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In praise of the Transition Trans am

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
In praise of the Transition Trans am
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flag Aaron1433
Posted: Jun 25, 2023 at 8:04 Quote
For the last 5 seasons, I've mainly ridden a 2017 Transition Patrol Carbon (L),which fits me very well at 5'11". It is however, sometimes too much bike for the trails near me (Happy Jack, easier trails on Curt Gowdy State Park). I wanted something with the ride feel & fit of the Patrol frame without all of it's aggressiveness & active suspension. Basically, if the Patrol and the previous generation Chameleon could be blended into one bike...

Transition already thought of and made such a bike. It's the Trans(ition) A(ll) M(ountain). If you compare the geo of the Trans AM, and a 2017-2021 Chameleon, they are very, very similar. At it's 67.5* headtube angle, the Trans AM is conservative by today's standards, however, high end titanium bikes like Binary, Moots, Stanton Sherpa, etc., still employ similar numbers for bikes designed for single speed, and/or long rides. 150 miles of greens and blues in, the Trans AM feels very balanced, neither favoring climbing or descents. Squarely in the middle.

I haven't had a chromoly bike since my BMX in the 90's. The chromo built Trans AM feels softer than the aluminum bikes I have to compare it to, yet there are so many contrasting variables between them I won't weigh in on whether it's the frame material or not. The small steel tubing and welds are beautiful to look at though.

I can't comment on the ease of swapping between geared and single speed drivetrains on the Trans AM yet, but I plan to take advantage of the sliding dropouts for this purpose.

For those eyeing steel hardtails on the used market, I think the last generation (2016) Trans AM models are worth a second look, especially if you like the idea of a steel Chameleon, and want less aggressive geo. That said, if Transtiion brought this frame back with modern geo updates, I imagine they'd sell very well.
flag justwan-naride
Posted: Jun 25, 2023 at 20:53 Quote
A classic for sure! Instead of the current overlap in Transition's models I'd prefer to see them make a modern version of the Trans Am. Steel, not too slack HA, not too steep STA, various dropout options for SS/gears and 29/mullet. Maybe throw in some extra bosses for bikepacking?

At the end of the day sales define whether a model lives on or gets the axe. The carbon hardtails they made after the last gen Trans Am must have sold poorly, so they probably gave up on HT 's.

 


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