For 2006
Transition Bikes introduced a few new models to their line up of bikes. The Gran Mal, with up to 8.7 inches of rear travel, is a great addition to their already stellar line up. You can tell these guys ride hard because this bike is made to take any punishment you can dish out. I did a lot of free riding and racing on the Gran Mal the season and it loved to get beat up and keep coming back for more. Here's the run down of my Gran Mal and a
video from the folks at Transition:
The frame is a basic but attractive design. The front triangle has nice beefy 6000 series heat treated aluminum tubing with single pivot suspension activated by linkage. A full length seat post enables you to pedal up to the highest of trails with ease. The sturdy chain stays and seat stays keep the rear end nice and stiff, plus having the 150 mm rear hub gives you a nice stable rear end.
The amount of travel can be adjusted from 4.6" to 8.75" with the use of different stroke and eye to eye length shocks. Which I find a touch excessive since I found this bike at its best going downhill! There are six different settings per shock, but you'll need to have different sized rear shocks to get down to the smaller travel settings, if you plan to ride all mountain styles. One of the best features is the ability to adjust the head tube angle and bottom bracket height to suit your needs.
The
Gran Mal I was riding came with top notch suspension. A Fox DHX 5.0 coil was a great match for the frame and it so easy to ajust to terrain and riders. It also came equipped with the Marzocchi 888 RC2X, not my first choice in fron t suspension, but a nice fork all the same. The fork has like 5 knobs you can turn and really that seems excessive. Both held up well to a season of racer and rider though. What it boils down to is that the Gran Mal provides many different suspension packages for you to choose from.
The Gran Mal has been equipped with a great parts package that isn't to flashy, mainly to keep the cost down. Everyting they've picked out is solid and dependable, X-7 groupset, Blackspire chain guide, FSA cranks and Hayes HFX Nine brakes. I especially took a liking to the TBC T Bar handlebar and their bar caps and seat are a nice touch. Sun Ringle S-Type MTX wheels and Maxxis 2.5 High Rollers are a perfect fit for this build up too.
| Frame size | Regular 22.5" Top Tube and 16.1" Seat Tube |
| Rear Shock | Fox DHX 5.0 Coil
• 9.5”x3” stroke
• 300lbs steel spring
|
| Fork | 2006 8" Marzocchi 888 RC2X
|
| Headset | FSA Orbit Z1.5R - 1.5" |
| Crankarms | 170mm FSA Gravity ISIS |
| Chain Guide | Black Spire NS-1 |
| Chainring | Black Spire 38T Ring |
| Bottom Bracket | FSA Platinum DH ISIS |
| Pedals | TBC Stepdown Flats |
| Chain | SRAM |
| Cassette | SRAM PG-950 11-34T |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM 7.0 mid-cage |
| Shifter Cable/Housing | Stock |
| Shifter Pod | SRAM X.7 |
| Handlebar | TBC T-BAR |
| Stem | TBC Temple 50mm |
| Grips | ODI Lock On-Rogue |
| Brakes | Hayes HFX Nines with 8" front and 6" rear rotors |
| Front hub | Ringle 20mm TA |
| Rear hub | Ringle 150mm X 12mm TA |
| Spokes | DT |
| Tires | Maxxis High Roller 60A |
| Front Rim | Sun Rims S-Type MTX 26" |
| Tubes | Standard DH tubes / Shrader valves |
| Rear Rim | Sun Rims S-Type MTX 26" |
| Saddle | TBC |
| Seatpost | Black Amoeba (30.0) |
| Extra | TBC Bar Caps |
I spent my whole early season onboard the Gran Mal and racing the
Island Cup DH series. Here are some great shots that John Bazette took of the the Gran Mal and I in action:
Check out the rest of John Bazette's album
HERE.
I found the Gran Mal to be a great freeride bike, it's light and very agile but at the same time strong enough for all the big hits.
*pics from a few good epics on board the Gran Mal this season*
My advice is to take this frame and put on the best parts you can afford with a nice wheel set and pedal it up to the hardest trail you know and drop in with confidence.
Please visit
www.transitionbikes.com for more information on all Transition Products.
