Pit Stop: Enduro World Series Round 5 - Winter Park

Jul 26, 2014
by Mike Kazimer  
Enduro World Series 5
  Transition's Lars Sternberg rolled up to the starting line aboard a polished prototype of an upcoming model from the Washington based company.

Transition prototype. Matt Wragg photo.
  The bike uses a four bar linkage suspension design, with a pivot on the chainstay that appears to be almost parallel with the rear axle.

Transition prototype. Matt Wragg photo.
  It may not be breaking any new ground aesthetically, but Transition's new ride does appear have all the features of a modern all-mountain bike, including internal cable routing, a tapered head tube and low standover height combined with a longer front center.

Enduro World Series 5
  Most riders are running some version of a narrow-wide chainring, but BMC's Francois Bailly-Maitre chose to go with a 36 tooth Saint chainring with an upper and lower guide for extra security.

Enduro World Series 5. G5 prototype
  Trek athletes were on prototype Bontrager tires, 29" versions of the company's G5 tread pattern that's used on the World Cup DH circuit.

Enduro World Series 5
  When you're as fast as Justin Leov you get the RAD treatment, the custom shock tuning that Fox offers their top athletes.

Enduro World Series 5
  Leov's not the only one who gets custom shock tuning - Curtis Keene is running a BlackBox version of the RockShox Vivid Air on his Specialized Enduro.

Enduro World Series 5. Specialized Slaughter
  Conditions this weekend are dry and fast, so many riders have opted to go with a lower profile rear tire, something like the Specialized Slaughter shown here. The reduced center knob height decreases rolling resistance, while the side knobs are still tall enough to provide predictable cornering traction.

Enduro World Series 5
  Anneke Beerten had an emblem on her helmet in memoriam of the passengers who lost their lives aboard flight MH17, many of whom were from the Netherlands, Anneke's home country.

Enduro World Series 5
  Fresh off a win at the first stop of the Cascadia Dirt Cup, Alex McGuinness, aka 'Krunk Shox' had a flashy blue set of Chris King hubs with their new XD driver.

Enduro World Series 5. Giant Reign 27.5
  Yoann Barelli is on a pre-production 27.5" Giant Reign, which he rode to a 6th place position on day one.

Enduro World Series 5. GT Sanction
  Dan Atherton's GT Sanction is ready for smashing out bike park laps at Winter Park, and at Whistler, the next destination on his North American tour, with a 170mm Fox 36 and a higher rise bar than he typically uses.

Enduro World Series 5. XTR Di2
  This is the only XTR Di2 drivetrain currently in the United States. You can bet that Shimano were keeping close tabs on its whereabouts.


Author Info:
mikekazimer avatar

Member since Feb 1, 2009
1,719 articles

55 Comments
  • 48 1
 Would be good to see another "bikes of the EWS" post to see what everyone is riding seeing as there are constantly changes being made and advances in technology
  • 25 2
 That transition is sick!
  • 3 1
 I thought it was quite nice
  • 4 0
 every transition is sic! i love riding my tranny
  • 4 14
flag viatch (Jul 26, 2014 at 20:53) (Below Threshold)
 its a rocky mountain slayer copy, even has the FSR-type linkage.....be more creative please ?
  • 4 11
flag djcrossmax (Jul 27, 2014 at 0:02) (Below Threshold)
 That's a Trek Remedy knockoff.
  • 3 1
 Looks like a specialized pitch imo with that short link in the back...
  • 22 6
 I'm surprised it's taken this long for a company like Transition to jump on the expired FSR patent and move away from a faux bar to true four bar suspension design. Hopefully this will be a good change for them.
  • 14 0
 Not too long, since it expired this year, right? That means they've been in the process of designing the bike for a while now.
  • 16 23
flag meathooker (Jul 25, 2014 at 23:14) (Below Threshold)
 "Like transition"?

You mean a company that makes super simple single pivot suspensions with minimal innovation?

They have a created an amazing following which you have to give them credit for, but I've never been able to figure out why.
  • 4 11
flag game (Jul 25, 2014 at 23:20) (Below Threshold)
 its not fsr, closer to ict like elseworth runs, axle would need to be higher in relation to the pivot to make it a horst link.
  • 15 3
 @meathooker me being a transition rider since 2008 and owned pretty much every model...yeah they aren't ground breaking but they just feel stunning somehow. I think i started riding them bc they looked good, were decently priced, and the company made you feel like family. over the years, they've def made their bikes better and better and i'm assuming this is the new covert and it looks just amazing
  • 30 18
 I didn't realize so many suspension engineers roamed around PB to give of their wisdom?! Oh, you wise experts, please impart more of your suspension knowledge!
  • 5 2
 Putting a pivot on the chain stay near the rear axle still makes for a virtual pivot point because the axle doesn't rotate on a fixed chain stay length around the main pivot. I'm not sure what exactly the FSR (horst link) patent entailed, but I'm going to assume that a pivot point on the chain stay anywhere near the rear axle is in the patent because there haven't been many similar designs available until now. There are so many arm chair suspension engineers because the fundamental design principals of linkages and pivot locations and resultant leverage ratios and wheel paths are really basic. The beauty of design is getting it all to fit with the desired geometry and component constraints, optimizing material thicknesses and whether it can be built with current technology/techniques, in addition to getting the desired suspension results.
  • 3 11
flag Pichy (Jul 26, 2014 at 3:51) (Below Threshold)
 Putting a pivot on the chain stay near the rear axle still makes for a virtual pivot point because the axle doesn't rotate on a fixed chain stay length around the main pivot. LOL!
  • 5 1
 What happened to Cock n Balls
  • 1 0
 @Pichy, Lapierre explain it quite well on their website if you're still skeptical.
  • 5 10
flag millsr4 (Jul 26, 2014 at 7:17) (Below Threshold)
 Well its a good looking bike from Transition I guess but unfortunately that's where it ends... they only design the aesthetics themselves. All of the engineering for their bikes is done over seas by their Asian manufacturer while the only people being employed in the USA are graphic designers and warehouse personnel. I'm all for local, made in the USA brands but can we really consider this one...? I too can't understand why everyone loves them...
  • 5 8
 FSR is no better than a faux bar, maybe better for marketing!
  • 5 2
 FSR acts completely different than any faux bar bike that I've ridden. Transition makes reallly good quality bikes with simple designs that work well, and they are awesome to deal with from a customer service standpoint. The company as a whole is really down to earth.
  • 5 1
 @ meathooker-

Ditto that. I've always thought they were nice looking bikes, with nice lines, and their graphics are pretty cool. I was thinking about trying one, but then my best friend bought a Covert, and quickly sold it off since he said it was the worst bike he had ever ridden. It would be cool to see them go to a four bar suspension with the Horst link.

I've never really understood why they attracted so much attention either. It always seems to me that they were just the cool kids in town, nothing particularly special about their bikes. Maybe this will change that?
  • 4 1
 @millsr4
Source???? I've been to interbike and seen tons of the asian frames and transition doesn't do that. All of their designs are done in house by kevin and another engineer. companies later produce approx the same looking frames, but def aren't the same if you have eyes and can see the differences
  • 4 3
 @nmpearson - yes their "designs" are done in house but by graphic designers not engineers. The engineering to make them safe bikes is done by an outsourced contractor and lets them know what changes need to be made to their original design. My source is myself since I live in WA not far from their facility in Ferndale and after graduating last spring with a manufacturing engineering degree I went and talked to Kyle when he invited me to their facility. In addition I now work at a local machine shop where we have quoted jobs for them but because they design for aesthetics with no thought about the manufacturing process there was no way we could meet their pricing requirements at our shop and I doubt many shops in this country could. They are great guys who do a lot for local riders and the riding scene but as a manufacturing company goes I don't have a ton of respect for them.
  • 3 1
 yeah, i've gone to their dealer camps a few summers also. They def aren't a Taiwanese company(airborne) as i thought you inferred at first. Plus, there is nothing wrong with outsourcing an engineer. Most smaller companies do bc keeping a 125k engineer on staff really raises your overhead. I even know a few companies that refuse to outsource an engineer...so atleast they have that over a couple companies. I know they have to hit price points. I just don't see anything wrong with designing something, having an engineer refine it, outsource the frames to factories that do amazing, then sell their product at a fair price. Are you against all the brands that build overseas? bc that's like 95% of them
  • 3 4
 Its not fsr you fools, keep neg propping for no reason
  • 4 4
 Lets compare this "innovative" Transition proto with a Rocky Slayer proto welded up in 2010, shall we:

www.pinkbike.com/photo/11222902
  • 2 1
 Looks a lot like the slayer slope too.
  • 3 0
 There are far more important aspects of a frame than just suspension layout. There are plenty of single pivot bikes that absolutely rock because of their geo and leverage/shock tunes. Focus too much on axle path (or any other aspect) and you could quite easily sketch out a dog.
  • 2 0
 Separation of design and engineering processes is common in most industries so I can't really grasp the opposition to Transition contracting the engineering of their frames out. Take home building for example: the architect designs the home. Then the plans go to a structural engineer to calculate out how to make the architect's design buildable and conform with code, zoning, and other rules, regulations, and laws.
  • 1 0
 Architects are the graphic designers of the construction industry. They both just come up something that "looks good" but have no idea how to make it a reality or if their fancy design will even work. Your talking about a completely different industry as well where its my personal opinion that in the manufacturing realm, for multiple reasons, the more you keep in house the better. I just see them as being more of "bike designers" rather than a proper bike manufacturers. Intense is a good example of an American company that does things right.
  • 10 0
 Kudos Anneke! Remember MH17
  • 3 6
 Putin sucks!
  • 7 12
flag Supernex (Jul 26, 2014 at 21:08) (Below Threshold)
 Putin > Obama
  • 2 2
 Saying Putin is great(over anyone) is just sick and plain ignorant.
That said, without a representative republic, maybe Obama would rule in similar fashion?
Coming up via Chicago politics is dirty, but not quite the same as kjb roots.
  • 6 1
 You cats crack me up! Transition comes out with a new bike and its "Oh my god so rad, what innovation looks like nothing else" Then when others come out with new bikes and I will leave particulars out it's "Oh they are so copying this and that company get original" How about listening to the saying? "Opinions are like ass holes everyone has got one"! I have to stop reading idiot remarks!
  • 7 0
 The Gt from that angle is so intimidating lol
  • 4 3
 lol ikr i literally cant even
  • 5 0
 im gonna get the transition just to see if I can break almost every bike they make.
  • 5 0
 If that TR will hold a water bottle, I'll replace my Covert! !!!
  • 4 0
 Not to sound like a jerk, but that's not Dan Atherton's GT Sanction. Dan is number 62, that my friend is Martin Maes' bike.
  • 4 0
 Raw aluminum bikes always look good, and that Transition is no exception
  • 2 0
 Yeah, the Covert is a cheap poorly engineered single pivot bike..? WRONG! My Covert is awesome.. And so is Sid's m.pinkbike.com/video/356307
  • 3 0
 I'm a fan of that Transition just sayin it's a sick looking bike IMO
  • 2 0
 Well..when you have a nick name like " Krunk shox" , you really need blue hubs Razz
  • 2 0
 I think it's about time Transition made a purple bike, purple is rad
  • 1 0
 It's funny. On here everyone rips on enduro. To me these bikes are what mountain biking is all about.
  • 1 0
 he looks like a mixture of tracey and mick hannah Big Grin
  • 3 1
 Transition slayer?
  • 2 0
 Yep. Rocky Slayer Proto from 2010:

www.pinkbike.com/photo/11222902
  • 1 1
 Reply your name to start a petition against having e-bikes!!
  • 1 1
 Black Box
  • 2 2
 So much enduro...
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