Here is a (not so) quick review. For starters, I am 5'11" and weigh about 165 fully geared up riding a medium 2013 Covert. I am coming off of a medium 2010 BottleRocket, and I have always ridden stiff suspension. I have been on 4 rides with the Covert so far.
I have basically been using my BottleRocket as an all around bike for the last 2 years. I absolutely love the way that thing rides, but I find myself riding fewer big jump trails and more single track. It is a difficult bike to pedal because it has a single ring up front, super low seat tube, and DH tires. That is why I bought the Covert.
First impressions with the Covert are great. My first 2 rides were with flat pedals and riding a mix of XC and jump trails. This bike loves taking to the air and is easy to move around. Small bump isn't as good as my BottleRocket, but this probably due to both air suspension and new seals in the fork/shock that haven't broken in yet. Small bump is not a big concern of mine anyways.
I love the feel of the fork. I have gotten all but the last 3/4" of travel out of it and it feels really good. I forget the exact pressure, but I mainly keep in T2 mode - the middle trail compression setting. The descend dives a little too much for me at the current pressure, but I am still messing around with it to find the right balance. In the rear, I am running 180 PSI and constantly going through all of the travel, even in the stiffest trail setting (T3). That said, I have never once felt a harsh bottom out, I can just tell because the o-ring has been knocked off multiple times. I will definitely be playing with the shock settings more.
The rest of the parts are great so far. Although I did have to change the cable routing on my bike to match what it should have been when adding on my new KS Lev - not a big deal, but it cost me $20 in derailleur housing to do (original was too short to reuse). Also, I do have a deviation from the spec'd build on their website. I have a pair of Schwalbe Dirty Dans on mine instead of Hans Dampfs - again, not a big deal since it is nice to have a fast rolling tire for a change.
I bought this bike because it had the most bang for the buck in parts, in addition to really liking all of my past encounters with Transition. Transition Bikes spec's top end suspension even on their lower priced bikes, which is a HUGE selling point for me. Specialized for example, you need to get the bikes that cost upwards of $6k for similar suspension. I would rather have nicer, more adjustable suspension than a nicer drivetrain because they don't seem to last that long in the PNW anyways...
This bike is also my first venture into clipless pedals and dropper posts, so that is quite a change. It looks like this bike might be replacing my BottleRocket - I just haven't decided for sure yet because the BR is just too much fun.
Feel free to ask questions - I do tend to ramble and get off topic though, so you have been warned.