Transition Sentinel

PB Forum :: Transition
Transition Sentinel
Author Message
flag nforcer
Posted: Feb 17, 2019 at 22:28 Quote
Hey Guys,

i need some help. I'm not satisfied with the dpx2 shock (i never have been with fox products).
Either its not sensitive enough (250 PSI) or it rushes through the travel with no real bottom out (i already put in the biggest spacer).
Now i'm considering buying the Push Fenix. But 1000€ is a hell lot of money. Also considering it probably wouldnt fit in a new frame because of all the new standarts.

Anyone got thoughts about the DVO Topaz in the sentinel?

Cheers Matthias
flag Cybernation
O+
Posted: Feb 18, 2019 at 2:59 Quote
nforcer wrote:
Hey Guys,

i need some help. I'm not satisfied with the dpx2 shock (i never have been with fox products).
Either its not sensitive enough (250 PSI) or it rushes through the travel with no real bottom out (i already put in the biggest spacer).
Now i'm considering buying the Push Fenix. But 1000€ is a hell lot of money. Also considering it probably wouldnt fit in a new frame because of all the new standarts.

Anyone got thoughts about the DVO Topaz in the sentinel?

Cheers Matthias
I recently put in a topaz in my sentinel. Hadn’t had a chance to test it but I hope i will get to it this week. I will post feedback.
flag bike2850
O+
Posted: Feb 18, 2019 at 5:59 Quote
The topaz is the best air shock you can buy.
flag Chj
Posted: Feb 19, 2019 at 2:45 Quote
Is it room to fit a Maxxis 2.5 wt tire in the rear? I was supposed to order a 2.3 but was a bit trigger happy and didn't really check what I orderd
flag ibishreddin
Posted: Feb 19, 2019 at 9:36 Quote
bike2850 wrote:
The topaz is the best air shock you can buy.
Ever ridden an x2? What makes it the best?
flag ZSW
O+
Posted: Feb 19, 2019 at 18:45 Quote
Chj wrote:
Is it room to fit a Maxxis 2.5 wt tire in the rear? I was supposed to order a 2.3 but was a bit trigger happy and didn't really check what I orderd

Depends on the rim width and tire model but I have seen 2.5 aggressors fit on both the aluminum and carbon bikes. DHR is probably ok but DHF is usually a little taller and might be really close to the seat stay bridge.
flag Chj
Posted: Feb 19, 2019 at 20:54 Quote
ZSW wrote:
Chj wrote:
Is it room to fit a Maxxis 2.5 wt tire in the rear? I was supposed to order a 2.3 but was a bit trigger happy and didn't really check what I orderd

Depends on the rim width and tire model but I have seen 2.5 aggressors fit on both the aluminum and carbon bikes. DHR is probably ok but DHF is usually a little taller and might be really close to the seat stay bridge.

It's an aggressor and it would be mounted on a 30-35mm rim, maybe I'll keep it and try or send it back for an e13 trs r/+ combo
flag Josslad
Posted: Feb 26, 2019 at 0:47 Quote
malthebear wrote:
tobes27 wrote:
malthebear wrote:
Looking for some advice as I’m a bit torn here, been toying with ‘long travel’ 29er idea for a while, I had been looking at the Mega 290 and even got some bargain 170mm 36’s, now the Sentinel has popped up in my price range and is obviously rather attractive, but leaves me with a few questions,

- Will a 170mm standard offset fork ruin the handling (was thinking adjustable headset to compensate and keep the same head angle)

- Just how nimble is it? I live in the North Yorkshire Moors and ride all sorts with a strong focus on the descents (Ard Moors style of things) but also have a lot of tight steep twisty tech on my doorstep (where the long wheelbase puts me off.

Any help or advice would be great, thanks in advance.

1. I think the offset is a big part of what makes the bike what it is and I would not put a standard fork on it.

2. It is not nimble. More like a DH bike that climbs fire roads efficiently.

3. Nimble and 170mm 29er are two characteristics that will be tough to find in the same bike. If you want nimble you should look at wheel base and head angle numbers (I had a SC Hightower a few years ago and it was a better descender than the numbers would suggest).

Cheers for the reply Tobes,

Kind of helped me make my mind up, the mega is closer to what I have now and I know how that behaves on my home turf so should be less of shock making the switch.
Had a 29er hardtail for commuting/playing on and the big wheels have grown on me. Been toying with the idea of going for big wheels on the full sus for a while now.

Cheers for the help

Thanks

Malthebear - did you get sorted? Looks like we ride the same trails. I bought a Sentinel around Christmas and it's mighty impressive but I'm thinking of re-building my Stage 5 for the vast majority of what's on our doorstep. The Sentinel makes perfect sense at Kilburn and if stage 5 of the Ardmoors was open full time then it'd be a no-brainer, but something a little less DH-focused makes a bit more sense if you're on the tighter stuff in the woods (Guissy).
flag Brahma
O+
Posted: Feb 28, 2019 at 8:01 Quote
Chj wrote:
Is it room to fit a Maxxis 2.5 wt tire in the rear? I was supposed to order a 2.3 but was a bit trigger happy and didn't really check what I orderd

I am currently running on the rear a Maxxis 2.5 DHF WT on a 30mm wide Santa Cruz Reserve carbon rim with no issues.
flag YetiStew
O+ FL
Posted: Apr 1, 2019 at 2:53 Quote
photo
Managed to get about 160km on this now and really enjoying it though its nowhere near as proficient a pedal-er as the Pivot Firebird its replaced its certainly a lot more fun for general bombing around plus its always good to get a chance to reuse the 116 again.
flag TuEagleSpeaker
O+
Posted: Apr 15, 2019 at 8:14 Quote
Hey guys,
I'm currently debating getting either a Sentinel, Patrol or a Devinci Spartan 29 and I had a question about how the Sentinel rides in the chunder. I demo'd one in Galbraith just yesterday and really liked it, but I was only able to ride black and blue flow trails with some minor bumps and small tech sections.

I have read several reviews about the Sentinel being a bit lacking in the rough, fast stuff, but then several reviews saying it's great in the rough tech. So my question is, is this true? Does anyone have any experience with this?

I don't have many doubts about the Patrol being able to handle the gnar and I used to own the older Spartan 27.5, so I know it's fine. I think the shift to 29er wheels would benefit me as I am 194cm.

For reference, my main area of riding is the BC North shore, Squamish and Whistler.
Thanks for the help!
flag FrozenPieThief
O+
Posted: Apr 17, 2019 at 22:55 Quote
TuEagleSpeaker wrote:
Hey guys,
I'm currently debating getting either a Sentinel, Patrol or a Devinci Spartan 29 and I had a question about how the Sentinel rides in the chunder. I demo'd one in Galbraith just yesterday and really liked it, but I was only able to ride black and blue flow trails with some minor bumps and small tech sections.

I have read several reviews about the Sentinel being a bit lacking in the rough, fast stuff, but then several reviews saying it's great in the rough tech. So my question is, is this true? Does anyone have any experience with this?

I don't have many doubts about the Patrol being able to handle the gnar and I used to own the older Spartan 27.5, so I know it's fine. I think the shift to 29er wheels would benefit me as I am 194cm.

For reference, my main area of riding is the BC North shore, Squamish and Whistler.
Thanks for the help!

Mine rips right through it. We have a lot of loose rock and gravel here in Colorado though. Probably different from the terrain out there.
flag Arierep
Posted: Apr 18, 2019 at 10:04 Quote
There are very conflicting reports on the ability of the Sentinel's rear end to deal with rough trails at speed. Some say the "small" 140mm travel shows up and the bike is unbalanced, others state it feels like a lot more than it's travel...
flag conv3rt
O+
Posted: Apr 18, 2019 at 13:57 Quote
No issues here in nelson BC. Spend some time on the shock (like always) and you'll be rewarded. I'm consistently faster on my sentinel than I was on my patrol. Big wheels, great geo, and kinematics. My only advice would be to look at carbon if you worry about weight for the climb. I was able to swap over some parts from another build on a used frame (wr1 wheels to a gen 1 carbon sentinel). Climbs better than my patrol did. No regrets at all!
flag TuEagleSpeaker
O+
Posted: Apr 18, 2019 at 14:00 Quote
conv3rt wrote:
No issues here in nelson BC. Spend some time on the shock (like always) and you'll be rewarded. I'm consistently faster on my sentinel than I was on my patrol. Big wheels, great geo, and kinematics. My only advice would be to look at carbon if you worry about weight for the climb. I was able to swap over some parts from another build on a used frame (wr1 wheels to a gen 1 carbon sentinel). Climbs better than my patrol did. No regrets at all!

Thanks man. Yeah I will likely have to throw in a relatively large volume spacer and I'll play with the compression and rebound a lot. I did order the alloy version as it was quite a bit cheaper with a nice spec - not too worried about the weight even though she's a heavy one.

 


Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.045258
Mobile Version of Website