Descending Back in 2013, it was Kona's Process 111 that really opened my eyes to the fact that a bike's geometry can be more important than the amount of rear travel. Unfortunately, that bike is nowhere to be found in Kona's lineup, but the good news is that Transition have taken that ball and run with it – the Smuggler fits perfectly into the slot vacated by the 111.
The Smuggler is all about fun, first and foremost. It's a bike that encourages its rider to goof off, whether that's by seeing how many mid-trail manuals you can pull, or trying to find out just how hard you can smash into a bermed corner. Sure, you can't go rocketing full blast into a minefield of rocks and expect to come out the other side as easily as you would on an enduro race machine, but that's not what this bike is all about. Instead, it's about finding the bonus lines, the hidden lips and landings that make a familiar trail even more entertaining.
There's a nice blend of stability and snappiness to the Smuggler's handling – on fast, wide open sections of trail it felt extremely stable, without any speed wobbles or twitchiness. Slow things down a bit and it's still nice and maneuverable – its manners are relaxed but not sluggish, which is handy when you're trying to pick your way through an ice and snow covered jumble of off-camber roots. The chainstay length is relatively short, which makes it easy to get that rear wheel around on tighter turn, and contributes to the bikes' peppy nature. Granted, short chainstays aren't always the answer, and in an ideal world their length would vary by frame size, but in this case, that short back end fits well with the Smuggler's intentions.
Of course, there are still limits to what you can get away with when there's only 120mm of rear travel available. Having that 140mm Fox 34 up front does help take the sting out of the bigger impacts, but only to a certain point. In most instances there was plenty of ramp up in the Fox Float shock to avoid any harsh bottom outs, but every once in a while a muted 'thwang' would make it clear that there weren't any more millimeters of squish left, typically after I went a little farther, or landed a little flatter than I probably should have.
Whats the point in that? Road bike with suspension
Never mind the fact the 'fun' is subjective most of the time. Compare a Norco Aurum against a Scott Gambler. One is more 'fun' that the other. Or at least I found them that way.
*Limited Rear Tire Clearance System system.
** Attempted Humorus Acronym For Marketing Purposes
Couldn't agree more.
I went from a Prime to a Carbine 29c and back to a Prime.
With a CCILCoil its all I could really need.
Agree that the alu models are boat anchors.
But 29# and change for an aggressive trail bike made for jumping and taking a beating?
Sounds good to me. I've never had an aggro trail bike that was under 30 lbs. This ain't no Tallboy or sb4.5.
Throw your carbon wheelset on it and shred, bro.
true that jc and i like the new Genius.
That's a nice weight on the enduro, weaslycat.
That is a size smaller than this tho, and if you're rocking smaller wheels then you've got a weight savings in the wheels and tires too. For me if I'm under 30 on an aggro 120 up to a 160 bike I'd be very happy. Either way it would be setup with properly strong wheels and tires at the expense of weight.
Curious about your enduro setup.
@Soilsledding: Agreed, probably no bad thing, nobody wants a broken bike, though as I said before where is the sweet spot?
Top shelf comparo, @mikekazimer.
I was up in the air between a GG trail pistol and the sbg smuggler. I ended up going with the smuggler just because I was able to ride one and loved it. Would be awesome to see how it compares to the trial pistol and other 120ish mm 29ers.
That being said, why would I buy this over a Rocky Mountain Instinct?? The RM will pedal about the same (transition is known for poor pedaling), have more rear travel (140mm), shorter wheelbase, longer top tube, Ride9 Adjustable Geo/Fit/Progression, fits 2.6 tires, can run 650b plus setup, can run as BC 155m/160mm bike!, isn't sluggish, has same nice STA, is about a 1lb lighter, etc etc.
I also think they should point out the weak X01 spec in that is has a GX cassette with the pins in it and NOT X01 cranks (descendants aren't all that great and are heavy)...only the heaviest and most expensive parts lol.
Beautiful bike tho, I just think other companies have made this same bike but even better.
Transition is no better or no worse than anyone else when it comes to screwing you on the factory build.
As far as the instinct goes it's a matter of personal preference. Sure the Rocky has a longer top tube but transition has a much longer reach and much steeper seat tube angle which will give it a much different feel.
I'd say it's not about being better bikes out there but because there are so many good bikes out there now it's about choosing the best bike for how you ride. Are you more into doing long rides and sticking to mellow trails? Are you more about getting to the top as fast as possible so you can shred down? Do you love to do everything and want a bike that can still shred as hard as possible and get rowdy when you want yet be an efficient peddler and keep up on the mellow trails? It's a wonderful thing now you can pick a bike for your personal needs. Transition typically makes bikes for people that like to get rowdy, this still fits the mold.
Regardless I wasn't talking about the Geo as they are similar (I think Rocky copied much of the Smuggler just like Ibis did with the Ripmo). I was talking about the suspension (I've been on a smuggler), the lack of geo adjustment, and the freaking dumb*** tire clearance for a PNW bike....all in a heavier package with less travel and no plus bike support (let alone options to BC a bike). I mean some of that is pretty significant dude.
As far as Geo....You off. In the slack Rocky setting with a 66deg head angle you're getting a 74.5deg STA and a 455mm reach. That's way off the Smugglers 75.8deg STA and 475mm reach on a large.
You could put the Rocky in Steep and get an STA of 75.5deg and a reach of 465mm, which is 10mm off Transitions reach but now you have a 67deg head angle and more importantly you're bottom bracket drop is only 23mm now vs the Smugglers 35mm drop. That BBD is going to have a big effect on how the big rides. You're not going to be able to set up the Rocky have the same feel as the Smuggler.
I'm not trying to shit on the Rocky, I know lots of guys that ride them but the Smuggler is a different bike and to say it's not good because it doesn't have geo adjustment (don't need it when the geo is right, every Rocky Rider I know just puts it in slack and leaves it), has less travel and can't "BC" it is just silly. Those who buy it are getting it because it has less travel and want that feel. Want a 140mm bike? Go ahead but it won't have the same feel. Even suggesting that the bike isn't as good because you can get a bike with more travel is just such a silly statement.
That being said, I'd recommend the new Instinct (or others) over this (assuming you can live without 120mm of travel) because its cheaper, lighter, more versatile and for goodness sake's doesn't have some stupid 2.3 (tight) tire limitations. The tire flaw is enough to make this a hard pass.
And the Rocky isn't cheaper. For a Carbon Instinct with Guide R's and a GX drivetrain you're paying $6700. For a Carbon Smuggler with Guide R's and GX drive train you're paying $6450 so the Smuggler is actually cheaper.
You recommend the Rocky because you like it, but everything else you've mentioned is just false, yes the tire clearance is a little goofy but 2.3 tires is probably the most common sized tire that people up here in the PNW ride anyway. It may be a deal breaker for some but lots of people are fine with it.
The Smuggler is going to be an amazing bike for those who want a short travel bike that rips right off the rack with no messing about. The Rocky is an amazing bike for those who want a bit more travel and want some versatility. One isn't better than the other, it's just personal preference.
www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/biking/trail-mountain-bike/transition-smuggler-gx-2018
I rode one and fell in love. Fingers are crossed that it comes in before 2019. First 29er I have enjoyed enough to throw down some money on. I find Transition's whole party/beer/bro vibe insufferable. I have also been riding long enough to remember when the Transition Bandit had a 120% failure rate on the chainstays and while they always took care of them, it always seemed to be after three weeks of pestering them and a conversation with someone at Transition HQ where they wasted ten minutes of you time talking about an awesome riding trip they were just on. (cool and all but where are my warranty parts!)
this bike is legit.
I feel like a couple years back it wasn’t impossible to find a new alum frame with a proper fork (pike, 34, etc.) for less than 4000 Canadian Pesos. Giant Reign 2 comes to mind, or the old Reign SX.
It’s getting harder and harder not to look strictly at direct to consumer brands, even with that weird mix of guilt and shame I would feel going riding with the local shop owners afterwards.
CON: "not the lightest option" - what DOES the frame weigh? and/or just say it's heavy.
one day manufacturers will realize that the passive aggressive pressure applied to 'journalists' to leave non-critical product reviews means said outlets lose credibility, so that when you actually DO have a segment-leading product - noone believes it, because everything is so hyped.
This quote from the review goes into the bike's weight a little further: "At a touch over 29 pounds, the Smuggler isn't wildly obese, but it probably won't fit the bill if you're obsessed with having the lightest bike possible. For me, performance carries more weight than the numbers on the scale, and given the Smuggler's handling on the descents I'm willing to overlook a little extra heft."
www.walmart.com/ip/Wrangler-Men-s-Outdoor-Expandable-Waist-Utility-Pant/56026561#read-more
www.walmart.com/ip/Wrangler-Men-s-Long-Sleeve-Wicking-Flannel-Shirt/56080577
If fun is NOT high on your list you're doing it wrong!
I thought one of the reasons offsets were extended a while ago was because it helped the bike handle better at slower speeds, but the geometry then was considerably shorter/less aggressive, so I'm wondering how slower speed stuff handles with short offsets but long geo.
2.5-2.25 isn't what I would call progressive
Got one and used to ride 429 Trail.
It's even better and more versatile. Travel doesn't matter (in the negative way) and bike character can be altered from XCish to DH by changing travel in the front, type of shock (DPS or X2) and having 2 sets of tires or wheelsets.
I was waiting on the carbon smuggler to build a new bike. Then the Following came out and I nearly pulled the trigger on one. Then I got an amazing deal and built a Trek Remedy.... but my next bike is either going to be a smuggler or a following. If two bikes need to be compared to each other it's those two.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK6QMSpHuPs
I like The YT but, I also like what-ever Transition has got going on up there in Bellingham. Something about the fact that its not a E-bike is one of their selling features makes me think these guys know what's up.