On the tested Sentinel we measured it at 340mm, while on the charts provided by Transition the “calculated” height is 345mm. One of these parameters is the height of the bottom bracket, which needs to be rather low, as you could imagine. The Speed Balance Geometry shows how it is possible nowadays to combine slack angles and reactivity on a 29er, by working on different geometric ratios at the same time. Racers and highly trained riders might want a 32T chainring, but a 30T will satisfy the wider range of riders out there. The crankset is also made of carbon: SRAM Descendant Carbon with 170 mm crank arms. We express the same idea we had with the Patrol: bikes with such a heavy downhill potential deserve a more solid and reliable rear tire than the EXO 3C Maxxis. We also heard some squeaking at the rear during violent compressions.Īll in all, wheels are good for the target use of the bike, and the small issues we noticed could be probably solved by installing a more solid rear tire. Although it had never been pinched and I’ve always used a rather high pressure, at the end of the test the rear wheel was slightly deformed on one side. The wheelset strongly affects the behaviour of a bike, and, considering in this article we’re doing a comparison with the Patrol, it is interesting to see that the increase of weight due to the bigger diameter is totally compensated by the overall weight of the set, which is lighter than the ones installed on the Patrol (with the same diameter, of course).ĭespite the stress they had to deal with, the wheels remained well centered, while, as already noticed with the Patrol, we had the feeling the sides of the rims wouldn’t cope very well with bit hits. Hub dimensions and free wheel sound don’t let the E*Thirteen TRS+ wheels pass by unnoticed and the 30mm inner diameter rim channel allows you to install tires up to 2.5” wide. Transition declared for the Sentinel a maximum tire width of 2.5”, but considering the margin left by the standard 2.3” Maxxis, we are a bit doubtful about installing a 2.5” tire without having interference when muddy. A short rear triangle, beside improving stiffness, ufortuantely limits the space available for the tire. On a bike with such an extreme geometry, having a short chainstay is necessary in order to not lose too much agility. The fact that the brake cable is fully external confirms attention paid to the maintenance aspect, which is too often discarded to please the eye rather than to nod at practicality in maintenance. ![]() In the Patrol test, we loved the decision to put functionality above everything, including the technical information available on the Transition website. In all honesty, we couldn’t find the smallest detail out of place and the technical features are simply perfect.Īlso in this case, the cable/hose routing is extremely clean and smooth. Despite the short seat tube, and the low standover height, the Transition team did a great job to leave enough space for full sized water bottles (personally I used 750ml bottles). For those who didn’t read the Patrol test, or, even better, the article published at its launch, we emphasized that, unlike a more classic geometry, the SBG works with a longer reach, a more relaxed head tube angle, a more vertical seat tube, shorter stems and fork with reduced offset value.įrom an aesthetic point of view, it is clear the two bikes come from the same designers. You’ll notice the same smooth line pointing upwards, the only difference being the front triangle, which is more curved on the Sentinel. The Speed Balance Geometry is put to task with a very tough challenge, considering its goal is minimizing the common side effects caused by a slack geometry. Along with the same over the top numbers, mainly the 64° head tube angle, the wheel diameter is bigger, a thing which can negatively affect agility. If the Patrol geometry is already somewhat extreme, with the Sentinel Transition designers went even further. ![]()
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