2018 Transition

PATROL NX

Transition found a way to make the Patrol even rowdier. With the addition of a coil...

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Transition’s Patrol might be the most well-known bike in the Pacific Northwest. As the company’s home territory, there’s good reason for the Patrol’s ubiquity: It was designed for the exact type of steep and rugged trails that so many people in this region ride. The fine folks at Transition Bikes put in plenty of time partying in the woods to know exactly what attributes pair best with the rowdy creations of the PNW’s most renowned trailbuilders. And so, to create a bike that thrives in the steeps and excels when hucking to flat, they’ve done a few things differently. Debuting in 2015, when Transition implemented its Giddyup suspension platform, the Patrol immediately turned heads and catapulted the brand into the mainstream spotlight. Four years later, the model is still running strong and setting the bar for long-travel 27.5-inch bikes. A substantial change was made in 2018 with the addition of Speed Balanced Geometry, the company’s approach to evolving frame geometry and numbers to make the most out of the changes that mountain bikes have gone through in recent years. Essentially, what SBG does is increase the reach, shorten the stem, steepen the seat tube, slack out the head tube angle and reduce the fork offset. While this might seem like a lot of individual adjustments, they’re all made with one goal in mind: changing the steering trail to conform with modern frame designs. This, in turn, changes the steering and front end feelings of the bike, increasing front wheel traction and high-speed stability. Well, it sure is hard to argue with logic and math, and the folks at Transition have been carving out their own (extremely creative) path for a while, so if they’re willing to take this leap, I’m guessing there’s some truth to it. After putting the Patrol Carbon NX through its paces for the better part of nine months, and riding everything between Bellingham, WA and Whistler, BC—which is exactly what they had in mind while designing SBG—I can attest that these guys are on to something.

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Now you sure as hell don’t need me to sit here and tell you that Transition bikes have earned themselves a mighty reputation in recent years for delivering some of the nicest rigs on the market, needless to say, whenever we get the chance to spend some quality time testing one of their new whips we certainly look forward to the opportunity. What could be described as the party animal of the Transition line up would be the brand new […]

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