I have been waiting to write a review of the Transition Spur until I could get it out on the kind of ride it is best suited to tackle, something with plenty of climbing that also included some serious descending. I finally got out on one of those rides last weekend and now I feel like I can share my experience with the bike.
The Bike: Transition Spur GX size L 120/120 29er
The Rider: 48 years old, 6’-2” 185 lbs
Location Ridden: Western Washington State
There has been so much written about the bike that I don’t have anything novel to add other than my personal experience. That experience is that I love to ride this bike. It doesn’t matter where we go and I am psyched to jump on the Spur. I have done big climbs, technical XC trails, rooty and gnarly descents, bike park jump lines, and miles of more mundane riding. It is all fun.
I am someone who delights in hammering up a big climb and the Spur makes that so much fun. I can sit in the saddle firing away with a smile on my face. I wouldn’t call it nimble on the more technical climbs, but it is capable. On something where every switchback is not root and rock infested, this thing churns up the climbs and lets you blow past all of the unsuspecting riders who didn’t know they were in a race to the top, and most of those who did.
When the trail turns down the bike has gotten me out of some scary situations that my skill, or lack thereof, put me in. It seems equally at home on flowy jump trails and steeper techy descents. A bigger travel bike might make them even easier, but for me, it would probably allow me to put myself in more situations where my ego is writing checks my body can’t cash. I am definitely more comfortable in all types of descending on the Spur than on the other bikes I have ridden.
In all likelihood, you probably already know if the Spur is the right bike for you or not. Few recent bikes have gotten more press or more reviews. Those reviews all align with my experience quite well. The more time on spend on the bike the better it feels and the happier I get.
What do I really like? Riding it fast. The fast I go the more fun this bike is to ride. Flat, rolling, up, down, the faster the better. Sure I have set plenty of PRs on climbs and descents on the bike. It climbs and descends better than my other bike, a hardtail. This is not a huge surprise to me. That I have great fun riding harder and suffering more is a bit more of a surprise.
What is not to like? The low bottom bracket means you have to pay attention to where your peddles are when the going gets rougher. My ratchet peddle is getting smoother as a result, but that isn’t super efficient. The SIDLuxe rear shock is getting better but seems like it may be too light for bigger riders taking bigger hits. The more I ride it and fiddle with various settings the more I like, it but I have bottomed out many, many times even when running well over the recommended psi.
Who is it for? If you enjoy the up and the down, love to climb, but also love to get a bit rowdy on the way down this bike rocks. If you need one bike that you can take almost anywhere, that will take you almost anywhere this is a great choice.
Who is it not for? People at either extreme of the climb/descend spectrum. If you need the most efficient bike you can buy, this isn’t quite that. If you are looking for something for a lift-assisted bike park or shuttle laps this is not enough bike for that. Also, if you legit need an e-bike, this isn’t one, Transition’s great marketing notwithstanding.
The Bike: Transition Spur GX size L 120/120 29er
The Rider: 48 years old, 6’-2” 185 lbs
Location Ridden: Western Washington State
There has been so much written about the bike that I don’t have anything novel to add other than my personal experience. That experience is that I love to ride this bike. It doesn’t matter where we go and I am psyched to jump on the Spur. I have done big climbs, technical XC trails, rooty and gnarly descents, bike park jump lines, and miles of more mundane riding. It is all fun.
I am someone who delights in hammering up a big climb and the Spur makes that so much fun. I can sit in the saddle firing away with a smile on my face. I wouldn’t call it nimble on the more technical climbs, but it is capable. On something where every switchback is not root and rock infested, this thing churns up the climbs and lets you blow past all of the unsuspecting riders who didn’t know they were in a race to the top, and most of those who did.
When the trail turns down the bike has gotten me out of some scary situations that my skill, or lack thereof, put me in. It seems equally at home on flowy jump trails and steeper techy descents. A bigger travel bike might make them even easier, but for me, it would probably allow me to put myself in more situations where my ego is writing checks my body can’t cash. I am definitely more comfortable in all types of descending on the Spur than on the other bikes I have ridden.
In all likelihood, you probably already know if the Spur is the right bike for you or not. Few recent bikes have gotten more press or more reviews. Those reviews all align with my experience quite well. The more time on spend on the bike the better it feels and the happier I get.
What do I really like? Riding it fast. The fast I go the more fun this bike is to ride. Flat, rolling, up, down, the faster the better. Sure I have set plenty of PRs on climbs and descents on the bike. It climbs and descends better than my other bike, a hardtail. This is not a huge surprise to me. That I have great fun riding harder and suffering more is a bit more of a surprise.
What is not to like? The low bottom bracket means you have to pay attention to where your peddles are when the going gets rougher. My ratchet peddle is getting smoother as a result, but that isn’t super efficient. The SIDLuxe rear shock is getting better but seems like it may be too light for bigger riders taking bigger hits. The more I ride it and fiddle with various settings the more I like, it but I have bottomed out many, many times even when running well over the recommended psi.
Who is it for? If you enjoy the up and the down, love to climb, but also love to get a bit rowdy on the way down this bike rocks. If you need one bike that you can take almost anywhere, that will take you almost anywhere this is a great choice.
Who is it not for? People at either extreme of the climb/descend spectrum. If you need the most efficient bike you can buy, this isn’t quite that. If you are looking for something for a lift-assisted bike park or shuttle laps this is not enough bike for that. Also, if you legit need an e-bike, this isn’t one, Transition’s great marketing notwithstanding.