Field Test: 2022 Transition Spire - Suprisingly Versatile
PINKBIKE FIELD TEST
Transition Spire
Words by Henry Quinney, photography by Tom Richards
Transition Spire
Words by Henry Quinney, photography by Tom Richards
Transition Bikes are a company with their finger on the pulse. Their vogue-worthy bikes seem to often just be riding the right wave at the right time. Whether it’s the down-country Spur, the evergreen Patrol or their new offering, the Spire, they seem to offer what is deemed “cutting edge” just two seconds after we’ve all decided what cutting edge even is.
So is it a crystal ball or sacrificial goats under a full moon? Well, probably not. What it does seem to be is pragmatic yet ambitious design that isn’t afraid to go to 11 only to take it back half a turn to the sweet spot.
So is it a crystal ball or sacrificial goats under a full moon? Well, probably not. What it does seem to be is pragmatic yet ambitious design that isn’t afraid to go to 11 only to take it back half a turn to the sweet spot.
Spire Details
• Travel: 170mm rear / 170mm front
• Wheel size: 29”
• Head angle: 62.5 / 63°
• Seat tube angle: 77.5 / 78°
• Reach: 480mm / 485mm (lrg)
• Chainstay length: 446 / 448 (S, M & L) 452 / 454 (XL & XXL)
• Sizes: S, M, L (tested), XXL
• Weight: 33.20lb / 15.05kg
• Price: $6,000 USD
• transitionbikes.com
• Travel: 170mm rear / 170mm front
• Wheel size: 29”
• Head angle: 62.5 / 63°
• Seat tube angle: 77.5 / 78°
• Reach: 480mm / 485mm (lrg)
• Chainstay length: 446 / 448 (S, M & L) 452 / 454 (XL & XXL)
• Sizes: S, M, L (tested), XXL
• Weight: 33.20lb / 15.05kg
• Price: $6,000 USD
• transitionbikes.com
Take the Spire, for example. This new 170mm 29er is one of the few bikes that doesn’t have me lamenting the flip chip. Why? Because it’s a bike that is amply progressive in the steeper setting, with a 63 degree head angle combined with a 77.5 degree seat tube angle. If you’re crying out for something half a degree slacker then the Spire can accommodate, but it’s great to see a flip chip being used to take a bike between a good place and an extreme one rather than from one slightly conservative place to another. Flip chips can be good, but they should be there as a way to let a designer try something radical, not as a sticking plaster on something that’s 50 shades of beige.
So, this carbon vessel is certainly slack enough for 2022, what else? Well, it sports 170mm of travel front and back, a 480 or 485mm of reach depending on the setting for a large and a rear-centre of 446 / 448mm. Although the geometry is one of the more radical areas of the bike, the Horst Link suspension layout is one of the more traditional of the test bikes on this year's field test.
It’s got some great frame details too. That includes ample frame protection, SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger, size specific chainstays, Enduromax bearings throughout, and a gear accessory mount on the underside of the top tube. Not only that but it’s rated for a dual crown fork and can handle a reach adjust headset.
The bike has internally guided cabling, except the rear brake which is housed externally. Some people will love this, but I’m not particularly a fan. It’s just frustrating that my brake routing will never be that neat. First world problems, I know. It also doesn't lend itself to moto-style brake setups.
Prices range from $5,899 - $6,599 for the carbon version and $3,699 - $5,399 for the alloy. The version tested here is the GX build, which features the top tier RockShox Zeb and Super Deluxe, GX drivetrain and SRAM Code RSC brakes with a large 220mm front rotor. It also has a full Stans wheelset and even a One-Up 210mm dropper.
So, can the Transition keep pace with the idler-equipped sleds? How does it stack up against the more conservative numbers of the YT or the excellent suspension system on the WAO Arrival? Let’s find out.
Climbing
There is a word that is going to come up a lot both in this written article as well as the video, and that word is “versatile”. How can a bike with 170mm of travel and 29” wheels ever be anything other than a school yard bully? Well, it’s a combination of several key factors, but let’s start with how it climbs.
Firstly, it’s got the things that are important, even if they are ever more common. It's got the steep seat tube angle to give you a great climbing position, and longer chainstays that again contribute to front wheel traction. So what else does this Spire offer that separates it from the herd?
On the trail, it quickly becomes apparent that it’s a lightweight bike that offers tons of traction. That traction does come with a fair bit of suspension bob, and the Spire isn’t something that offers you a stiff pedalling platform that will hold sway even under high-torque outbursts. Instead, it's a bike that likes to spin up climbs and offers huge quantities of grip. The wheel does very well just getting up and out the way, and what stands out with the Spire is not how fast you can climb but rather how slowly you can go while the rear end maintains grip. I would often use the climb switch on the shock on fire road climbs but all in all I was very happy to leave it open on singletrack.
The high stack and relatively short 605mm top tube create a very upright position, which this put my contact points within a very useable range that worked well for me.
Some bikes ride as if they’re heavier than they are, and some bikes lighter. The Spire is definitely the latter. It's a mere 40g heavier than the Specialized Enduro and both of these outstrip something like the similarly weighted YT Capra because of the light footed characteristic that they offer. If you had told anyone five years ago that a 29er with this amount of travel would be so enjoyable to climb they would probably have you sectioned on grounds of insanity - but here we are.
Descending
So does this well-climbing bike mean that it’s limited on what it can offer on the descents? Absolutely not. I think the Spire manages to balance these priorities very well and it impressed me just as much on the downs as it did the ups.
Two things really stand out when riding the Spire downhill - first, the geometry is so willfully and deliberately aggressive it just feels like a breath of fresh air. This isn’t overproduced and needlessly ambiguous. No, this is a Ford Mustang or Guns of Brixton. It’s raw, it’s exciting and very very good.
The Spire manages to do one of the most basic and fundamental things a good mountain bike should do - it should make you smile, and it delivers in droves. The way the bike tracks and hunkers down when riding rough terrain is very confidence inspiring. It just makes you feel like you can bulldoze anything. For a bike that makes you think you can climb any hill of your choosing, this is doubly impressive.
So does this well-climbing bike mean that it’s limited on what it can offer on the descents? Absolutely not. I think the Spire manages to balance these priorities very well and it impressed me just as much on the downs as it did the ups.
Two things really stand out when riding the Spire downhill - first, the geometry is so willfully and deliberately aggressive it just feels like a breath of fresh air. This isn’t overproduced and needlessly ambiguous. No, this is a Ford Mustang or Guns of Brixton. It’s raw, it’s exciting and very very good.
The Spire manages to do one of the most basic and fundamental things a good mountain bike should do - it should make you smile, and it delivers in droves. The way the bike tracks and hunkers down when riding rough terrain is very confidence inspiring. It just makes you feel like you can bulldoze anything. For a bike that makes you think you can climb any hill of your choosing, this is doubly impressive.
Timed Testing
The enduro bikes were all tested on a section of trail that included a mix of everything you'd expect to find on a race track. There were tight corners, a few drops, some sidehill sections that get trickier the faster you go, along with some higher speed, open corners.
Don't forget that timing is just one of many ways to judge a bike, and fast doesn't always mean it's the best for everyone.
Henry Quinney: "The Transition's confidence inspiring ride didn't translate to all-out speed on our test track. With Matt riding it, his fastest run was around 4 seconds slower than the YT Capra."
In regards to the shock tune, this is the only area on the field test that Matt Beer and I didn’t agree. I found it to be very easy to set up and find the performance I wanted. Matt however had a different experience. He never really got the Super Deluxe Ultimate to perform as he'd like. He eventually arranged to try the bike with a Fox X2, which is included in other build options, and found the characteristics much more to his liking.
Who’s the ideal candidate for the Spire? This is a great bike for somebody that likes to ride shuttles or chair lifts but primarily wants a bike to pedal. It combines high-grip climbing characteristics, a lightweight package and very progressive geometry. I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed riding the Spire and if I were to have just one bike, even at 170mm of travel, I think it could quite possibly be the one I’d go for.
Pros
+ Super capable geometry
+ Very sensible spec
+ About as versatile as a 170mm 29" bike could ever hope to be
Cons
- Confidence-inspiring ride didn't translate to all-out speed on our test track
- Low bottom bracket requires short cranks to avoid pedal strikes
The 2021 Summer Field Test was made possible with support from Dainese apparel and protection, and Sun Peaks Resort. Shout out also to Maxxis, Garmin, Freelap, and Toyota Pacific.
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Meanwhile, Scott is sitting in the corner laughing.
It's also always required to remove the caliper from the frame to bleed any brake correctly. That's why they all come with bleed blocks. You need to run the pads back in, insert the bleed block, bleed it, then reinstall. You can sometimes get away with leaving it on the frame, but that's not every brake and not every time. Bleeding with the rotor as the bleed block function requires extra fluid. Replacing worn down pads then becomes a shitty process because you can't push the pistons back in properly with too much fluid in there. You also risk getting brake fluid on the pads. It's just not worth it to mess around with doing it a hack way when it's two bolts to remove the caliper and do it right.
Just because there are more steps doesn't mean it's worse. I'd rather install five clips (5 steps) than cut a hose, push the hose through, install the olive, and bleed the brakes (4 steps). Because those five steps will take me like 5 minutes, whereas I know I'm going to be doing the 4 steps for at least 30 minutes on a perfect bleed. AND I have to have brake fluid with me. And, if some excess fluid drips onto the rotors or pads that you missed, well, there goes your day.
I'm pretty sure most people just remove the wheel when they bleed the brakes, rather than remove the caliper.
Totally agreed on using the rotor vs bleed blocks. Just saying that I'd bet that most people drop the wheels out, and leave the caliper in place, because then they don't have to fiddle with their caliper centering/etc, which can be rather finicky at times.
A friend ate shit on an evening ride, the first day of a long riding weekend way out in the woods. Broken brake lever. He was able to throw a new brake (pre-bled out of the box) on his Spur at camp, zip tie the extra hose out of the way, and rode the rest of the weekend. Trying to do internal routing and barbs and olives and bleeds at a campsite with a headlamp...nope
It’s not just that it’s external - I’ve had loads of bikes with good external routing - it’s where it is on the side of the downtube. It flaps about, catches on stuff, looks terrible and gets in the way of rack straps.
Removing calipers is step 1 of their process, 0:15 into the how-to video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMRk916qJTg&ab_channel=MAGURA
I've owned Shimano and SRAM and never removed the caliper for those. When I first got Magura brakes I just watched their videos on the bleed process and figured the easiest way to avoid issues is to do exactly as they say. I've heard quite a few people say they have issues bleeding Magura brakes so maybe not removing the caliper and raising it at the right time is part of it. I've always had great luck bleeding my MT7s.
Unbolt the caliper so it can hang and then take both wheels off. You don't need to spin the bike until you've plugged the master, so can just spin it on the stand. That's my way with Maguras anyway.
He knows the damn difference between someone who iterates and someone who itinerates.
If he was having to size down on the Spire/Range that'd be one thing but if he's on the right size versions of those, all is good in my eyes.
@tgent I do also agree that track has a big effect on this. The test track does look to be fairly smooth/bike parky from the sections in the videos. That may be how the whole trail is, or it could be that those were the best sections to grab clips for the video.
Those times should be taken with a grain of salt, because it's not the end all be all for how a bike feels or performs.
As discussed in our other Summer Field Test reviews, my height does fall in line with all of the brands' sizing guides, some of which have overlaps where they state the handling differences.
Then again, I am stupid-slow, old, and only own 1 bike. Why am I cluttering up the comment section with my nonsense? Because internet, that's why!
By contrast, Greg will have his lines absolutely dialed come race run time, so the longer bike and increase in stability/decrease in agility is a bonus.
Correct me if I'm wrong but downhill trails don't seem to have as many true tight switchbacks as EWS courses do. I think that's a factor on why long bikes work for downhill races.
But did they figure out how to paint frames correctly?? I know it's cosmetic and a lame thing to worry about, but as someone who sells his bike often to try something different the hit on resale you risk with paint chips is a big bummer. One of the reasons I went stumpy over sentinel recently.
With regards to the tailgate pad- they include a nice little silicone or rubber(I am not a scientist) stick-on piece to protect the downtube.
I've got helicopter tape on the top tube and the exposed parts of the downtube.
Some day in the future when I can buy new bikes again, they’ll all get RideWrapped before their first ride. The only issue I had applying it was getting things thoroughly clean enough, which wouldn’t be an issue with a new bike.
Do I have a lemon?
Even when I touch up vehicles with the same paint brand and the exact code from the manufacturer, it's exceedingly rare to be perfect without taking the time and doing it right. Any touch up paint without following a process is always going to be "hopefully OK at 5 feet". It's why the paint pen at Advance Auto is like 20 bucks and getting it done right is like 500.
I expected big things from this bike and it’s a bit disappointing
If Curt Kobain was alive today and was a pinker, he’d come out with an album titled Smells Like Cognitive Dissonance.
Its good to hear that this bike is more than just a "downhill only" bike like I thought it might be. And I see on the transition website that you can short shock it to 160mm of travel.
Does anyone know what that does to the geo? I'm familiar how over/under forking a bike affects geo... but I have no idea what shrinking the shock does to it.
@mikelevy has anyone on the team talked about trying the bike with less travel in the rear? It "seems" like it might make it a bit more versatile for people thinking its "too much bike" (which we know isn't Seb
If you look at the sizing and how proportionate all the top dogs bikes are (hill, Minnaar, bruni, remi, moir, etc…) you can start to see that they all ride and choose more balanced bikes regardless of what the size recommendation is
Can confirm the trail used for testing is “Sugar”. Given Sun Peaks terrain, it was a smart, well rounded trail choice for an enduro bike shoot out. There are a ton of sections where being able to carry your speed is key to a fast run, and there are some corner sections that would require some more manhandling on larger bikes like the Norco and GT.
That being said the trails that would’ve catered to those bikes would’ve been in full freeride or dh race bike terrain. something like “insanity one” or “honey drop”, the former being the bc cup dh course.
On a positive note, I can also agree that these bikes are certainly confidence inspiring! The geometry, center of gravity and wheel base make you feel like you can roll over anything on a fast or bumpy descent!
Forgot to say that I did this on my V2 with the stock link. Still made the bike way more capable, calmer and a bit less poppy, much to my liking. We all have different tastes though
I like to feel every bump though haha
EDIT: Shock is custom tuned and that gave me WAY more than the link did (especially because it was only like $5 of shims).
I am looking to replace my Enduro 2020 with something simple, durable and with similar riding caracteristics
That being said, descending was phenomenal, and the pedaling characteristics were also exceptional. In the end I sold it and went back to the other bike because it was just that much more comfortable when climbing to the top.
One of the first bikes in my whole life that out of shape me doesn't get arm pump at the bike park on. Not sure if it's the body position or what, but it feels good.
This is the first bike I've been able to flog all day doing bike park laps with my soggy dad bod and not get the expected arm pump. I could pretty much tell first run too. I don't know what magic or voodoo that is, but I'll take it.
I just mean that a few weeks of lifting 3x a week with 5x5 reps of 3 lifts will make a noticeable difference.
I know this is a piece of advice that might not be overly useful to you but the way the Spire rode didn't make it feel like an oil tanker in a pot hole. It really did turn well as the nice healthy stack made it really easy to weight the front as I felt the bars were in a useable range. I know everyone does the whole offset thing nower days but Transition have been doing it longer than most and maybe that's how they can eek out so much performance in terms of fore and aft balance.
What about a medium with a +10mm reach adjust? It could be the perfect compromise with a 470/475mm reach and a similar wheelbase to what you're used to. Loads of standover clearence then and a short seattube of 390mm could have you feeling like the bike is ultra slammed and out the way. I also rode this bike with a 50mm stem (I'm old fashioned like that fml) and I absolutely loved it! So, another 10mm to play with there.
Alternatively, you could go 10mm shorter on a large too, just to make my answer really useless! Haha.
I actually had a chance to ride a medium Patrol recently, and that actually fit me better than my old Large did.
I really enjoy the information and insight being provided, but the more I read the more it seems there is an opportunity to provide a view that may more closely reflect those of the masses.
Also, how much do you guys weigh? I'm just shy of 200 pounds and I've ran out of rebound damping range on the shock. Will likely need to get it custom tuned or explore other options.
I recommend giving Transition a call for further setup help.
Has nothing to do with internal vs external. There are many many full-internal setups that don't make it easy to run rear brake left side.
However this way does let you easily do bearing maintenance, or just install a frame wrap, without have to bleed the rear brake, which is just way more important than a single little hose being on the outside down the down tube.
Personally though, the colors available for the AL models are... not great. It looks like even mid pandemic, and huge bike shortages everywhere, the Orange AL frameset is available today in my size, while the raw AL option is 3 months out at least.
What I don't get is how a bike with such good responses, manages to be 4 seconds slower. That seems like quite a bit and I'm not knocking the bike at all, just curious why the large spread between the feel and the reality?
Been riding mine for the past 2 years and when it's working I love it, however I've had no end of trouble with creaking pivot points, headset etc.
I also sometimes miss my 27.5 2015 Rocky Altitude. I find it harder to wheelie/manual/bunny hop the Ransom, and I find myself hitting my ass on the bigger back tire fairly often. I'm considering the base model Spire right now (Fox Float X, Marzocchi Bomber Z1), how do you think it would compare to the base Ransom from 2 years ago (x fusion shock, yari fork)? I'm looking for a one do-it-all bike - 95% pedaling, from warmup greens and blues in the springtime to steep, loose and bony in the late summer.
either Transition sucks at carbon, or Specialized is way ahead of any competition (which wouldn't surprise me given they develop that shit for world cup level racing in every two wheel sport imaginable)
Also haven't heard of many people who have cracked TR carbon frames, can't say the same about the Enduro
No plans of replacing my enduro but I would strongly consider a Sentinel or Spire if I was in the market
Only difference: alu frame and fixed seat post. So men il took you 16 years to save 2kg by making it carbon and double the price.
Haha
I believe enduro-mtb posted article about time laps and bike sizes, downsizing lead to faster times on enduro tracks
Loved it going down, confidence inspiring.
How did it do against the clock.
.... Slowest.
.but it was better than the YT.
How did the YT do?
.... Fastest.
Being inspired when going slower isn't what I want from a big sled I have just pedalled to the top. I wanna know my effort has pedalled will have me going super fast rather than fitting perfect and feeling inspired (the data says it doesn't fit perfect, the data says it's the slowest and therefore not the best fit).
It does look lovely though.
And BB height of Large is 350/343mm. My XL Optic is 337 and I find pedal strikes are more common than I'd like.
Your restraint is admirable
I guess that's what angle sets are for. Steepening the Spire's HTA.
It is a very good looking bike.
If I was picking one for more "aggressive trail" and less "shuttle/park/enduro" riding, I'd pick the Sentinel. You know, in a world where you could actually order a Sentinel and it would show up at your local bike shop within the next year.
I love it.
It's as if bikes went on all fast food diets.
So yeah, its quite long.
Although, looking at it differently, its still 50mm short of the wheelbase of the dirt bike I grew up riding, so maybe it wouldn't feel all that weird after all