If like me you like to see real peoples reviews of bikes and geek out before buying a new bike then hopefully this will help if you’re interested in a sentinel.
I came from a 2015 Nukeproof Mega am which was an excellent bike. I like riding everything from long xc to the alps but overall I love to go fast downhill and get as much air as possible.
So far I’ve ridden some downhill tracks on the sentinel and a couple of trail rides. I never thought I’d even consider a 29er but when the sentinel came out it caught my eye. The transition promotion video sold it to me and I’ve always loved the company
So the bike review - in short it’s absolutely awesome. I decided on a large al gx 2019 in Pinot noir and got a great deal on it through bike active who were excellent (no connection). I’m 5’11 and the large feels great I’m sure I’d be able to ride the medium as well but never got a test ride.
This bike is solid with no real flex anywhere it tracks really well, it is heavy but I’d say somehow you don’t really notice it. Paintwork seems ok atm with one small chip so far although I had an invisiframe kit fitted. Tyres are great as they are wider then the 2018 the grip 2 36 is excellent when set up correctly which is pretty much exactly as fox recommend on website.
i found on the rear I was bottoming out with recommended sag so upped the pressure still a bit to much so went to stick a larger spacer in but found it has the largest that will fit already in it - I put a bit of float fluid in it to take up a bit of space and this helped.
reverb is excellent, stans s1 wheels a bit heavy but really strong, gx kit feels awesome so far. I fitted renthal bars but the race face we’re fine
Uphill is much much better then I expected, the 29 wheels and seat angle make it climb great even on steep stuff with no front wheel lift
downhill is what this bike loves and it smashes down everything feeling really stable. It’s ok in tech tight stuff but when you get up to speed it flys. I really noticed how much faster I was in really steep stuff it almost makes it easy I think this must be down to the head angle. It’s great to jump but dosnt feel as playful in the air as my mega and it’s harder to whip etc
A bad point is it’s hard to fit a chain device I managed in the end but the clearance is a mm or two other then this and the need to make the shock a little more progressive it’s the ultimate bike and im definitely faster then ever on it.
It turns out they can make 29ers fast strong and fun
Great to read an owner's review. I've just picked up a pinot noir nx. Which invisiframe kit did you go for, matte or glossy??
A bad point is it’s hard to fit a chain device
Smuggler was similar the chain guide would rub against the gear cable. I found if I didn't use the small routing guide on the chainstay near the BB the cable could run lower down and all was good.
Love my smuggler!
Matt invisiframe
yeah I took off that tie near the bb then ran the cable over the top of the chain guide
Thanks for that. I'll have to get one ordered while it's still clean
I demoed the bottom of the line alu NX sentinel at FoD the other week as the only full suspension bike I've ever ridden is my current one, a 27.5 jeffsy and I was curious as to what others felt like, specifically 29ers and I have to say I was absolutely blown away by it. I think I'm in love with the sentinel as I keep thinking about it! I was amazed at how much speed it keeps, and I felt incredibly confident going downhill. I was significantly more composed and in control and I did some downhill trails that I would never have felt good doing on my jeffsy.
I am very much contemplating selling my jeffsy sometime between now and spring and picking up a carbon Sentinel now, it's got it's hooks in me good and gave me such a big smile when I rode it. Don't get me wrong, the jeffsy is a brilliant bike and is incredible value for money, but over the last year my riding style has changed somewhat and the sentinel seems to be the bike that really allows me to ride how I want.
Haven’t been able to demo one as no xl’s available but have ridden a few bikes with similar geo so taken a punt and have an XL carbon frame on order....
every review I have read has been glowing with the only criticism being the alloys are a bit heavy....
was hoping to move a lot of parts across from my pivot but as ever, very little is compatible!
They do ride well, but they do also take a bit of time to get the rear shock set up well, otherwise they ride like crap. The balance between pressure & bottom out is probably the finest I have experienced on an air shocked bike in recent times. It took quite a while to get the balance right on mine when I had it.
My grumbles were mostly design/build, as always. Most of which is covered with the usual paint quality issues, grumbles around cable routing & fitting chain guides etc. They really don't like 2.5 tyres in the back either. A 2.5 WT Maxxis is way too tight to run really, so I would say a 2.35 Schwalbe is going to uncomfortable too. They are very porky too for an air shocked bike. My XL Raaw with a coil shock is only ~100g heavier & that's hardly a light frame either.
Rumours of a 'Super Sentinel' coming though (more travel) - that could be a great race bike 🙂