Australian Mountain Bike – August 01, 2019

http://www.ambmag.com.au - 83

pedals really well with only a bit of bob, and
Transition have designed the Smuggler to be
pretty plush off the top while ramping up hard
in the end of the stroke so you can get plenty of
use out of the 120mm of travel.
The frame has a few sweet features that
will get a nod of approval from mechanics
and seasoned riders alike. The external brake
hose is super nice as if you’re stripping your
frame down or even swapping parts (like I
will be) you’re not cutting hoses all the time.
The frame kit came with two foam liners to
keep the cable outers for the dropper and rear
derailleur quiet, although feeding the outer
into the chain stay was fiddly, the downtube
was easy thanks to access from the bottom
bracket. The bottom bracket is threaded, with
ISCG mounts too. So servicing at home is easy,
without the need for specialist press fit tools.
At the front of the bike, the headset uses
cups and isn’t reliant on drop in bearings. This

is awesome for longevity, and we have a Cane

Creek Hellbender 70 head set in there as Dirt

Works reckon it’ll handle anything that comes

along for the Smuggler.

I built the bike up with a Marzocchi Bomber

Z2, although a Z1, or Fox 36, or other large

fork would not be out of place at all. This bike

was also the test bed for the Microshift Advent

group set, and a sweet RaceFace Turbine R

stem and Next C bars that are being tested

out.

ON THE TRAIL

This is the important part. If you have ever

looked at Transition bikes you will have seen

their SBG, or Speed Balanced Geometry come

up. Transition were one of the first brands to

really push what we now call ‘modern trail

geometry’. That is a longer reach, a slacker

head angle and a reduced fork offset along

with a short stem. Of course you can add

shorter chain stays and a steeper seat angle

to this mix as well. The general idea is that the

slacker head angle and longer reach delivers

the high speed stability we all crave. But the

reduced offset fork reduces the trail of the

fork, or basically it brings the front wheel a

little more back towards the bike, which does

help stop the wheelbase becoming too long.

Add a short stem for quick steering input,

and you end up with a bike that has high

speed stability, while maintaining agility to

change direction and a wheelbase that still

gets around corners when climbing. It’s all

a balance, but the steeper seat angle (75.8

degrees) helps keep your weight forward when

going up, and the shorter chain stays (430mm)

help with climbing traction, maneuverability

and keeping the wheelbase in check.

The smart thing with geometry like this is

that when you get on the bike it just feels right.

A 475mm reach isn’t crazy for a large and