Spotted: Transition Sentinel 29er

Eye spy with our piggy eyes…well, what is it?

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Monday's fresh news… Spy photo of the new Transition 29er Enduro named Sentinel. More news to come. Pinkbike photo #newtransition #sentinel #transitionbikes #transitionsentinel #29er #enduro29 #spyphotos #freshnews

A post shared by Nuno da Nóbrega (@nunodanobrega) on Jun 26, 2017 at 12:39am PDT

We’ve been squinting at this, and it definitely says Sentinel on that rear stay – not Smuggler. So unless it’s a huge practical joke sent to throw us all of the scent off something else altogether, we’re betting that this is indeed a new 29er from Transition. There’s definitely something different going on here – the bottom of the rear shock joins onto the frame via a larger brace that is clearly different to the Smuggler and Scout.

The upper rocker link is also of a significantly different shape to anything on the current range of Transitions. It’s kinda bendy, and it’s also quite long, as is the length of the Fox DPX2 rear shock it’s bolted to. Out back is the regular Giddy Up pivot on the chainstay, but overall the linkage would appear to be of the low-leverage variety, and with a good deal more travel than the Smuggler’s current 115mm. And given the Fox 36 up front with most likely 160mm of travel, is this a 29er version of the Patrol?

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#transitionbikes #29er #mtb #transitionsentinel @transitionbikes new long travel 29er? Called the Sentinel and sports a DPX2 shock.

A post shared by MTB Scotland (@mtbscotland1) on Jun 26, 2017 at 1:48am PDT

Also of note is the fact that this spy shot shows a bike kitted out with Fox forks and shock – current Transition bikes come bedecked with Rockshox. There’s also no SRAM Eagle – GX or XX1 – but a Shimano groupset instead, with a rather large dinner plate sized sprocket on the end of the cassette. It’s a little hard to tell from the image, but to our eyes that looks even bigger than Shimano’s current 11-46t Deore XT cassette…

Given the welded alloy frame, it’s likely a prototype (carbon moulds cost a lot so early prototypes are often welded alloy versions), and given Transition’s push into carbon fibre lately, perhaps we’ll see a carbon version down the line? Or will it be an alloy-only machine coming our way soon? Given the decals we’re be inclined to bet that it’s something we’ll be seeing before too much longer – a late 2017 Eurobike release perhaps?

Ahh..so many questions, so few answers…we’ll keep sniffing around and let you know as soon as we hear any facts. Or indeed, if we spot any more spy shots…

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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