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TECH FEATURES: TRAITOR EXILE
Road Bike Action
October 16, 2009
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(Photo: John Maynard)
Traitor Cycles is an offshoot of Northwest mountain bike company Transition, who are best known for their big hit and all-mountain bikes. While the switch to road bikes is a far cry from their target market, Traitor has taken the road less traveled and focused more on urban and commuter bikes instead of attempting to go head-to-head with the big players in the road market. The most road-orientated bike in the Traitor line is the Exile. While still road-focused, the Exile includes many features that separate it from the pack. Needless to say, a retro-styled road bike from a company founded by mountain bikers had peaked our interest.
THE FRAME
At first glance it appears that one is looking at a perfectly preserved bike from 20 or 30 years ago. The Traitor Exile is constructed using 4130 Japanese double-butted chromoly and Long Shen lugs mated to a chromoly straight blade fork designed to keep the front end stiff and the bike pointed in the intended direction. The lugged frame features a one-inch head tube, laser cut dropouts, front and rear dropout fender eyelets, and integrated cable stops and guides. A unique feature to the Exile is that seat stays taper from the rear dropouts upward toward the seat stay/top tube juncture. This design allows for a bit of vertical compliance while still maintaining stiffness at the rear wheel. Finish work on the Exile is surprisingly good, leading many to be surprised at the bike’s relatively low cost. The Traitor Exile comes in a classy cream color with subtle modern graphics and forged head tube badge.
THE PARTS
The Traitor Exile comes with a unique blend of components. Shimano 105 shifters are used and are mated to a Shimano 105 rear derailleur and an FSA K-Force front. FSA is also tapped for the Gossamer 50/34 compact crankset with a SRAM 12-23 rear cassette. Lower line Shimano brakes are used to handle stopping duties. The Exile uses the FSA RD-220 wheels with 25c Maxxis Fuse tires. The cockpit of the Exile takes the same mix and match approach with a Syncros 44-centimeter aluminum handlebar, Traitor Poser 90mm stem, Shimano Ultegra seatpost and retro-looking, brown diamond-patterned, Velo-made saddle.
THE NUMBERS
Our 56-centimeter Exile had a 72.5-degree head and a 74-degree seat tube angle, connected by a 55.5-centimeter top tube. Chainstay length measured out at 42.6 centimeters, with a wheelbase of 101.8 centimeters. The Traitor Exile weighed 22.65 pounds without pedals.
THE RIDE
The unique but sensible component spec, steel frame and fender eyelets meant the Exile found its place in our stable as our winter training bike. The Traitor Exile came equipped with a short 90mm stem that was simply too short. We swapped it out for a more conventional 110mm stem. Once the stem was swapped out, the handling of the Exile improved dramatically. The parallel head and seat tube angles allowed the Exile to carve through corners and provided a comfortable all-day riding position. The Exile is stable at speed and handles sweeping corners with ease. The Maxxis Fuse tires held up well throughout the test, and we never experienced a single flat. However, the durability comes at a price, as the hard compound tires simply don’t offer the cornering traction of higher-end race tires. Testers enjoyed the road feel of the steel frame, and despite the added weight over the carbon wonder bikes of today, enjoyed climbing on the Exile. Long and steep climbs were best handled using a high cadence and low gear. The steel frame absorbed road shock well and inspired confidence over rough and broken pavement.
In an attempt to do it all, the Exile missed a couple of details. The one-inch headset made little sense and makes finding replacement stems difficult, especially if one wants to avoid using shims. The unique component spec drew mixed reviews, as it seemed to attempt to blur the line between an all-day touring bike and a tough urban commuter. Most riders felt the FSA Gossmer 50/34-compact crankset was too low and would have liked to see a conventional setup for longer rides. The other component that drew criticism was the Velo-made saddle; while initially comfortable, the padding broke after a few weeks of hard riding and became increasingly uncomfortable. After about a month, we ended up switching out the saddle for an SDG Formula FX.
THE VERDICT
With a different saddle, the Traitor Exile is a great all-day bike. The frame is subtle and easily handles everything one can throw at it. The Exile was subjected to thousands of miles in the rain, snow and grime during one of the worst Northwest winters in recent years. The Exile held up amazingly well and never failed us. The Exile is not first on our list for a race bike, but for all-day training rides and long commutes, the Exile fits the bill.
PRICE: $2018
WEIGHT: 22.65 pounds
INFO: www.traitorcycles.com |
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