Transition TR250 - Eurobike 2010
Transition's booth at Eurobike 2010 was full of goodness, but the new TR250 is what our camera lens was drawn to. The burly new shit disturbing play bike has caught the fancy of many riders as it looks like a seriously fun machine. You saw it first here on Pinkbike only a short time ago, but now you can get all the details. Inside you'll find both photos and video of the new TR250 to further wet your appetite.
Read on...Transition TR250
The TR250 looks to be one hell of a fun bike. Watch the video below and let Transition's Kevin Menard fill you in!
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This bike looks like it will be a blast! Less travel and less weight than a full on DH sled, but go-fast geometry that will be confidence inspiring at speed. Are you pining for Transition's latest offering? Lets hear what you think about it below!
Visit the Transition website to see their entire range of bikes and components.
Stay tuned for more Eurobike coverage!
Read on...
Transition's TR250. Look familiar? Unless you've been in a coma, you've no doubt seen their TR450 at some point, possibly under Jill Kintner or Bryn Atkinson as they were going mach chicken down a race course somewhere. While the TR450 was conceived as a full-on DH race bike and accordingly has the proper geometry and amount of travel to handle that task, the TR250 was designed to be more of a fun and playful park bike, although there are many downhill tracks out there that the smaller 250 would be faster on. Downhill bike geo + shorter travel = big grins!
The TR250 uses a very similar suspension system to its bigger brother, which is a single pivot swingarm and linkage driven shock. Hidden behind the two frame spars are the designs working bits: a swing link that activates the shock and the short dog bone piece that connects to the swingarm. The main pivot is captured within the frame spars as you would see on the frame of a motocross bike. Travel is adjustable via swappable inserts in the swing link that let you choose either 160 mm or 180 mm depending on how you want the bike to ride. You also adjust the bottom bracket height and head angle.
Here's a better look. There is nothing flimsy about this setup! While some material has been whittled away, enough has been left that one should never have to worry about any issues. Steel pivot hardware is combined with aluminum pivot caps to hold everything together. The stock shock will be the Fox DHX RC4 that is shown here.
Because this bike is meant to be ridden as hard as a full on DH bike, it uses the same standards, including a 12 x 150 mm rear hub and 83 mm wide bottom bracket. The TR250's rear end is a simple design that is proven to work well on the longer travel TR450. The most weighty parts of the frame, the shock and linkage, are held as low as possible. Speaking of weight, the TR250 is said to be .7lbs lighter than its big brother.
The TR250's shapely tapered head tube. This standard is here to stay for the foreseeable future, which is good because it certainly makes sense as strength is bumped up with minimal weight increase. While the final geometry hasn't been decided on yet, expect the slack setting to be similar to the angles found on the TR450. Short travel and mega slack anyone?
Transition chose to go a far simpler route that using dial screws to adjust the chainstay length. A simple aluminum insert with an offset hole for the axle is employed. All you have to do is flip the insert around to change the TR's handling. Run it in the shorter setting when the trails are tight or if you want a more playful feel, or put it in one of the longer settings for some added stability when the speeds get high. There are three chainstay length settings to pick from. The design does not require that the caliper be bolted to a movable mount. Although you can't actually see the travel adjust, it uses the same type of system. I'm sure you all want to know the actual geometry numbers, but I'm going to leave you hanging as they have not yet been set in stone. You'll have the option of picking up a completely built bike, or if you want to build it your way there will also be a frame only option. It will drop this coming February.
This bike looks like it will be a blast! Less travel and less weight than a full on DH sled, but go-fast geometry that will be confidence inspiring at speed. Are you pining for Transition's latest offering? Lets hear what you think about it below!
Visit the Transition website to see their entire range of bikes and components.
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Out with my Bottlerocket, in with the TR250!
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1.) Interrupted seat tube isn't the best for taller riders that want to pedal it far.
2.) linkage location vs mud collection right by the rear tire.
Will there be a mud guard intergraded or available on the 2011's?
Looks like this will be my ride for 2011...
The NEW SX is as slack as this, same travel, longer wheelbase and shorter chainstays...
You're thinking about the old SX. Get your numbers straight.
TR250 has an adjustable 64 - 65 degree head angle. 150mm dropout spacing with a 12mm axle.
SX Trail has a 65.5 degree head angle. A 20mm longer top tube. A 30mm longer wheelbase. 10-20mm shorter chainstays (because the TR250's are adjustable). 135mm rear dropout spacing with a 10mm axle.
The real difference comes into play with the reach and stack numbers, which are the most important if you know what they mean. The stack height of each bike is very similar at 596mm vs 594mm. The reach of the SX trail is 429mm while the reach of the TR250 is only 388mm. This makes the cockpit of the TR250 much tighter than the SX by 40mm which is significant. Basically, the SX is stretched out because it is designed to climb and descend.
The TR250 on the other hand is a dedicated mini-downhill bike.
Having ridden a demo 7 for the last 3 years, and knowing how a bike with a long wheelbase and short chainstays feels, I am convinced that the TR250 is different in all the right ways. Every single person who has ridden my demo has commented on how long it feels.
These may seem like small differences to you, but add them all up and you have two bikes designed for different purposes, that feel completely different.
They both fall into the same category: "bike park play bike". Will they ride differently? Possible. Would one not "hold a candle" to the other? That's a stretch. And you might have gotten some numbers from the old SXT (rear hub spacing and axle). check your stuff before posting.
You are "convinced" the TR250 is different because you rode a Demo 7? You are funny.
I didn't mean to ruffle you feathers. Now I see that you own a 2011 SXT which explains your discontent with my original comment. The SXT is a sick bike, and is very similar to the TR250.
I would definitely notice the steeper head angle, longer wheelbase, and longer cockpit of the SXT when compared to the TR250. The geometry numbers of the SXT reflect all the negative issues I have found with the geometry of my demo (probably because the new SXT replaces the demo 7). A little too steep for racing DH, long wheelbase, and all the length comes from the front of the bike being stretched out.
True, if you want a bike park that holds the feel of your DH bike, the TR250 will be closer. If you want a park bike that rails corners and jumps like crazy, while holding its own at speed (due to its length), then the SXT is your weapon.
Does it matter? Enjoy the content.