Transition Announces New Carbon Sentinel

Dec 28, 2017
by Transition Bikes  
Press Release

Sentinel Stoke

by TransitionBikeCompany
Views: 56,080    Faves: 189    Comments: 11


For those of you who have been sentimental over our new Sentinel but only ride carbon, the wait is over. Available in S, M, L and XL sizes and boasting all the same great features, hardware and parts kits as the alloy model. Coming in at a modest 6.83 lb / 3.1 kg for the frame with shock and mounting hardware, this carbon beauty is a true rocketship.

The Sentinel continues to receive praise as the bike that can truly do everything well. So if you like going up, over and down mountains the Sentinel is the bike for you. Available early 2018.
Transition Sentinel Carbon

• Travel: 140mm rear / 160mm front
• Wheel size: 29"
• Carbon frame
• 64° head angle / 435mm chainstays
• Speed Balanced Geometry
• Weight: 6.83 lb / 3.1 kg
• $2999 USA MSRP / Frameset
• $4999 USA MSRP / GX build
• $5999 USA MSRP / XO1 build
• www.transitionbikes.com
Transition

Transition
Transition

To get your hands on a 2018 Carbon Sentinel and to check out the full specs, CLICK HERE.


Transition

Transition

Transition

Transition

Transition

Transition

Transition

Video: Skye Schillhammer
Photos: Oliver Parish

Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Press Releases Enduro Bikes Transition Transition Sentinel


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230 Comments
  • 100 41
 So, are these going to last a bit longer than the six months everyone's Carbon Patrol managed? Or are we just pretending that's a thing that never happened?
  • 36 6
 Yes! I mean, no. I mean... I better talk with a lawyer.
  • 16 5
 Yeah. I'm hoping they have made them stronger. I really want a 2018 patrol but my friends experiences with his have made me so cautious
  • 135 4
 You could just buy the AL one and not worry about it. Smile
  • 103 14
 Mine managed almost two full years including many days of being ridden like a DH bike with lift access. Never had an issue with durability on my Patrol Carbon.

Also never seen a durability issue with anyone else who's been putting in similar time on them (which has been a significant number of people locally and across the western US).

In fact, this is the first I've heard of any short-term failures on them.

In fact, I can't even find any mention of frame failures on recent frames in the whole Transition forum on MTBR.

So.....the hell are you talking about?
  • 18 5
 @sinister28: Failures at the chainstay just above the dropout/disc mount have been common enough to be noteworthy. The 2018 model year Transition frames are heavier pretty much across the board, which may or may not be related.
  • 25 9
 @sinister28: Complaining about good quality isn't very interesting. It is much more provocative to complain about poor build quality and false failures. It gets the people going! It got you going, so it is indeed more provocative.

In all seriousness, any bike can have failures at any point if ridden beyond its intended use or subjected to repeated abuse. I'm sure every model of bike has had at least one failure in its entire production life. The odds of any model having a perfect record is next to impossible. Guaranteed there will at least be a handful of hack riders with more money then brains that will destroy each model manufactured.

I ride with guys that take their RM Thunderbolt to Parks. They keep up to the Enduro bikes and even ride trails normally reserved for full DH bikes. They pick good lines, land jumps properly (not hucking to flat) and do maintenance after every day of riding. The longevity will obviously be reduced from the guys using them as a trail bike but the fact that they hold up for 2-3 seasons of hard riding is a testament to how far this industry has come in their engineering and manufacturing (environmental impact aside).
  • 8 3
 @Poulsbojohnny: well, their ally frames snapped at the chainstays too. I’d be waiting to see how they hold up before getting my purse out. For either material.
  • 11 2
 I flogged mine with zero issues. In fact, only warrantied two carbons. One was an og with the cable mount glue issue, not a crack, new chainstay showed up in 5 days. Second was most likely user error, owner wrenching on things they shouldn't have been....this new generation of alloys also has beefier tubing on the seat stays, and an additional bearing in each of the Horst link pivots. Hence a small weight gain.
  • 23 19
 @sinister28: because Sinister hasn’t seen it, there you have it folks, it didn’t happen. Ever.
  • 28 9
 @mountainyj: Wait a minute, so your argument about how strong your frame was is that it only broke and had to be repaired twice?

lol
  • 7 1
 @sinister28: my own personal Scout has been totally rock solid and since I’ve ‘ridden it in’ im safe in the knowledge that it’s one of the many good ones. But I do know of several riders personally and have heard of others who’ve experienced issues. It’s kind of surprising you haven’t heard of any issues but doesn’t mean there haven’t been any.
  • 7 1
 @sinister28: I have this friend who has broke 3 AL smuggler seatstays in exactly the same place (In the weld just in front of the brake bosses).
He decided to sell the bike in frustration...
  • 18 1
 @ninjatarian: u laughed out loud at that?? Btw i think he works at a shop and is talking about different customers.

The lol part is 'small' weight gain. These new alu bikes are heavier than my dh bike.
  • 4 1
 The 3.1kg frame weight suggests that its hit the gym and beefed up a bit.
  • 11 0
 @ninjatarian: If you read the comment again, it looks like he owns or works in a shop that has sold them. He said he had no issues with his. And only had to deal with warranty issues on two others.
  • 3 1
 Only durability problem I've had my 2017 alloy Patrol are the bearings. I got 3 months of summer riding out of mine. I wonder if any of the frame failures also had knackered bearings? Seized bearings must surely put more stresses on to a frame
  • 1 0
 @tbgd: is there even word on Carbon Patrols being a thing for 2018?
  • 1 0
 @conoat: Sorry i meant an Alli patrol.
  • 10 2
 @ninjatarian: Improved reading comprehension in 2018. New Years resolution sorted out for you.
  • 3 0
 @sinister28: spot on, thanks for speaking up.
  • 5 3
 @ninjatarian: read more better...notice how I spoke in third person. I work in a shop...we've had well over a dozen go out. And only two warranties. One for a know issue that was not structural and TBC made a public announcement about, one that I later determined to be someone working on their own bike when they shouldn't have.
  • 7 4
 @mountainyj: if you’re going to be like that, maybe you should do mo Betta math. Not to troll— but on your own account, giving you the benefit of a doubt, if you sold 20 and broke 2 That’s a ridiculously high 10% failure rate. I brought in and sold Tr in my store and rode a TR450 so I’m not a hater.
  • 6 0
 @bubbrubb: If you had bothered to read either comment thoroughly. One had nothing to do with Transition's quality, and the other was out of of super early batch that had a public announcement to go with the release of the bike. Posted here on PB, stating they would resolve it if you had an affected frame.
Miles ahead of other companies to own up to that up front. Bikes break, it's part of the sport. Transition has a better record on their current models than many other brands. Sure, I've warrantied 10% of the frames sold. 5% due to a cosmetic quality issue. 0% structural failure. Much better than many many other frames I've handled over the years.
  • 3 0
 Hopefully one day they would offer lifetime warranty for their bikes like Kona and big S... and Santa. I think most who got disappointed on boxing day called the wrong Santa.
  • 1 0
 @jiminthestix: How have you known the bearings are bad, and what is your weight?

I've had my Patrol for a while and have done little to no maintenance, even though I crash, hit things, and fly through rock gardens.
  • 1 0
 @Poulsbojohnny: truth.
  • 3 0
 The main Patrol thread in the PB forums has far more user reports of broken 2015-2017 alloy models than carbon, mostly at the chainstays & chainstay bridges.
  • 2 0
 @Poulsbojohnny: Except of the 5 in my riding group who have them have cracked those as well. Currently there is a cracked one sitting in my garage. All cracked in a weld, on a bridge on the seat stay.
  • 2 0
 @HK-Mazur: I spotted a little corrosion on the outside race of the main pivot bearing. So, I stripped the frame down. Hoping I'd spotted it early enough. Bearings had seized. I had a Suppressor before so I know its a weak point. There's no external protection to the bearings. My weight is 13 stone but this issue is nothing to do with riding style or how heavy somebody is on a bike.
  • 3 3
 @mountainyj: That's a horrendous track record dude! Lol
  • 3 0
 Most of the issues with frame failures were a result of seized, under serviced bearings
  • 2 0
 @slo-town-cyclist: So, poor quality bearings mated to badly designed stays, explains the re-design.
  • 2 0
 @sinister28: I snapped 2 chainstays... while pedaling!
  • 2 0
 @jiminthestix: Gotcha. I forgot about moisture. I live in AZ where riding in the rain is a big no-no because it ruins our trails.
  • 1 0
 @Fix-the-Spade: Well, my frame had wheel bearings fitted not max compliment, which you should use in a frame. This year Transition have fitted Enduro Max bearings. Right bearing for the purpose but still isn't going to stop corrosion. It's like cheese being left unwrapped! Smile
  • 3 0
 @jiminthestix: I put Enduro Max BO in the main pivot on mine. Also started using a squirt of WD40 after cleaning to disperse water. So far so good and it’s been through Ard Moors, still on the same set. Interesting topic about seized bearings and the issues they can cause. We were discussing how the same problem can damage shocks on some bikes just the other day. Well I was, dunno whether anyone was listening ;-)
  • 2 0
 @Poulsbojohnny: I know 4 people that had aluminium patrols and between them, they received 6 warranty replacements...
Hopefully the alloy ones no longer crack!
Otherwise they look like great bikes and I'd like to own one.
  • 1 0
 TBC recent insta post tells me they’ve seen this thread (I mean of course the have...). It’s a shame about the failures but I have to say despite that they’ve also managed to make the best bike I’ve ever ridden. As long as they keep making the Scout I’ll be a happy boy.
  • 2 0
 @ThomDawson: I love my Patrol. I just wish manufacturers would do a little more to weatherproof bikes. Especially with the environments that bikes are used in! Those Enduro Max BO bearings are designed to withstand corrosion to the races, so should be better.........but they aren't cheap! Also, I'll add that Transitions warranty is superb.
  • 1 0
 @ThomDawson: isn't wd40 a degreaser? You're not worried about degreasing your bearings?
  • 1 0
 @MorganBH: no, not a degreaser - WD40 = Water Displacement 40th formula. Never been a more appropriate use for it on a bike imo.
  • 1 1
 @ThomDawson: it breaks down grease for fun, your bearings will be dry. Do an experiment and see for yourself, or just look at your bearings lol I ruined a headset doing this in 1993, I learned from my mistake though ????
  • 2 0
 @Poulsbojohnny: or buy a Guerrilla Gravity Smash, and never worry about it
  • 1 0
 @Zziplex: I’m aware of that issue but i don’t believe the quantity and the way I’m using it will cause more problems than leaving moisture trapped in the linkages to make its way into the bearings. In fact I’m quite sure that half the bearings would be dead by now without the WD40. But time will tell.
  • 1 0
 @Zziplex: people love to hate WD40 as if it should never be used on anything EVER or your bones will turn to rust and you spontaneously combust. I believe there are very legit uses for it on our bikes. I think this is one of them. The bearings in my linkages aren’t gonna last forever, they’re gonna last a season if I’m lucky. I’d rather a bit of WD40 penetrate my bearing seals than water. That way my bearings might last the winter where otherwise I’d be replacing them half way through. As I said, time will tell. I just don’t expect it to be worse than the alternative.
  • 1 0
 @conoat: the full line of Transition bikes will be available in carbon sometime this year
  • 67 19
 A 6.8-pound 140mm carbon frame and shock is not great when you consider that there are durable 2008 140mm aluminum bikes that go for 7-pounds with shock.

I mean, the bike has great geo, but unless it is going to last 20 years instead of 10, why bother with carbon if it saves the weight of a single grip?
  • 22 12
 They are over building them because of durability issues over the last year or so.
  • 33 0
 @salespunk: That just bolsters @VTwintips point...
  • 20 1
 @salespunk: overbilled? I thought that was like inch and a half straight steers and 83 mm bottom brackets? I thought we'd gotten away from over building. Is history repeating itself? Isn't this state-of-the-art carbon fiber why would you have to over build it it's the strongest stuff on Earth bro. LOL
  • 7 4
 Also take into account that if a brand has a new frame design they’re always better off overbuilding it than underbuilding it. It’s what rocky mountain did with the maiden, and probably what transition did here.
  • 23 6
 Saves 1.1kg over the aluminum sentinel. You have 1kg grips?
  • 9 4
 compared to it's alloy version its a good drop.

Carbon 6.8 lbs. - 3.1 Kg | Alloy 9.3 lbs.
  • 38 1
 @sutter2k: That 9.3 is ridiculous, though.
  • 7 1
 My 160mm carbon frame is 7.9lbs with shock.
  • 5 1
 I'm glad I'm not the only one who cares about this fact. I wonder if the shock is included in the 6.8lbs weight. If not, then this carbon frame is roughly the same weight as the new GG Smash (which is 6.6lbs without shock).
  • 31 12
 Don't consider this against other 140mm bikes. Totally different beast. This bike goes head to head with 160+ bikes all day. Transition has never made featherweight carbon. They've made bikes you can huck to flat over and over. Buy a Scott if you want featherlight instead of solid and reliable...
  • 6 0
 @PHeller: I was trying to think of an aluminum era frame aimed at the same market for comparison. I thought of the 155mm Titus El Guapo (2007) - 6.6 pounds with shock.

What an amazing age we live in.
  • 6 0
 @PHeller: "6.8 lbs with shock and hardware"
  • 8 2
 @rollingdip: 10-4 good buddy. 6.8lbs for size large ya think? or Medium? Me personally, I think I'd rather have the Scott Genius or Evil Wreckoning for $3000.
  • 4 0
 @PHeller: my Large Wreckoning is 7.9 lbs with a Monarch.
  • 3 2
 @dthomp325: holy heavy smokes
  • 22 0
 @PHeller: Personally, I'd rather have a carbon Smuggler...
  • 12 10
 3.1kg incl. shock is more than carbon Session or alu Reign. It’s a bit fat for a carbon frame but why would you care? There are few other properties of a carbon frame to consider that Transition or 99% of other companies will never describe. How durable against hits is it, how much flex is there, what bearings, what alu for BB shell etc.
  • 12 3
 @bsavery: No. I just don't own a Sentinel, or a transition for that matter. To me it sounds like Transitions have always been really heavy bikes. The Bottlerocket immediately comes to mind and if the aluminum Sentinel is 9+ pounds, then it is similar. Maybe their carbon bikes are a lot more durable than their aluminum ones (although apparently not based on some comments below). I personally had bad luck and support with an aluminum Vagrant before and that wasn't a light bike either. Conversely, I have had great luck with a bike that is aluminum and light, by a different company.

The thing about Transition is that they don't have a reputation for having their frames' tubes buckling like old Kona's, but they do have a visible history of having their otherwise overbuilt frames develop cracks that propagate from just around the welds. I brought my broken Transition to a world-class aluminum frame builder I know, and he immediately tore apart the design of their bike. He's the real welder, but I personally feel that it is welding issues that are the problem, rather than the design itself. I guess those things go hand-in-hand though. Anyways, overly beefy tubes if the welds are the weak point! Would be better to have some cross bracing on narrower tubes to take stress off of welds rather than have strong tubes with weak points at the welds.

All that aside, I'm really not trying to hate on Transition. There seems to be a lot of Carbon bikes that aren't very light at all in the industry right now. Its kind of disappointing because those Carbon bikes are barely eclipsing the strong light aluminum bikes of 10 years ago, and that's really my point here. Carbon bikes have a long ways to go still.
  • 3 2
 @PHeller: 1.2kg heavier than a Genius....

Scott shit on everyone but Unno in composite construction.
  • 3 5
 @jclnv: Santa Cruz seems to be super lightweight too.
  • 4 2
 @VTwintips: You reckon? Some pretty heavy Tallboys around here. I think they make strong bikes these days though.

Somehow Scott are able to undercut everyone by 500g+.
  • 3 0
 @jclnv: I figured a HighTower LT would be the appropriate comparison. I'm reading that it weighs 5.9 pounds, frame and shock.
  • 2 0
 @VTwintips: That is very light. Would love to see a scale shot because I'm a little suspicious Smile
  • 10 4
 @jclnv: Giant used to undercut people with the Reign at 2.6kg for alu frame alone just like Trek did with Session 9.9 at 2.5 w/o shock if I remember right. Some of us know how it all ended. Nomad 2c was quite undestructible at 2.8 w/o shock, but quite frankly my Blur TRc survived much more than expected
and it came at 2.2kg w/o shock. Cesar Rojo claims SC has it dialled, Raoul Lueschers cut of Madone 9.9 puts Trek in question, my friends Remedy cracked by a blow of FF helmet with riders head inside into the top tube. However I’ve seen it cut inside afterwards and it looks quite well, minimal wrinkles, quite fine surface but I’m no specialist.

Unless someone does a tour of Asian factories with a camera and then get a sample of each frame for hacksaw treatment then we can only speculate.
  • 21 1
 Bad idea to compare the weight with a much older bike, the bikes got finally much longer, so you should compare the weight of an XL of 2008 with an S or XS from now.
  • 2 0
 @rollingdip: hopefully this happens! (please be non-boost also)! Smile
  • 12 6
 @VTwintips: carbon bikes a long way to go hmmm. Unno seems to be quite ahead of the curve, since they work with carbon bikes aside of Moto GP, F1 or McLaren cars. They even have a dude from Koenigsegg. And Cesar speaks well of many other carbon frames. And their frames aren’t exactly super light. Guys from Antidote are quite open about it that they add safety margin, and they treat it as a form of honesty to their clients. When alu component fails nobody cares, when carbon cracks, people are losing their fkng minds. I could argue that some companies just go super light with their alu frames because warranty replacement is cheap for them. What I think many of us suffer from is the syndrome of promised land. We want to believe in a miracle, that somewhere somehow there’s some amazing thing with wonderful properties, we just need to find it. The truth is, it almost never works this way. Compromise reigns supreme. I could also put to anyone that any long travel fs bike under 15kgs is a damn light bike.
  • 5 0
 I for one, would be ok with broken frames and lifetime transferable warranty. Liteville, for example, offers competitively light weight frame and a transferable warranty. Rad. With a lightweight, high quality aluminum frame and a design made to be updated and backwards compatible throughout the years, if your break it, you just replace that section (chainstay, for example) and recycle the old part. Some customer will never brake the frame, some will often. Instead, the industry wants us to pay increasingly higher prices for burlier and heavier carbon components. - - - - Also, can anyone confirm the weight of the Hightower LT?
  • 2 1
 @PHeller: I saw it here: reviews.mtbr.com/santa-cruz-hightower-lt-first-ride-review

It doesn't say on their website, but I also checked their women's website and they list frame weights as "from this weight and up". It actually says 6.3 for the women's version of the bronson and the newmad is listed at 6.2. So, 5.9 might be reasonable. Either way, we're talking about maybe an upwards of 10 grips lighter than the Transition, and no famous quality problems.
  • 2 0
 @jclnv: Scott's a nice little biker noodling around Victoria ;-)

I still run into guys in Nanaimo without droppers! XC Lyfe!!!!
  • 1 9
flag High-Life (Dec 28, 2017 at 16:26) (Below Threshold)
 @VTwintips: Too many words = you don't know wtf you're talking about.
  • 1 0
 @jclnv: Scott aint nearly as tough though.
  • 2 0
 @richierocket: Yeah I don't know to be honest but they're plenty stiff enough.
  • 3 0
 @jclnv: My hightower LT CC in XL frame with shock tipped 6.6lbs on a calibrated scale. Very reasonable and not under-built!
  • 1 1
 @theflyingdutchmen: Impressive. They seem to suffer the same as Specialized in that the shorter travel bikes are barely any lighter than the longer travel variants.
  • 3 0
 @VTwintips: Just weighed my new XXL HTLT frame/DPX2/hardware and it is 2.98 kg (6 lb 9 oz). This is a HUUUUGE frame.

The stiffness and impeccable handling of this frame mean more to me than a few hundred grams. I’ve ridden too many lighter frames that were too flexible and handled poorly as a result.

For comparison my 2015 XL Nomad frame was 450g lighter. Durable and stiff - how did they do it?
  • 1 5
flag VTwintips (Dec 28, 2017 at 21:48) (Below Threshold)
 @bogey: Why are you asking me?
  • 7 7
 @jclnv: @bogey. All carbon frames are stiff and most of them are too stiff. Guys like Unno design flex into the frame so that they get closer to aluminium frames. Without flex a bike leaned in the corner has less grip than the bike that has it since suspension does not work sideways. So if frame doesn’t flex it goes to the wheel, if wheel is carbon, whoops, the only thing left is the tyre. If this flexes too much knobs don’t dif into the ground optimally. Too wide ride, no WT tread pattern, and you get weebles wobbles. I am so smart now after talking to those people hahha Big Grin
  • 3 1
 @WAKIdesigns: that’s just plain wrong when you’re a taller and heavier guy like me. I’ve been on numerous carbon frames that are just plain terrible when pushed hard. This goes for road, mountain, and CX frames. I personally made the mistake of buying a RMB Thunderbolt which was unnervingly flexible in torsional and could not hold a line when pushed hard. It’s no wonder RMB advertised their next gen bikes as 20-30% stiffer. The worst I’ve ever ridden was an Ibis Ripley. Ibis did a bunch of work to stiffen it up over the next updates because they knew it was a problem.

I agree that a frame can be too stiff but I can only imagine that’s for smaller riders on smaller frames.
  • 4 3
 @bogey: but how big are you?
  • 5 3
 @bogey: anyways, you are an exception so don’t judge wcerything with your measure. Me being a disgustingly typical 178cm at 75kg can speak for quite a big portion of populace so dead wrong my arse man. I have nothing against XL frames getting more material for people above 90kg but the matter of fact is it is hard to make a flexy carbon frame or rim for most people. In majority of cases they are too stiff. Like vaat majority of carbon HTs of all sorts, they are dogiating to ride. If you are a power lifter then huh, you can deal with heavier components aye? If you have issues cutting pizza and soda though... the flexy components should be lower down the list of your cycling related problems.
  • 8 1
 Transition: Kona in the weight,Santa Cruz in the price.
  • 3 1
 @bogey: I hear ya bud. My 2014 Nomad C is quite lite and stiff as a straight man's member in the Playboy Mansion.
  • 2 0
 @bogey: Is it the frame or the linkage that causes the flex though?
  • 3 0
 @PHeller: definitely not the wreckoning with the terrible STA
  • 1 1
 @VTwintips: in the case of the Ibis a Ripley, I believe it’s the linkage design, though they’ve obviously addressed this problem to some extent.
  • 1 0
 @VTwintips: in the Thunderbolt and a few others it was the main frame twisting too much. In the Ibis it was both the frame and links. In the end though, it doesn’t matter because the ride quality and handling suffers.
  • 1 0
 @bogey: The alloy Thunderbolt I rode was probably the only sub 150mm 650b bike I've enjoyed riding. Yeah I could feel it being a little springy but it definitely didn't slow it down and may even have helped in the slick stuff.

That said I'm 67kg/175cm but it makes me think we need more size specific lay-ups and tubing profiles ala road bikes.
  • 2 0
 @bogey I don't mean to be pedantic but can you explain how you can feel a front triangle twisting? I have definitely felt worn bearings connecting the front triangle to a rear triangle before, and I can feel an obvious difference between a bolt on axle, skinny stanchions, and even some nice damping with a skinny tubed steel road bike compared to an aluminum counterpart. I just can't picture how you could cause a frame to feel twisty.
  • 1 0
 @VTwintips: two easy examples;

* When you push down on the handlebars to initiate a corner and the bike just twists. The seat tube and headtube are no longer coplanar. Then it springs back which causes the bike to go off-line.
* When you land a jump or drop a bit sideways and the bottom bracket flexes sideways. This causes the same twist in the frame but in a different way.
  • 2 0
 @jclnv: I agree whole heartedly with the size specific design. Most companies just stretch the bikes out for bigger sizes and don’t bother making the tubes bigger.

Take that Thunderbolt, stretch the tubes for an XL size without increasing the diameter, then add 30kg to the rider. That springiness that you feel becomes nervous flex. I couldn’t sell that bike fast enough (Tbolt BC Edition with XTR and Enve M60s).

I bought a Specialized Tarmac (61cm) this past summer because of the size specific design. I’ve never had such a fine handling road bike. It responds to pedal input with just the right amount of flex and the bike feels like one unit when pushing through downhill corners. The downtube and toptube are absolutely huge which creates this feeling.
  • 2 0
 @bogey: Madness that it isn't standard across the board really.
  • 1 0
 @rollingdip: It's coming... have a feeling their 29ers will be first to go carbon this model set.
  • 2 0
 @mountainyj: No hate to Transition, but you should be careful you don't spill that Kool-aid. The Canfield Riot is a 140mm 29er that is not light, but which can survive huge hits. There's a guy in the Riot thread that rides his on NE Style A line - we're talking about the Pinkbike drop. I've sent mine off some doodoo at the local parks and it's survived chest-to-bars bottom out situations. Make no mistake, it's a trail bike and not a park bike, but I would not attempt such shenanigans with a bike known for cracking stays. Point I'm making is that there *are* bikes to compare it to.
  • 2 0
 @jclnv: what material are you made out of? I'm 175cm and 95kg. It's like you're riding 1 bike, and I'm riding 4 bikes.
  • 1 2
 @Zziplex: I'm typical fagget XC racer build.
  • 44 17
 Transition needs new graphic guy. These two tone paint jobs are getting old.
  • 69 7
 Maybe they should ask Intense if they could make some graphics for them........ Transition graphics seem fine too me.
  • 3 1
 Agreed.
  • 16 4
 Agree, these don't look like modern designs, they look like $1000 Giant's with graphics plastered onto the frame to make them "exciting". This is coming from a current Transition owner who was hoping that things would get cleaner looking as new models rolled out. Guess not.
  • 23 4
 I think they look awesome.
  • 8 2
 you can’t ever go wrong with a good ol two tone imo.
  • 1 1
 It isn't bad just dead.
  • 8 0
 I like that that they always have a black-ish version. Similar to Canyon in this regard. Good move. Not everyone wants bright colors.
  • 1 1
 @c00m: or Evil
  • 3 0
 Evil needs to design for them. I love the variability in my stable. I have a gunmetal following with black decals and a black insurgent with shiny black decals.
  • 2 0
 NS Bikes + Transition collaboration - Go!
  • 1 0
 Exactly the reason i haven't updated my 15' patrol
  • 1 0
 @n1ck: Amen! I like my bikes reasonable simple. That said - they have those mono-chrome blue and orange bikes that despite being bright I could see myself riding. It's when things get fluorescent and/or multi-colored that I just can't get over it. Something about me being an old boring fart, I guess...
  • 25 2
 Wow, the video begins with some climbing! After watching videos in this site I was beginning to wonder if anyone still did that. Bravo!
  • 2 1
 I was stoked on that until the descending (and that awful music) started
reminded me of the Push 11-6 promo video
  • 23 2
 "The Sentinel continues to receive praise as the bike that can truly do everything well"
Im pretty sure even pinkbike's review of the bike didnt say that
  • 1 2
 Except run a cool shock. Leverage rate isn't right. So bummed
  • 7 1
 It kinda seemed to? I had to go back a reread it, and although that totally seems like marketing bullshit, Pinkbike said it pedals slightly worse than the hightower LT (that I've heard climbs exceptionally well), and descended better than both the slash and the Enduro, despite having less travel. Sounds pretty damn good to me!
  • 3 0
 @naisemaj: i have a '17 enduro frame sitting and a Sentinel built up. I can attest that the Sentinel descends MUCH better than the 165mm enduro.
  • 1 0
 @naisemaj: Word around town is that it is indeed pretty damn versatile for such a monster truck, but that has to be taken in context - 'town' in my case is Bellingham, so 'word' comes from folks who are (a) apt to give TBC the benefit of the doubt (they're being pretty good MTB citizens around here, with lots of support for trail stewardship and young riders and all that, and there are a lot of happy local customers) and (b) tend to ride the way this bike is designed for (lots of fire road climbing, followed by hair raising techy and very fast descents).

Remember, this is not an all-purpose 29er trail/all-mountain bike, it's a big sled. So it's playful - for a big sled. It climbs well - for a big sled. If you want more playfulness, look to the Smuggler, which will deliver the sort of capability that people thought of as long travel 29er territory, with 140/120 (fore/aft) of squish. In the Bike Mag test issue, they have an interview with a TBC rep about the Smuggler - and the upshot of that is to give the Smuggler a try before you go for the bigger bike, as you might be surprised by capability beyond what the travel numbers would suggest.
  • 17 1
 Wow, rad video guys!!! Makes me wanna get out and ride in the rain- but hopefully the rain here isn't as wet as the Coast Gravity Park's rain!!!
  • 1 0
 It's not Santa Cruz!
  • 15 4
 1000 dollar premium for a carbon frame that manages a 2.5 pound difference, and I get the pleasure of worrying about every time I crash, or drop it. It's cool and all but I think I'll stick the the aluminum
  • 5 1
 Totes. I think an alloy frame with a solid build kit is the way to go. I'm not convinced the performance increase of a carbon over aluminum frame is worth the $$ and mental energy of stressing over it. Plus trying to sell it.
  • 2 0
 Me either, I’m also not Light, so there’s that. I’ll ride the shit outta my metal 18 scout. I could lose 3 pounds off my body for a grand. Challenge accepted @vanmtnbiker:
  • 12 0
 Going to be freaky expensive. Their alloy 2018 frames are over priced. It would be different if they were made here in the states. At least Orange bikes are made in the UK.
  • 2 0
 Really? Base spec alloy Sentinel is $3k. Yep, that comes with a Yari, so the first time you need to do a service, you'd probably put a Charger damper in that and basically turn it into a Lyrik ($200, I believe)? And if you don't like the entry-level SRAM brakes, another $200 will buy you a set of XTs for reliability and ease of maintenance. That's pretty darn competitive, no?

GX Eagle (with a Lyrik) build is $4k - also pretty decent. Same goes for Smuggler, btw - which competes directly with a Jeffsy 29, in case you want to cross-check the value proposition. The YT comes in a little lower for a comparable build, but not by much.
  • 1 0
 @g-42: lm not talking about the bike im talking about the frame. $1999.99 for a 2018 alloy frame. Thats expensive.
  • 2 0
 @panzer103: I hear you - sure goes to show how cheaply the OEMs get components...

Here's the thing, though - who is selling alloy frames for less? Looks like YT and Canyon and Whyte aren't selling frames, just complete builds. I can find Evil offering alloy frames - those come in $100 lower MSRP than Transition's. I sometimes fantasize about building up my own bike starting from frame/shock package - not so much because I want to go high-end blingy, but so I can get the stuff I'd end up upgrading after a while right off the bat. I don't mind a low end bike - but I'd rather have working-man's-spec Shimano drivetrains and brakes than SRAM. Being heavy, I'd rather spend money on a beefy rear hub and beefy rims rather, than go cheaper on drivetrain and cockpit and so forth.
  • 11 1
 The news to me here is that I can get my hands on a used 2018 AL sentinel much quicker than I hoped.
  • 10 2
 Transition don’t always tick all the boxes for “I want that” all the time, but I do always trust that their bikes will be fun to ride.
  • 8 0
 Just received my aluminum one, never fails! Still incredibly stoked
  • 7 0
 I'd like this bike more if it had a different size rear axle than everyone else.
  • 6 0
 A lot has changed since metzger was backflipping dirtbags with super monster forks on em. Not sure yet if i like the direction they've gone in since, or not.
  • 9 0
 Logged in for the first time in years to thank you for your comment. Its cool to know someone out there enjoyed the hucking Smile I'm not really sure what "direction" Transition has taken, but I do know that its a company made up of some of the best people I've ever met in my life. I miss all those guys and the Shenanigans we had Wink
  • 9 5
 As someone in the market this bike is targeting, I’m left a little unimpressed at the $6000 x01 bike. A 3 year warranty, shitty dropper, mullet suspension configuration, and questionable rear tire clearance being the main reservations.

The $6500 (floor price of $5500) enduro can be had with 160mm of travel, lifetime warranty, comparable/adjustable geo, carbon wheels and weed storage. Gg’s $5200 Smash is handmade in the US, weighs the same, has almost identical geo with a 160mm fork and can be ordered with custom everything. Transition has the hipster factor but I’m just not feeling it, perhaps a test ride would change my mind.
  • 10 2
 Hipster factor? That’s nice, since when is a company that actually is riders hipster? I don’t get it.
  • 2 0
 @ryan83: Specialized fs bikes lifetime warranty is only for the front triangle right? I believe the chainstays and seatstays are five years.

Doesn't the Smash have your "mullet suspension configuration" also? Also, Guerrilla Gravity offers their lifetime frame support warranty.

I find Orbea and Santa Cruz offer excellent lifetimes warranties.
  • 3 0
 @rad3144: I meant hipster in a positive way (much like using the word “rad”) in that they don’t have the same brand awareness as a big company like Trek/Spec/giant. I’d wager only a cool kid in our bike nerd bubble would know who Transition is.
  • 3 4
 @rad3144: "bro we are riders bro" round my parts, Transition is the official bike of "i met a guy that one time i rode in Colorado who played frisbee and drank beer after a ride so now I'm going to make a big show of drinking beer and playing frisbee after every 3 mile ride"
  • 2 0
 @wibblywobbly: hahahahahaha @ryan83 I'm that cool kid...
  • 1 0
 @wibblywobbly: ahh hahahah. So funny. Sad that there are so many people like that that it becomes a stereotype.
  • 2 0
 @wibblywobbly: that's why they named it the "Brahtrol" and have female anatomy acronyms. It's the frat boy targeted marketing scheme.
  • 3 0
 @wibblywobbly: the amount of judgemental doucheyness dripping off that comment is impressive.
  • 3 0
 OK... Realizing that the Gig Harbor reference is to a private trail... 360 trails is the closest you'll come (trailforks) but there are some dope private trails around. wish there was more of a community in the area to allow connections.
  • 2 1
 Me too. My inlaws live there and there is nowhere to ride! I only make it down there a couple time/year and wouldn't be a Stava*shole so...message me pls!
  • 1 0
 When I saw Gig Harbor I also checked out trail forks to possibly see where the hell was that trail. There is not much to ride there.
  • 2 0
 "That's 10' bigger than I have every done"-Lars.

I think going big and burly was more a design consideration than a pound or two of frame weight.

and, Gig Harbor?...sure it was...
  • 2 0
 It is, actually.
  • 9 4
 Back in 2010, an blur lt2 aluminum frame only weights 6.19 lb / 2.8 kg
  • 25 5
 Back in 2010, we warrantied blurs weekly and made barstools out of nomads....
  • 10 1
 But a blur LT2 is a tiny, tiny bike. The reach is something like 405mm for the XL frame. People get too hung up on frame weights, which leads to broken bikes as designers chase an extra ounce here and there or use a single row of bearings and an alloy axle instead of two rows and steel or ti one.
  • 3 1
 back in the day my Specialized S-works M2 frame weighed less than 3 lbs. Back in the day....we're taking about the same genre right??!!! Wink
  • 4 0
 "Clicks BuySell, puts AL Sentinel up for sale"

In all seriousness I wonder if any other of there 2018 models will go carbon
  • 2 0
 I would imagine at least the scout carbon will come out soon.
  • 1 0
 @rad3144: I'm surprised that the carbon model is out so quickly. These bikes are barely out in AL and they start offering in carbon? Nice job, TR.
  • 1 0
 I think they anticipated demand somewhat, although it was spotty there for a bit to find any size scout, glad to see they are growing @Poulsbojohnny:
  • 1 2
 @Poulsbojohnny: Not really, they sold the buyer on a AL and maximized profits on their AL before releasing the C. Funny that everyone bought blindly.
  • 1 0
 My Transition is still going strong 2013 Covert 29er. I'm a proud owner. I'm glad to see that they've ditched the LAB COATS and some of the goof for their new product release. It's all about the riding. Nicely done fellas.
  • 2 0
 Interestingly enough, those off you that want to bitch can go but lighter bikes. Those of you that want to shred will likely be pretty happy on this thing. As for the video....rad!
  • 4 0
 There were far too many high fives in that video.Nice whips though!
  • 12 8
 this bike will shred with 26" wheels on it.
  • 8 13
flag RedBurn (Dec 28, 2017 at 8:51) (Below Threshold)
 29 is the future for gravity mtbiking
  • 6 1
 damn that's beautiful!
  • 4 0
 What!? No carbon Smuggler!?
  • 2 1
 BTW: hit me up... will put serious shovel time in, plus experience with machine trails (you supply the mini-x) and I'll throw in a pro-bono full 3-D photogrammetric map of your trails, for science.
  • 1 0
 Like the Company, and the product * alum, but their carbon durability especially when it comes to paint is no bueno. My bike's paint chipped apart in really no time flat. Kinda of a bummer.
  • 2 0
 Good edit Transition...fond of the 29 wheels...like something that climbs..then rocks going down....they call that MTBing..Smile
  • 1 0
 Website says Matt filmed his part in Gig Harbor,WA, his trails don't look familiar? Im holding out for the Carbon Scout, booyah! Usually 3 mos after first 2018 c model comes out?
  • 3 0
 Was that a tire bursting at 2:20 in the video, or just a puddle?
  • 4 0
 I stopped and looked at that spot too, looks like a tire going to me.
  • 1 0
 2:06?
  • 1 0
 haha FOR SURE it is GONZO~ lol Cool they didn't edit it out, but weird how it had no follow up to keep us like.. huh did I... just see what I thought I saw... huh, mmkay whateva shred on!!
  • 3 1
 Bike is okay, but that trail in Gig Harbor, WA just made my pants tight. Anyone in that area with a comfy couch?
  • 3 0
 I am a GH local and have no idea where this trail is. Good luck.
  • 1 0
 @JLantz: Two man search party. Let's do this!
  • 1 0
 I have no clue where that trail is, but it sure the hell isn't in Gig Harbor.
  • 5 0
 @bedell99: it’s on private property my friends
  • 2 1
 Here you can check kinematics of the new Transition Sentinel:

mrblackmorescorner.blogspot.com/2017/07/orbea-rallon-29-2018-vs-santa-cruz.html
  • 2 0
 Are you Antonio?
  • 2 0
 @Happymtbfr: No haha I started the blog when he stopped so now there are two similar blogs. Antonio is posting again so I will write more about suspensions than "linkage". Cheers!
  • 2 0
 @MrBlackmore: ok nice to read that there are several people sharing this kind of reviews. To my opinion it is very useful when choosing a new bike.
Keep them coming!
  • 3 0
 First bike where the Alloy version looks way more handsome!
  • 2 0
 You fellas might have pushed that to 12! Nice.
  • 1 0
 Love the super-sloping "Yeti-like" top tube. Let's hope they'll do the same with the next-gen Patrol. Smile
  • 1 0
 Dam that's pretty. Transition always make the dullest most common frame/ shock layout going look good
  • 1 0
 What a sick video!! Gotta try one out and test out the fun level for myself!
  • 2 0
 That thing at 3:10 was sick
  • 6 4
 What do these guys have against simple one color paint jobs like Evil?
  • 3 0
 Turner sultan is coming
  • 2 0
 Someone put a yellow ohlins coil on the gray one please
  • 3 0
 Smuggler next?!
  • 1 0
 What trails is she ripping in Squamish? Especially that fall line chunder, I don't recognize it and it looks fun.
  • 4 3
 Looks like a carbon session
  • 5 5
 My son is holding out for the carbon ripcord, where’s it at @transitionbikes?
  • 2 1
 This bike is great. Hater's gonna hate.
  • 1 0
 I'm semi sold....need to demo one.
  • 1 3
 marketing guy to Engineer.
Yes but can you make the carbon fiber frame even lighter?
other wise they wont sell!
No problem well just limit the warranty to two years.
A nice light disposable plastic frame.
  • 1 0
 Nice work dudes!!
  • 3 3
 SICK looking bike! Great edit, makes me want to ride!
  • 3 3
 “I only ride carbon...and park”.
  • 1 1
 transition makes such sexy bikes
  • 1 2
 Who's gonna be racing the Sentinel C on the EWS?

Do Mike D or MCA (RIP Ad Rock) ride MTB?
  • 1 1
 Where's the Motor!?
  • 2 4
 Most of that footage did not make me want to buy that bike. Looked slow and lathargic.
  • 1 0
 Dissenting opinions will not be tolerated!
  • 1 1
 Wheres optimus?
  • 1 2
 Looks like a Devinci..
  • 6 8
 Now this is ticking off a lot of boxes! Well done Transition.
  • 20 0
 Has the quality box been ticked?
  • 7 3
 What boxes? IMO there seems to be only one big box in the 2018 season -29er DH...Enduro...freeride. So prepare for the media pushng it.

Or have you meant the good old: Boost, metric, plus+, Low Long sLack, Ebike, Internal routing, at least 50 inch seatpost drop and sub $10000 boxes?
  • 5 6
 I have boner
  • 1 3
 They need to bin the swoopy downtube look, it's ugly as fark.
  • 2 0
 Actually looks okay in person...
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