Tyee
vsPatrol
Two enduro bikes, two personalities.
The Propain Tyee is the configurator-friendly winch-and-plummet rig that climbs like it has half the travel. The Transition Patrol is a mullet party machine built to be popped, slashed, and sent.
Tyee
- Best-in-class climbing efficiency — PRO10 anti-squat near 110% means almost zero pedal bob, no lockout needed.
- Configurator flexibility — spec coil or air, 29 or mullet, your choice of brakes and wheels at order time.
- Stable at speed — 445 mm chainstays and a 1247 mm wheelbase (M, 62.8° setting) plant the bike on open descents.
- Air-shock setup feels harsh over square-edge hits — most testers prefer coil.
- Only two complete-build packages on this generation; less off-the-shelf range than Patrol.
Patrol
- Freakishly poppy mullet — 27.5" rear and 434 mm chainstays make every roller a launch ramp.
- Dual-crown ready — 1.5" straight head tube and a 65 mm-stroke shock option take it from 160 mm enduro to 170 mm park bike.
- Mechanic-friendly frame — external rear-brake routing, threaded BB, UDH, and Transition sells touch-up paint direct.
- Low BB means frequent crank strikes in chunk, even with stock 165 mm cranks.
- Slowest of its field-test peers on the clock — feels fast, isn't always fast.
Editor’s analysis
Same travel bracket, same price ballpark, opposite philosophies — one bike chases efficiency, the other chases fun.
On paper, the Propain Tyee and Transition Patrol both sit squarely in the 160 mm enduro class, both run a 170 mm or 160 mm fork, and both top out around $6.5–7k for a carbon GX AXS Transmission build. Spend any time with the reviews, though, and the philosophies pull apart fast.
The Propain Tyee is the engineering-first option. PRO10 suspension with anti-squat values that reviewers consistently put around 100–110% at sag means it climbs without a lockout and barely pedal-bobs even on coil. A steep 76.9–77.3-degree effective seat tube angle keeps the rider centered, and the configurator lets you spec a coil shock from the factory at no extra cost — the setup most testers say unlocks the bike's true descending character. It's the bike for the rider who treats every climb as a transaction to get to the descent.
The Transition Patrol is the play-first option. Locked into a mullet (29 front / 27.5 rear), 434 mm rear-center on the MD, and an exceptionally low BB, the Patrol is what reviewers call a 'Party Machine' — freakishly poppy, ready to slash any berm, easy to manual. The trade-off is honest: in a Pinkbike field test it posted the slowest lap time of its peer group despite feeling fast, and the low BB punishes pedaling through chunk even with stock 165 mm cranks. It's the bike for the rider who'd rather get sideways than get a PR.
Put another way: the Propain Tyee is what you buy when the climb matters. The Transition Patrol is what you buy when the climb is just the price of admission to the next jump line.
Where the builds differ.
Comparing our editor's-pick builds side-by-side. Winners highlighted row-by-row — lower price and weight, and the better-spec component, each mark a point.
Build variants & pricing
Tyee 5 ships in two configurator packages; the Patrol comes in four off-the-shelf builds spanning $4k to $7k.
Propain sells direct from Germany via an online configurator — every spec is à la carte, including coil-vs-air at no upcharge. Transition sells through dealers in fixed builds. US MSRP shown.
How they fit, how they steer.
Tyee in size M (mullet, 63.9° setting) vs Patrol in MD (high setting, 63.5°). The Patrol runs ~16 mm more reach (455 vs 449 mm) and a steeper effective seat tube (78.8° vs 76.9°); the Tyee compensates with 11 mm shorter chainstays in this configuration (430 vs 434 mm) and a marginally longer wheelbase.
Which size should I buy?
Pick by stack and reach. Sizes overlap in the middle; the Tyee runs further into XS, the Patrol stops at SM.
→These are starting points. Flexibility, riding style, and preferred position all shift the answer — if you’re between sizes, a professional fit beats a chart.
What the magazines said.
Published reviews from trusted cycling outlets. Click through for the full write-up.
Which one should you buy?
If you climb to descend and want the rear end to behave under power, get the Propain Tyee. If the climb is just the way back to the jump line, get the Transition Patrol.
Tyee
If you regularly pedal 1,500 m of vertical to earn your descents and you want a bike that won't punish you on the way up, the Propain Tyee is the smart choice. PRO10 suspension, a steep seat tube, and a configurator that lets you spec exactly the suspension package reviewers recommend (coil rear, period) make it the most efficient 160 mm bike in this comparison.
Patrol
If your weekends look like shuttle laps, jump sessions, and steep loamers, the Patrol is the more honest choice. The mullet platform, ultra-low BB, and dual-crown compatibility make it more capable on the descent than the geometry charts alone would suggest — just don't expect it to win timed stages.
Questions buyers actually ask.
Short answers to the things we get emailed about most often.
01Which one climbs better?
The Propain Tyee, and it's not particularly close. The PRO10 suspension runs anti-squat in the 100–110% range at sag, which reviewers across PinkBike, Singletrackworld, and Enduro MTB describe as 'pleasantly efficient' with 'near-complete lack of pedal bob' — even on a coil shock, even without the climb switch.
The Transition Patrol is no slouch thanks to its 78.8° effective seat tube angle (size MD) keeping you centered, but the 'GiddyUp' platform tunes for traction over firmness. Pinkbike's Matt Beer noted that even with the climb switch on, the Patrol 'didn't have the firmest platform' for out-of-saddle efforts. Long fire-road grinds favor the Tyee.
02Which one is more fun on the way down?
The Patrol if 'fun' means popping, manualing, and slashing turns. The mullet setup (29 front / 27.5 rear), 434 mm rear-center on the MD, and an exceptionally low BB make it 'freakishly boosty' — reviewers consistently call it 'The Party Machine.'
The Tyee is more fun if 'fun' means trusting the bike at speed in the rough. Its 445 mm chainstays and longer wheelbase reward an aggressive, on-the-gas line through chunk, especially with a coil shock. Different definitions of fun — pick yours.
03Why does the Patrol have a low bottom bracket and is that a problem?
The low BB is intentional — it's the main reason the Patrol carves so confidently in corners and feels so easy to lean. The trade-off is real: multiple long-term reviewers reported 'smacking cranks all day long' even with the stock 165 mm cranks, and several recommended running the 'High' geometry setting for daily trail riding to claw back a few millimeters of clearance.
In rocky terrain like Windrock or anywhere with tech climbs, expect frequent pedal strikes. The Tyee, with a more conventional BB drop, doesn't punish the same way.
04Air shock or coil shock on the Tyee?
Coil, if reviews are to be believed. The Tyee's high anti-squat that makes it climb so well also makes the air-shock variant feel 'harsh' or 'underwhelmed by the sensitivity' over rapid square-edge hits, per Enduro MTB and TheLoamWolf. Swap to a coil and the same testers describe it as an 'aggressive rocket ship' that 'gobbles up chunky rocks and roots.'
The upside: Propain's configurator lets you spec a coil from the factory at no extra cost. The Signature Spec 2 ships with a RockShox Vivid Ultimate, the Signature Spec 1 with a Marzocchi Bomber CR coil — either way, you're set.
05Can I run the Patrol as a full 29er?
No. Unlike the Tyee, which Propain sells in dedicated 29" or 27.5" frames, the Patrol's geometry and frame are designed around the mixed-wheel setup and aren't intended to take a 29" rear. If you want the Transition geometry and feel but with dual 29" rollover, look at the Spire — same family, more travel, full 29er.
06What about tire clearance?
Transition Patrol: rated for the 2.4” Schwalbe and 2.5" Maxxis tires it ships with, plenty of room for a 2.5 rear in our database (66 mm clearance).
Propain Tyee: Propain doesn't publish a hard maximum, but stock builds have shipped with 2.4–2.5" rubber without issue. Both bikes are happy on Magic Mary / Big Betty / Assegai-class tires — standard enduro fare.
07How does Propain's direct-to-consumer model actually work?
You order through Propain's online configurator. You pick the frame, suspension brand and shock type (air or coil at no extra cost), drivetrain, brakes, wheels, dropper, even decal colors. The bike is built to your spec in Vogt, Germany, then shipped to you in a box.
No dealer markup, no demo fleet to ride before you commit. If your fit is dialed and you know what you want, Propain delivers more bike for the money than almost any traditional brand. If you want a test ride first, that's a structural advantage Transition (sold through dealers) holds.
08What about long-term durability?
Both frames carry lifetime warranties to the original owner. Propain's frames are 'Category 5' rated for unrestricted bike-park use; the Tyee's main long-term gripes from reviewers are minor cable-routing rub under the BB (Propain has acknowledged it) and some seat-stay flex on hard sideways landings for very heavy riders.
The Patrol's biggest long-term complaint is paint durability — multiple owners and reviewers describe the finish as fragile and prone to chipping. Transition mitigates this by selling model-specific touch-up paint directly. Pivot bearings on the Patrol may also need more frequent service than competitors that use external bearing seals.
Similar bikes
If your priorities don’t map cleanly onto either of these, one of these adjacent bikes probably fits better.
Bronson
The other mullet enduro the conversation always lands on — Santa Cruz's VPP suspension feels more cushioned and less 'chattery' than the Patrol's GiddyUp, but it can't match the Tyee's pedaling efficiency. The premium-brand price tag is the catch.
Compare →Spire
Same Transition DNA, same shop, more travel and full 29" wheels. If the Patrol's mullet character appeals but you want straight-line rollover and timed-stage speed, the Spire is the obvious in-house upgrade.
Compare →Capra
YT's direct-to-consumer rival to the Tyee — similar value proposition, similar enduro travel, but a more aggressive descender and a less efficient climber. A reasonable third option if you want DTC pricing without the Propain configurator complexity.
Compare →