Specialized really has a nice line-up of tri bikes, and it's taken until 2011 before this category is equal in pride, workmanship, technology, to its MTB and road race bikes. This, because it's got a great set of very competitive bikes aboard a very good frame throughout an entire size run, in every meaningful price range. Then it's got its "superbike," the Shiv, for those who'd be buying 550hp Cadillacs if cars, and not tri bikes, were their bag.
But this bike—the Transition Expert—this is the sweet spot of the line-up. This is the bike worthy of immediate focus—if you're a wise and experience tri retailer—because of a confluence of factors: It's the price point most triathletes are interested in; spec'd with the groupkit more triathletes want than any other; at a value no other company beats, among bikes spec'd with this groupkit.
Geometry
Some of the Transition's molds were changed a bit between 2009 and 2010, a size was added at the small end of the scale (XS), a taller size (XXL) was made at the large end of the scale, and the XL was reworked. Now you have a full-fledged, 6-size, run of very nice frames. The grading among the sizes became truer, that is, each size was a similar thematic representation of the sizes adjacent to it.
As a result of the changes from 2009 to 2010, the Transition began to take on a style, and, that style is marginally "narrow and tall." Furthermore, you should be aware that this company's idea of M, L and XL differs from other companies. You're going to ride a size with a larger name than you think you should, that is, if you think you should in general be riding a bike that's a size M, you may well find that you'll ride an L in this bike - maybe even an XL, depending on the aerobar you choose.
For example, an XL in the Transition is closer to an L in a Scott Plasma than any of the Plasma's other sizes (and the Transition's L is like a Plasma's M, and so forth). This is especially true if you size a bike primarily based on its length, that is to say (for fitting purposes), it's "reach." Transitions have fairly short reach dimensions, meaning you often have to size up to get a bike the length you need.
Since this bike is set up to cater to the taller, narrower, position, it's ripe for a "flatenning" of the position through a change in how the front-end is spec'd (the stem, headset top cap, number of spacers, and the aerobar choice). One of the elements of this frame I like is that, for a bike with a non-integrated, fully modular front-end, it has a sunken head tube top behind which the top tube resides. This intuitively seems to give the stem the ability to hide in front of the frame's top tube (does that makes any sense?).
Now, this being the case, if the stem is pitched up above the top of the top tube you lose that feature, do you not? To read more of my thesis on this, you may want to refer to a recent article on this very subject: Evil stems and spacers.
To take advantage of the frame feature noted above—and to "flatten" this bike's height and make it more length-to-height neutral—were I to buy this bike, I'd immediately ditch the original equipment headset top cap and front brake casing stop and replace them with a non-O.E., but available, headset top cap featuring an integrated casing stop. The total height of this aftermarket piece is 5mm, and, this gives the stem (and I'd probably end up replacing the O.E. stem with one having a horizontal pitch) a fighting chance of sitting in that notch Specialized has created for it. Note to Specialzed retailers: order as many of these integrated top cap + casing stops as you have Transitions to sell.
Having said this, look at the pic above, and note how few spacers there are above the headset top cap. It seems Specialized has moved to photographing their bikes this way (versus previous studio shots) and this is good, because it shows the bikes configured in a way that suits this bike's features, and in the config that would make the bike work best for its customers.
Handling
First may I state that I have no quarrel whatsoever with the handling of this bike in my size, nor in the size larger than the size I would ride. The bikes are very stable while riding in the aero position—more stable, better conceived, than plenty of the bikes in their competitive set.
The two middle sizes, M and L, are likewise nice handling, stable bikes, though they might err slightly on the side of too stable for those who're used to a more sprightly handler.
On the smaller sizes—everything below size M—Specialized and I have a gentle disagreement on how bikes best handle and what are the important metrics to consider. I describe this in my write-up of the Transition Pro. If you're interested, you can read it there (under the "Handling" heading).
Other notable frame features
All Transitions built around this frame style come with any of three seatposts. These posts are named Team (way set back, without very much difference between its two fore and aft positions); the Regular post; and the Straight post. These posts are each two-position posts, and, on the straight post, the center of the binder mechanism sits either 100mm behind the BB or 150mm behind the BB depending on whether the binder mechanism is in its fore or aft position.
The offsets are rational and thought-out. The swept back post (Regular post) has offsets of 160mm and 210mm. The Team post has offsets of 200mm and 225mm respectively.
Your safest bet is to get your Transition with a Straight post (you may well choose the rear position of the Straight post). But if you're a taller rider—riding the XL or XXL—you might need the Regular post, with the moderate backsweep. This, because the seatpost sticks straight up, at 90°, so, the taller the bike size, the nominally steeper the bike is already.
The seat posts are also notable in that they don't slide down during riding. Place this frame in the category of those where you tighten the binder, and, done. Your post is fixed in place.
Finally, the Transitions are built to accept BB30 bottom brackets. This is just a better standard.
Gruppo
While other companies are offering Ultegra-equipped tri bikes that cost $3300 to $3700, the Expert comes in at $3000 even. While I'm personally favorably-disposed to SRAM shift systems on bar-end shifted bikes, you all have indicated (in reader surveys on Slowtwitch) that Ultegra rules in mid-range drivetrains. And this model is probably the best-priced Ultegra-spec'd tri bike among the major tri bike makers.
The Expert in prior years was spec'd with Shimano Ultegra in the chain, crankset, and front-derailleur, and even featured a Dura Ace rear derailleur. The chain was a 105. The downspec was the bottom bracket, which was Tiagra-level. It's slightly cynical to downspec what you can't see and up-spec what you can (certainly Specialized isn't alone in this).
The 2011 Expert is just Ultegra throughout the drive train. Bravo. Very nicely spec'd bike. The brake calipers are not Ultegra simply because the Specialized calipers are designed specifically for this frame.
That established, I don't like the aerobar spec on this model (or the model just above this). Specialized has taken a step backward by moving from Visiontech (spec'd in 09) to Profile Design's T2. Not because there's anything wrong with the bar, just, the bar geometry + the frame geometry conspires to make a very tall bike relative to its length (for a further explanation of this thesis, you'll want to read Bikes as fit constructs.
But, no worries, I never consider bikes and aerobars joined at the hip anyway. In fact, at this price point, it would be a coincidence if the bike I bought went out the door with the bar spec'd O.E.
I don't mean that with regard to Specialized tri bikes, rather with any complete tri bike. Just, Specialized somewhat reduced the likelihood of that circumstance occurring with the bar it chose to spec. Better for Specialized to do what Cannondale did, as it moved from 2010 to 2011: Pair this tallish-geometry frame with a less-tallish geometry aerobar. C'dale is now spec'ing Visiontech on its Slice (it spec'd Profile T2 last year), and Visiontech was the right aerobar for these Transitions when they were spec'd on them in years past.
Final impressions
This is the sweet spot in the Transition line-up. It's my guess that Specialized is going to run out of this bike before it runs out of anything else it sells to triathletes. Were I a Specialized dealer, I've had ordered deep and deeper in this model. Pallet after pallet.
Just remember, though, to stand fast with your retailer on the front-end spec. Size up, move to a shorter stem than what's spec'd (best is about 2.0 to 2.5cm shorter than what you'll ideally ride on your ideal-geometry road race bike), move to a flatter stem, get rid of the spacers and tall headset top cap, move to the integrated top cap / cable stop, and choose the right aerobars for you (low profile or high profile). In other words, it's okay to make your retailer earn his money. If you are a prudent shopper, you'll own a great bike at a great price you can ride for many years.
All Transitions for 2011 should be currently on showroom floors.
