Any members ride a Specialized Transition? Looking for any pros or cons on the bike.
Thanks!
I have a 2005 Transition Comp and I love it. Smooth, quiet, good specs for the money IMO. I swapped out the stock carbon seatpost for a Thomson setback and that’s it.
i have a 2005 comp, and its a great bike. it rides very smooth
Do bike or tri stores in your area carry Specialized? I’m having a hard time finding a store in Atlanta that carries Specialized tri bikes. Would stores be open to cutom ordering a bike so that I could try it out - or would that be too expensive?
I have an 06 S-works transition. When I was researching for this purchase I looked at Cervelos, Orbeas, and Specialized. I ended up going witht he S-works transition. It is very comfortable and gives a plush ride. I would recommend you put a carbon aero seatpost on the bike if it is an 05 , but the 06’s and beyond come with the aero seatpost. This seatpost acts as a “beam” or suspension post. Makes the bike very smooth, but very fast. Hope this helps.
I have a S-works 06 model. only one in the country as far as i know (well, my country that is. not US). First time i rode it i set a new PR on the course, including a flat. It is a very nice frame however i think it is somewhat overpriced, if you cannot find a deal on it, compared to the varirous carbon frames on the market.
Nice stiff BB, nice paintjob and aeroprofile.
But beware. It has a very lively and twitchy ride, i would not recommend it as a beginners tri-bike. It is very “nervous” in the front end.
Do bike or tri stores in your area carry Specialized? I’m having a hard time finding a store in Atlanta that carries Specialized tri bikes. Would stores be open to cutom ordering a bike so that I could try it out - or would that be too expensive?
Yes, email laura@crosscountrycycle.com she will set you up, they are very detailed with fitting the rider to the bike.
For the spec, geometry and performance vs. the price, I don’t think it holds a candle to the Cervelo’s. On any model. IMO
i have one and love it…but mine came with a thompson seat post
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k44/cdrucks/chad_stealth.jpg
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Dave…my LBS offered me an 2006 S-Works Transition tri bike for 3300.00. Dura-ace, Mavic Cosmic Carbone clincher rims and more nice goodies.
I was wondering how this compared up to a top line
Cervelo.
The S-Works looks like a great bike but comparing the two is tough.
Not that hard really. The transition allows an intermediate tri position - half way between a road bike with clip ons and the full on steepness of a cervelo. If you try to replicate a steep position on the transition then you probably won’t like the bike very much. So you have to decide what kind of fit you want and that dictates which frame is best.
As for the component package, a fair comparison would be S-Works to P2Sl (ally frames). S-Works wins on wheels but loses on bars, it also doesnt have all the little aero tricks that the P2Sl does. If you need the Cosmics then the S-Works is good value, if you have race wheels already then the P2Sl may be the better choice.
I have set several people up on Transitions lately (2 s-Works frames among them) and with a bit of swapping out of components they’re great bikes and I’ve been able to achieve comfortable, aerodynamically tidy positions for the riders. In the case of my girlfriend I’ve identified that the next step for her is a P3 so she can get into a really fast position, her tranny (other bikes are Ruby and Orky - mtb that has orca colouring) was a great first tri/tt bike for her - would remain so if she hadnt decided that she wants to place at national tt champs.
My Fiance has trained and raced on the S-Works Trasnition for the past two years. She loved the bike and it worked really well for her. She rides in a neutral position, and this bike works well for those who like that set up - not super steep but around 76 - 78 degrees. For an aluminum bike, it is very comfortable. Kitted out with Dura Ace, this bike is one of the real values in the choices out there.
Fleck
Good bike for the money. And even aside from the $$ it is still a good bike.
It performs just as well or better than some of the higher priced and highly touted bikes out there.
The speed zertz really works to smoothen out the ride, it has good acceleration, and is nicely specd.
I agree with Fleck 100%.
Can’t go wrong with this choice unless you want to ride steep.
Of course you can go with a nice Litespeed Saber??? Sorry had to get that plug in.
I’m considering getting an S-Works frameset. I saw a complete bike at the LBS and thought it looked pretty good for the price, $1,100 for the frame, fork and aero seatpost. I wish the cutout would snug up against the rear wheel a little better however. I like the fact that it’s not super steep (76 degrees).
I have a Transition Elite. It’s a great bike, stiff and smooth, except - make certain that the wheels and tires that you will use for training and racing will work. My frame has inadequate rear brake bridge clearance for use with HED Trispoke wheels with Conti GP4000 700 X 23 tires. Specialized is working on a possible warranty solution. I’ll post the final resolution when it occurs.
Final Resolution at this posting:
Be VERY, VERY careful when you buy one of these. They are specified with 21 width tires. The brake bridge clearance varies from model to model of Transition Frameset, according to Specialized. If you wish to use your HED Trispokes with Vittoria 700 X 23 clinchers and it rubs, tough. Measure twice and buy once. It is interesting to note that Specialized contends this is because of the tight tolerances for a Time Trial bike. Yet, you will find some Transition models with more than adequate clearance for 23 width or even 25 width for that matter. Make certain you fit the bike with the wheels and tires you will be using BEFORE you purchase it. If you have further questions, call Specialized Customer Service at 877-808-8154.
Another '05 Comp owner here … bought it at the end of last year (December) so I got it on closeout. Since I also get it at cost (old shop employee and the owner of the shop was my best man) it was a screaming deal compared to the other stuff out there.
I bought FSA-488’s (carbon wheels - 50mm section - tubulars) and raced on those with it. Even though the bike is aluminum it doesn’t beat the crap out of you as much as I would have expected based on my previous alum. experiences.
Coming from a roadie background it was a good compromise for a tri bike. The equip. is full Ultegra with D/A shifters cassette and chain. And I mean full Ultegra - brakes, cranks, everything. Not cheaped out like other manufacturers I won’t mention that CSC rides … 
My only complaint is the Mavic Cosmic wheels (for the record, not Carbones) that came stock are crap. Good beater training wheels, but not good for racing.
What an eye opener for all of us!
Sooo, you own way cool COTS training/racing wheels with COTS clinchers/high dollar sews-ups and none of them may work on a Specialized Transition depending on a number of unknown and undefined Specialized production factors…YIKES!!! I doubt Specialized retailers are aware of this problem so Caveat Emptor I guess.
What a Bummer if you own a cool set of ZIPP (e.g., 909 combo) or HED3Cs with high dollar conti $ew-up$ and you get ready for your A-RACE (e.i., like an Ironman qualifing event) and you find out the week of the race…possibly at the race…that your race wheel rubs at the brake bridge. Like a life time trip around the world (from let’s say Dallas) to Ironman Western Australia. Author’s note - most of us check these things prior to travel.
Is the brake bridge placement any part of a drag calculation on an aero time trial/triathlon bike?? John Cobb where are you with your College Station wind tunnel?? Ditto for the F1 guys at the San Diego Wind Tunnel…we need your input on this one as I’m all confused about this.
I guess you will need to take all of your tri-bike training and racing wheels (fully inflated I might add!) with you when you shop for a bike just to make sure that the brake bridge doesn’t rub on the tire(s). This anamoly may also be tire model and brand specific from what I’ve learned.
A question I have is what are the manufacturing tolerances on the brake bridge placement…or is there one? Like a mean value +/- 1 standard deviation. What are the brake bridge tolerance specs at Specialized by any metric you chose (frame size, manufacture year, frame material…etc…)?
Another scary thought - you Clydesdale types that might ride 700 x 25c tires on the rear wheel pay close attention to this issue as the Specialized Transition MAY NOT accommodate you due to the brake bridge placement issue and as it relates to the Aspect Ratio of said tires. What would you do if you owned a set of Clydesdale ZIPPs and this issue presented itself? Would Zipp refund you $$$$$ because a certain frame had issues at the brake bridge…we all know the answer to this question!
I hope my thoughts shed some light on things.
I have an 06 S-works Transition. I train on 700x25 tires…no problems. I race on HED3’s with tubulars…again no problems. Maybe you do not know how to set up your wheels to the bike?
We never had this problem with my Miss P’s bike. Her training wheels, Real Design with 23 MM Specialized Turbo tires fit just fine and her race set up - ZIPP 404 with 20mm Conti GP Tubulars worked fine as well.
Indeed, they do make some of the new road/tri bikes with VERY narrow tolerences in some places. I guess this is something that you should check before buying. However, it can’t accomdate a 23mm tire, that’s cutting it too close for me.
Fleck
The '06 S-Works Transition frameset will accommodate your configurations. My frameset will not, we did this test with an '06 S-Works already. This is why it is very important to verify that your wheels will work with any given Specialized Transition series frameset.