First i love my sentinel one bike to do it all Second there is a guy on one of the FB groups running sram transmission on his sentinel. He removed the red bushing and bolted it together witb the new axle. Said it had been running flawless. Edit wanted to add that Meg neg helped my bike in the progressive department
Interesting prospect on the Transmission install for sure. I'd be nervous about that putting a lot of extra stress on the frame without that red bushing to distribute force. MegNeg would be a nice addition to anyone running the previous gen Super Deluxe. It's not compatible with the newest one that I have installed.
I feel like the hightower v3 feels more like a trail bike compared to the sentinel v2. The Hightower feels shorter and snappier. I have both sentinel v3 and hightower v3 but built the sentinel with a zeb, coil and heavy casing tyres. Agree with you about the progression but that could be fixed with a Cascade link. Great versatile bike for a bike 3 years old.
The Hightower is definitely a hair more conservative in geo. And I have had Cascade links on 3 different bikes now and agree it would be a great fix. I’m just sort of getting to the point that there are bikes now from both brands that no longer need an aftermarket link, and I’d prefer to not have to have a “fix” for this nice a bike. I may still crack a grab one.
I would buy a Sentinel regardless of UDH compatability! The Sentinel is the only ride I have ever felt like I was ‘in the bike’ rather than ‘on the bike’. Unfortunately I could not source one during the pandemic and went with a Bronson V4… I still constantly look for used Sentinels that I might be able to trade the Bronson towards. Although the mullet ‘monster truck’ setup of the Bronson has allowed me to survive some things that were above my pay grade. Your thoughts about comparing them? Looking forward to seeing more videos of rides from your trip!
Thanks for the feedback! As far as comparing the Sentinel to the Bronson, that's tough. The Bronson is a very sweet rig that is right at home on lot's of terrain. I probably saw as many Bronson's on our 2 weeks out west as any other bike. I'd say after spending a lot of time on both bikes that the Bronson skews toward the playful side. I really enjoy the MX bikes, but I always feel like the rear wheel hangs up in rough sections noticeably more. I personally feel like the rear kinematics of the Sentinel are a hair more lively feeling. Where are you located? There's a quality/ride feel that is tough to beat on the Santa Cruz, however.
@@DrJMTB I am in Mooresville, NC, about 30 miles north of Charlotte. Originally from KY. Bought my Bronson from someone in Glasgow. Actually came by your shop on my way back to NC, but it was a Sunday. Will you be going to Snowshoe for the UCI DH races?
Very interesting review. I'm getting close to purchasing a Sentinel. I had the opportunity to try the Sentinel AL size L and found it always ready and responsive. I didn't notice its approximately 15.5kg. Have you had the opportunity to try the aluminum version too? Does the Sentinel carbon stand out a lot when riding? I would have half a mind with the approximately €900 saved for the aluminium, to change the entire transmission with an x01 and put on a carbon handlebar (but on balance the carbon remains lighter). Thanks 🤜
I have ridden the same bike in aluminum. They still pedal great, PLUS the aluminum frames are UDH compatible. There’s just something extra sleek about no welds on carbon + the obvious weight advantage.
Is Transition a popular go to brand for a moutain bike in the US? I'm from the UK and was looking to purchase a transition bike but I've never heard of the brand before, I've never seen someone with a transition bike and there's only a handful of retailers here who sell them so it's obviously not a popular brand here in the UK.
Gotten a little more popular here in SoCal. They’re a great company. Personally If I were you I’d buy it for the reason you don’t see a lot of them where you’re at. But that’s the hipster in me talking
Kona’s pricing is rediculous, if not downright embarrassing on price per spec right now. And even if it was good, I’d still prefer the Sentinel slightly as I felt compelled to run an angled headset in reverse on the Process X to steepen it slightly. AND, it sounds like you’re like me and between M and L, and the Sentinel is slightly shorter than the X.
@@DrJMTB Thanks for the feedback. I generally look for frame only deals so not paying for a full build luckily. I love my medium Honzo ESD but now looking back I'm not sure why I landed on a medium Sentinel with 450 reach. 5 10" with 31" inseam I'm all torso so the medium is feeling sketchy as I progress and get faster.
Would anyone pass on the Sentinel due to lack of UDH compatibility (can't run SRAM Transmission)? Let me know 👇🏼
doesn't bother me
You can with alloy
@@mountainmike8739 sure can
First i love my sentinel one bike to do it all
Second there is a guy on one of the FB groups running sram transmission on his sentinel. He removed the red bushing and bolted it together witb the new axle. Said it had been running flawless.
Edit wanted to add that Meg neg helped my bike in the progressive department
Interesting prospect on the Transmission install for sure. I'd be nervous about that putting a lot of extra stress on the frame without that red bushing to distribute force. MegNeg would be a nice addition to anyone running the previous gen Super Deluxe. It's not compatible with the newest one that I have installed.
Good breakdown. I'm currently riding a 22 hightower but been looking at this bike
Great in depth review!! Sweet Bike!!
Sweet setup buddy! Looks pretty bombproof
Thanks! It’s been a fun one 🤙🏼
I’m like 5’8-5’9 so I’m planning on going with a medium. I hope I make the right choice 🙏
I feel like the hightower v3 feels more like a trail bike compared to the sentinel v2. The Hightower feels shorter and snappier. I have both sentinel v3 and hightower v3 but built the sentinel with a zeb, coil and heavy casing tyres. Agree with you about the progression but that could be fixed with a Cascade link. Great versatile bike for a bike 3 years old.
The Hightower is definitely a hair more conservative in geo. And I have had Cascade links on 3 different bikes now and agree it would be a great fix. I’m just sort of getting to the point that there are bikes now from both brands that no longer need an aftermarket link, and I’d prefer to not have to have a “fix” for this nice a bike. I may still crack a grab one.
Still have a smuggler? I'd be interested in a comparison between the two!
Great vid. You mention videos of your Idaho, Utah etc. rides. I couldn't find those on your channel though...Link(s)? Thanks.
I would buy a Sentinel regardless of UDH compatability! The Sentinel is the only ride I have ever felt like I was ‘in the bike’ rather than ‘on the bike’. Unfortunately I could not source one during the pandemic and went with a Bronson V4… I still constantly look for used Sentinels that I might be able to trade the Bronson towards. Although the mullet ‘monster truck’ setup of the Bronson has allowed me to survive some things that were above my pay grade. Your thoughts about comparing them? Looking forward to seeing more videos of rides from your trip!
Thanks for the feedback! As far as comparing the Sentinel to the Bronson, that's tough. The Bronson is a very sweet rig that is right at home on lot's of terrain. I probably saw as many Bronson's on our 2 weeks out west as any other bike. I'd say after spending a lot of time on both bikes that the Bronson skews toward the playful side. I really enjoy the MX bikes, but I always feel like the rear wheel hangs up in rough sections noticeably more. I personally feel like the rear kinematics of the Sentinel are a hair more lively feeling. Where are you located? There's a quality/ride feel that is tough to beat on the Santa Cruz, however.
@@DrJMTB I am in Mooresville, NC, about 30 miles north of Charlotte. Originally from KY. Bought my Bronson from someone in Glasgow. Actually came by your shop on my way back to NC, but it was a Sunday. Will you be going to Snowshoe for the UCI DH races?
@@robbiepage13 hate it we missed you! I’m not going to make it to Snowshoe for the race. I do make it down to Brevard about once a month though.
Very interesting review. I'm getting close to purchasing a Sentinel. I had the opportunity to try the Sentinel AL size L and found it always ready and responsive. I didn't notice its approximately 15.5kg. Have you had the opportunity to try the aluminum version too? Does the Sentinel carbon stand out a lot when riding? I would have half a mind with the approximately €900 saved for the aluminium, to change the entire transmission with an x01 and put on a carbon handlebar (but on balance the carbon remains lighter). Thanks 🤜
I have ridden the same bike in aluminum. They still pedal great, PLUS the aluminum frames are UDH compatible. There’s just something extra sleek about no welds on carbon + the obvious weight advantage.
Is Transition a popular go to brand for a moutain bike in the US? I'm from the UK and was looking to purchase a transition bike but I've never heard of the brand before, I've never seen someone with a transition bike and there's only a handful of retailers here who sell them so it's obviously not a popular brand here in the UK.
Gotten a little more popular here in SoCal. They’re a great company. Personally If I were you I’d buy it for the reason you don’t see a lot of them where you’re at. But that’s the hipster in me talking
Do you prefer this one over the Process X? I have a V1 Sentinel in Med but been feeling lately that I should've gone large when the trail gets chunky
Kona’s pricing is rediculous, if not downright embarrassing on price per spec right now. And even if it was good, I’d still prefer the Sentinel slightly as I felt compelled to run an angled headset in reverse on the Process X to steepen it slightly. AND, it sounds like you’re like me and between M and L, and the Sentinel is slightly shorter than the X.
@@DrJMTB Thanks for the feedback. I generally look for frame only deals so not paying for a full build luckily. I love my medium Honzo ESD but now looking back I'm not sure why I landed on a medium Sentinel with 450 reach. 5 10" with 31" inseam I'm all torso so the medium is feeling sketchy as I progress and get faster.
Tried running an absolute black oval chainring on my aluminum sentinel but it rubs on the stays. Any advice?
Are you 100% sure you're running the correct bottom bracket spacers?
Another great video! Sounds like an epic trip. Have you tried an Evil Offering?
Thanks! And I sure haven’t. I’ve always heard great things about them, though. Everyone always seems to love their suspension kinematics.
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