Tom Law's time with the Transition Smuggler has come to an end. After spending most of 2024 putting the Smuggler through its paces and tweaking its spec, has Tom fallen in love with this versatile trail bike?
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If I had to sum up my year with Transition’s Smuggler in one word it would be 'mixed'. Coming off three years of owning the brand's shorter-travel, and 5-star rated, Spur, I had massively high hopes. But I haven't gelled with the Smuggler as much as I did with its smaller sibling.
The geometry is bang-on, with modern, yet not extreme numbers. The head angle is right in what I would consider the sweet spot for a trail bike, at 65 degrees.
I was also stoked to try the steep 78.1-degree seat angle, to test the effect it has on climbs. Most of the bikes I’ve ridden until now have hovered closer to 76 degrees.
The 485mm reach is bang in my 480-490mm preference zone and the seat tube is suitably short, at 430mm on my size-large test bike.
This is a very comfortable, confidence-inspiring bike to spend time on and it has enabled me to push my limits a bit out of my comfort zone. Overall, the geometry strikes a great balance between agility and stability, along with an excellent climbing position.
From day one, I’ve loved the look of the bike too. This is a stunning machine, and I’ve had many admiring comments from other riders out on the trails.
Where the gloss starts to wear off is the suspension, component selection and price tag.
The rear end took a lot of finessing and an aftermarket linkage to get it feeling a close match to my expectations. As standard, suspension performance is not a match for the very best bikes in this category. It's not that the suspension is bad, far from it; there are just better bikes out there, including Norco’s Fluid and the Ibis Ripley.
In the end, I didn’t feel the need to fit a longer, 150mm-travel fork. I was just about happy with how the rear end felt, and didn’t want to upset the apple cart by making the opposite end of the bike more capable.
Another disappointment was the main pivot bearings dying a little sooner than expected. This was a quick, cheap fix, but I’d still expect better from a brand hailing from the wet climes of the Pacific Northwest.
What’s more of a sticking point for me is the spec and price tag. The SRAM Code R brakes feel a cut below what I’d expect and, for the price, I’d expect a full GX drivetrain, without a cheaper NX shifter hidden under the bar.
Compared to the aforementioned Ripley, which is £100 cheaper in the XT build, the Smuggler lags behind. With Fox Factory suspension to go with the full XT drivetrain and brakes, the Ripley is a better-value package.
While I have enjoyed my time on the Smuggler, I never loved it, nor really bonded with it as I have other bikes. It’s fast, capable and drop-dead gorgeous, but it's not the one trail bike to rule them all I was hoping it would be.
So, the big question. Would I buy this bike? It depends. If I had a longer-travel enduro bike, the Smuggler would make a lightning-fast shorter-travel whippet that can still be ridden hard. If I could only have one bike, I’d be looking at the Fluid or Ripley instead.
Transition Smuggler Carbon GX highs
I had so many highlights on the Smuggler, despite never loving it. The first ride on my local trails was incredibly fun, and I think it's one of the best-looking bikes on sale today.
Indulging my oil-slick obsession was another high point. The real standout, though, was shooting and writing MBUK’s Trail Crew feature around Llandegla, a place I know far too well. It was an amazing day with a brilliant crew of riders.
Transition Smuggler Carbon GX lows
Never getting the rear suspension to feel as plush or planted as I wanted was a low point. The bike is so sorted aside from that. The pivot bearings dying a week before my first trip to Morzine was another big disappointment.
Aside from that, I had few lows over the year. The Smuggler was a solid, reliable trail partner and, while I’d struggle to recommend it over some rivals, I am going to miss it all the same.
Transition Smuggler Carbon GX long-term review verdict
The Smuggler is a gorgeous, fast and capable trail machine that's close to being one of the best on the market. However, it's not quite as plush as some of its rivals and it isn’t the best value either.
Transition Smuggler Carbon GX in brief
The Smuggler was revised in the early part of 2023, having been absent from Transition’s range since 2020.
There are options for carbon or aluminium frames and the styling is in line with Transition’s more angular look of the past few years.
Using the brand’s GiddyUp suspension design with 130mm of travel, it has a Horst-link system. The stout-looking carbon linkage drives the shock, with a pivot down on the seatstays.
This is matched with a 140mm-travel fork, but you can remove a spacer in the rear shock to lengthen the shock stroke and bump the bounce up to match the front end.
It rolls on 29-inch wheels front and rear, but can’t be set up as a mullet bike.
Fox’s 34 fork with base-level GRIP damper – rather than the more adjustable GRIP2 – and Performance-level Float X shock cover suspension duties.
SRAM’s GX drivetrain is a known quantity, though an NX shifter is tucked under the handlebar. Code brakes with big 200/180mm rotors take care of slowing down.
OneUp’s excellent V2 dropper post chosen in a 210mm-drop variant, while the bike comes with an 800mm-wide Race Face Chester bar and stumpy 40mm Aeffect R stem.
Keeping the Smuggler rolling are quality EXO+ Maxxis Assegai and Dissector tyres in the MaxxTerra compound.
These are wrapped around a no-frills set of WTB ST i30 rims, laced to Novatec hubs.
Transition Smuggler Carbon GX update three
Heading into the final third of my time with the Smuggler, it’s starting to show some signs of the hard life it’s had over the past nine months.
The first casualties were the main pivot bearings, which had developed a large amount of play. It was making the back end feel particularly worse for wear.
Replacement was easy enough. The locking collet on the main pivot is easy to work on, while the bearings were easy to pop out. I didn’t need to fully remove the rear end, but I did have to undo the top shock bolt.
Even so, it didn’t take long with the right tools and everything is now tight and smooth.
I’ve also received an aftermarket linkage from Cascade Components.
This neat little mod will liberate 140mm of travel from the rear end. It also ups the level of progression from a little over 27 per cent to 31 per cent. It still uses the same shock sizes, so I’ve been able to keep the Float X in place.
I’m also planning to go on the scrounge around the test team for a 150mm fork to go with it. As good as the stock 34 Float Performance is, I’m keen to see how the bike handles a bigger unit.
As you might have guessed, I’m still trying to find the sweet spot with the Smuggler’s suspension.
I have the fondest of memories for Norco’s similar Fluid. So far, I haven’t got the Smuggler’s rear end feeling as good as its PNW comrade.
I still think it's one of the most efficient climbers in the 130mm-travel bracket. And despite my shoddy jumping technique, it loves to get airborne too. But, in the rough stuff, it's not as plush or smooth as the likes of the Norco or Marin’s Rift Zone.
I’m hoping this next mod or two will unlock more bump-eating ability while not denting its rabid appetite for gaining elevation.
The brakes have also been an area of concern in recent weeks. The original pads were well past their best. I’ve swapped in a set of Trickstuff’s Power pads and rotors to see how they perform, because from the start I haven’t been that enamoured with the Code Rs.
Outright power is pretty good, but they haven’t impressed me as much as the brand’s new Silver or Ultimate Stealth brakes.
Hopefully, this round of mods will help me and the Smuggler let loose on the descents.
Transition Smuggler Carbon GX update two
Nearly halfway through my time with the Smuggler and I’m still very much enjoying it.
But the more I ride it, the more it surprises me.
With its piggyback shock, aggressive stock tyres and fairly burly build, I was anticipating a slimmed-down version of Transition’s longer-travel Sentinel.
I figured it’d be on the plusher, rowdier side of the trail bikes spectrum, but it isn’t. Instead, it feels way closer to the Spur.
The Horst-link suspension is far more efficient than I expected and doesn’t deliver the smooth ride offered by Norco’s Fluid that I rated so highly at the tail end of last year.
There are pros and cons to this. The positives are obvious; the Smuggler climbs brilliantly, and with the steeper seat angle, is a great place for cranking out the miles.
The downside is its relative lack of plushness. It’s not harsh by any means, but I expected it to offer up more grip, traction and control when it gets rowdy.
In an attempt to eke out some extra terrain-gobbling ability, I tried a little trick I’d seen online with the Fox Float X Performance.
The Performance version comes only with rebound adjustment and a two-position pedal lever, forgoing the independent low-speed compression adjustment of the more expensive Performance Elite and Factory variants.
It turns out that underneath the black cover, where the blue dial is on those pricier shocks, are all the adjustable internals – just not a dial to adjust them.
By purchasing the dial kit separately, you can remove the black cover, pop the dial in place and voila. You now effectively have a Fox Float X Performance Elite shock.
Now, with the ability to adjust the low-speed compression myself, I set to work fiddling around.
It turns out the shock comes effectively fixed with five clicks of low-speed compression damping already dialled in. Now I could adjust it, I immediately dialled those out, giving me a fully open low-speed compression circuit.
The back end now feels a tad plusher, but still not as pillowy plush as the Fluid.
I guess that's the trade-off with the kinematics on the bike; it's designed to prioritise efficiency over bump-gobbling ability.
I’m just yet to decide if that's to the bike's advantage or to its detriment.
Older updates follow below…
Transition Smuggler Carbon GX update one
It’s wild to think I’ve had the Smuggler in my possession for nearly five months.
What’s even more wild is how alien its little sibling, my own Transition Spur, felt when I jumped back on it for the first time in a while.
Considering I’ve owned and ridden the Spur for three years, how quickly the Smuggler felt like an extension of me when riding shouldn’t perhaps come as much of a surprise.
But bearing in mind how closely I felt they rode, it was eye-opening to swing a leg back over the shorter-travel bike again.
Instantly noticeable was the longer cockpit of the Spur. Even after I shortened the stem to 40mm to match the Smuggler, it still felt very rangy when seated.
The Smuggler’s 78.1-degree seat angle is two degrees steeper than the Spur and I felt it straightaway on the trail. I’ve already come to prefer the shorter effective top tube and its more compact feel when climbing.
The Spur is a very competent climber. But I’ve been surprised how little performance, if any, the Smuggler gives away.
Part of that is down to the geometry, but also the lively NOBL X Berd wheels I’ve fitted. Their light weight makes the Smuggler an absolute animal on the climbs.
That has been boosted further by switching out the stock Assegai/Dissector rubber to a Maxxis Forekaster in EXO+ casing out back and wrapping a lighter EXO-casing DHR II up front.
Given the only other thing I’ve changed on the bike is the cockpit to a full OneUp setup, the wheels make up a significant part of the weight saving over the stock build’s 14.1kg (without pedals).
At the moment though, I’m running a set of burlier Hunt Proven Race Enduro wheels wrapped in Specialized’s redesigned Purgatory tyres I have in for testing, so stay tuned for a review of both soon.
Moving over to that OneUp cockpit, from the first descent it was obvious how much more compliant the carbon bar is compared to the Race Face Chester the bike came with.
I’m all for fitting name-brand components to boost a bike's perceived value, but I’d rather see a no-name bar if it offers more compliance than the unforgiving Chester.
I’ve also been enjoying OneUp’s new Thin Grips. They offer a more comfortable and plush feel than their 29mm diameter may suggest. It’s been nice to have the EDC tool stashed in the steerer for emergency use too.
Lastly, I have the brand’s new V3 dropper post fitted to see how it compares to the stock V2. It will be interesting to try them back to back.
Overall, OneUp’s whole cockpit has become one of my favourites. High praise indeed.
Elsewhere, not much has changed. SRAM’s GX drivetrain is still clicking through the gears, though I did manage to snap another GX chain.
I’m not a serial chain snapper, but this is the fourth GX chain I’ve broken in the last few months – something to look into.
The gorgeous oil slick titanium bolt kit I’ve added to the Smuggler is a sight to behold.
It’s a small detail and combined with a few other little bits, such as the EDC carrier and new SDG Bel Air saddle I’ve fitted, gives the bike a bit of a personal touch.
