My rides, part of the Transition Family

bockner · Aug 10, 2006

whats the weight like on the Preston and Bottlerocket?

bockner · Aug 10, 2006

was talking total build weight, nothing too beefy (I got a dh rig) but was thinking DHX air, fox up front as well....would love to get something in the 28-30lbs range

mandown · Aug 10, 2006

i got my BR built up with OK components weight-wise. it comes in at 40lbs. you could probably get it down to 35 lbs without much of a problem. i have 400 gram bars, cromo cranks and a heavy spider. i also have 900 gram tires and a sorta heavy wheelset. i am running a fox 36 VAN R up front and a coil DHX.

the DHX air will be a bit lighter. you could go with an air 36 fork to shave another pound off. 28-30 is gonna be tough. 30-35 is possible, but probably closer to 35.

bjanga · Aug 10, 2006

I think I got the fork thing sorted. The rebound adjust knob was kinda notchy and once I turned it harder the fork REALLY slowed down. It still tops out at faster rebound speeds though.

flat broke · Aug 11, 2006

Bjanga or Summit, what size frames are you running and how tall are you guys? Both your rigs look nice, and at 35lbs, the difference between your Vagrants and my Jack Flash comes down to my cranks and DJ2 which makes me feel a little better. I'm kinda so-so on the handling of my rig and the vagrant wasn't on my radar when I first bought my frame in Jan 05.

If either of you guys have ridden 20" deals in the past, can you give me a "feels like X frame if it were a 20" type statement? Bjanga, you had a Haro Escape for a while right? How does this bike feel in comparision. My brother has a Haro Zero so I can kinda gauge off that.

Last but not least, if you don't mind me askin, what did you pay for the frame? You can PM me with the info if you don't want to post up.

After I get more time back in the saddle on my Jack Flash (or whatever I get to replace it), the bottlerocket definitely looks to be the next addition to the quiver.

Thanks,
Chris

bjanga · Aug 11, 2006

I am running the medium with the 16.5" seat tube and I am 6' tall. I can get full seat extension, and a 410mm Thomson post fits ALL the way inside the seat tube.
I do not have any real ride time yet, but the Vagrant has a pretty slack head angle. With the seat all of the way down, I can lean the bike waaaaaaay over. It is nuts. I have not ridden a 20" though.

The Escape was a weird bike. It had a 19.5" seat tube and a super short top tube. I doubt the Zero handles the same way that the Escape did.

I paid retail for the frame, from ride-this.com

What kind of riding do you plan on doing?

flat broke · Aug 11, 2006

Thanks for the input. I didn't bother to look at the geo between the Zero and the escape, so thanks for the heads up. I built my current rig for trails/DJ/light urban(whatever I find around town when out crusing around) The Flash is a solid frame, but I couldn't ride one before I layed down the coin, and I was going off a suggestion from my LBS. They didn't have one in stock, so I know they weren't trying to unload stock on me. The bike feels okay sometimes, but in other situations, it just doesn't have that instinctive feel that lets you know everything is just right. I guess you could say I like it, but I don't love it. And since it is my only ride outside of my Giant Rainier, I need to love it to feel comfy doing what I plan to do with it.

After you take it for a ride this weekend, feel free to post up some more of your impressions. Ease of manualing, how easy/hard it is to pull the front up, even how easy or hard it is to bail cleanly off the bike.

Talk to you later,
Chris

ride26 · Aug 11, 2006

this thread has over-run my brain...I just ordered a Preston
watching these kind of threads I'm going to end up going broke

bjanga · Aug 11, 2006

flat broke, have you looked at the trail-or-park? I think the Vagrant is intended as more of a trailriding deal.

ride26, make sure you feed the thread with pics!

sickbullit · Aug 11, 2006

Why not throw my dog into the race...

held up nice at keystone and vail with the dhx air and 66sl...no complaints...

ride26 · Aug 11, 2006

sickbullit, just wondering...what is your dirtbag's weight?

ride26 · Aug 11, 2006

TRANSITION-MJR said:
"ride26" you bought a Preston that is Killer, thats what this is all about, its cool knowing this thread helped you in your purchase. your going to love your preston, i know i love mine. what did you end up getting (color, rear shock, build kit?) make sure you post pictures. are you from CT? i live in New York, were do you ride? later bro. props on your new rig.

I have wanted a Preston from the 1st day I saw the video of Kevin riding one on Transition's website but after see everyone else's I had to get one now
as for the frame I'm going to be getting the Matte Slate Gray with the 4-way...for now depending how I like it I might upgrade later
as for a build..it all depends on my funds,my dream spec list will be something long the lines of a fox 36,syncros bear hug stem,sic ll bars,hayes,deetracks,all sram, and so on ...but like I said it is all about my funds...now I have to try to sell off a bunch of extra parts
yup I'm in Ct I ride alot at Platty,Jiminy Peak, MT Snow,and of course Diablo and a bunch of my local trails
where in NY are you?

bjanga · Aug 11, 2006

I love the light blue color on the dirtbags.

arboc! · Aug 11, 2006

Summit · Aug 12, 2006

broke, ditto to what bjanga said. I'm 5'10", running a medium frame. I can get *just* full seatpost extension (actually I'm surprised bjanga can get it at 6'0" on a medium). And can drop the post and slam it to the frame, at which point it is so dropped that it's amazing how maneuverable it is. You can see how tall the pics look in the stand on mine; it's even more so when riding in XC position, heh.

I haven't ridden 20's either, sorry. I had an Iron Horse Yakuza hardtail before this which was a bigger, higher standover frame and although I had fun on it, the Transition is a much better rig. More versatile, easier to huck, toss around, etc. Pricewise, I got it straight from Transition so whatever they're charging these days...

Also, on the Dirtbags - LOVE the light blue frame. Question on those: how does the BB height feel? Low and fast, or high and tall? On my Yeti AS-X, the ONLY thing I don't like about it is the super high BB. I'd consider a DB next season if it were lower/faster cornering...

flat broke · Aug 12, 2006

bjanga said:
flat broke, have you looked at the trail-or-park? I think the Vagrant is intended as more of a trailriding deal.

I looked at the ToP, but trails/AM is definitely a measurable portion of what I want to use the bike for, hence the reason I was looking at the vagrant. That and I like the snapiness of Al frames. Don't get me wrong, I know there is no such thing as a true magic bullet; what I'm having the hardest time pining down is that feeling you get when you throw your leg over the right bike. From the diveway, to the trail and back, it just feels right. There may be other bikes that jump better, or climb better, but the bike that just makes you stoked to be pedaling around; thats what I'm looking for. As nice as the NJF is, it isn't that bike/frame, and thats why I was asking about the Vagrant. I looks like it might be closer to what I was looking for, but without getting a leg over one, I have to solicit lots of other opinions and compare geo figures to stuff I already know.

Sorry for the highjack. Keep posting those Transition pics kids. Especially if there are more Vagrants or Bottle Rockets floating around.

Chris

bjanga · Aug 12, 2006

Vagrant with the post waaaay up:
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/5869/1857rerela0.jpg

Summit, how long is your seatpost?

My haro was bigger and taller, just like summit's Yazuka. My Haro had like a 6" headtube, the Vagrant has a 4.75" I think. My balls still rest on the top tube, but I have an inch more travel too now

I do have tons of clearance towards the seat tube though.

I see the Vagrant as basically a cookie cutter hardtail tweaked to be lower and slacker than anything else on the market. The bike is actually slacker than an Evil Imperial, if Evil does not account for sag in their measurements.

Kntr · Aug 12, 2006

I love the bikes but hate the toptube cable routing.

allsk8sno · Aug 13, 2006

i'll post my brand spankin new light blue dirtbag when i get it rideable...built it up last night only to discover the fork seals blown on my new, unridden 66sl...

flat broke · Aug 13, 2006

Bjanga and Summit, thanks for the input. A buddy with more sadle time than me threw a leg over the NJF today and kinda felt the same way about it I did, so I know I'm not paranoid

Consensus is too high a BB with too short a top tube. Makes it nimble, but just to cramped for what I want.

So now the only real question is to go Medium or Large. By the matrix I'd fall in on a Medium as I'm 5'11". But comparing the geo to the geo on my brother's Zero 1 the effective top tube .3" longer, while the medium is a full inch shorter. Chainstays are the same for the M or L, and close to the Zero as is the bb height. The only glaring difference is the wheelbase. I like having more room on the top tube with the Large vagrant frame, but I'm a little concerned about the bike being a little slow cornering wise and in terms of flickability with the Large being 2 full inches longer than the Zero, and the Medium coming in almost an inch and a half shorter. Where my shoulders would fall when I'm pedaling out of the sadle is pretty much the determining factor. Can you guys tell me what length crank arms your running and stem lengths as well as where your shoulders are relative to the head tube when your pedaling out of the sadle? After spending more time on my NJF, that is were I really notice things not working for me, so hopefully this last bit of info can help me decide whether to go with the M or the L.

Thanks for putting up with all the stupid questions,
Chris

bjanga · Aug 13, 2006

I think you should go for the M. The bike is SLACK and you are going to want the smaller bike to compensate for that. Call up Transition and get their opinion. They told me that Brad Walton (I do not remember how tall he was) had a large but wished he had gone with the medium.

I am running 170mm cranks, because I like the feel of the shorter arms. I am running a 45mm stem and flat bars with no spacers beneath the stem, so my cockpit is very cramped. My knees do not bang on the bars though. I guess I like a smaller bike

The Vagrant is going to be longer than the Zero because the Zero is a pure jump bike.

What fork do you want to put on the bike?

I would have gone with the Large, but I wanted the shorter seat tube and was worried about being able to easily weight different parts of the bike with the long top tube. I hate having to stretch out to get behind the bike. I can check out my shoulder position on monday.

Check out my impressions, too:
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163065

flat broke · Aug 13, 2006

Thanks for the linky to your initial impressions. I know what you're saying about the large maybe requiring too much effort to really weight/unweight the front/rear of the bike like you would be able to do on a smaller bike. That's my main concern between the two sizes. I want the TT to be long enough so I'm comfy and have some room, but not too long that it provides a poor leverage situation for pulling the nose when either seated, or out of the saddle. I've got a 50mm and 35mm stem that I can use, so that gives me some room to fine tune, but if things are too long with the 35 I'm pretty much screwed and looking for a Medium.

As far as a fork, Ideally I'd like to run a Vanilla 36 but I don't think it can be shortened to 5" so I'm not sure. Budget wise for the time being, I'd probalby just swap the guts of my DJ out to Dropoff or Z1 freeride internals(if they'd fit) for a cheap fix.

I'm going to give Transition a call on Monday, and maybe take a trip down to their local dealer in Tustin as I think I recall seeing a brown Vagrant in there a week or two ago. Maybe I could get them to slide a fork and stem up the head tube to give me an idea of where things would fall if I was on the bike.

Thanks again for all of your input, and thanks in advance for checking on that shoulder position question for me.

Chris

bjanga · Aug 13, 2006

Are you set on running a 5" travel fork then?

flat broke · Aug 13, 2006

I'm not dead set on a 5", but thats the direction I'm leaning. When I talk to the guys at Transition, I'll run that by them, as the inch difference, may change the HA enough to be a deciding factor between the two sizes.

Chris

sickbullit · Aug 14, 2006

TRANSITION-MJR said:
"sickbullit"
i have no complaints!! thats a steller ride, very nice build. how are you liking your E-13 DRS?

It's great...i ran on on my bullit before, but with the ISCG mounts on the DB it's even better...another plus is it acts as one of the spacers for the external bearings and the chainline is dialed.

Love the DRS...never dropped a chain...and i abused it at keystone and vail.

not sure about the weight...should throw it on the scale, but i keep forgetting...i think it's around 37...but that's a guess.

Greyhound · Aug 14, 2006

My '05 Preston. Ready to rip Wilsons Creek.

bjanga · Aug 14, 2006

How does the Blue Groove work out on the rear? I like it on the front . . .

sickbullit · Aug 14, 2006

TRANSITION-MJR said:
Sweet. I think i will be looking to get a E-13 DRS for my Preston, upgrade from my MRP LRP.

DO IT! you won't regret it, you can't get a better dual ring set up imho. I'm running 26/36 and it's a really nice gear range with a normal 11/32 on the rear...it can prettty much go into any gear without a bunch of drag....

Greyhound · Aug 14, 2006

bjanga said:
How does the Blue Groove work out on the rear? I like it on the front . . .

Meh.....for the mountains here in NC, they're average at best---they drift a lot. Predictable, but too much for my tastes. Soil is real loamy and the Blue Grooves really don't get a lot of bite on the sides.

But around in central NC(where I live) the soil is hardpack red clay---they work real well there. Really fast and the wider knobs adhere to rocks really well.

I had Nevegals before and thought I would try these out for the heck of it. I was more impressed with the Nevegals front and rear.

Summit · Aug 14, 2006

broke, I've got the stock FSA FR stem, 75mm. It's long enough for climbing but short enough to feel tight for DH/DJ. not sure what the seatpost length is but it is long when fully extended. I've got long legs and a medium-ish torso and am somewhere between 5'10"-11". On steeeep climbs, the front does wander and lift off the ground - it is slack. But as long as the climb is moderate, it does just fine. Much better climber than my Yeti ASX (but that has a Shiver on it). Transition specs 170mm crankarms, but they gave me a different crankset (not the Gap, they sent me the V-Drive extremes). I'm totally happy with the Medium frame; it's small-ish but tons of fun. I think the large would be too stretched out for dj duty. But definitely call Transition - those guys were super helpful and knowledgeable on sizing (and everything else).

manitouman28 · Aug 15, 2006

heres my dirtbag,
Since the picture has been taken I have swapped the monster for a 05 888rc, deity cranks for saints, and deity bars for sic camodized race bars.

I'll have newer pics up sometime.

boostindoubles · Aug 15, 2006

I got to take my buddies bottle rocket down 9 miles of downhill trail on sunday. My other homie and him each bought one after they rode one at crankworks. And i have to say that after taking my simple down the trail, the bottlerocket was a badass smooth, haulin ass ride. But i guess any full suspension will be smoother than a hardtail. Sweet bikes transition crew!

flat broke · Aug 18, 2006

Bjanga and Summit,

I finally got around to giving Transition a call. They were pretty firm on recommending a medium, so a medium it will be. Gotta wait a week to order, and the last white medium will probably be gone by then, so I'll more than likely end up with a black frame. Stoked to be moving on though. Now I just need to unload my NJF to put a little bit of that $$ back in the bank.

Chris

ride26 · Aug 18, 2006

good luck dude ...you'll love it Transition is a sweet company that makes sweet bikes..just make sure to show us the pics

My rides, part of the Transition Family

Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Poopdeck Repost

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Chimp

Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Chimp

Monkey

Trail Rat

Turbo Monkey

Chimp

Trail Rat

Monkey

Chimp

Nacho Libre

Monkey

Monkey

Monkey