First Impressions of the Transition Spire

Secondhand Recap

I will not say too much here about the project that is Bike #1, and maybe will be the only bike in this used bike series. After all, I wrote a separate piece introducing the Secondhand Postilions concept . As a brief recap, it is a 2021 Transition Spire that I am treating as I would a brand-new review bike. This is a first look at the build, which is sort of weird just given half the parts are mine. I will follow up in a month or so with a bike review.

The Spire has a small creak under load climbing out of the saddle. I am 99% certain it is down to one of the linkage frame bearings I serviced rather than replacing, having only replaced the main pivot bearings, and strangely it does not annoy me. In fact, I find that occasional click-a-creak noise a quaint reminder that this bike has had, at least, three previous owners.

The Spire is also acting as a sort of test mule in the meantime – many birds with a single gesture as they say – so I will only touch on a few components I will cover in more extensive detail in the future. For example:

• The 170mm DVO Onyx D1 38 SL suspension fork
• The Shimano CUES U6000 drivetrain

Gearing De-Gourmandizing

Ugh, I admit it. When it comes to this aluminum Transition Spire my eyes were way bigger than my thighs. When I was setting up my CUES U6000 review I could have gone with the 11-48t version of the 10-speed LG-400 cassette. Heck, I could have gone to U6000 11-speed and then run an 11-50t. But, that 10-speed 11-43t setup was singing my name – “ Drew-Bob… oh Drew-Bob, does the future have fewer gears? ” – and the jumps are even close to ideal for a 10-speed off-road setup: 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-36-43T.

On my hardtail, that setup was perfect with a 32t front ring. I could use the 43t as a bailout gear and LinkGlide shifts so well under load that going from a sitting 36t to a standing 23t or 26t to grind up a steep pitch is a great strategy. It does not transition (pun intended) well to a 170mm full-suspension bike. Particularly one as, let us say, portly as this aluminum Spire.

How portly is it? I have not weighed it but it is heavier in my hands than my friend Toucan’s best-of-everything carbon Altitude that rings in around 39.99 lbs, with a vinculum above the decimals. He is running CushCore Pro inserts with Maxxis DoubleDown tires whereas I am running lighter CushCore Trail inserts with Schwalbe Super Trail tires and I might save a couple of grams with my sleeper wheels. Otherwise, I am adding grams on grams to the tune of at least a couple of pounds.

My first few rides were a challenge. Psychologically, I prefer to always leave my last gear as a bailout for when I am properly broken from the day, so there was a lot of griding this beast up the hill in 32x36t with the occasional surrender to the 1x version of a granny gear. Still, I made it happen until I was due to join my brother, Crash Test Kevin, on the steep gravel grinds of his local trail network. Then it was into the drawer of throwing stars to find something less toothy.

On local trails, I am in love with the 28x11-43t setup I am running now. I will say that if I were going to spend a day bike-parking it then I would use the limit screws to lock out the 43t cog, which gives me enough chain length to re-install my 32t ring for a 32x11-36t setup.

On that bike park note, both the aluminum and carbon versions of the Spire are rated for a dual-crown fork. I cannot speak to Transition specifically, but what this usually means is that brands have beefed up the frame where it will be contacted by the rubber bumper on the fork’s upper tubes. Similarly, when a brand says their beefy Enduro rig is not rated for a dual crown, which would generally mean they’re concerned about fork-frame contact not forces from the stiffer fork chassis.

Suspension Retention

It may seem a little weird to be combining DVO’s best fork with Foxzocchi’s most basic rear shock, but the combo is working well on the Spire. I am certain some folks will lament the lack of a climb-switch on the Fox Vanilla RC / Marzocchi CR shock, but with my spring rate, the bike sits nicely into its sag and is quite happy to stay there even when I am awkwardly thrashing the pedals. Standing to pedal is a different story, but on this beast, I only tend to do that in technical sections where the traction from a bit of monkey motion is appreciated.

These shocks are beefed-up versions of a unit that has been in Fox’s lineup for over 20 years, and in addition to working well, they are among the budget-friendliest shocks on the market to buy and to service. The Spire is a coil-happy bike to boot, so for folks who own one or are looking at a used option, if your shock has crapped out this is a great solution. Albeit very under-sophisticated for folks who want to micro-adjust their setup.

In front, I continue to be impressed with the blend of small-bump friendliness and support that the new high-flow D1 bladder damper in the DVO delivers. I am still running the new SL air system without any tokens in it, and the chassis is stiff-as. I will include more thoughts about all that in my future teardown review.

From a budget perspective, I hope that DVO can trickle down the new SL air system and the improvements in damper oil volume and rebound design to their lower-tier D2 and D3 forks. That way folks can take advantage of reduced forces at higher damper speeds without having to spend for more clicks of adjustment.

If DVO is listening, I would also love a longer fender option. Mounting is clean, so I am not keen to zip-tie on a bigger aftermarket option, but at Spire-speed on a rainy day, I am taking in more granular puddle water than I would like.

Here I will include a couple of notes about my dropper post. First, the Spire has plenty of insertion depth to slam my saddle, but along with my short T-rex arms , I have fairly long legs for my height. I could certainly run a post with more drop but I am generally happy around 170mm. That said, even with running my bar high, there have been situations on the Spire where another centimeter could be helpful.

The chassis of my Crankbrothers Highline 7 post is in great shape, but it needs a new gas cartridge installed, so I am currently in the classic mountain biker’s conundrum. Fixing what you have or picking up an ‘upgrade’ is the question. I have a 31.6mm outer tube I need to swap onto the 185mm BikeYoke Revive 3.0 dropper post anyway, so that’s probably the answer.

Braking News

On the Spire, I am running a 203mm front rotor, 180mm rear rotor, Formula Cura4 braking setup. These are equipped with the Italian brand’s, easily installed, updated 2-pc brake lever blades . These add a significant range of tuneability through what Formula calls their FCS (Feel Control System) along with a higher leverage, lighter action feel in any setting.

My favourite part of FCS is that I can run the front brake to have a bit more modulation and power and the rear brake to have a slightly more solid feeling, which my brain processes as more balanced.

I would avoid the upgrade though if I had much smaller hands than I do. The reach adjustment is very usable, but the levers do not come in as close to the bar as many other systems I have tested.

The Wheel Deal

My well-battered Race Face Atlas cranks are turning a slick polished NSBillet chainring and a budget-friendlier Shimano CUES U6000 drivetrain but hidden behind it all is the all-time sleeper wheelset. I can make performance and longevity arguments for carbon rims for many riders in certain applications, but I do not love fantastic plastic hoops that scream their price tag cosmetically or aesthetically.

These Stan’s Flow CB7 wheels fly under the radar, using a Project 321 hub featuring the same awesome axle system and captured pawl-upgrade as the new P321 G3 but with a simpler 6-bolt hub shell. It also has a three-by-two instead of four-by-two magnetic pawl layout for 1.66° engagement instead of 1.25°. In any event, the Stan’s hubs spin just as ridiculously fast, engage wicked fast, and do not look like they are anything special.

I do run CushCore Trail inserts in these wheels. Normally that is as much about tire feel as any concern about durability, but I have positively slammed this rear wheel a few times now while learning to ride the Spire, so it certainly does not hurt to have the extra protection. Especially in the local greasy season when I like to run much lower pressures.

Cockpit & Contact Points

The CUES shifters are a fixed, not hinged, clamp so as part of swapping them around I am not running push-on grips as I normally would. These Wolf Tooth lock-ons have been on half a dozen test rigs, for similar reasons and they suit me well.

Contrary to some correspondence I have received, this is not the fabled Chromag 12° backswept FU40 bar I have been bugging the crotch-grabbing-bear-brand around for years now. I have heard a rumour that they love getting e-mails about alt-bars though, so if you have thought that you would like to try a bar with more backsweep but none of the current market options speak to you, definitely fire Ian an e-mail! (HAHA, sorry Ian). The 16° bar I normally run does not work for me with this amount of fork travel, I did not have a 12° option kicking around, and this FU40 is both the right (40mm) rise and purple.

Also on the subject of purple contact points, I’m running the Wolf Tooth Ripsaw pedals that were on my single-speed and quite liking them, although, I think their Waveform is still my preference. If anyone works in or frequents a bike shop that has a great system to get customers on a range of pedal shapes and sizes before they commit to a purchase I’d love it if you’d fire me a message . It is a topic I would love to write about.

I could go on and on with my initial ride impressions and experiences, and I do love a long-form bike review, but I am going to take it easy on Cy and call it here. I am certainly still getting the bike dialed in – do not ask me about my endless +/- 5mm of bar height adjustments. But if I had to write my final review today, I imagine the majority would be analogous anecdotes about how easy this bike is to ride, down to geometry, suspension, fit, etc. I do love riding it, downhill.