Transition kept its new T11 hidden in their pits and shooed away eager photographers, but PB shooter Ross Bell captured some spy shots of the stunning carbon DH racer as Tahnée Seagrave prepared for practice runs at the Fort William round of the British Downhill Series. The new T11 has a sleek looking carbon fiber chassis, and a completely different rear suspension that uses a Horst-Link-type four-bar configuration. The seatstay drives the downtube-mounted Fox shock through a large rocker link that hangs below the top tube.
The aluminum chassis TR500 that the team has been using was a single-pivot swingarm, which drove the shock through a seat tube tunnel. The T11 seatstay curves sharply downward where it pivots on the rocker link, presumably to raise the stay to provide more clearance for the seatstay bridge. Wheel size is 27.5-inches, and it appears that the cable and hose routing is completely external, which should be helpful for race mechanics, who may have to tear down the entire chassis daily.
Tahnee Seagrave's carbon T11 (left) is a completely new chassis design. Compare it to the Team's aluminum framed TR500 on the right.
I prefer internal because there's less to go wrong (not broken zip ties) and it looks better.
If the bike is externally routed, brake comes off, brake goes on, and you're riding again. It's much better if you're racing or even just travelling with your bike. (I've actually had to do this before a race run at a bike park and I would have been screwed if my cables were internal.
Internally routed shifting is usually fine though.
Don't even get me started on some companys dropper routing.... 110 degree bends in the BB area and even with the reverb connector it barely gets through....
I'm personally not a big fan of internal brake routing. The Zees came off my sons Canyon Sender which I swapped for his preferred Magura MT7 really big PITA even with a guide wire pulled through.
I'm not a fan of internal gear cable either as some of the runs can be really tight causing stiction and affect gear changing unless you regularly lube or replace cables.
Got home an used the string an hoover method an done it in 10 mins.....
So much for qualified bike mechs
What problem will removing the brake from your bike without bleeding it fix?
I've never seen a hold hose, but it's probably much less likely on an internally routed hose.
There is literally no advantage to internally routed cables. The only two I can see are cleaner lines, which is purely a form thing, and less likely to catch on something (fair enough) but what if your brake line cracks somehow and dumps fluid into your frame, or your gear housing cracks and splinters inside the downtube (good luck getting that out and getting a new one in if its stuck). How can you even tell that somethings wrong. The ability to switch out every brake, line and cable in 30 minutes on a bike can make a huge difference in a busy racer or mechanics schedule.
I like the clean lines of internal routing and I suspect the vast majority of riders, including myself, swap brakes once a year or less. I highly doubt most riders, even racers bring spare brakes with them to swap in event of a failure. I've raced season upon season of XC and enduro (and a small bit of DH), and I can't say as I've ever had an unexpected brake failure that wasn't due to pad wear.
Over here holding my breath for a carbon smuggler @TransitionBikeCompany
You're welcome.
Look what happened to formula 1, the new rules put in place to limit engine power took some of the excitement out of it. Almost all of the drivers opposed the new regulations.
Personally I'm pretty excited to see what's goes down in Fort William with the 29ers.
i believe there should be maximum wheel sizes for dh, like there are maximums in f.i.s. dh ski racing.
a bigger person just can't have a bigger ski on the alpine world cup, there are maximums...and minimums too i believe.
let the innovations come to shocks, drive trains, tires and frames etc.
but wheel size needs to be regulated for the sake of the smaller teams and manus who make up all the other people in world cup races who help make the show what it is and to help those in the top 20 legitimize their positions at the top of the sport.
the racers who will never break into the top 20 deserve at least a fightin chance to compete by being on the same wheel size as the big dogs. even if it is just for optics...........and i'm not talking optics as in how good the bikes look, i'm talkin from a spectator and fans point of view.........
29 and 27.5 are not "wheel" sizes, they are marketing BS... 29ers share the same ISO bead seat diameter (622mm) as road/trekking bikes which are called 28" (which is pretty much an arbitrary number as well). 27.5 (650b) dates at least back to the 50s (probably older) and was used on mtb by schwinn and raleigh back in the 80s (obviously didn't last). The 27.5 monicker was a marketing idea to put them in relation to the established 26/29 teminology. In reality 650b is much closer to 26 than 29...
I was stoaked for the new new Furious after riding the original for 5years but the tweener wheels are a disappointment. A simple axle flip chip would've made it perfect
#RIP650b
650b was just a one stop hype train to wagonwheelville
ah, yes.... couldn't we all?
"650b is better in almost every respect. We have an end game planned for 29ers."
Other plus side is the bearings can be replaced without taking pressfit body out of the bike which means no more buying the whole thing just 24 bucks in bearings.
that is less effected by braking than a single pivot suspension.
Specialized was so blown away by the performance that they bought the rights to the patent.
The Horst link works and has been used on many different bike brands.
the reason for placing the pivot on the seat stays was to get around the patent.
Horst link is no marketing BS.
But then any one with experience on many different suspensions including the Horst link would know exactly what I a talking about.
Deja Vu all over again?
I believe normal riders don't need a bigger wheel to go faster. 90% rider and 10% bike. It's insane to see how the general public falls into these marketing scams. Suckers. If we don't buy 29" products they won't make it. Transition has nothing to worry about. Forget 29" wheels. They look so big and ugly. Sure they might be faster sometimes. But bikes look horrible with a huge wheel. It's ugly. k hear those road bike spandex monkeys mentioning how they can get into riding mountain bikes now.
Whatever. I'm going back to motocross. This game changes way to much. Hahah
Transition. Way to go with a upgraded dh. Looks sick. Love you guys and wish you well. Tr5000000 rocked.
...who is next ? KONA ?