Transition Patrol Carbon – Test Ride

I got the chance to take a few of Transition Bikes’ new models out on a wet fall day in Ashland Oregon. With shuttles from Ashland Mountain Adventures(AMA) and tacky dirt, it was a great day to try out some bikes on trails I’m familiar with and have raced several times.

I first took out the Carbon Patrol. AMA shuttled us to the top of 4 corners. Rather than immediately drop in on Catwalk, I pedaled up to the top of Missing Link. I was impressed with how little pedal bob there was even with 35% sag.

Once the pedaling was over the bike really started to shine. Obviously, this bike is going to excel on the downhill’s of course. With a 65 degree headtube angle, 155mm of rear travel and 160mm up front, this bike soaks up everything. It was more responsive and snappier than I’d expect for a bike this big.

Transition paid close attention to details on Patrol. The internally molded carbon tubes make cable routing easy and keeps the noise down. The threaded bottom bracket means easier maintenance and minimal creaking. Furthermore, they employ collet style pivot bolts, this means that you shouldn’t have to worry about any pivots coming loose.

What I don’t understand is why the bike doesn’t feature a downtube frame protector. It’s pretty standard now for companies to include downtube guards on both their carbon and aluminum models, but Transition seems to have overlooked this. This isn’t a huge problem as there are many aftermarket products that you can use and even some DIY solutions. They do however have one of the nicest chainstay guards that I’ve seen on any bike.

I only had a short 2 hours to ride on the Patrol, but I felt very comfortable on the bike right from the start. I was able to with 100% confidence into steep rocky chutes, fast flowing turns, and some big jumps. Overall the bike is rad, goes fast, and gets sendy!