Transition Days part 1

Aug 9, 2008

A few days ago I had the pleasure of attending Transition Bike Days down in Ferndale Washington. Transition is having two showings for their dealers and invited media to go over the changes that will be coming up in their model runs. That and to show everyone that they ride the bikes they make and the local trails that they ride those bikes on.

Here is my first update from Transition Days:

Transition bikes designs their own frames and makes refinements on a to do basis, not on a yearly basis like the majority of bike companies that follow a manufacturing cycle have too. If something needs refined, changed or scrapped, they do it right now and implement it into the next run of frames for that model. This makes them able to stay on top of things and flex with what is happening in the market to better make their bikes better suited to the end buyers that are riding them.

The first part of the get together was used to talk about what changes we can all expect to see in the line up and to see some of the new bikes that are coming out in the months ahead. I'm going to tell you a bit about bikes and a bit about the riding each day, so sit back and enjoy.

A bit of Transition history:

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The Blindside, the Bottle Rocket and the Double are all part of the same series of bikes and will all be undergoing similar changes for the next model runs. The front shock mount will be a universal piece on all 3 models. A single extruded piece of aluminum will be CNC machined for a clean look and is proving to be stronger across the board. Bearings at all the pivots will be universal too to keep things simplified from a hardware stand point.

Blindside:



Old front shock mount:

New one piece machined mount:

Bottlerocket:


Sticking with the Pabst Blue Ribbon theme, here is Transition's newest DJ saddle in all its glory. The PBR logo'd Park n' Ride Jump Saddle will be a favorite among street and DJ riders, but they are limited edition, so yours soon.


Enough talking guys, it's time to ride these bikes! Everyone loaded up for an afternoon of riding on Galbraith and Chuckanut mountains. Galbraith is the closest riding to town and you have to earn your turns on that hill-pedal up to bomb down. Here is where the group got divided-spinners and hikers (I fall into the latter category), but we all met up at the top to enjoy the descent together. Chuckanut is just a little further out and is a full on shuttle where gravity is your friend. Instantly I learned that yes the workers at Transition can obviously ride well, but that the dealers can rip it up too on the descents.


Riding on Mt.Galbraith and Chuckanut:

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Once we got back from a great day on the trails it was time to fire up the grill and watch the DJ's and Pump Track get sessioned. The jump session went on until it just too dark to see and the crew were throwing down some really solid tricks:

The Jumps and Track:

The Session gets going:

Day one was fun as hell and I learned a lot about the crew that builds the bikes and the dealers that sell them. Day 2 should be a blast as we're off to ride in Glacier.

Check back in a few days for the rest of my Transition Days coverage.

http://www.transitionbikes.com

-Tyler "Brule" Maine