diff --git a/src/components/backdrop/backdrop.ts b/src/components/backdrop/backdrop.ts
index 6597352d314..28ee9fcb42d 100644
--- a/src/components/backdrop/backdrop.ts
+++ b/src/components/backdrop/backdrop.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Directive, ElementRef, Input } from '@angular/core';
+import { Directive, ElementRef, Input, Renderer } from '@angular/core';
 
 import { GestureController } from '../../gestures/gesture-controller';
 import { isTrueProperty } from '../../util/util';
@@ -19,7 +19,10 @@ export class Backdrop {
   private _gestureID: number = null;
   @Input() disableScroll = true;
 
-  constructor(private _gestureCtrl: GestureController, private _elementRef: ElementRef) {}
+  constructor(
+    private _gestureCtrl: GestureController,
+    private _elementRef: ElementRef,
+    private _renderer: Renderer) { }
 
   ngOnInit() {
     if (isTrueProperty(this.disableScroll)) {
@@ -38,4 +41,8 @@ export class Backdrop {
     return this._elementRef.nativeElement;
   }
 
+  setElementClass(className: string, add: boolean) {
+    this._renderer.setElementClass(this._elementRef.nativeElement, className, add);
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/src/components/content/content.ts b/src/components/content/content.ts
index 77d97f34192..edb29624bc3 100644
--- a/src/components/content/content.ts
+++ b/src/components/content/content.ts
@@ -488,7 +488,9 @@ export class Content extends Ion {
     this._tabsPlacement = null;
 
     let ele: HTMLElement = this._elementRef.nativeElement;
-    if (!ele) return;
+    if (!ele) {
+      return;
+    }
 
     let parentEle: HTMLElement = ele.parentElement;
     let computedStyle: any;
diff --git a/src/components/menu/menu.scss b/src/components/menu/menu.scss
index b6abe1e60e4..ad5d3c2eba3 100644
--- a/src/components/menu/menu.scss
+++ b/src/components/menu/menu.scss
@@ -29,9 +29,7 @@ ion-menu.show-menu {
   bottom: 0;
   left: 0;
 
-  display: flex;
-
-  flex-direction: column;
+  display: block;
 
   width: $menu-width;
 
@@ -41,7 +39,7 @@ ion-menu.show-menu {
 .menu-inner > ion-header,
 .menu-inner > ion-content,
 .menu-inner > ion-footer {
-  position: relative;
+  position: absolute;
 }
 
 ion-menu[side=right] > .menu-inner {
diff --git a/src/components/menu/menu.ts b/src/components/menu/menu.ts
index 7fc98c5c633..49e9698cb27 100644
--- a/src/components/menu/menu.ts
+++ b/src/components/menu/menu.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { ChangeDetectionStrategy, Component, ElementRef, EventEmitter, Input, NgZone, Output, Renderer, ViewChild, ViewEncapsulation } from '@angular/core';
+import { ChangeDetectionStrategy, Component, ContentChild, ElementRef, EventEmitter, Input, NgZone, Output, Renderer, ViewChild, ViewEncapsulation } from '@angular/core';
 
 import { Backdrop } from '../backdrop/backdrop';
 import { Config } from '../../config/config';
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { MenuType } from './menu-types';
 import { Platform } from '../../platform/platform';
 import { GestureController } from '../../gestures/gesture-controller';
 import { UIEventManager } from '../../util/ui-event-manager';
-
+import { Content } from '../content/content';
 
 /**
  * @name Menu
@@ -208,6 +208,11 @@ export class Menu {
    */
   @ViewChild(Backdrop) backdrop: Backdrop;
 
+  /**
+   * @private
+   */
+  @ContentChild(Content) menuContent: Content;
+
   /**
    * @input {any} A reference to the content element the menu should use.
    */
@@ -303,48 +308,47 @@ export class Menu {
    * @private
    */
   ngOnInit() {
-    let self = this;
-    self._init = true;
+    this._init = true;
 
-    let content = self.content;
-    self._cntEle = (content instanceof Node) ? content : content && content.getNativeElement && content.getNativeElement();
+    let content = this.content;
+    this._cntEle = (content instanceof Node) ? content : content && content.getNativeElement && content.getNativeElement();
 
     // requires content element
-    if (!self._cntEle) {
+    if (!this._cntEle) {
       return console.error('Menu: must have a [content] element to listen for drag events on. Example:\n\n<ion-menu [content]="content"></ion-menu>\n\n<ion-nav #content></ion-nav>');
     }
 
     // normalize the "side"
-    if (self.side !== 'left' && self.side !== 'right') {
-      self.side = 'left';
+    if (this.side !== 'left' && this.side !== 'right') {
+      this.side = 'left';
     }
-    self._renderer.setElementAttribute(self._elementRef.nativeElement, 'side', self.side);
+    this.setElementAttribute('side', this.side);
 
     // normalize the "type"
-    if (!self.type) {
-      self.type = self._config.get('menuType');
+    if (!this.type) {
+      this.type = this._config.get('menuType');
     }
-    self._renderer.setElementAttribute(self._elementRef.nativeElement, 'type', self.type);
+    this.setElementAttribute('type', this.type);
 
     // add the gestures
-    self._cntGesture = new MenuContentGesture(self, document.body);
+    this._cntGesture = new MenuContentGesture(this, document.body);
 
     // register listeners if this menu is enabled
     // check if more than one menu is on the same side
-    let hasEnabledSameSideMenu = self._menuCtrl.getMenus().some(m => {
-      return m.side === self.side && m.enabled;
+    let hasEnabledSameSideMenu = this._menuCtrl.getMenus().some(m => {
+      return m.side === this.side && m.enabled;
     });
     if (hasEnabledSameSideMenu) {
       // auto-disable if another menu on the same side is already enabled
-      self._isEnabled = false;
+      this._isEnabled = false;
     }
-    self._setListeners();
+    this._setListeners();
 
-    self._cntEle.classList.add('menu-content');
-    self._cntEle.classList.add('menu-content-' + self.type);
+    this._cntEle.classList.add('menu-content');
+    this._cntEle.classList.add('menu-content-' + this.type);
 
     // register this menu with the app's menu controller
-    self._menuCtrl.register(self);
+    this._menuCtrl.register(this);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -468,8 +472,9 @@ export class Menu {
   private _before() {
     // this places the menu into the correct location before it animates in
     // this css class doesn't actually kick off any animations
-    this.getNativeElement().classList.add('show-menu');
-    this.getBackdropElement().classList.add('show-backdrop');
+    this.menuContent && this.menuContent.resize();
+    this.setElementClass('show-menu', true);
+    this.backdrop.setElementClass('show-backdrop', true);
     this._keyboard.close();
     this._isAnimating = true;
   }
@@ -482,11 +487,10 @@ export class Menu {
     this.isOpen = isOpen;
     this._isAnimating = false;
 
-    (<any>this._cntEle.classList)[isOpen ? 'add' : 'remove']('menu-content-open');
-
     this._events.unlistenAll();
-
     if (isOpen) {
+      this._cntEle.classList.add('menu-content-open');
+
       let callback = this.onBackdropClick.bind(this);
       this._events.pointerEvents({
         element: this._cntEle,
@@ -499,8 +503,10 @@ export class Menu {
       this.ionOpen.emit(true);
 
     } else {
-      this.getNativeElement().classList.remove('show-menu');
-      this.getBackdropElement().classList.remove('show-backdrop');
+      this._cntEle.classList.remove('menu-content-open');
+      this.setElementClass('show-menu', false);
+      this.backdrop.setElementClass('show-menu', false);
+
       this.ionClose.emit(true);
     }
   }
@@ -597,6 +603,17 @@ export class Menu {
     return this._menuCtrl;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * @private
+   */
+  setElementClass(className: string, add: boolean) {
+    this._renderer.setElementClass(this._elementRef.nativeElement, className, add);
+  }
+
+  setElementAttribute(attributeName: string, value: string) {
+    this._renderer.setElementAttribute(this._elementRef.nativeElement, attributeName, value);
+  }
+
   /**
    * @private
    */
diff --git a/src/components/tabs/tabs.ts b/src/components/tabs/tabs.ts
index 93bf81156dc..25668c33cea 100644
--- a/src/components/tabs/tabs.ts
+++ b/src/components/tabs/tabs.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import { Content } from '../content/content';
 import { DeepLinker } from '../../navigation/deep-linker';
 import { Ion } from '../ion';
 import { isBlank } from '../../util/util';
-import { nativeRaf } from '../../util/dom';
 import { NavController } from '../../navigation/nav-controller';
 import { NavControllerBase } from '../../navigation/nav-controller-base';
 import { NavOptions, DIRECTION_SWITCH } from '../../navigation/nav-util';
@@ -476,10 +475,7 @@ export class Tabs extends Ion implements AfterViewInit {
       if (alreadyLoaded && selectedPage) {
         let content = <Content>selectedPage.getContent();
         if (content && content instanceof Content) {
-          nativeRaf(() => {
-            content.readDimensions();
-            content.writeDimensions();
-          });
+          content.resize();
         }
       }
     });
diff --git a/src/transitions/page-transition.ts b/src/transitions/page-transition.ts
index d978acc006c..943d27190cf 100644
--- a/src/transitions/page-transition.ts
+++ b/src/transitions/page-transition.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export class PageTransition extends Transition {
       this.enteringPage = new Animation(this.enteringView.pageRef());
       this.add(this.enteringPage.beforeAddClass('show-page'));
 
+      // Resize content before transition starts
       this.beforeAddRead(this.readDimensions.bind(this));
       this.beforeAddWrite(this.writeDimensions.bind(this));
     }