Fuji Transonic 2.5
 

Thinking of purchasing this bike. Anyone have any thoughts about it?

thanks

Same here. I have a entry-level Altamira.

I do a lot of climbing, but I don't think the knee-jerk idea that the Transonic can't climb is worth dissuading me off the bat.

Is this the Performance Bike version? It seems to be identical to the 2.3 except for the brakes (are there other things?) and much less expensive.

I have the Transonic 2.9 and have been more then happy with it. Wheels were very heavy so I immediately upgraded to Shimano RS81 C35's that I found new for $350. Saddle is also heavy and uncomfortable so I upgraded to a selle italia saddle. Got the weight just below 17 pounds with nothing on it. All in all I'm only $1700 into the bike with the upgrades (employee purchase deals and what not).

Been racing it for 6 months now and am on the podium the majority of the time with guys who have $5000+ race bikes. The bike has better power transfer then anything I've ever ridden. Super stiff, but still plenty comfortable for 100+ mile rides.

As long as you upgrade the wheels, you really can't go wrong with it.

Cool. I have the 2016 Altamira 1.1, which is 20lbs with R550 pedals, bottle cages, garmin mounts sensors, lights, and RS81s. I emailed ASI (Fuji parent company) asked why the bike is heavy and they suggested it is due to the fork (it relies on aluminum with carbon around it....FC-770 I think). I swapped saddle for Spesh Romin, and upgraded to Oval 900 semi-carbon seatpost. All in all, it is a great bike.

My only concern with the Transonic is the climbing. I do about 1,200 - 2,000 feet of climbs on a typical ride. The Altamira is pretty great, but a bit heavy. I would love to have a 17lb bike. If I bought a Transonic, I would swap my RS81s which have a 11-32 Ultegra cassette. Perhaps this would make the Transonic a better climber.

Gagemr, it sounds like you have a bit of experience...can you say anything about how the Transonic climbs vs. other bikes you have experience with?

Yes this is from performance.

Thanks a lot. Do you recall the wheels you had?

Aside from some issues I have with the name of the bike and wheels, it looks like a solid bike. Does transonic mean across sound? I think I could come up with a much better name brand for wheel than Oval Concepts. Very good looking bike though.

My Fuji has lots of "Oval" stuff (Fuji and Kestrel's "in house" components). Nothing inherently wrong with it, but who doesn't get upgrade-itis?

Around where I live we don't have any mountains, but I normally do go up to the hills about once a week. Normally about 2,00 ft of climbing over a 40 mile ride. I have ridden "climbing bikes" such as the Fuji SL, but never in the hills before. Really I don't think there is a big difference. Obviously the lighter the weight, the better in the hills. You're going to be paying to drop weight no matter which route you go. But by no means is a 17 lb transonic any worse at climbing then a 17 lb altimira.

I believe they're called Vera Corsa DPM27. Couldn't find any information about them online but they were literally like twice the weight of the RS81's.

So...pulled trigger..on the Transonic 2.5 LE

2.3 vs. the 2.5 LE from Performance Bikes (both have Ultegra shifters and derailleurs + 105 cassette).

Transonic 2.3 $2440 MSRP
vs.

Transonic 2.5 LE $1,799 on sale at Performance

-2.3 has Ultegra brakes vs. Tektro on the 2.5 LE
-2.3 has Oval 720 crankset vs. Oval 520 on the 2.5 LE
-2.3 has Oval 527 wheelset vs. Oval 327 on the 2.5 LE

I will swap the wheelset with my RS81 and that have the Ultegra 11-32 cassette + Specialized Romin saddle.

Yeah those were on my Altamira. very heavy, i never even rode them, i put them on my old specialized i sold on ebay

Yes, they were on my Altamira nad VERY VERY heavy

With $180 in credit from Performance Bikes, should I upgrade the crankset to Ultegra 6800? PB has it for the 52/36t for $159.99 or should I upgrade the Tektro brakes? 105s = $64.99, Ultegra = $89.99, DA = $129.99

I'm thinking the crankset. But is the bb compatible?

Whatever you decide on wait until the weekend. Double points.

So I had the Transonic 2.5 LE from Performance Bikes (and yes I got double points). The bike came with 105 brakes despite the specs. After two rides, I returned it to Performance Bikes. It wasn't a bad bike, but I couldn't climb on it at all. When I put a power stroke into the bike, the rear felt "wobbly" on climbs. I did a descent 10 seconds faster than normal.

However, if you live in where it is flat, this is the bike to go to. The top tube will have you very stretched out.

All my rides have a minimum of 1,500 feet of climbing. So I returned the Transonic after a couple of days to Performance Bike and went with a Fuji SL 2.3. I love it.