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2015 Fuji Transonic Aero Road Bike Unveiled, Blends Feedback from Wind Tunnel, Riders & Mechanics

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2015 Fuji Transonic aero road bike

The all-new 2015 Fuji Transonic aero road bike is an amalgamation of both existing frame development from their other road bikes as well as feedback from experts, pro riders and mechanics. That last bit is what makes the Transonic a bit different from other modern aero rides, putting the rear brake (which is actually a front brake) in the normal location rather than hiding it under the BB.

“It’s extremely challenging to set up and maneuver around the crankset when the brake’s mounted under the chainstay, and it’s impossible for a mechanic to adjust in a race situation hanging out of the car. The rider would have to stop,” said Senior Fuji Road Product Manager Steve Fairchild. “So from a stiffness and aerodynamics standpoint, mounting the rear brake makes a lot of sense; but from a service standpoint, it’s illogical. We realized that during the design process, so we worked directly with Shimano to modify their front brake design and apply it to a rear seatstay position. There it gives both mechanics and riders easy access for adjustments and wheel changes and allows for confirmation that the wheel and brake aren’t rubbing after a change.”

And then, of course, there’s the aerodynamics…

Transonic-A2-Wind-Tunnel

“We first released our SST in 2009, designed with the input of sprinter Ivan Dominguez and aimed at creating an extraordinarily stiff platform that would thrive in crits and bunch sprints. We next introduced our Altamira in 2011, a collaboration with the climbers of Fuji-Servetto. Ultra-lightweight and designed to excel on steep gradients, it’s since won a grand tour title and plenty of queen stage summit finishes,” explained Fairchild. “So with the Transonic, we partnered with our pro team NetApp-Endura and sought out a new focus: speed – a bike with superior aerodynamics that would shine especially on flat or rolling terrain. We like to think of it as Stiffer, Lighter, and now: Faster.”

According to their A2 Wind Tunnel tests, the Transonic has a 121g reduction in drag averaged across yaw from 0-20 degrees compared to the SST and a 118g reduction in drag compared to the Altamira. They say that translates to 65 seconds faster than the SST and 55 seconds faster than the Altamira for a rider putting out a steady 300 watts over a 40km course.

2015 Fuji Transonic aero road bike

There’s not a sharp edge to be found on the Transonic, which not only makes it smooth through the air but takes full advantage of carbon fiber’s upsides to let them tune the ride. The fork’s crown is recessed on the front to bring the brake into the shaping a bit, then melds into the downtube like on their Norcom Straight TT/Tri bike. Head angle and fork offset prioritized confidence on the descents and stability at speed rather than crit-bike sharpness.

2015 Fuji Transonic aero road bike

All that aero wouldn’t matter if the bike couldn’t also lay down the power. The bottom half of the bike is massive, with huge downtube cross sections, a colossal PFBB30 shell and oversized asymmetric chainstays. Fuji says they’re wider than what you’ll typically find on aero bikes, which makes it very stiff, but they’re still aero shaped. An integrated chainkeeper helps prevent chain drops.

One-series frames use their C10 Ultra High-Modulus carbon fiber where needed, and 2-series frames get C5 High-Modulus.

2015-Fuji-Transonic-aero-road-bike-details09

The seatpost has a proprietary aero shape with a hidden clamp/bolt and roughened front surface to prevent slippage. Di2-equipped models fit the battery inside the seatpost to keep it out of the wind. The pics provided don’t do justice to all of the shaping done on the Transonic’s frame, but the video below provides a lot of different angles.

2015-Fuji-Transonic-aero-road-bike-details08

Back to the brakes: By using a tweaked direct mount front brake from Shimano, Fuji could keep it within easy reach of mechanics, provide solid braking and still tuck it out of the wind.

2015 Fuji Transonic aero road bike 2015 Fuji Transonic aero road bike

The caliper is almost completely hidden behind the seatstays save for the cable stop and pulley.

MODELS & GEOMETRY

2015-Fuji-Transonic-SL-aero-road-bike

The Transonic line is led by the SL, which uses their C10 carbon and comes with full SRAM Red 22 and carbon Oval Concepts (Fuji’s house brand) cockpit and carbon clincher wheels, Vittoria tires and KMC chain. Brakes are Tektro TRP direct mount.

2015-Fuji-Transonic-SL-aero-road-bike

Retail for the complete bike is a very reasonable $5,699 (€4,999).

2015-Fuji-Transonic-SL-aero-road-bike frameset

Frameset is $2,199 (€1,699) and includes seatpost and headset.

2015-Fuji-Transonic-1-1-aero-road-bike

Transonic 1.1 gets Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Oval carbon/alloy clinchers at $6,299 (€5,999). All but the lowest end model use Praxis bottom bracket converters to fit the Shimano cranksets into the PFBB30 shell.

2015-Fuji-Transonic-1-3-aero-road-bike

Transonic 1.3 switches to mechanical Dura-Ace 9000 for $4,699 (€4,299).

2015-Fuji-Transonic-2-1-aero-road-bike

Transonic 2.1 is the top model with the lower level C5 carbon. It gets Ultegra Di2 with Ultegra direct mount brakes, KMC chain and Oval’s tubeless ready (yay!) aero alloy clinchers with Vittoria tires. Retail is $3,549 (€3,299).

2015-Fuji-Transonic-2-3-aero-road-bike

Transonic 2.3 has a mechanical Ultegra build with 105 cassette, Oval alloy wheels and cockpit for $2,399 (€2,299).

2015-Fuji-Transonic-2-5-aero-road-bike

Transonic 2.5 also gets a Ultegra shifters and derailleus, but drops down to 105-level direct mount brakes, Oval crankset and lower level wheels. Retail is $1,999 (€1,999)

2015-Fuji-Transonic-2-7-aero-road-bike

Transonic 2.7 gets a full 105 build with Oval cranks for $1,889 (€1,799)

2015-Fuji-Transonic-2-9-aero-road-bike

The upcoming Transonic 2.9 will be a US-only model and have an FSA Gossamer compact crankset and BB, 105 shifters and derailleurs, Sunrace cassette and Tektro brakes. Retail is $1,749.

2015 Fuji Transonic aero road bike geometry

FujiBikes.com

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Kenny D
Kenny D
9 years ago

Steve Fairchild is the best now wait till all the others copy it.

Kenny D
Kenny D
9 years ago

Steve is one of the best … Love the new look

Ronin
Ronin
9 years ago

Looks good. I’ll wait till the reviews are in before I start wanting one though.

So, if I buy the frame set where do I get the special back brake calliper from?

TT
TT
9 years ago

strange shifters in the last photo

G
G
9 years ago

Looks so good.
But, PF30BB is not good…
Why they quit BB86?

G
G
9 years ago

Looks so good.
but PF30 is no good…

Why does they quit BB86?

Mike
Mike
9 years ago

@Ronin
It looks like you just pick up some direct mount front brakes, available from several shops, and swap the left and right pad holders around.

CXisfun
CXisfun
9 years ago

@TT: that’s not a photo.

Woof Woof
Woof Woof
9 years ago

My 1987 Kestrel 4000 aero bike, is more aero than this aero bike.

Psi Squared
Psi Squared
9 years ago

I can’t wait to see the aero data comparing Kestrel 4000 to this bike.

bielas
bielas
9 years ago

Good geometries, functional solutions and nice graphics (subtle but not too boring or understated). Should be a good bike

heatwave23
heatwave23
9 years ago

Retail for the complete bike is a very reasonable $5,699 (€4,999). Really? The MSRP for a 2014 Honda CBR500F is $5,799…

wako29
wako29
9 years ago

@heatwave: this bike has more technology in it than that CBR

Any word on how it stacks up to other aero bikes? Venge, Propel, Madone…
I didn’t see any numbers in the article or video for weight, etc

heatwave23
heatwave23
9 years ago

@wako29… lol… No doubt… I am guessing the bicycle also has more emission and safety regulations to adhere too, higher shipping costs and not to mention how hard is it to design a 470cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine that can reach 105mph

Psi Squared
Psi Squared
9 years ago

Comparing the cost of a bicycle to the cost of a motorcycle is a common mistake.

heatwave23
heatwave23
9 years ago

@Psi Squared…. I have seen people attempt to down play the comparison but at this point they have not made a good argument using facts.

Ryan
Ryan
9 years ago

When the sh*t did $5699 become “reasonable”????? C’mon Bike Rumor. I think you can choose your words more carefully, or do we all need to apply for a job with you, because apparently you all make snot-loads of cash doing this? 🙂

Patrick Lange
Patrick Lange
9 years ago

I just bought the Transonic 2.7. The bike arrived in November 2014. Got it home and the gears would not shift from the small chainring to the larger one. Took it back to the bike shop and they couldn’t repair it. They called Fuji who said it must be a bad bike. Sent me a Transonic 2.1 frame(same frame different color). When it arrived same problem. My bike shop guys know their stuff and said it is a design flaw. The cable doesn’t come out of the bike at the right angle. So beware before you buy this bike. I really liked this bike but to pay almost 1,900 for a bike to not shift properly was disappointing. I ended up getting the SST. 2.1 because I couldn’t wait for Fuji to redesign their product.

DP
DP
9 years ago

Working at a shop with these bikes coming in I can confirm that the front shifting on this bike is not perfect. The angle of the cable coming out of the frame to the attachment point on the front derailleur is to steep. That said there are two things we have found that help.

1. Route the cable over the top, like you would have before the 11sp shimano came out. This provides the best shifting for the time invested but increases the likelihood that your cable will start to break due to being crimped.

2. Move the crank slightly away from the frame on the drive side. A lot of the cranks on these bikes have a spacer on the none drive side. Moving it to the drive side increases the angle and greatly improves the shifting.

Jonathan B
Jonathan B
7 years ago
Reply to  DP

I have just bought the 2016 Transonic 2.5 and the front shifting is fantastic. It’s good to see the issue has been fixed. In fact, the whole bike is great – fast, stable and comfortable

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