"Anyone who has ever ridden the Scout from Transition knows how much fun it is to ride down the trails on this little 140mm bike!" announces Laurent Pittet from Swiss Transition supplier Magic Downhill. "And for those who want to save around 600 grams in weight, the carbon version will be available from September," Pittet continues.

And what's in the new Scout carbon bike? The geometry and the so-called GiddyUp suspension remain the same as its aluminum sibling. In terms of geometry, Transition uses the terms Long, Low and Slack - meaning the modern geometry with a long front center, low handlebars and a short head tube, respectively, and a 67 degree steering angle. At 425 millimetres, the Scout has very short chainstays, with 125 millimetres of travel and 27.5-inch wheels in the rear triangle. The axle dimensions are old school, so to speak, as Boost with an installation width of 148 millimetres is not to be found, but the now almost old-fashioned Syntace X12 Mass with its 142 millimetres.

The bottom bracket is also not fitted with any new-fangled frippery, as a 73 millimeter wide, bolted BSA bottom bracket, which is known to be crack-free, is used conventionally. When it comes to the cables, the Scout is back in the modern era, as the shift and brake cables and lines disappear into the inside of the frame on the top tube. In terms of weight, the carbon frame (available in Switzerland as a frame kit for CHF 2,999) weighs in at 2.8 kilograms, while complete bikes à la Transition Scout Carbon are available from a moderate 12.5 kilograms.

www.transitionbikes.com