The 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon in review – Finding faith in the power of E

The Transition Repeater is the first eMTB of the US brand who were ebike sceptics for a long time. Transition make their conversion to ebike believers with 160 mm travel, 29″ wheels and a powerful Shimano EP8 motor. Has it been made with conviction and passion, or have Transition simply admitted defeat and given in to market pressures?

For a long time, Transition’s headquarters in Bellingham were considered one of the last big strongholds of ebike scepticism. The American brand didn’t just slander motorised bikes behind closed doors but also made fun of the trend in (admittedly funny) videos. We were all the more surprised when Transition suddenly lost their conviction and made the conversion to e-power when they presented the Repeater. And they didn’t hold back either. According to Transition, the Repeater is designed to shine in the roughest terrain, both up and downhill. The bike’s intentions are hidden in the name: The US brand wanted a bike that would allow them to ride their legendary home trails in Bellingham on repeat, without making any compromises in terms of riding fun or handling. Their wholehearted embrace of electronic assistance is underlined by the announcement of the Transition Relay, which will be the second ebike in their portfolio. The light eMTB isn’t available yet, but it will be soon if all goes to plan.

For the Repeater, Transition borrowed many elements from their enduro bike, the Sentinel, like the straight lines of its design language and the tried and trusted GiddyUp four-bar rear suspension. The latter should offer enough progression to work with a coil shock if you prefer. The eMTB rolls on 29″ wheels and offers a generous 160 mm travel, making no secret of the bike’s intentions: getting rowdy on the descents. To get you to the top of the trailhead, the team at Transition put their faith into the Shimano EP8 motor for their ebike debut. With a maximum output of 85 Nm, it’s got plenty of oomph and makes easy work of the climbs. The motor gets powered by Shimano’s standard 630 Wh battery. Unlike many other manufacturers, Transition opted against the use of an in-house solution, which means that the bike has a relatively small battery compared to the competition.

The 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon in detail

The 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon certainly looks the part thanks to its carbon frame and clean design language. The straight lines and square edges give the bike a modern look. While the developers didn’t go out of their way to hide the Repeater’s genes, it makes a slender impression for an ebike, nonetheless.

With the integration of the Shimano EP8 motor, the folks at Transition chose to go with tried and trusted technology instead of reinventing the wheel. You’ll find the familiar Shimano display on the handlebar and a small button on the top with which to power up the system. Added to that is the minimalistic yet intuitive remote on the handlebar. There’s a generous skid plate wrapped around the bottom of the motor, which should help ease your mind when ploughing through rock gardens and stumps. To remove the battery, all you need is a small 4 mm Allen key – very convenient for when you must take your battery indoors for charging. Speaking of charging, the standard Shimano charging port is slightly fiddly to use compared to some third-party solutions out there.

Accentuating the bike’s modern look is its almost complete internal cable routing – you won’t even find cable ports in the front triangle. The cables are fed into the frame via the head tube and only reappear shortly before their destination. As if by some kind of sorcery, the cables are routed into the chainstays via the front triangle without exiting the frame. You’ll also need to be capable of sorcery or at least be very patient when replacing any of the cables since they don’t get routed through dedicated channels.

While there is limited room for a water bottle inside the Repeater’s front triangle, which can get tricky depending on the cage and bottle combination, Transition have added a tool mount under the top tube. It’s a very convenient feature for carrying a spare tube and tools if you prefer leaving your hip pack or backpack at home. The drive side chainstay is covered in a generously-sized protector, and there’s even a small pad on the lower end of the seat stay, fending off the chain and thereby keeping the bike quiet and the paint intact.

The model variants of the 2022 Transition Repeater

The Transition Repeater is available in three different builds: AXS Carbon, GX Carbon and NX Carbon, with prices ranging from € 9,099 to € 12,399. As you might expect, all three versions are based on the same carbon frame. Transition have clearly put in a lot of thought when speccing the different models, relying on very sensible components for the intended use. The various builds don’t just differ in their drivetrain, but also the suspension and many other components. You’ll find a good example of Transition’s smart component selection when looking at the suspension on the GX Carbon model. In this case, they combine the RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork – slightly more affordable than the FOX FLOAT 38 GRIP2, but still the best RockShox fork for the intended use – with the somewhat cheaper FOX Float X Performance Elite shock. It’s a pragmatic approach that goes beyond thinking just in terms of certain brands.

The components of the 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon on test

If you’re still concerned that Transition aren’t taking the eMTB category seriously, you can rest assured. Why? We’ve seldom seen such a well-specced and well-rounded eMTB gracing our editorial office. The Repeater didn’t just reform Transition, but we’ve also come to be increasingly convinced of the carbon Messiah of eMTBs.

But let’s start from the top. The suspension on the 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon is supplied by FOX. Up front, you’ve got a FOX FLOAT 38 GRIP2 Factory fork featuring the golden Kashima coating. Controlling 160 mm travel at the rear is a FOX FLOAT X2 Factory 2-position shock. Representing FOX’s flagship range, the suspension offers plenty of adjustability and the shock can be locked out to increase the bike’s pedalling efficiency on the climbs.

Taking care of the gears, you get a 12-speed SRAM GX AXS drivetrain. There are no cables to worry about and the shifting performs as reliably as ever. To keep the chain in place no matter how wild things get on the descents, Transition fit a chain guide from OneUp Components. The powerful MAGURA MT7 brakes can bring the bike to a halt within the blink of an eye, even if the trail is near vertical. Instead of the regular, long brake levers, Transition deliver the 2022 Repeater AXS Carbon with the HC1 lever upgrade as standard, providing a significantly better feel of the brakes. It’s a small upgrade with a big effect, and it also comes with the more affordable builds – hats off to Transition for paying so much attention to the details! The brakes are paired with 203 mm rotors front and rear. In the unlikely case that you need more braking power still, you’ll be happy to know that the frame can accommodate up to 223 mm rotors. A setup like that could bring a Boeing 747 to a halt on a double black trail.

But there are other cool details besides. The rise of the carbon OneUp handlebar is adapted to the frame size, for example. In sizes S and M, you get a handlebar with 20 mm rise, whereas sizes L and XL get 35 mm rise. Once again, there’s a lot of thought that’s gone in here, meaning taller riders won’t have to bend down to reach the bars. The OneUp dropper post is frame size dependent, too, and pleasantly long across the board (150 mm S, 180 mm M, 210 mm L/XL). What’s more, it can be inserted all the way into the frame, providing plenty of freedom of movement on the descents, and a comfortable pedalling position on the climbs. It’s not often we’ve seen dropper posts this long on an eMTB, but we’re hoping that will change.

For the wheels of the 2022 Repeater AXS Carbon, Transition rely on a set of sturdy DT Swiss HX 1700 aluminium models. They’re an excellent choice for the intended use and have proven themselves on countless test bikes before. They’re fitted with Schwalbe tires to help you keep everything rubber side down: a Magic Mary on the rear and a Big Betty up front. Both feature the thick Super Gravity casing, which shouldn’t get phased by even the nastiest rocks – Transition don’t compromise on performance in an attempt to save weight. Up front, you get the Ultra Soft rubber compound, paired with the Soft compound at the rear. We believe this is the perfect combination of maximum front wheel grip and rear wheel durability. Perhaps Transition’s prioritisation of grip is due to the location of their headquarters. Bellingham in the Pacific Northwest is one of the rainiest places in the US.

If it feels like there’s something we’ve missed, you’re right, there were no complaints. The spec of the 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon gave us absolutely nothing to criticise, which is a rare thing, and we must commend Transition for a job well done.

The geometry of the 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon

Transition offer the 2022 Repeater AXS Carbon in four sizes from S to XL. The geometry is modern but not overly aggressive. From the smallest to the biggest size, the reach grows from 425 to 510 mm. As such, the reach grows by 30 mm increments, which is quite a big jump. At 64°, the head angle is pretty much on par with modern gravity-oriented bikes. The chainstays measure 455 mm on all sizes. According to Transition, the long chainstays should help the front wheel stay planted on steep climbs, for which they’re willing to accept less agile handling – but more on that later. Combined with the long dropper posts, the short seat tube provides ample freedom of movement. Thanks to that, you can choose the frame size according to your desired length and thus handling preference.

Size	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	375 mm	400 mm	440 mm	470 mm
Top tube	559 mm	589 mm	617 mm	650 mm
Head tube	110 mm	110 mm	120 mm	130 mm
Head angle	64°	64°	64°	64°
Seat angle	78.4°	77.9°/td>	77.4°	77.1°
Chainstays	455 mm	455 mm	455 mm	455 mm
BB Drop	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm
Wheelbase	1221 mm	1251 mm	1280 mm	1315 mm
Reach	425 mm	455 mm	480 mm	510 mm
Stack	631 mm	631 mm	640 mm	641 mm

The 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon on the trail

As you make your way to the trailhead, the 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon places you in a central and upright riding position. While it might sound like you’ve got a lot of weight resting your hands, it’s very comfortable in practice and makes sure you’ve always got enough weight up front. You never have to work too hard to keep the front wheel tracking, even on steep and technical climbs. This is also where the long chainstays come into play, further eliminating the likelihood of looping out. The rear suspension is active and thereby generates plenty of grip despite the fact that it hardly bobs as you pedal. There’s really no need to flip the lockout lever on the shock. Combined with the powerful Shimano EP8 motor, you’ll quickly find yourself climbing the trails instead of taking the forest service roads – the steeper things get, the better the 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon feels.

When it comes to making your way back down the trail, the bike really comes into its own and instils you with unparalleled levels of confidence. The handling is intuitive, and you’ll immediately feel at home on the Repeater. It responds in a very predictable manner and remains easy to control even after a long day in the saddle when your concentration starts waning. Transition have managed to strike a good compromise with the suspension, combining a decent amount of mid-stroke support with a plush ride feel. It offers plenty of pop for an ebike and thereby encourages you to get playful, boosting off lips and pumping through rollers. Despite that, it absorbs big hits without flinching. Thanks to the long dropper post and short seat tube, there’s no need to worry about an unpleasant collision with the saddle either. The 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon truly shines when you let off the brakes and just let it go. The faster you ride the more confidence inspiring it seems to get, providing incredibly composed handling. On the flip side, it demands quite a bit of input and encouragement to get it from one corner into the next. Transition are well aware of this, consciously deciding to make this compromise and thereby underlining the inherent strengths of an eMTB instead of trying and failing to cover up its weaknesses. The bike’s agility has been sacrificed to further enhance its stability and composure, which eMTBs are known and loved for. Not to mention the excellent climbing performance. As such, the 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon is an eMTB through and through, and not just a Sentinel on which they’ve unlovingly stuck a motor. This uncompromising approach makes the Repeater a successful debut on the eMTB market, and if we weren’t convinced of eMTBs already, it would definitely make believers of us, too.

Our conclusion on the 2022 Transition Repeater AXS Carbon

With the 2022 Repeater AXS Carbon, Transition enter the market with a bang! To do so, they’ve combined cleverly specced components with uncompromising handling that underlines the strengths of an eMTB: fast and fun on the climbs, plush and composed on the descents. Meanwhile, the US brand have stayed true to their roots, transferring their deep love of analogue mountain bikes to their motorised counterparts, yet developing a distinct and well thought out eMTB platform.

For more information visit transitionbikes.com

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Words: Felix Rauch Photos: Peter Walker