(screams)
- Did you see that (beep) save?
(laughs)
(upbeat music)
- Hey everybody, I'm Mike Levy
I'm here at Pink Bikes cross country field test.
Now Transition didn't invent this whole long and slack thing
but they're definitely one of the brands
that has fully embraced it.
And now, they're applying that approach to geometry to this,
their all new Spur.
Its a 120 millimeter travel 20 niner
that's designed to be lightweight, cover ground quickly,
but according to Transition,
also be able to descend anything
that you may come across on your ride.
Rather than starting life as a cross country race bike
that gets a bump up in travel,
and a few burlier components.
I'm talking about the scalpel
and the Epic Evo.
The spur began life intended for rowdy or riding.
There are three different versions of the spur
and it all starts at the $5,000 GX bike.
This one, this is the X O one version.
It's $6,000.
And for that you're getting DT
is XR 1700 wheels,
a CIT ultimate for a Sid luck shock.
And can you guess what kind
of drive train?
So our XO-1 test bike weighs 24.7 pounds
with their Schwab control tires installed.
Transition says that a frame comes in at 2,500 grams,
but that is definitely a little bit heavier
than those race bikes that got a bump up in travel
that I mentioned earlier.
Cannondale Scalpel SE, they say
that their frame weighs around 1900 grams
and the Epic Evo frame is a right around there too.
And you're looking at around a 600 gram weight penalty
for the spur.
But like I mentioned,
this bite is definitely intended for
some route your riding.
So keep that in mind.
And if you've already got a bunch of components
or you want to build up your dream bike, frame
and shock 3000 bucks that comes with that sit lux shock
that you see on the back of this one.
Alright, let's talk about suspension
and it's pretty straightforward
on the back of the spur,
the sit Lux shock it's compressed from above by
that tiny little rocker link.
That's also carbon fiber.
Now one big talking point here is
that there's no actual pivot on the spur,
transition is using engineered flex instead.
And we're actually seeing a fair bit of it this days,
keep in mind that sealed bearings are not light
and neither is the hardware and everything else
that you need to hold it all together.
So instead they've engineered flex into the back
of those seat stays, flex pivots are not new.
They have been around forever
and they've been very reliable.
It's a proven way to save weight
on a short travel bike, like the spur.
That's enough on the suspension.
Let's talk frame details.
There's a threaded bottom bracket and a head tube
that accepts pressing cops
so that riders can install angle, adjusting headsets,
water bottles, You can fit a big one
inside the front triangle
and cable routing goes
inside the frame for the reader railer
and it's tube in tube.
And that means that you push it in
and it will come right out that hole there
without you having to scream at it.
The rear brake it's mounted on the outside
of the frame.
And that makes it easy.
In case you have any maintenance troubles
that you need to deal with.
All right, other details,
there's a set of threaded bosses underneath
the top two for a tool kit,
as well as two ISG chain guide mounts
around the bottom bracket shell.
That will let you bolt on one
of those tiny little chain guides last
but not least.
There's some integrated chain state protection
that I think looks a whole lot nicer
than those bumpy things as well
as they do work.
All right, let's talk about the geometry now and transition.
They definitely have the most extreme geometry
of all the bikes
in my little test group.
I'm five foot 10,
and I'm on a large
that has a very roomy 480 millimeter reach.
The bike also has a 66 degree head angle
making it the most relaxed steering bike here.
There's also a 75.9 degrees seat angle.
Why not just call it 76? I don't know.
And all sizes across the board
get 435 millimeter chain stays.
Okay.
That's all the details
on the transition spur.
Let's get to how this thing rides
(up beat music)
- As usual, We're going to talk about set up first.
Anything to note here.
- Yeah, there actually is something different to note
about the spur.
Transition says that you can run anywhere from 25
to 35% sag,
which is a pretty wide range - huge range
- for 120 millimeter travel bike.
I tried 25.
I tried 30 and I tried 35.
I liked it at 30 the most.
So that's what we ran
in at 30% in the back.
And then of course we put
on our Schwab,
we control tires,
- like all the other bikes?
- like all the other bikes.
you guys are probably tired of hearing that.
And then we hit the trails.
Spec wise transition pretty much nailed it out
of the box.
So there's nothing to change.
And as a long stroke dropper post,
it has a white handlebar
and a short STEM,
all the things you need.
(Up beat music)
Transition, obviously didn't make this bike
to dominate the climbs.
That's not - Not
- yeah, who'd have thought, right?
It's Slack.
It's long.
It's made to go fast on the downs and have fun.
Just to get to the top.
That's the idea here.
And that's kinda what it feels like to.
In the tech stuff, it's tricky.
The bike feels much longer than some
of the other bikes I'm riding
and it's slacker Of course,
that steep seat angle it's certainly helps a lot,
but there's no hiding the lengths.
So you just need to be aware of
where your wheels are.
More than you would be on a bike.
That's shorter.
- So easier on like gravel road clients maybe
than technical climbs?
- Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Those gravel road climbs,
you just go straight up
and you don't even really have to think
about lunch hours.
(laughs)
- Yeah, on the efficiency front, this thing,
it feels extremely sporty,
I know it's not a race bike,
but it only has 120 millimeters.
I never felt like I had to reach down for
that cheater switch,
but it has a lot of traction
and that helps you.
Cause, and yeah,
you just plan ahead,
pick the wide line,
- kick the wide line, always kick the wide line
with her choice
- Yeah (chuckles)
- To be tagline. (laughs)
- Exactly.
(up beat music)
So the spur lets you look at the trail like you were
on a trail bike or even
something maybe even more aggressive than that.
- Really?
- Yeah. This does not ride like a cross country bike.
I felt super comfortable on this thing.
- Some of us maybe didn't feel
so comfy watching you riding this,
especially in film.
- I had a few close calls,
but I think that really speaks to how capable
this bike is.
You get on this thing and like I just wanted
to go faster.
It's feels super composed.
It stays on the deck when you want it
to it doesn't feel all Scattery
and I mean,
if you're more comfortable,
you go faster, right? - yeah
- You have more room in your brain
to process things.
And that's exactly what happens on the spur
compared to the other cross country
- Kind of slows down the trail.
So you can go fast.
- Yeah, exactly.
- Why do you think that is?
- I mean, it really comes down to geometry.
It's slacker it's longer
and it rides exactly like that
and it gives you more room for air it's like the edge
is farther away from you.
- Seems like the opposite
of all the XC bikes.
(Laughs)
- who would've thought? Exactly.
(Up beat music)
The spur had the fastest downhill lap,
which did not surprise me one bit.
- Hmm!
It was third overall on the loop
and they made most of that up on the descent.
It wasn't too shabby on the climbs,
but middle of the pack there,
as far as the efficiency test goes,
again, it was middle of the pack.
It was on the same second is a lot
of other bikes,
beat by that speedy Canyon but
- you wouldn't expect it to win that.
- Yeah.
(up beat music)
- Big part of ridding is
how the components fair.
What were they like
on the spur?
- Good, but not flawless.
So one up dropper posts,
they usually just go and go and go
and I never have to touch them.
This one is a long travel one,
so that's great.
- hmm
But it definitely was a little finicky
with cable tension for some reason.
I don't know why,
but it needed constant adjustment.
The other reliability issue,
it's a cede with pushing play.
performance wise, the fourth worked extremely well,
but it developed pushing play
to rock sock says if you have a said,
with pushing play,
reach out to them
and they'll sort you out right away.
A couple other things
they've specked aluminum wheels on this bike,
obviously that helps keep the price down,
but it's also probably appropriate for how this bike
is meant to be riddin.
And then for piston brakes.
So Kasmin will be happy.
- Of course
- And then, if any short travel bike deserves surfaced
and race,
- Will be probably be this one, Yeah.
(up beat music)
What were some of the things
that you liked most about bike or some of the pros?
- Well, I mean the big obvious pro here is that this
is obviously a descenders cross country bike.
This thing was made to shred the downs
and it does exactly that
and it does it really, really well.
So if that's what you're all about,
this is your bike.
(up beat music)
- Of course we have to talk
about the cons.
What were some of the things
that you didn't like as much?
- Well I think the big one here and it's,
it is hard to fault transition for this is
that it's obviously a handful relatively speaking
on the climbs
- Does it climb like an evy? C'mon in the video they said.
- Yeah, It doesn't have a motor.
So yes, of course,
but it's really just the LinkedIn, the geometry,
Kazimer we could argue all day
about it being,
just finding the climbs and it
is just finding the clients.
But if you're someone
who counts your dabs,
I mean this isn't your bike
and that's not what it was intended for.
So there you go.
(up beat music)
- So who is the ideal person that
is gonna really thrive and enjoy this bike?
- Well in case it wasn't obvious already,
this is definitely a down-hillers cross country bike.
it's for somebody that likes the energy
of a short travel bike,
but they still want to take chances on the descents
and they still like to peddle,
you wear knee pads
on your short travel bike.
- Isn't probably a good option.
- Yeah. It's probably a good option.
(laughs)
So that's it for transitions for all new spurs.
Stay tuned for more field tests,
videos and round table discussions,
trying to think of a spur
of the moment joke.
- Got one?
- Not so much.
- That big - Let's get our baggies.
Let's go riding.
- All good - Alright.
(up beat music)