Transition Bikes has powered up its very first eMTB; the Repeater, a 160mm travel 29″ Sentinel-inspired eBike with their familiar Speed Balanced Geometry and Giddy Up Horst-Link suspension platform. The Bellingham-based brand has taken its sweet time to roll out an eMTB, entering the foray with a carbon frame running a Shimano EP8 motor and a 630 Wh battery. Sam from Transition Bikes delivers a quick overview of what Transition are trying to achieve with this eMTB, while Hannah Bergemann and Myles Trainer demonstrate what it’s capable of.
Transition Repeater eMTB
For their first eBike, Transition wanted to make a versatile platform that excelled both up hill and down it. The Repeater eMTB is loosely based on the proven geometry of the Sentinel, Transition’s less aggressive 29″ enduro bike. This eMTB goes slightly longer on travel, however, with a 160mm rear end matched with a 160mm fork, sat at a slack but not too slack 64° head angle.
A 77.4° effective seat tube angle is quoted for the large frame. It’s nice to see Transition going to the trouble of specifying the saddle height to which that pertains (720mm). There are four sizes available, spanning Small through XL, with reach figures stretching a 425mm to 510mm range, slightly longer than what we see for the Sentinel.
Rear centre length is considerably longer, too, with chainstay length quoted as 455mm (consistent across the size range). That, with the Boost spacing swingarm puts tire clearance at a claimed 29″ x 2.6″. The lower bottom bracket height of 340mm is compensated for with the spec’ing of shorter 160mm crank arms.
Compared to Transition’s other long-travel bikes, the Repeater has a slightly lower leverage ratio (2.94 to 2.16), with overall progression at 26%. This is said to offset the added weight of the motor and battery, allowing riders to run normal air pressures in the rear shock. Transition tells us the Repeater suspension is tuned for maximum traction that enhances both descending and climbing experiences, while delivering a bottomless ride feel.
While the Sentinel and Scout are both available in carbon and alloy models, the Repeater eMTB starts its life as a carbon frame only. The front and rear triangles are made from premium Japanese Toray carbon fiber, as is the one-piece rocker that drives the shock. The Repeater is powered by Shimano’s EP8 motor paired with a 630 Wh battery tucked into the downtube, removable with the use of a 4mm Allen wrench.
Pricing & Availability
Pricing of the Transition Repeater eMTB starts at $8,199 USD for the SRAM NX model, increasing to $9499 USD for the GX model, topping out at $10,999 USD for the AXS model with electronic shifting. The great news is, no matter which price point you can afford, Transition has opted for eMTB appropriate parts across the board, including 38mm stanchion forks, 4-Piston Magura brakes with 203mm rotors front and rear, and soft rubber Schwalbe tires with the Super Gravity casing. All bikes are available now.
It’s unclear whether or not Transition intend to release a more affordable aluminum version down the line.
