Even with the air spring, it feels buttery smooth on the initial stroke.

However, I don’t feel like it really needs a coil. That means it will work well with a coil shock. At 24% progressive, the Sentinel ramps up quite a bit. It’s incredibly smooth off the top and starts ramping up quite a bit.

I don’t know exactly how Transition does it. The suspension feels deep and bottomless without making the bike ride like a pig. It’s on the plusher end of the spectrum as far as all-mountain bikes go. That silence translated to the ride quality too. The only sounds coming from the bike are the buzzing hubs and the tires digging into the dirt. I don’t know how it works, but it’s so quiet you can hear the silence - it’s magic. The very first thing you notice on the Sentinel is how quiet it is. Now we can talk about the fun part - going back downhill. Now, you might find yourself saying, “Doesn’t traction come from the tires?” Well, yes, traction comes from the tires, but if your bike can’t keep those tires on the ground, they’re not going to do you much good, are they? Downhill I’ve now ridden it four times aboard the Sentinel and I’ve yet to dab - I credit the rear wheel traction. In years past, I’ve struggled to clean the entire climb without dabbing. My test loop has a particularly technical and rooty climb trail. At that sag, the suspension platform strikes a good balance between comfort and efficiency. After some tuning, I landed on exactly 29.979% sag. It’s a little more active than some other platforms, but the traction and control on bumpy climbs are second to none. It feels a lot like a Santa Cruz Hightower in this department. The suspension platform finds a sweet spot between efficient and grippy. I’ve learned to shift forward and really drop my chest to the bars on the steepest turns. I made it up them just fine, but it took maximum concentration. One section of my test track in particular had a few tight and steep back-to-back switchbacks. It takes a bit of wrestling on steep switchbacks to keep it going where you want it to go. The front wheel is way out in front of you and tends to have a mind of its own when the trail gets steep. It did take me a little bit to get used to the super slack front end. The climbing position is rather comfortable and upright. It just does the job without making too much fuss. It doesn’t feel like it’s holding you back, though. To be fair, I rarely feel that way myself. It doesn’t feel overly excited to get to the top of the hill. It’s not the fastest climber, but it’s also far from the worst. The Transition Sentinel plants itself right in the middle of the pack. Let’s start with the hard part - going uphill. The long and stable geometry has your back when you run out of talent, but the shorter travel keeps it fun, lively, and engaging. The Sentinel has less travel than most other bikes with a 63.6-degree head tube angle. Take that Tallboy, Optic, or Spur, and shift it up the burly scale a few notches. The Transition Sentinel applies that same idea in a slightly longer travel package. Have you ever heard someone rant and rave about the way a short travel bike rides? They like to tell you the short travel keeps it lively, while the aggressive geometry lets you ride it hard (I’m sure you’ve heard me say the same thing). I believe the travel numbers combined with the slack geo are what make this bike so unique. Most people just assume it’s 2495mm front and back - or so it seems. The numbers that seem to throw most folks off are the travel lengths - 150mm rear and 160m front. Put those numbers together and you’re left with a 1292mm wheelbase - long, but keep in mind we’re seeing some XLs over 1300mm these days. While the Transition Sentinel has a 63.6-degree head tube angle, it has a steep 76.4-degree seat tube in the XL I tested. Let’s get into some of the other numbers here.

Deep sentinel reviews