Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Anyone ride the new 27.5 Trans Am??

25K views 59 replies 17 participants last post by  kubikeman 
#1 ·
Im in the market for the new Trans Am and curious to see if anyone has rode/owns one. Pictures are always welcome! :thumbsup: I have all the parts to do a frame up build and would like to hear a ride report. My mine concern is my size choice, Im 6'0" and feel like based off the geo i fall somewhere in between the large and medium frames (ETT main consideration). If you rode one what is your height and what size did you ride? How did it feel? Any info is appreciated!
 
#2 ·
Sorry, no ride to report on just yet, but I am a soon to be owner. I have a medium Bermuda Blue on order. I was told 2-3 weeks about two week ago now. From my understanding, this is the first shipment so I don't think you'll hear much till they come in.

To answer your other question, I'm 5'8" and I plan on running a short 50mm stem and 730mm bars on the medium.

What fork do you have picked out h20-50?
 
#4 ·
Im thinking a large with a 35mm stem ought to work. Im comparing the geo to my current Santa Cruz TRc and that ought to get me close.

Im looking at putting the new Pike on it, couple that with some Hans Dampf 2.35 tires and this bike is going to be an absolute fuggin blast!!
 
#9 ·
Best answer I could find from an old thread;

Reynolds has not adapted the stock size offering of 853. They will custom draw it if you order enough tubes, as Niner has.

What DFL is bringing up is the "how you use it" factor. A 4130 frame and a 853 frame with identical design spec (frame geometry and tubing sizes) will weigh the same and ride the same. The advantage of 853 is it offers the possibility of using thinner wall (lighter) tubes while maintaining strength. The trade off is higher cost and increased flex (or "better" ride quality). The latter largely depends on rider weight and riding style.

This is without even bringing in basic fit and geometry/handling philosophy factors. If one design worked for every rider there would be no need for more than one bike company.
 
#10 ·
Thanks kubikeman. I know shiggy knows his stuff, but some of what he is saying doesn't make sense to me. for example:

A 4130 frame and a 853 frame with identical design spec (frame geometry and tubing sizes) will weigh the same and ride the same.
He later says the walls will be thinner and the tubes will flex more, so the two frames would NOT weigh the same nor would they ride the same.

There are many varieties of chromo tubing. I wouldn't be surprised if there is generic heat treated double butted chromo that rivals some of the high end brand name stuff. There is also some heavy lead pipe out there.

I'm just curious if anyone who is familiar with steel bike feel can comment on the ride of the Trans Am frame.
 
#22 ·
You have got to go pike it's the only fork worth having at the moment! I went for the 150mm ones, but you can lower them to 140mm. Running mine at about 30% sag with a spacer in the air chamber so it ramps up a bit. With the 150 fork sagged its probably a similar ride hight.
 
#24 ·
Who did you order with? Im trying to buy the frame only thorugh my local shop to support them but they said early January, now they are saying that Transition says early february for the blue frames. Ive got all my parts with the exception of a headset, still undecided on that but i just want to put money on a frame already!
 
#27 ·
Awesome!

This thread needs more pictures!

Bicycle frame Bicycle part Bicycle accessory Bicycle Bicycle tire


The poor lighting in my basement doesn't do the blue color justice. It's amazing. The clutter around the frame will eventually become the bike. I just tossed it on the bench for a quick photo because it had the most light overhead.

Liquid Bottle Plastic bottle Shelving Bottle cap


X-Fusion Sweep factory lowered to 140mm travel. It looks so much beefier than my Revelation.

I'd be working on it now but I still need some things... headset, tires, cables...etc. I'm hoping to start the build soon.
 
#29 ·
The hubs are actually 4 years old. I had them snipped out of my old wheelset, serviced and laced to the Flows. They just keep on rolling.

I wish I had the higher POE of the new design, but I tried to stick to a budget on this build. Not buying new high end hubs was a huge savings.
 
#31 ·
I'm waiting on a headset, tires and a few other bits (should be here Wed. according to UPS). I won't be building the bike for another week or two yet.

I hope I'm not disappointed with BB height myself. I've heard X-Fusion forks in general have a higher axle-to-crown height. Plus I ordered Maxxis Ardent 2.4's for the front and rear. I really wanted some cushion in the rear ;)

When it's done I plan on throwing up a detailed post with pictures, specs, head angle, BB height, weight, cost... the works.
 
#32 ·
Did anyone have trouble with the rear brake rubbing. I have XT's and the right pad rubs the back of the disc but the front of the disc has about 2-3 mm of space between the pad and disc. It seems that there needs to be a spacer/washer/shim between the XT's mount and the bike mount to push the brake back 2-3 mm so the disc is dead center between the pads. Can anyone check this for me.
 
#38 ·
I just finish my medium frame build. I'd like to point out that even thought all the built kits have 2 x 10 drive trains there is not enough clearance for a front derailleur if you plan to ride in muddy conditions. I originally had it built up as 2 x 9 but invested in 1 x 10 when I discovered the clearance issues. Here is a pic. Bicycle tire Wheel Bicycle wheel rim Mode of transport Bicycle part
 
#39 · (Edited)
Build Post

Okay, it's finally time for my build post.

Tire Bicycle tire Bicycle frame Wheel Bicycle wheel


Specs:

Fork: X-Fusion Sweep lowered to 140mm
Handlebar: KORE MEGA 740mm
Stem: KORE Repute 35mm
Headset: Cane Creek 40
Grips: Anvl
Brakes: Shimano XT Ice Tech
Shifter: Shimano XT
Rear Derailleur: XT Shadow+
Crankset: Race Face Turbine
Bottom Bracket: Race Face Turbine
Chainring: Wolf Tooth Components 32 tooth
Cassette: Shimano XT 10 speed
Pedals: Shimano M530
Wheels:
Hubs: Hope
Spokes: DT Swiss Comp
Nips: DT Swiss Pro Lock
Rims: Stan's Flow EX
Tires: Front: Maxxis Ardent 2.4
Rear: Maxxis Ardent Race 2.2
Rotors: Front: Shimano Ice Tech XT 180
Rear: Shimano Ice Tech XT 160
Saddle: Anvl
Seatpost: Rock Shox Reverb

Now for the dirt everyone wants to know. I had many of the drivetrain components, the brakes and the seatpost already. I also had my Hope hubs rebuilt into the new wheels. This all saved me some serious coin. Total damage is a respectable $2300 to complete the build.

My cheap luggage scale put the total build at 26.2 pounds.

Bicycle tire Tire Wheel Bicycle frame Bicycle wheel rim


My initial ride today was just around the neighborhood and all I can say is it feels pretty damn good! I like the extra length in the top tube paired with the extra short stem. There's going to be a bit of a learning curve in my future. I gave up carbon full suspension for this bike and it's currently my only mountain bike. But I can't wait!

Once I put some mountain miles on it, I'll post more of my ride thoughts.
 
#41 ·
Okay, it's finally time for my build post.

View attachment 880319

Specs:

Fork: X-Fusion Sweep lowered to 140mm
Handlebar: KORE MEGA 740mm
Stem: KORE Repute 35mm
Headset: Cane Creek 40
Grips: Anvl
Brakes: Shimano XT Ice Tech
Shifter: Shimano XT
Rear Derailleur: XT Shadow+
Crankset: Race Face Turbine
Bottom Bracket: Race Face Turbine
Chainring: Wolf Tooth Components 32 tooth
Cassette: Shimano XT 10 speed
Pedals: Shimano M530
Wheels:
Hubs: Hope
Spokes: DT Swiss Comp
Nips: DT Swiss Pro Lock
Rims: Stan's Flow EX
Tires: Front: Maxxis Ardent 2.4
Rear: Maxxis Ardent Race 2.2
Rotors: Front: Shimano Ice Tech XT 180
Rear: Shimano Ice Tech XT 160
Saddle: Anvl
Seatpost: Rock Shox Reverb

Now for the dirt everyone wants to know. I had many of the drivetrain components, the brakes and the seatpost already. I also had my Hope hubs rebuilt into the new wheels. This all saved me some serious coin. Total damage is a respectable $2300 to complete the build.

My cheap luggage scale put the total build at 28.2 pounds.

View attachment 880321

My initial ride today was just around the neighborhood and all I can say is it feels pretty damn good! I like the extra length in the top tube paired with the extra short stem. There's going to be a bit of a learning curve in my future. I gave up carbon full suspension for this bike and it's currently my only mountain bike. But I can't wait!

Once I put some mountain miles on it, I'll post more of my ride thoughts.
You have the right fork for the job :) Team X-Fusion
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top