Transition ends a near-decade downhill hiatus with an all-new, mullet-only TR11 — 211mm of rear travel in a lifetime-warrantied aluminium frame, swappable leverage curves and unashamed World Cup intentions.
A decade-long wait, answered
After close to ten years on the same platform, Transition Bikes has launched a completely redesigned TR11 — the Bellingham, Washington brand's return to a no-compromise downhill race bike. The new alloy frame runs 211mm of rear travel and 200mm up front, and it's sold in a mullet (29in front / 27.5in rear) configuration only.
The 'rainforest' in the headline is literal: Transition is based in the wet, loamy coastal Pacific Northwest, 'very close to the Canadian border', and the company says the bike's character was honed between World Cup courses and local races. It's pitched as an affordable, durable, lifetime-warrantied platform that suits grassroots racers and bike-park regulars alike.
“The development took place between World Cup courses and local races. That sounds promising.”
Tunable to the core: leverage curves, C.H.I.P.S. and S.A.L.S.A.
The headline change is tunability. The rear end now offers two selectable leverage curves via swappable rockers — a more linear rate suited to coil shocks and a more progressive rate aimed at air shocks — so riders can chase traction or support without switching shock type. Sitting on top of that are two independent geometry adjusters: C.H.I.P.S. flip-chips that tweak head angle by 0.4° and bottom-bracket height by 6mm without touching the suspension rate, and S.A.L.S.A. dropouts offering 0, +5, +10 and +15mm of chainstay length (Small/Medium frames ship at 0mm, Large/X-Large at +5mm).
Elsewhere there are replaceable, bolt-on rubber downtube guards to survive shuttle racks and rock strikes, a proven four-bar Horst-link layout, and an aluminium frame carrying a lifetime warranty. The GX complete build pairs a RockShox Zeb Ultimate 200mm fork and Vivid Ultimate Coil shock with SRAM GX DH gearing and TRP brakes.
TR11 (2026): by the numbers
View data table
| Previous TR11 | 2026 TR11 | |
|---|---|---|
| Rear travel | 200 mm | 211 mm |
| Front travel | 200 mm | 200 mm |
TR11 geometry & key specs — size Large
| Size L | |
|---|---|
| Rear travel | 211 mm |
| Front travel | 200 mm |
| Head angle | 63° |
| Seat angle | 77° |
| Reach | 480 mm |
| Stack | 640 mm |
| Chainstay | 445–455 mm |
| BB height | 345 mm |
| Frame weight | 3,650 g (no shock) |
Specs: BIKE (bike-magazin.de)
Builds, pricing and where to buy
The case for and against
- Deep tuning range: two leverage curves (coil or air), C.H.I.P.S. geometry chips and S.A.L.S.A. chainstay lengths
- Tough aluminium frame with a lifetime warranty — sensible for shuttle and park abuse
- Modern mullet geometry aimed squarely at both racing and bike-park duty
- Replaceable bolt-on downtube guards for rock-strike and shuttle protection
- Mullet only — no full-29 or full-27.5 option for riders who want them
- Aluminium-only line-up and a ~17.9kg GX build; no lightweight carbon flagship
- A dedicated DH rig — gravity-only, not a do-it-all
- Once specced with a coil shock and DH wheels it sits firmly in premium-build territory
Tap to vote — see how readers lean
TR11 quick questions
How much travel does the new TR11 have? +
211mm at the rear and 200mm up front, in a mullet (29in front / 27.5in rear) layout.
Is the TR11 only available as a mullet? +
Yes — Transition only offers the new TR11 with a 29in front wheel and 27.5in rear wheel.
Can I run a coil or an air shock? +
Both. The frame offers two selectable leverage curves — a more linear rate for coil shocks and a more progressive rate for air — swapped via different rockers.
What does it cost? +
Internationally the GX complete is about $6,599 (~R109 000) USD / €6,699 (~R126 000) / $8,999 (~R148 000) CAD and the alloy frameset starts around €2,699 (~R50 600). South African pricing depends on the local distributor — check the live price tracker above.
Is the frame aluminium or carbon, and is it warrantied? +
It's an aluminium frame (no carbon option in the range) and Transition backs it with a lifetime warranty.
Sources & further reading
- Transition TR11: The downhill bike from the rainforest — BIKE / bike-magazin.de
- Transition TR11 — official bike page, geometry & builds — Transition Bikes
- Transition Releases New TR11 DH Bike — Pinkbike
- The Decade-Long Wait for a New DH Bike is Over — BikeMag
- 2026 Transition TR11 Alloy GX DH Bike — Vital MTB
The new TR11 doesn't reinvent Transition's gravity formula so much as modernise and open it up: a tough, lifetime-warrantied aluminium chassis with more rear travel, mullet wheels and an unusually deep menu of suspension and geometry adjustment. There's no carbon flagship and no full-29 option, but for a World Cup-capable downhill bike you can also flog around the bike park, the value-and-tunability pitch is a strong one. South African gravity riders should watch local distributor pricing closely.
