27.5, 29er, All Mountain Trail, News, Patrol, Scout, Sentinel, Smuggler, Transition Bikes - August 24, 2017

2018 Transition Bikes line-up unveiled

It’s sometimes hard to tell whether the crew from Transition Bikes is being serious or just messing around. They’ve cornered the market on irreverent internet videos that often take shots at the rest of the bike industry. Or they just push out something like this. Yeehaw!

Click here to view the embedded video.

But Transition also has a knack for making great bikes, the much loved Patrol, Scout, and Smuggler among them. For 2018 all those bikes are getting a major geometry tweak, and welcome another horse to the proverbial stable, the Sentinel 29er with 160mm front and 140mm rear travel.

The new bike fits between the Scout (27.5, 150mm front, 130mm rear) and Patrol (27.5, 170mm front, 160mm rear) in travel range, and is capable of being used in the same manner of both bikes depending on your preference for travel and wheel size. But more than that, the redesigned GiddyUp trail bike lineup is about taking a holistic approach to creating a bike that changes the way riders connect with their bike, says Transition.

“Our new 2018 bikes started with a clean slate and new approach to bike geometry we call speed balanced geometry (SBG) that puts the rider in a more balanced position on the bike which improves traction and control at all speeds,” they say. “Our main focus with the updates was to maintain the ride feel of each model while simultaneously pressing the enhance button a few times.”

That button pushing yielded a quintet of changes: longer reach, slacker headtube angles, steeper seat tube angles, shorter stems, and shorter fork offsets. It was all done with the aim of getting the rider more centered between the front and rear wheels to improve front wheel traction and get the rider in more confident position on the bike. The first thing you’ll notice, says Transition, is the dramatic reduction in front wheel slide. Press play to learn more.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“You feel like you can put more pressure on the contact point that pushes the tire into dirt and that translates into more confidence,” they say. “That also helps in climbing by creating a more nimble front end even though angles are slacker.”

Here’s a complete highlights rundown of all the 2018 bikes, which will be available starting this coming fall.