but their CS is great as well as the warranty/crash replacement. I didn't have any paint problems on any of mine, not even the '04 Preston..
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227 Posts
On that note, both Kona and Transition are stellar companies.[/QUOTE]
they both HQ in ferndale WA. ... use to ride a coiler, now a dirtbag, loved the coiler, love the dirtbag
they both HQ in ferndale WA. ... use to ride a coiler, now a dirtbag, loved the coiler, love the dirtbag
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1,133 Posts
Bought a Dirtbag frame the second year they were out. Loved it. Bought a Vagrant frame the first year they came out. Loved it. Then the Bottlerocket came out and I figured I would sell the DB and Vagrant and "combine" the love of both bikes into one all purpose machine. Bought the BR frame and built another TBC dream bike..
Still have the BR now. Then the Gran Mal came out and I bought that frame. Swapped all my components from my Demo-9 to that. Still have the Gran Mal as well.
So I have owned 4 frames and still have 2 now. No issues with paint other than my BR scratches easily on the top tube. But other than that I have ZERO complaints.
They are simple designs that work well, quality welds and bearings, terrific pricing, terrific support and absolutely the best customer service in the industry hands down. Only other company with as good a CS is BlkMrkt.
I love Transition. I love supporting rider owned companies because they put their hard work into making great product first and $$ second.
Still have the BR now. Then the Gran Mal came out and I bought that frame. Swapped all my components from my Demo-9 to that. Still have the Gran Mal as well.
So I have owned 4 frames and still have 2 now. No issues with paint other than my BR scratches easily on the top tube. But other than that I have ZERO complaints.
They are simple designs that work well, quality welds and bearings, terrific pricing, terrific support and absolutely the best customer service in the industry hands down. Only other company with as good a CS is BlkMrkt.
I love Transition. I love supporting rider owned companies because they put their hard work into making great product first and $$ second.
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22 Posts
I agree. They are good bikes, but over-hyped in my opinion.Raptordude said:
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Hold on, I thought I logged into mtbr.com. Is this Pinkbike? LOL.
They are overhyped by many people. They are somewhat affordable which makes them accessible to many people who are just getting into the sport. The designs are solid and they feel great to ride so these newbs, who are proud to own a quality bike, tend to get a little overzealous in their boasting.
Most of the "sophisticated" suspension designs out there feel weird to me. I like the SP and four/faux bar designs the best. I still feel like I am in control of the bike which is something that I don't feel on most of the sophisticated designs. I feel like I'm sitting on them while they go down the hill and that they suck up too much of my input. Great for DH racing but not for the type of riding I like to do.
Regardless, they are one of the best values in this industry.
They are overhyped by many people. They are somewhat affordable which makes them accessible to many people who are just getting into the sport. The designs are solid and they feel great to ride so these newbs, who are proud to own a quality bike, tend to get a little overzealous in their boasting.
Most of the "sophisticated" suspension designs out there feel weird to me. I like the SP and four/faux bar designs the best. I still feel like I am in control of the bike which is something that I don't feel on most of the sophisticated designs. I feel like I'm sitting on them while they go down the hill and that they suck up too much of my input. Great for DH racing but not for the type of riding I like to do.
Regardless, they are one of the best values in this industry.
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6,294 Posts
I'm with you there. I've got a Bottle Rocket, and I like it. It's holding up well, the geo is exactly what I wanted, it didn't cost that much, and Transition's CS has been great. That said, it hasn't cured cancer, turned me into Bearclaw, or saved an pack of schoolchildren from getting run over by a bus.Raptordude said:
Transition is a good company, and they make some solid bikes at a good price, but people do overhype them a bit. My BR is no doubt my favorite bike I've ever owned, but for people to act like every other bike company out there sucks is dumb.
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1,801 Posts
Yeti AS-X > DB
I'd ride a DB no doubt, I'd ride any TBC .. they are great bikes but Yeti's are amazing. Which exception to the 303 and other rail designs the frames are cheap, I got my AS-X for 2600 new from a shop and it came w/ all the top end garbage for the year. And now you can find smoking deals on them
TBC = a great company, for sure.. They're bikes are legit and they're marketing has been solid.
I'd ride a DB no doubt, I'd ride any TBC .. they are great bikes but Yeti's are amazing. Which exception to the 303 and other rail designs the frames are cheap, I got my AS-X for 2600 new from a shop and it came w/ all the top end garbage for the year. And now you can find smoking deals on them
TBC = a great company, for sure.. They're bikes are legit and they're marketing has been solid.
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323 Posts
i never ride a transition in my life except of the blindsid, and i realy think this compagny is very intelligent. they listen to there client a lot, they saw than all the big names are starting to slow down because there freeride frame cost over 2000$, so they decided to bring products that can be affordable by every freerider and at the same time, and this is the point that i think they focus a lot, they deliver bike who has a lot of reliability, they just have the right equation, great' geos, best price, very low maintenance, and this is what a freerider want, they dont want to waste there time in shops or at home fixing there bikes, they just want to be free and ride ... and this is why this compagny has so much success right now !
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