Readers may recall from our What's In What's Out 2020 that we said the 27.5-inch trail bike was still an awesome weapon. We felt so confident in that declaration because little did you know, we already had the all-new 2020 Transition Scout in our grimy hands. Let's get into what the updates are, how the bike rides and whether you may need one for yourself.

Evolution of the Scout

Throughout each iteration of its design, the Transition Scout has been a favorite party-bike among riders. The prior generation saw the implementation of Transition's Speed Balanced Geometry (SBG) which had all bikes in the line growing significantly in reach numbers while getting steeper seat angles, slack head angles, and reduced offset forks. In the past two years, other bikes in Transition's line included a lighter, carbon-frame offering but the Scout never received such treatment. Regardless, the Scout saw its way into our testing office and some Vital staffer's garages. For 2020, the tables have turned and the Scout receives not just a carbon frame, but one that is clearly an evolution among the Transition line. Time will tell if the rest of Transition's line will get this updated frame

The sleek, highly-refined carbon frame is eye-catching, to say the least. Stare too long at those forms and you would be forgiven in missing the tweaked geometry and increased travel numbers. Throw a leg over the new Scout and all becomes clear. The 2020 Transition Scout doesn't just party, it parties harder.

Updates to the Scout read like a recipe from the "how to evolve your trail bike" book. First, the rear travel has been bumped up by 10mm and is now 140mm, mated to a 150mm short offset fork. The head angle slackens by one-degree to 64. Across all sizes, reach grows by 10mm and is now 460 on a medium. The seat tube angle steepens to 77.2-degrees and that same seat tube has been cut down 20mm to a stubby 390mm. So short is the seat post that our size medium came with a 180mm OneUp dropper post, with plenty of post still showing. Lastly, Chainstays grow by 5mm and are now 430mm across all sizes.

The seat tube and chainstay lengths are great news for those looking at small and medium frames. Riders fitting the large and extra-large category may take issue with the shorter stays. More brands are including longer stays on larger bikes, we hope future models from Transition follow suit.

Suspension kinematics have also changed for the Scout. The chassis is much more progressive than the prior iteration and Transition is now giving the blessing for a coil shock. Transition has traditionally gone for a sag range in the 33-35% range but with this new Scout, they are recommending a solid 30% with swings in the 28-33% range. The Scout comes with 140mm of travel in its stock form but by swapping to a longer stroke shock, riders can achieve 150mm of travel. All of these updates, to us, spoke of a bike that was designed with versatility in mind.

In the aesthetics and refinement department, the Scout has a downtube and bottom bracket area that is muscly enough it could almost hide an e-bike motor. The sleek frame has ridges, folds, and interfaces that overlap to hide linkages along with a thin profiled top tube that helps to keep the bike from looking too buff for its own good. As always, a full-sized water bottle fits inside the frame along with bosses on the underside of the top tube for mounting ancillary tools or a pump. Thick rubber protection keeps the bottom bracket safe and the chainstay and seatstay spooky-quiet.

On the Trail

Getting the Scout on the trail revealed a bike that was quick to snap to attention and does as it is told. Put the power to the pedals and the Scout rockets forward, there is no lag or messing about. Well, there is some messing about but it's more along the lines of wheelies, jumps, and creative lines. We really appreciated the efficiency in which the Scout tackled any sort of incline. From nine-mile grinds to sharp punches, the Scout was happy to fly up nearly everything. Keeping in mind this isn't the high-end, lightest option out there and our spoiled selves were truly impressed. We never had a doubt that the Scout would fly downhill but, based on the last Scout's performance, we would be lying to say we didn't have lingering reservations about the climbs. Transition absolutely laid those to rest.

If there is one standout riding characteristic of the Scout, it would be the bike's ability to carry speed. The revised suspension does not get bogged or hung up when the trail turns chunky. Meanwhile, the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate prevents the ride from being harsh. This combination gives the Scout a very "point-and-shoot" feel on the trail, be that cornering or lining up more rowdy terrain. The bike is so capable in fact, that we would have liked to see a 200mm rotor up front instead of the 180 combo that came stock. It has been rare to find ourselves needing to pedal on descents to make up for lost speed through corners or terrain, the Scout is happy to utilize the trail before it to build momentum.

Our key takeaways thus far include an all-new frame that is as effective on the trail as it is beautiful...

In the name of science, we sent two product testers out with the Scout to do some back-to-back testing and mess with the Scout's setup. Lap one had things a bit more textbook which provided a predictable ride that one could head out all day with. Lap two had us turning up the compression front and back to see how rowdy things would get. The Scout rode like an angry Supercross bike. It was fast, took a strong hand and transmitted much of the trail, albeit all the while boosting further and keeping its lines through the rocks. Testing such as this helps to drive home some of the versatility of the new Scout. Riders that frequent smoother terrain or are looking to maximize bike response for more flow-style trails will delight in a setup like this.





The Scout did have an outing with a softer set-up as well, running closer to 33% sag. The ride was a one-time affair because much of the stability and sure-footedness of the bike was lost. While the Scout did hold its own in the chunk, the compromise was a bit too much and some of the magic that makes this bike was seemingly lost.

...the band from Bellingham has rebuilt the Scout in a meaningful way and produced a stellar bike that we cannot wait to ride every time we walk to the garage.

We have many more miles to log on the Scout and a few top-secret plans on how we'll execute those miles but our time together so far has given us a solid first impression. Our key takeaways thus far include an all-new frame that is as effective on the trail as it is beautiful, a versatile platform that is going to fit into many rider's local trails and a solid selection in the parts kit.

For $3,199 the 2020 Scout is available as a frame-only for those wanting to build their own ride.Otherwise, you have a choice of three build options: The $6,599 X01 kit with Fox Grip Performance Elite suspension and DT Swiss M1700 wheels, the $5,499 GX kit with RockShox Lyric Ultimate and Super Deluxe Ultimate on Stan's Flow S1 wheels (tested) and the $4,499 NX kit with Yari Select and Super Deluxe Select suspension on Stan's Flow D hoops. All builds feature the OneUup dropper and Maxxis tires.

Bottom Line

With a bike that is incredibly fun on the trail and immensely confident in the rough stuff, we have to tip our hat to the gang at Transition. In a market rife with "updates" that are little more than marketing hype, the band from Bellingham has rebuilt the Scout in a meaningful way and produced a stellar bike that we cannot wait to ride every time we walk to the garage.

Is the new Transition Scout the right bike for you? For that, we have to ask, do you like to party...hard? Our name is Vital MTB, and we like to party. For all the details, head to transitionbikes.com