Transition Days 2009
by Tyler Maine
Aug 10, 2009
This year Transition Bikes has once again brought together their dealers and various media hoodlums for 2, 2 day gatherings in August. I attended the first get together last week where we talked shop and rode bikes, two things that the Transition boys seem to be doing a good job at.
Check out what all went down in Ferndale, Washington inside...
Check out what all went down in Ferndale, Washington inside...
Everyone at Transition Bikes rides bikes and they have built a company around that. Their dealers really seem to love the guys because they all can relate to each other on so many levels, be it the constantly changing dollar, the need to sell a true value bicycle and the fact that their bikes are what they ride. I know that all bike companies sell bikes that they ride, but most are driven by the market first and foremost, where Transition build bikes to suit their terrain and riding styles first and foremost.
To prove that, look at the fact that they've made big travel downhill bikes since their inception, but have never made a true DH race machine. They were freeriders, but now some of the crew are into racing and know that the Blindside simply is not that true dedicated race bred machine that one needs. It works really well, but the new TR 450 will push you further and faster than the Blindside or Gran Mal before it did.
Evolution of a good design is also something that bike companies have to do and the re-introduction of the Covert last month proves that they aren't simply going to sit on a design that works. The Covert is a step in the right direction for cleaner lines, that catch the eye and design that will work and get its rider from point A to point B.
Kevin and Kyle (two owners of Transition Bikes) took some time out each morning to talk to everyone and get a feel for what they are experiencing in their respectful markets. After we all talked shop it was time to grab a bike, set it up, make your lunch for the afternoon ride and hit the rode for the trail heads.
On Monday, we all went All Mountain riding (some guys brought the TR 450s out as they wanted to ride them regardless of the climbs). It was great to be out there with all the dealers, talking to them about sales and how various models were moving for them, or not moving. What they want to see from the company and why they have chosen to be dealers for Transition. The heat was nice to us this year and we were all able to ride multiple trails on different bikes and get a feel for what each model was like. The new Covert excels in an environment where you have to climb up, bomb up and down on undulating terrain and then finally get behind the seat for the tech descent. Tyler and Jake from Dirty Fingers in Hood River, Oregon were calling it the 3 helmet bike as they were climbing it (XC lid), bombing descents (DH lid) and hitting up the DJs post ride too (DJ lid) on the Covert.
Small jump train on AM bikes:
Post ride we were greeted with a smashed window in Sam's truck and a failed attempt at stereo theft - ALL THIEVES SUCK! Thankfully we were headed to the warehouse to BBQ, relax and watch a DJ Session go down. Oh and a few of the guys attempted to achieve Wizard status - Cam won.
Karl gets flipped:
Back to the Guest House Inn for a good sleep and up early as day two was our DH riding day. This is where the dealers and workers really hold their own. Big bikes, big moves and high speeds, mixed with tech lines is what everyone was wanting and they got it. In between DH runs, some riders even tee'd up the local dirt jumps.
Unknown on log to gap:
Josh from Wheel Sports East almost gets me:
Cam keeps it clean:
After 2 days with the dealers and employees at Transition Bikes you could feel that they are all working together to create a better end product for each other that the end user will benefit from. Passion is a driving force and it is evident in what I experienced this year in Ferndale.
All clear pics by Brad Walton of transitionbikecompany.pinkbike.com, while the rest are my doing.
-Happy Trails,
Tyler Maine
To prove that, look at the fact that they've made big travel downhill bikes since their inception, but have never made a true DH race machine. They were freeriders, but now some of the crew are into racing and know that the Blindside simply is not that true dedicated race bred machine that one needs. It works really well, but the new TR 450 will push you further and faster than the Blindside or Gran Mal before it did.
Evolution of a good design is also something that bike companies have to do and the re-introduction of the Covert last month proves that they aren't simply going to sit on a design that works. The Covert is a step in the right direction for cleaner lines, that catch the eye and design that will work and get its rider from point A to point B.
Kevin and Kyle (two owners of Transition Bikes) took some time out each morning to talk to everyone and get a feel for what they are experiencing in their respectful markets. After we all talked shop it was time to grab a bike, set it up, make your lunch for the afternoon ride and hit the rode for the trail heads.
Gathering of employees and dealers
Kevin and the TR 450
Crew gathered around the TR 450
Making sandwiches
Kyle ready for the AM day
Pick your bike
Loaded and heading out.
On Monday, we all went All Mountain riding (some guys brought the TR 450s out as they wanted to ride them regardless of the climbs). It was great to be out there with all the dealers, talking to them about sales and how various models were moving for them, or not moving. What they want to see from the company and why they have chosen to be dealers for Transition. The heat was nice to us this year and we were all able to ride multiple trails on different bikes and get a feel for what each model was like. The new Covert excels in an environment where you have to climb up, bomb up and down on undulating terrain and then finally get behind the seat for the tech descent. Tyler and Jake from Dirty Fingers in Hood River, Oregon were calling it the 3 helmet bike as they were climbing it (XC lid), bombing descents (DH lid) and hitting up the DJs post ride too (DJ lid) on the Covert.
Crew heading out
Crew heading up
Me goofing around
Rob going DH on AM day
Jumping on AM bikes
Me being serious-ish
Cam getting his log on
Built and donated by a high school student - super cool
Cam and his do all Covert
Post ride we were greeted with a smashed window in Sam's truck and a failed attempt at stereo theft - ALL THIEVES SUCK! Thankfully we were headed to the warehouse to BBQ, relax and watch a DJ Session go down. Oh and a few of the guys attempted to achieve Wizard status - Cam won.
Cam on BBQ detail
Veggie, Ham, Burger, mmmm!
Chilling and watching jumping
Pit bike action
Back to the Guest House Inn for a good sleep and up early as day two was our DH riding day. This is where the dealers and workers really hold their own. Big bikes, big moves and high speeds, mixed with tech lines is what everyone was wanting and they got it. In between DH runs, some riders even tee'd up the local dirt jumps.
Leaving the Guest House Inn
Camp Counselors and Campers
Big drops
Log rides
No hunting
Cam keeps it clean:
A customer's bike
Kevin bringing it in for landing
After 2 days with the dealers and employees at Transition Bikes you could feel that they are all working together to create a better end product for each other that the end user will benefit from. Passion is a driving force and it is evident in what I experienced this year in Ferndale.
-Happy Trails,
Tyler Maine
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57 Comments
- + 4
travishalford
(Aug 10, 2009 at 0:18)
sick bikes and riding. keep it up guys 
well you may not want more where you live but for some trails you are going to want more. so for them to make another 8 in dh bike is kind of pointless
the orange 224, iron horse sunday, demo 8, cove shocker (ok 8.75) they are all 8 inches and succesful, there's not much need for more travel. the V10 only has so much coz it sits so far into its travel and trek have replaced the session 10 for the 8 inch session 88. don't see what the problem is? all forks are 8 inch.
well i just think they should have changed the travel a little more because the blindside has basically the same amount of travel. and some people may want more travel(like myself) so they could have had a little more variaty
[Reply]
good to see rob and the dunbar cycles crew getting right ontop of that. hope to see those in stock soon!!
seems like tehy're having a fun time
nice read, especially due to the fact im the proud owner of a bottlerocket as of 7.am this morning when the delivery man woke me up with it
transition days is yet another day to show how one company is changing the face of the evolving industry. Transition bike co. has indeed put an impact on the way downhill, all mountain, dirt jumping and every other discipline is evolving, they have stuck to ol` faithful designs since day one. transition is the only bike company out there in my opinion that, well, its hard to describe what they do, but it sure as hell makes a any transition owner damn proud.
let Transition Bike Co. prosper, buy the bikes, and be a f*cking proud owner of one!
let Transition Bike Co. prosper, buy the bikes, and be a f*cking proud owner of one!
I totaly agree. As a bike tech geek all I can say is: it's simple it works, and no unnecesary words are spoken about the bike design by its creators. They know what they are good at and they excel there, without going into undefined areas of VLP DBW suspensions with scandium-titanium quadruple butted alloys reinforced by blablalanium. Transition bikes is so bloody true, i just love their attitude and approach!
A clean message: It's fun, it's simple and it works! Furthermore latest bikes are getting world class looks. Although being a devoted owner of a Santa Cruz bike I wish them all the best, and if there is any other bike company I will ever buy bike from its Transition - for staying bloody true!
A clean message: It's fun, it's simple and it works! Furthermore latest bikes are getting world class looks. Although being a devoted owner of a Santa Cruz bike I wish them all the best, and if there is any other bike company I will ever buy bike from its Transition - for staying bloody true!
Well Kona has got some issues. First like 3 years ago, they tried a simple&working image, which came out in fact cheap&quite ok: best examples dirt/street bikes like Scrap ,or stinky with highly perforated bending rockers (later replaced with non perforated ones). Then last year Kona suddenly releases magic link, and in this year Scandium remedy for all sorts of material pains: as a result trying to be one of the big boys like Specialized with a high tech image. I think they are still lost somewhere there in what they actualy want to achieve. Still 2004 Konas kick bloody ass.
It's also funny that both Transition and Kona suffer from extremely heavy frames for their riding categories. For example, the Kona Coil Air Deluxe (6-7" of travel) weighs 35 lbs stock, and a Transition Bottlerocket (5" of travel) build up at around 35-36 lbs with a lightweight AM build.
^^Seraph, I can't speak for the Kona's but having run a Bottle Rocket and just picked up a Covert, the BR is a far cry from an AM bike. The Covert is the bike for the AM market and next week I'll be building mine up properly and I can guarantee it won't be 35 lbs. But it also will not be 25 either.
It's true that the Bottlerocket is not designed to be an AM bike, but a lot of people claim that it's "good for everything." Like the comment by "insanobikero" below me, where he states that the BR is "...perfect in ANY situation."
yup, Transition is definitely not the lightest, but at the same time seems to be a bit stronger than the big guns of the market. I don't know how the new Covert could compare to new the Sx Trail or SC Nomad in terms of performance/durability but it looks totaly capable and in fact it is only a bit heavier.
Bottle rocket perfect in any situation -> as a fun allround freerider yes, but a bit too sturdy and inefficient AM bike, especially for 3h+ big mountain riding.
Bottle rocket perfect in any situation -> as a fun allround freerider yes, but a bit too sturdy and inefficient AM bike, especially for 3h+ big mountain riding.
The SX Trail is definitely not in the same category as the Nomad or Covert. The new Enduro (non-SL) is probably what you're thinking of.
true 
actualy Specialized is for me the perfect opposite of Transition bikes tech tech tech fun vs fun fun fun. I can't wait for tests of SC Blur LT carbon, Im super eager to find out whether it's worth to spend so much money... and how does it compares with Ibis Mojo.
actualy Specialized is for me the perfect opposite of Transition bikes tech tech tech fun vs fun fun fun. I can't wait for tests of SC Blur LT carbon, Im super eager to find out whether it's worth to spend so much money... and how does it compares with Ibis Mojo.
I've been riding a Bottlerocket for 4 years now as my primary bike, and it is hands down the most versatile bike FOR ME that I've ever ridden. It really depends on your riding style, but it serves as my XC, DH, and FR bike. It's built up heavy and with a front derailleur. 3h+? That's a standard ride. The Covert is a better AM bike for sure, and will save some weight, but I can ride the Bottlerocket comfortably on every trail in the Whistler bike park one day, and then do a 30 mile backcountry XC ride the next day on the same bike. I may be better off on two different bikes, but I like having one bike that can do everything. It's all a matter of your own preferences, but don't think there aren't riders out there pedalling for hours on end aboard big bikes. It's all in what you get used to, and if you ride it alot, it no longer seems heavy.
with all Ur respect brad, UR last sentece is a bit of a do it all bike philosophy overkill... its like a friend of mine said that Bullit is a pretty capable Xc bike... taking that thinking further I recon another friend of mine that said once that he will train his stamina on his DH bike on roads, as the results will come faster because its harder to pedal a Dh rig rather than road bike... I own an SC Nomad and it is a cool light freeride/park bike, not bad AM bike but when it comes to enduro riding, or even XC, quite frankly I would say it just sucks. it does not come even close to what a 300$ worth double stiffie with some brakes upgrade offers on a XC course.
what I acutaly mean is - allround bikes seem sweet and perfect, they jump perfectly until U sit down on a dirt bike, and they uphill decently, until U take this 300$ stiffie for a spin in local woods. I love my Nomad but i will never say its great to have just one bike that does it all BTW one thing is the DH rig, and for that U can keep Ur Do it all bike and ride it with the big dogs on Dh courses without any problems (as long as UR not racing I see no point in buying DH bike...)
BTW one thing is the DH rig, and for that U can keep Ur Do it all bike and ride it with the big dogs on Dh courses without any problems (as long as UR not racing I see no point in buying DH bike...)
That's fine, as I said it's the most versatile bike for me. Around here the uphills lead to gnarly dh that you would have a hard time walking your "300$ stiffie" down. Obviously you're more into XC riding so perhaps you have the best bike for you, which is totally fine and there's no reason to change. Many DH riders would say that the Bottlerocket isn't enough bike. I'm just a guy caught somewhere in the middle, and the Bottlerocket is the best bike I've found for that purpose.
I see U know, I totaly mistaken Bottlerocket with Dirtbag. Yea Bottlerocket seems to be a great allrounder, a bit added weight as for a bike in this class but at the same time not everyone fancies considering whether his bike can take that much speed on rough stuff or that big jump. Im not that much into XC, but without chairlifts or shuttling I just dont fancy bike puishing that much. I'm in the middle, very in the middle, I just enjoy every kind of riding on dirt, ground, rocks and roots, I don't like asphalt or concrete, stairs and rails. BRocket not enough for downhillers, yea but I guess only for those that are able to use a DHrig to the fullest, and to be honest I believe its a relatively small club within Dh bike owners "society. Others are usualy excuses, and looking for something that forgives mistakes. No disrespect but I just believe too many ppl are untrue to themselves buying bikes not suitable for their "psycho-attitude" for riding and riding skills. I believe Im true to myself thats why I ride an allround bike, still too big to be honest.
I have a transition and i BREAKS me to sell it! The guys there are so helpful and rock! In the last pic i love the built B.rocket ... its gotta b the flagship bike ... perfect in ANY situation,
Tr. feels like my local shop guys I trust and ride with! Love my 2 Tr.s!
no funky "cubicle" aftertaste when dealing with these guys. Tr. rider for life! workin on getting a Double right now!
no funky "cubicle" aftertaste when dealing with these guys. Tr. rider for life! workin on getting a Double right now!
[Reply]
Between my wife and I, we have owned 9 Transitions. I have owned other bikes too. But when i buy their bikes, i feel like i have bought into part of their company. By far the best group to deal with any issues, or just call up and "talk shop". Buying number 10 btw. The new Covert, cant wait.
thats so sick to see my home town galbrith on here
and i know the guy that rides that bottlerocket with the wooden paint job, he lives right by me
and i know the guy that rides that bottlerocket with the wooden paint job, he lives right by me
Must be nice having those trails in your backyard. From someone that lives where the best trails only have a grand total of 2' drop 
[Reply]
Yup, and every time I see it I cry because I want one so bad. If I didn't have a v-10 I would have a transition. Eventually I might anyways.
Transition is amazing, I may not own one of their bikes but I sure would like to in the future. They do what no other company does, and that is keep it simple. Simplicity and passion are what fuel their success. Long live Transition!
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