With the blistering hot summer in full effect, this trip was one of the toughest we have fought through. Shooting from sunrise to sunset, midday temps in the 100s, earthquakes at night, and crashing drones. Despite all that, we still had a damn good time.
Scroll through the photos below to see some of the shenanigans and shredding from the trip.
To check out the 2018 Smuggler, as well as the other bikes in the line, head to the Transition site
Video Production: Skye Schillhammer Camera work: Brian Elliot Riders: Blake Treadway (US sales) and Skye Schillhammer (media squid) Photography: Ben Tobin
I'd like to know how capable is this bike with only 120 out back. My last 29" with 120 out back was not competent at all when things got even a little rough.
Based on this ad, looks like a bike to get you from point A to B, on buff single track, fast.
Not knocking Transition or the bike as I'm very interested in this rig for trail riding, but not sure if it can handle our every day terrain. Tough for me to get a demo.
@MikerJ: my '15 smuggler with 115mm out back can handle anything I have ever thrown at it and that includes bike park blue trails nothing but permagrins
@MikerJ: My Scout, though 650B has only 125 out back with 140 in front. Never have I felt outgunned by even some of the gnarliest rock sections I've encountered out here in Tahoe. With 29" wheels and only 5mm less out back, pick your line and fly!
I think I'll just take out a second in the home and get one of each of Transitions bikes... best of all the worlds! Haha
-unrealistic as hell and would end in my wife divorcing me... wow, this really may be worth it!
Good vibes... glad they kept the smuggler in their line up. Use all the goofy acronyms you want, just keep making kick butt bikes that appeal to riders. Threaded BB, aluminum, and sturdy. Nice work Transition!!!
Brand new to the bike community been kicking around the decision for what bike to get this winter... so far I like the Sentinel, Scout, Bronson, 5010, and RM pipeline and Instinct... still not sure on 29 or 27.5 as I travel yearly for work and will see all kinds of different terrain. The bike industry really knows how to make tough decisions for the FNG...damn!
scout or smuggie, cant go wrong really. i feel like the main difference is if you want to go fast everywhere or pop and play everwhere. both can goon out with ease, the smuggler is just so damn fast, the scout is like a slope bike that can rip a dh trail.
Definitely the Scout. I like the Patrol, Smuggler and Scout but absolutely LOVE my Scout. Transition folks from beyond Peace Arch....you guys are AWESOME!!!
Bought my wife a smuggler. I tried it out last week- I was BLOWN away at just how impressive that bike pedals and handles. I'm 5'6", and for a short guy on a 29er, i can easily manual it, and I FLEW uphill with no sweat (I usually break a good sweat on this climb) and the bike just FLEW downhill. I was so impressed, I'm selling my frame and getting a transition.
F*ckity, f*ck, f*uck Yeah! Tranny is looking good again for 2018, I was eyeing up the sentinel but the reviews are pretty similar. If you're sessioning Whistler and those kind of steeps it's like a min DH rig and great for that purpose. If not then stop looking past the constant travel arms race because bigger isn't better. It's about Geo, linkage and all the elements. Think like Tranny. They released a 115mm rear smuggler when everyone was going from 120 to 140 and 150 it nailed everything and was in everyones top 10 for the year. That was not because it was a 115 bike but because it was very well thought out and created. The best thing I did was against all the hype and pick a shorter travel, alu, 29'r because it's hella fun, fast as crazy and likes to be pushed super hard, even as hard (or harder) as my 160 / 150 27.5 commencal Meta AM. My go to enduro rig above the AM. Can't wait to see what then new patrol is like with the new geo!
I also have a Smuggler and a V4 meta. I think the Smuggler is faster and it copes well with anything that I would ride on the Commy, I would say the V4 is plusher through gnar and on bigger drops though. But so it should be given how much more rear travel it has. The Smuggler is very impressive considering it only has 115mm out back.
@metaam: 100%. My commy should be a lot better but it's not 90% of the time. For sure on the big hits, the nasty rock gardens and the jumps it's there but it's not out of sight. I'm now stuck as I've kinda go 2 bikes that do the same kind of this just in a different way. Not a bad problem.
Whatever happened to the Trans AM?!?!? They had a whole video about loving the simplicity of it....God they are so good at being the cool kids. That aside, they make great bikes. But man, they are winning the popularity contest in the mountain bike world (that feels surprisingly like junior high).
Smuggler or Fuel EX 29 as a next (most capable) trail bike? They seem to be a whole lot alike. Anyone have real world input on both? seems that opting for SBG bikes limit people from buying anything else than their proprietary forks. While Trek has the flip switch on their Geo. People rave about them in the same context of fast and shreddy
According to transition, putting a standard offset pork on there will just make it feel like a bike that doesn't have SBG. It's not like you're locked into a proprietary standard.
I've demo'd a Fuel EX 29er and loved it. Was thinking about looking for a Smuggler or Rocky Mountain Instinct to demo in town just to see if I like one of those better, but I'm also tempted to just buy the Fuel...
Also really liked the SC Hightower. But I just can't afford it.
@Rzamvilla: I took the Fuel to Mt Bachelor bike park for the day since I wanted to get as much mileage as possible, so can't comment on it's climbing ability. Current plan is to rent it again for a big trail day with a lot of climbing to make sure it's not a pig. It definitely kept up on the rougher and faster trails. I was keeping up with people I usually just wave goodbye to once it gets fast.
The Hightower felt absolutely great going up and down, rented it for one of the longest trail days I've done and loved it, but my tax bracket means that the $5000 S build that I want is a little out of my reach.
Fuel EX is a very linear bike, to me it felt like a more capable burlier Ripley LS on the downs but a lighter Enduro 29 on the climbs. It really wallows on steep punchy
climbs. Small bump compliance you won't find a better bike in that travel range. I haven't had any time on the transition but own a django 29 which has similar kinematics. The Django is alot snappier and supportive where the Fuel EX is plush and predictable. Hope this helps
@cookerq: Yeah that's really helpful in fact. I don't like that wallow feel of the reactiv. Its an odd feel of really stomping on the pedals, when you climb, the times I rode those reactiv shocks they felt like you needed to really know when that dip in the regressive curves happens to not feel that. I get the idea of it gluing to ground better, but input on it felt odd. The Django does seem sweet, but there's no dealer nearby to test one out :/
I love Transition, especially their latest bikes. But we are going to look back on this era of the flat brim cap and wonder just what we were thinking.
One of the things my bike industry coworkers and I do is play soundtracks to bike movies. We take turns picking songs and everyone else has to name the artist, song, segment and film that it was featured in. So when I heard the song the used I was like "wtf?! Blasphemy!". Maybe they were paying homage to Where the Trail Ends...?
absolutely unacceptable to rip off the song from one of the most iconic sections in mountain bike history. Honestly this needs talking down and reposting with a different track it's that disrespectful. Sort it out transition bikes. @transitionbikes
thats beside the point. I'm sure there's 12 year old kids out there using this song for go pro edits and that's totally fine too but when someone used it to showcase our sport at the very highest level it's not cool to rip it off for a bike commercial. Someone needs to google song jacking. Haha
They better start smuggling carbon frame soon because I'll be buying something else. I love my Smuggler, but there is no room to upgrade the frame unless I switch brand...
80 Comments
Please???
Interesting advertisement.
I'd like to know how capable is this bike with only 120 out back. My last 29" with 120 out back was not competent at all when things got even a little rough.
Based on this ad, looks like a bike to get you from point A to B, on buff single track, fast.
Not knocking Transition or the bike as I'm very interested in this rig for trail riding, but not sure if it can handle our every day terrain. Tough for me to get a demo.
There are quite a few options available to choose from - That song belongs to much more than a advertisement.
Looking forward to the ride reviews on this one, Less is more sometimes.
Also really liked the SC Hightower. But I just can't afford it.
The Hightower felt absolutely great going up and down, rented it for one of the longest trail days I've done and loved it, but my tax bracket means that the $5000 S build that I want is a little out of my reach.
What he said
That's why it was so obscure. It worked in Where the Trail Ends because it was used during one of the China segments.
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