2023 Transition Smuggler Carbon GX Review

Hello,Mountainbikers,VitalMTB here with another fresh new bike review The Smuggler has been part of Transition's lineup for quite some time already But the very latest generation had us waiting for it As Transition took their time giving it the same refresh as the rest of the range When the Smuggler finally returned for 2023 It featured the same design language as the other Transition bikes Along with the now mandatory longer and slacker treatment Sporting travel numbers that puts it squarely in the trail bike category We were excited to make this one our daily driver To figure out what it's made of Keep watching to find out Aesthetically,Transition has moved their entire lineup away From the swoopy curves of the previous generation To the more blocky angular shapes seen on all their new releases Rolling on 29-inch wheels The new Smuggler fits right into the range between the Spur and the Sentinel And adjacent to the 27.5-inch Scout With an easily recognizable silhouette Shared with all its brethren nowadays The makeover is far from just aesthetic though As Transition took the opportunity to improve many aspects of frame design With an eye towards serviceability The headset is now of the drop-in kind Negating the need for any headset cups to be pressed in And the fully guided cable routing runs the entire length of the frame Plus the stays There's an extra accessory mount in addition to the regular water bottle mount And the frame is compatible with SRAM's universal derailleur hanger The BB is threaded Which will certainly please those who have become disenchanted With the press fit variety 180mm post mount in the rear is a great move As a 180mm rotor is probably what most riders will want to run In the rear of a bike of this type For the suspension linkage Transition went with their classic giddy-up horse link layout They settled on 27% progressivity In order to provide ample bottom-out support As well as the ability to run a coil shock if you so wish Although you should note that not all coil shocks will physically fit in the frame As there is not a lot of space around the lower shock mount The bike ships with 130mm of travel in the rear But you can bump that up to 140mm By removing a travel spacer in the shock You can also play with volume tokens To increase or decrease the overall progressivity The bike has enough anti-squat to pedal well But not so much as to interfere with the suspension when under power Looking at the geometry The reach has grown by 10mm on this generation smuggler And now sits at 485mm for a size L And the seat tube is now a fair bit steeper as well The chainstays have gotten longer And they are now also size specific On our size L they come in at 440mm Up from 430mm on the previous generation Add in a slack 65 degree head angle And you're looking at a wheelbase that has also grown a decent amount Although the use of a short offset fork helps keep it in check The head tube length clocks in between 100-140mm Across the 5 frame sizes available Which is fairly standard Transition cuts the steerer tube reasonably long though Which gives you the opportunity to play with the stem spacers To find your perfect setup The seat tube is short Which leaves room for longer droppers to be specced across the range We took delivery of the GX build of the new smuggler Which features Fox Performance suspension SRAM GX derailleur and Code R brakes With rims supplied by WTB For $6000 This spec is a little underwhelming But we'll get back to that point later on On the trail The smuggler had us feeling right at home from the get go The bike picks up speed with ease And rolls along the trail at whatever pace you choose It's not amazingly lively at the pedals But it's certainly no slouch Longer XC type rides are absolutely in the cards for the smuggler Which is as it should be With a bike in this category and travel bracket The bike is also well suited to technical climbing With the big wheels rolling easy And the moderate anti-squat Keeping the suspension active under power The steep seat tube angle is a blessing Any bike manufacturer out there That still hasn't embraced this concept Is blowing it As you pick up speed The smuggler shows its true nature Stable yet energetic The bike provides a ton of confidence Thanks to a centered and relaxed riding position The 65 degree head angle Keeps the bike pointed wherever you wish to point it And the slightly longer chainstays Do their part to keep the calm It's easy to push the bike in turns Without feeling like either of the wheels Want to wash out In rougher terrain The suspension provides enough comfort To allow you to pretty much pick your speed Of course we're talking about 130mm of rear travel So it's never going to behave Like a full-grown enduro bike But thanks to the progressive leverage curve It never feels overwhelmed As you run out of travel With 140mm of fork travel The overall suspension package Strikes a good balance between plush and playful The bike likes to pop over stuff And horse around on the smaller features on the trail As much as it is at home Holding a straight line through some chunder So who is the new smuggler for? If you're one of those riders Just looking for a mountain bike In the very classic sense of the term You've come to the right place The smuggler is an efficient climber Whether you're spinning up a fire road Or picking your way up a technical climbing trail It's perfectly happy to spend long days out Racking up the miles And it will put a big smile on your face On pretty much any downhill section You want to shred down to It likes to pump And can make speed on any trail But without that nervous and unsettled feeling That you can sometimes get From a shorter travel bike If you regularly ride very steep technical terrain Or you need your one bike To be able to hang it out in the bike park Every now and again The smuggler isn't for you But at that point We're talking about a whole other travel bracket And type of bike anyway A mountain biker's mountain bike Yep, that's the new smuggler The only real negative talking point we have With this particular smuggler Is the value equation We're well aware that bikes have gotten Exponentially more expensive Over the past couple of years But this GX level build supplied by Transition Falls a little bit short Of what a $6,000 bike should be In our opinion And for the eagle-eyed among you I should point out that I've been using this bike To test some other parts Notably SRAM's T-type transmission So in case you're wondering Why this bike isn't fully stock anymore That's why A GX level build Traditionally comes with FOX Performance Elite Suspension But here it's been downgraded To just Performance The FOX 34 is a great fork And there's nothing fundamentally wrong With the Performance version But it does lack adjustability That would let you really dial in The front end of the bike This simplified damper Lacks granularity So it goes from fully open To fully closed Within just a couple of clicks Rendering the rest of the adjustment range Pretty useless The shock does work better So if there's any real sense of urgency here It would be to upgrade the fork Transition calls this the GX build But there's an NX shifter And a stylo crank on it Again, there's nothing fundamentally wrong With those parts It just feels like a bit of corner cutting On a $6,000 bike SRAM's Code R brakes Get the job done And we do applaud Transition For picking such heavy-duty brakes Even for a short-travel trail bike It's a very capable ride So you'll need all the stopping power You can get Are we a little bit disappointed That they didn't pick the Code RSC? Yes Looking at the wheels We weren't too stoked On what came out of the box either WTB's i30 ST rims Are about as budget as they come And the spoke tension Was all over the place From the get-go We trued them up to start with And we've had to keep an eye on them Ever since With more work required During testing The rear hub engagement Is pretty mediocre as well And at the risk of sounding like a broken record This isn't what we expect to find On a $6,000 bike You do get tubeless valves And sealant included though So that's a bonus Tires make a big difference And thankfully Transition went with The tried-and-true Assegai Dissector Combo On the new Smuggler Updated XO Plus casing Is tougher than the previous generation And we've not had to reach For the tubeless plugs yet These tires provide predictable grip And good rolling speed And we once again commend Transition For realizing that a bike this capable Will be ridden hard And thus requires proper tires Regardless of the amount of Travel the bike may have The Raceface Effect Chester cockpit Does the job Even though these are pretty much The cheapest components available In the Raceface catalogue On the other hand We were well stoked to find A one-up dropper on this build Especially one with so much travel 210mm on a size L build Is cool And this one can be reduced Down to 190mm In 10mm increments Thanks to a simple spacer system Bonus points to Transition For speccing this one In summary Mountain biking is supposed to be fun And that Is just what the new Transition Smuggler is It provides a ride That's equal parts snappy And confidence inspiring And it loves nothing more Than going as fast as you can Down a trail With 130mm of travel It's of course not a plow bike But the geometry is so well balanced That it doesn't mind getting thrown in At the deep end either Full-on XC ride one day Followed by rowdy home trails the next Not a problem The GX level build we tested here Doesn't provide the best value for money In the category But in terms of smiles per dollar The overall package Still absolutely delivers On that note I think I'll go ride my bike And so should you Happy trails