Wheel Size: 20’’ front and rear
Travel:
- Frame: N/A
- Fork: 100 mm
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: One size
- Headtube angle: 66°
- Reach: 310 mm
- Chainstay length: 350 mm
Frame Material: Aluminum
Price: $1,399 USD / $1,899 CAD
Wheel Size: 24’’ front and rear
Travel:
- Frame: 130 mm
- Fork: 130 mm
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: One size
- Headtube angle: 65°
- Reach: 365 mm
- Chainstay length: 395 mm
Frame Material: Aluminum
Price: $2,499 USD / $3,399 CAD
Wheel Size: 27.5’’ front and rear
Travel:
- Frame: 150 mm
- Fork: 150 mm
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: XS, Small, Medium
- Headtube angle: 64°
- Reach: 435 mm (size Small)
- Chainstay length: 430 mm
Frame Material: Aluminum
Price:
- Complete bikes: Starting at $3,299 USD / $4,499 CAD (see build details)
- Framesets: $1,799 USD / $2,399 CAD
Intro
What a time to be a kid getting into mountain biking. Despite my nostalgia for rattling down local downhill trails on BMX bikes and hucking rigid steel bikes off of homemade ladder drops in my yard, there’s no denying that I would have killed for one of the purpose-built rigs that seem so widely available these days.
Transition first stepped into the kids’ bike game almost 10 years ago with their Ripcord, but that pint-sized full-suspension bike quietly disappeared from their lineup a few years back. Well, the Ripcord is back, now book-ended by the 20’’-wheeled Bandit and 27.5’’-equipped Scout to cover young riders from the moment they graduate from balance bikes up to the point that they’re ready for an adult-sized ride. Check out our First Look for a rundown of this new suite of dream bikes for little rippers.
The Frames
Bandit
Transition followers may recall the Bandit as one of their early Trail bike designs, but it’s back in the lineup as a 20’’ entry point for young riders. The Bandit foregoes rear suspension but comes with a 100 mm fork to take the sting out of rough trails as its pilot progresses their riding skills. It’s available in three colors and uses a UDH derailleur hanger with 12×148 mm hub spacing.
Ripcord
The Ripcord is back, still rolling on 24’’ wheels but getting a major suspension redesign. The new Ripcord sports a vertical shock layout, following the design language of Transition’s adult bikes, and gets bumped from 100 mm of travel up to 130 mm front and rear. It also has routing for a dropper and comes with one in the stock build, completing an impressive feature set for little rippers. Like the Bandit, there are three colors to choose from, and it also uses a UDH derailleur hanger with 12×148 mm hub spacing.
Scout
The Scout only left Transition’s lineup a couple of years ago, but Transition’s longstanding 27.5’’ bike returns as a youth-focused — but not youth–exclusive — offering. The Scout’s dual 27.5’’ wheels are mated to 150 mm of travel front and rear, hitting a versatile travel number at the intersection of the Trail and Enduro categories.
The Scout’s aluminum frame comes in three sizes from XS through Medium, and Transition has updated the suspension kinematics to specifically accommodate lighter riders. It’s worth noting that there is nothing youth-specific about the Scout, and while the suspension kinematics are optimized for lighter riders, smaller and lighter adults may find a compelling option in the Scout too.
The Scout comes in two color options and uses a UDH derailleur hanger matched to 12×148 hub spacing.
Fit & Geometry
Bandit
The Bandit comes in one size only, designed to fit riders between 3’6’’ and 4’6’’ (106–137 cm) in height. A 310 mm reach is matched to 457 mm stack height, and the tiny 20’’ wheels allow for short 350 mm chainstays. The 66° head tube angle aims to be manageable and intuitive for new riders, and all of the components come in youth-specific sizes as well to complete the package.
The geometry chart is as follows:
Ripcord
The Ripcord also comes in just one size, though the 24’’ wheels and 365 mm reach cater to older riders than the Bandit. A 65° head tube angle adds confidence to go along with the 130 mm of travel on tap, and stubby 395 mm chainstays should keep the handling lively and maneuverable.
The Ripcord’s full geometry is below:
Scout
Along with its bigger 27.5’’ wheels, the Scout makes the leap to geometry that is quite familiar to other modern full-sized mountain bikes — there’s nothing youth-specific here. As the middle offering in the size range, the size Small has a 435 mm reach matched to a 590 mm stack. All sizes get the same 430 mm chainstays and a 64° head tube angle, with a 72° actual seat tube angle. Effective seat tube angle measures 77.7° on the Small, versus 78.2° on the XS and 77.2° on the Medium.
The geometry chart is as follows:
The Builds
Bandit
Being the smallest bike in the lineup doesn’t mean that the Bandit gets shorted on spec. A 100 mm travel Manitou Junit Sport handles suspension duties, while special short-reach Shimano MT420 hydraulic brakes and a 9-speed Shimano Cues Linkglide drivetrain (with a short-reach shifter) offer controls tailored to fit small hands. SDG finishing parts and Maxxis Minion DHR II tires round out a surprisingly robust build kit filled with brand-name parts.
Detailed spec highlights are as follows:
- Drivetrain: Shimano Cues U4000-series 9-speed
- Brakes: Shimano MT420 short reach (160 mm rotors)
- Fork: Manitou Junit Sport (100 mm)
- Shock: N/A
- Wheels: WTB ST i30 rims, alloy sealed bearing hubs
- Dropper Post: N/A
Ripcord
Like the Bandit, the Ripcord only comes in a single build option, but it also gets a full gamut of parts from recognizable brands. A Manitou Junit Expert is matched to a RockShox Deluxe Select rear shock, both cranking out 130 mm of travel. The same short-reach Shimano MT420 brakes from the Bandit are matched to a Shimano Cues Linkglide drivetrain, this time with 10 speeds. SDG again provides finishing parts, including a 75 mm version of their Tellis dropper, and Maxxis Minion DHR II tires are chosen here too.
The details of the Ripcord’s build are below:
- Drivetrain: Shimano Cues 10-speed w/ Deore M5130 derailleur
- Brakes: Shimano MT420 short reach (180 mm front rotor / 160 mm rear)
- Fork: Manitou Junit Elite (130 mm)
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select
- Wheels: WTB ST i30 rims, alloy sealed bearing hubs
- Dropper Post: SDG Tellis Youth Specific (75 mm)
Scout
The Scout is available in two different builds — the baseline Deore setup or a more expensive XT one. The Deore build comes with a RockShox Psylo Gold fork and Deluxe Select+ shock, and Deore M6120 4-piston brakes handle stopping duties. The drivetrain is all 12-speed Deore too, with a RaceFace cockpit and an SDG Tellis dropper that comes in different size-specific lengths all the way up to 170 mm on the size Medium.
The fancier XT build steps up to Marzocchi suspension, with a Z1 up front and Bomber Air rear shock. It also gets TRP DH-R Evo brakes, a full XT drivetrain, a OneUp dropper, and nicer DT Swiss M 1900 wheels.
The full specs of each build are below:
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore 12-speed
- Brakes: Shimano Deore M6120 4-piston (180 mm rotors)
- Fork: RockShox Psylo Gold (150 mm)
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select+
- Wheels: WTB ST i30 rims, Novatech hubs
- Dropper Post: SDG Tellis (XS: 125 mm, S: 150 mm, M: 170 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT 12-speed
- Brakes: TRP DH-R Evo (180 mm rotors)
- Fork: Marzocchi Z1 (150 mm)
- Shock: Marzocchi Bomber Air
- Wheels: DT Swiss M 1900 Spline 30
- Dropper Post: SDG Tellis (XS: 120 mm, S: 150 mm, M: 180 mm)
Framesets are also available for $1,799 USD / $2,399 CAD, which includes a Marzocchi Bomber Air rear shock.
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) How does the performance of Transition’s new youth-focused lineup compare to what other brands are offering?
(2) While the Scout has a clear appeal for younger riders, smaller adults may also benefit from its revised suspension kinematics. How big of a weight range can it accommodate without requiring excessive shock pressures?
Bottom Line (For Now)
Kids have it pretty good these days when it comes to bike options, and Transition’s new Bandit, Ripcord, and Scout mean that there are options in their lineup for a wide range of ages. Kid-specific specs on the Bandit and Ripcord should provide a tailored fit right out of the box, while the Scout stands as a compelling option for lighter riders — youth or adult. It’s a well-considered range, and there will undoubtedly be a lot of young riders out there excited to see what Transition’s new bikes are all about.
These prices are clearly set by people that don’t actually have kids. Ridiculous.