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covert 29er

78K views 371 replies 64 participants last post by  weezerfan84 
#1 ·
Hey Transitionairs :)

Does any of you know if theres going to be a covert two 9? by looking at the current lineup only a 29er covert is missing.

BTW

I allways tell my covert riding buddy of mine.. that the only bike to replace my nomad are the 29er covert... Maybe they will ;)

Happy trail rockin' :rockon:
 
#227 ·
Tire Bicycle wheel Bicycle tire Bicycle frame Wheel
Bicycle tire Tire Wheel Bicycle wheel Bicycle frame
Tire Wheel Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel Bicycle frame


Going to try the Easton Haven wheels for a bit. Dropped 280 g from the King/ Flow EX wheels. The 2.25 rear Nobby Nic dropped 150 g from the previous Hans Dampf. Right after these pics I removed the chain guide to see how the Type 2 der. handles on its own.

With these changes bike weight has gone from around 33.5 lb to 31.9 lb. Most of that was wheel/ tire weight. It is noticeable in how fast the bike responds to direction changes. I was surprised how much I noticed the change.

The unknown is how durable the Havens will be. I have run into people talking about broken spokes. They seem equal in stiffness to the King/ Flow EX...or there is not enough difference for me to notice. The rear wheel was just completely rebuilt under Easton's bearing upgrade program. I had a very early QR hub that was not compatible with the new bearing system. So...they rebuilt the entire rear wheel and only my rim was reused...new hub, spokes and nipples...for FREE (it did cost me shipping to Easton).

Lovin' the bike!
 
#228 ·
Going to try the Easton Haven wheels for a bit. Dropped 280 g from the King/ Flow EX wheels.
Lovin' the bike!
Sweet ride!
FWIW.... I picked up a used set of carbon haven wheels last summer, and have beaten the sh*t outta them, including shore days and dbl-blk FR/DH lines... they are holding up great. The new/free rear hub upgrade works awesome. Granted they are the carbon ones, and I weigh 175, but I am real impressed. They are worlds stiffer than the flows for sure.
 
#234 ·
Yes, it was quite uncomfortable at times. That rooty climb is a *****. We got to within a mile of Georgia Pass and called it. Frequent drifts of snow and a general unwillingness to hike was to blame, but I imagine we'll hit it again later in the season.
 
#240 ·
Quick update... New XT chain, cassette, Shadow + rear derailleur, gear cables. Much quieter running drivetrain :)

More importantly, I've now fitted the long-awaited 29er Minions. I have the 2.5" single-wall EXO TR 3C version, weights are 1034g and 1043g. Even though I've run these tyres forever on my DH and do-everything 26ers, these far exceed my expectations. Gained around 305g rotating weight in total over the Hans Dampf 2.35 Trailstars (880-885g each) I was running. Despite this, the bike now rolls much faster, grips harder in corners and feels like it has more pop. Perfect tyre for the Covert!

Bicycle tire Tire Bicycle wheel Wheel Bicycle frame
 
#247 ·
To clarify, my Fox 34 was a 2012 RLC, not a CTD so my experience may be different from yours if you have the latter. But the first thing I noticed even before riding it was the lack of "stiction" when pushing down on the fork, just smooth motion. In contrast, the Fox's Kashima coating was apparently worthless as mine suffered from sticking issues.

The bigger issue I had with the Fox was small-bump sensitivity. High speed chatter such as washboard bumps on a fireroad would make the Fox feel like a rigid fork. The Pike smooths out everything the way a long-travel fork should.

I like this Pike so much that I also replaced the Fox on my hardtail with a SID, and it also fixed the same problems. I guess Rockshox is the standard for suspension forks now.
 
#250 ·
The Covert rode so nice at the bike park, the susp was dialed and felt a lot better than I thought it would. Figured the air susp would be a little harsh but it was plush and handled the jumps and drops great. I can't wait to go again as the bike just pops off the lips compared to the DH bikes I've ridden there in the past, and you can pedal the flatter sections and get more speed as well.

Saw a lot of similar style bikes with the Enduro race there, lot of top pros racing and training, saw Nico Vouilloz(?) on a lower trail pre riding one of the stages. He said hello and we kinda went back and forth on the trail as they stopped a few times. Unfortunately it was a wet week and the camera died early on in the trip so no pics from the bike park days.
 
#254 ·
A question for those with RS Pikes on their Covert 29's. I'm looking at a set of 150mm Solo Air Pikes for my covert 29 and on a few websites see that there are two models. One that looks like the standard model, and one that is advertised as having a 51mm offset. This only seems to apply specifically to the 150mm 29er fork and none of the other travels or wheel size combinations. I'm not sure if 51mm offset is more or less than the std model, but against this option it does state to check with your bike manufacturer for compatability with the 51mm offset. I've queried Transition on this but it seems this is the first they've heard of it and have gone away to investigate further. Also i'm struggling to find anything on the SRAM/Rockshox website and i've spoken to a few local shops and suppliers who recognise the second model but don't know what it should apply to. So for those of you who have got Pikes on your Covert 29, did you go for the std model or the 51mm offset model? SHould I assuming there is no structural or mechanical reason why I shouldn't? Thanks.
 
#255 ·
Kinda curious too as I was looking at a Pike for next season. In theory the longer offset will reduce 'trail' and make the steering feel quicker I guess, but in reality it's probably not noticable. It would obviously lengthen the wheelbase a tad, which I wouldn't want on mine, guess it depends on how your riding the bike.

Are you running a Fox 34 now? I read it has a 51mm offset so maybe you want to replicate that with the Pike.
 
#256 ·
Currently I've got the 140 mm Revs off the transition build kit 3. I have no idea if the 51mm offset is more or less than the revs, I think the revs offset is 40mm, or what Transition has designed as optimal for the bike. I use my bike for pretty much everything, XC, DH, genuine AM with a slant for DH. It's the statement to check with the bike manufacturer that suggests to me that it might not be suitable for some bikes, and the fact only the 150mm 29er fork seems to have this option. No other Pike model, not even the 140mm or 160mm 29er model. Oh, we'll, the mystery deepens. Is there any way I can query Rockshox directly?
 
#257 ·
I have the 140 Rev too and love the handling and ride of the bike, I wouldn't want that to change. Stiffer fork and added travel are welcome but not if it messes with the front end handling. I think our Rev forks are 46mm offset, the Fox 34's are 51 from what I've read and folks seem to really like them aside from some damping issues so maybe the 51 offset would work fine.

I think I would go with the 46mm offset myself. I bet the 51mm option is directed more towards bikes with slacker head angles where the 'trail' measurement would be higher and slower steering.
 
#258 ·
Yeah, the bike handles brilliantly, i'm not looking to upgrade, but am looking to use the forks on a TransAm 29 build i'm planning and the Pikes look like a nice fork. The extra 10mm travel might come in useful for next year as i'm planning a couple of Alps trips and the TransAm will probably take on more of the XC duties leaving the Covert to a more DH orientated bike. I think the extra 13mm A-C of the Pike will already slacken things up a bit so feels like I don't need the greater offset.

I'm in no rush for the next few weeks so will see if Transition come back to me with anything. Cheers.
 
#259 · (Edited)
The Rev's fork offset is 46mm unless you got a G2 Trek version (51mm offset) and I'm not aware of a G2 140mm variant. Both the Bandit & Covert 29ers were designed around a 51mm offset fork. I have verified this with Transition.

Yes, the longer A-C of the Pike 150mm (561mm) will slacken up the front end as the Rev 140 is supposed to be 546mm A-C, the Pike will increase the trail. Too much trail and your bike will handle like a truck. However, more fork offset reduces trail, helping a bike with a slack front end handle more nimbly.

You can buy the Solo Air Pike in 140mm travel and 51mm offset. See the link below. I just bought a 51mm offset 150mm travel Pike Dual Position fork for my Covert 29. I think that it will be a much better match for the bike than the 140mm version for the below reasons:

The Fox 34 140mm 29er fork that both the 2012 Bandit 29 and the Covert 29 were designed for are 51mm offset, but many owners report significantly longer real world A-C length on them than the advertised 552.8mm. Many have stated and posted pics showing that the 140mm F34 actually has longer A-C lengths than the 150mm Pike. Many 140mm F34 owners are claiming A-C lengths that are around 20mm longer than the 546mm of the 140mm Rev.

universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=62160&category=94
 
#267 ·
now, that i'm switching from the Bandit29 to the Covert29 (black, Large), i have some questions.
I have a Pike with 150mm and thinking about converting to 160mm (possible by changing the airdampershaft).
is this useful?

What's about the shock? On the Bandit i switched to the Monarch Plus RC3, because the Float was running through the travel. The Monarch was way more progressive.

i have an angleset for the Bandit with -1°, should i also use this for the Covert?
 
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