Transition Introduces the New Mixed-Wheel-Size Patrol

Transition is known for shaking the status quo. Just a few years ago, they literally changed how we think about geometry with SBG, a concept that, among other things, has all but eliminated “standard” offset forks. The Bellingham-based company has been a trend setter, no doubt, so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the latest iteration of their near-ubiquitous Patrol seriously deviates from the norm.

For starters, the new Patrol is a mixed-wheel-size-only affair, sporting a 29-inch hoop up front and 27.5 in the rear. The mixed-wheel trend has been increasing in volume over the last few seasons, but very few larger brands have really committed to the concept. To those who remember the good ol’ days of the freeride movement, mixed-wheel bikes used to come a dime a dozen, with beef cakes like the Specialized Big Hit and Transition’s own Dirt Bag crowding out lift lines and tailgates alike. So no, Transition is no stranger when it comes to mixing and matching. The Patrol is one of the longest-running models in their lineup and its latest iteration is a revival of that freeride spirit with a “ride anywhere, huck everything” contemporary twist. Still meant to be a pedal-friendly bike, the new Patrol has a few new tricks up its sleeve.

With the mix-wheeled elephant in the room duly acknowledged, let’s talk the nitty-gritty on the new Patrol, because there’s a lot going on besides the mismatched hoops. First on the list, the travel on the new Patrol has been reduced—kind of. In its base form, the rig runs 160 millimeters front and rear. The last generation Patrol runs a longer 170mm fork up front, but with the swap to a 29er front wheel that travel was reduced slightly to maintain a similar stack height. Sounds logical, right?

Transition must have thought so too, but logic is boring, so they made sure to throw some sweet curveballs into those travel numbers. Up front, the headtube of the Patrol runs dual 56mm cups which allows for reach-adjust headsets when running the straight 1.125 steerer tube of a dual-crown forks. Sure starting to sound like the ol’ Dirt Bag, eh? While the Patrol may come looking somewhat like an ordinary enduro rig, it’s clear Transition has built in the option to configure the Patrol with much burlier terrain in mind.

The same holds true for the rear suspension, which sports 24-percent progression in its leverage curve—so yeah, you can run it with a coil. In its stock form, the Patrol will run a 205×60-millimeter shock to support 160 millimeters of travel, but riders will be able to swap that shock to a longer stroke, 65-millimeter, option and bump the travel up to 170 millimeters. Along with the option to run a dual-crown fork, the Patrol could potentially be anything from a long-travel trail rig to a bike-park bruiser or self-shuttle shredder.

In the geometry department, Transition updated pretty much everything. First, the new Patrol got a geometry adjustment flip-chip in its lower shock mount. It offers a half-degree adjustment in the head and seat angles, as well as slight changes in reach and chainstay length. Speaking of the latter, the new Patrol will come with size-specific chainstay lengths—434 millimeters for S and M and 440 millimeters for L and XL. Across the board, the new Patrol is slightly longer in reach, chainstay and wheelbase, a bit taller in the stack and much steeper in the seat angle. And let’s marvel at that seat angle for a moment. It is evidence that the mixed-wheel approach to the Patrol was not an afterthought. They meant the bike to work in this configuration with as little compromise to climbing ability as possible. See the geo charts below to compare notes.

The other, smaller, elephant still in the room is Transition’s choice to only offer the new Patrol in alloy—for now. If the past is anything to go by, Transition should eventually offer a carbon option, but that’s speculation on our part. For now, it’s an all-metal party all the time, available in either Raw or Blueberry color flavors. The frame does come with a lifetime warranty, as usual for Transition, as well as all the small features that make life easier; threaded bottom bracket, 148mm Boost spacing, internal brake routing (except rear brake), molded frame protection and water bottle mounts. There’s also an additional accessory mounting underneath the top tube—kudos. The rear end accepts 27.5-inch tires up to 2.6 in width, which is also pretty neat.

While we don’t have any pricing details at the time of this release, we do know that there is an XT, a GX and a Deore build, as well as a bare frameset. The new Patrol will be available sometime this summer, so for now, head to transitionbikes.com to drool over the rest of the details.