The Transition Patrol gets a new haircut.

Transition Patrol Updates

The mullet is here to stay and the new Transition Patrol is here to prove it. The biggest change to the Patrol is the mixed wheel treatment with a 29” front wheel and a 27.5” rear wheel. Mullet bikes are becoming more and more popular these days with many brands building/designing bikes around mixed wheels. The new patrol has 160mm of travel front and back. This is a 10mm drop on front travel from last year’s version — likely to accommodate the bigger front wheel/fork.

In addition to the wheel size update, the Patrol gets new geometry and a new suspension curve. The new Patrol is a half to full degree slacker than the previous generation. In the high setting, the head tube angle is 63.5 degrees and it’s 63 degrees in the low setting. I’ve been riding the new Sentinel with a 63.6-degree head tube angle, and there’s something to be said about the stability of a front end that slack. It’s been a bit of an adjustment on the climbs, but just about everywhere else it’s been amazing. In addition to the front end getting slacker, the seat tube angle has gotten much steeper. It’s now 77-79.6 degrees depending on the frame size and flip-chip setting — smaller sizes are steeper while larger sizes are on the slacker end of that range. The Patrol is now nearly 24% progressive, meaning it will work well with both coil and air shocks.

Now we start getting into some of the subtle updates with the current version. Like I’ve already mentioned, the Patrol now has a geometry adjust flip-chip. Something we haven’t seen on a Transition for a bit. It changes the head tube angle and seat tube angle by about a half degree. The reach and stack also change by about 5mm. In addition to the flip-chip, the Patrol is compatible with a longer stroke shock to bump the rear-wheel travel up to 170mm. They also say it’s compatible with 170mm single crown or dual crown forks. That’s right, you can run a dual crown fork on this bad larry.

One of my favorite things to complain about is a single chainstay length for all frame sizes. Luckily, I don’t have to complain here. The Patrol has two chainstays lengths. Small and medium frames get a 434mm chainstay while the large and extra-large sizes get a 440mm length.

Oh, and as of right now, it only comes in aluminum. Who knows what the future might bring.

Who will love the Transition Patrol?

This Patrol isn’t messing around — it’s not your grocery-getter. This thing is made to shred, jump, jib, smash, and party. Knowing Transition, though, it’s not going to be boring and slow. I suspect it will have a fun, lively ride quality while still having your back when you need it. Can’t wait to throw a leg over one and see what it’s all about. Stay tuned!