From what I was told, seems the folks at Transition do this every other year based on what kind of costs they can get based on large qty orders. So this year its Shimano, then next year it will be SRAM. When I bought my Spur and Smuggler, it was a SRAM year. Likewise with the suspension, so this year its Fox.
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Is Cervelo back? https://www.cervelo.com/en-US/bikes/zfs-5
I notice a lot of the newer, more boutique perhaps, XC bikes like the Pivot Mach 4SL, The Salsa Spearfish, the Norco Revolver etc are all either being sold with flight attendant or no remote lockout. I think they all have routing for remote lockout but would that require change / upgrade of shock and fork?
Is modern suspension so good it is no longer needed?
Looks to be the same frame as previous years?
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No. The bikes in the link you sent have the old XTR and XT build kits (non-Di2). They are also showing bikes with the old version of the RockShox dropper post. That site hasn’t been updated in years.
So, rather than configuring their bikes based on what the market wants, it sounds they are making decisions based on what components they can buy the cheapest to maximize margin per unit rather then units sold. I know nothing about their business strategy, but that’s usually a terrible approach unless a company has very limited production capability and/or intentionally trying to limit sales volumes for some reason. That model works for high end swiss watches, but this ain’t that.
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Transition has the most well stocked closeout bike section I’ve seen from any bike manufacturer so take that for what you will.
Like one of their bikes? Wait 8 months and you can snag it for 30-40% off.
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So true unfortunately. That’s how I was able to pickup last year’s trail bike Smuggler on a good marked down deal.
Funny how that works when your build decisions are dictated by cost cutting rather than market demand. Maybe the model still makes sense for them if they are getting components for pennies on the dollar. Sounds like they are all in on being the factory outlet mall of the cycling world.
Yeah, this one surprised me given that they showed a Spur in their new marketing material built up with a SID and Flight Attendant for the XC racing shots. They’ve been going with Fox/Shimano builds for a bit now, but the split for these builds didn’t make sense to me. The previous Spur is Flight Attendant compatible (I just got it installed on mine), but I have no idea if this one will be (I’d hope so based on the marketing materials).
anyone tried the wolf tooth pedals? Wondering how annoying could be to use their single side gravel pedal on a mtb, is that a dumb idea?
My riding buddy has been using wolf tooth pedals with no complaints. I believe it was on his gravel, however.
I wouldn’t say its dumb, just depends on the course condition and if you’re mount/dismounting like CX races that require more clip/unclip situations. But if you’re constantly clipping/unclipping, the double sided pedal is the recommended option.
From some earlier gravel thread, reviews have been pretty good and positive although the single sided takes times for the grease to settle and loosen up so that the right side up stays positioned when you need to clip back in quickly.
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Starting to wonder if Revel will be releasing an updated Ranger soon. Considering getting one for longer distance and multi day events, but with hints that there’s still many more XC bikes coming out soon…
CBF is cool but there’s so many damn bearings. They’re limited with the weight they can get that bike down to unfortunately. It’s a fun bike, pretty snappy and climbs well but I’d hesitate to make it my XC race bike.
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Maybe add Marin to the list? Over on the Vital MTB forums there’s a rumor that Marin had something new at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo a couple of weeks ago.
Likely more on the trail side of the coin, but these pics of the upcoming Forbidden Reya were posted on Vital MTB:
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Those bearings add weight and maintenance/complexity. I had a 1st gen Ranger and the ride was great, but it couldn’t go more than a week before it got creaky, even in dry conditions. Replacing the bearings annually was a major job. I moved to a Blur, and while the suspension performance may not 100% match the Ranger, it stays quiet and bearing replacements are much easier (and free from Santa Cruz!).
Totally agree. I owned a Ranger back in 2021 when I was flipping bikes near monthly. I’ve owned damn near every XC/DC bike out there (including the Blur TR for a year). The Ranger is a super fun bike, very agile but I too had a very creaky frame. Probably took it apart every 3 rides to quiet it down…always came back. Felt that way about the 2020 Element too.
Amazing bikes, but if I’m constantly chasing noises I’m going to move on.
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Having watched a few reviews, I am quite intrigued by the new Pivot Mach 4 SL and the new Ripley SL