Nice perspective on the topic. Thanks, well done video.

Sold my Sentinel for a Stumpy Evo. Evo is the best of both worlds imo. Adjustable headset angle allows me to steepen it up for my local trails and then slacken it out for bike park days or some trails at Pisgah. Also, swat box is game changer. Don’t think I can own another bike that doesn’t have internal frame storage.

Those autumn colours are just beautiful thanks Clint!👍 Oh and the bikes and your thoughts on them were also great. 🤣

Nice! Very accurate. Still loving the sentinel for the rough trails I ride. But it only gets fun when you are really pushing it!

Great comparison and perspective. You don't always need the burliest bike on the chunkiest stuff.

Good debrief! Seeing all the leaves made me miss my old Chicopee Woods and Big Creek loops. I have a Stumpy EVO in CA and I feel it blends the best of those two bikes. And while I understand the allure of underbiking (love gravel), keep in mind the consequences of a crash. The hassles of a heavy bike are worth it if it keeps you alive, unbroken, and able to ride out of the backcountry.

Great Video. I have a 2022 sentinel and experiance some of the problems you mentioned. Ive been tossing around the idea of short forking it to 150mm to make it a little more nimble.

I’m currently on a Epic EVO and love it. It’s a great all around bike for home trails and the SE mountains but under biked at Pisgah. I ride those SE mountains a good bit. Your right, a 25 lb 130-140 mm travel bike is coming and it would rip it up there.

That Butcher on the Stumpjumper has a ton of drag. Went with a DHF/Dissector on the factory wheels that came with my Stumpjumper Expert. And Dissector/ Rekon on my carbon wheel set. Much faster rolling even on the DHF setup.

Great Video!!! I love my Stumpjumper Comp. Great bike…

Per usual, Clint provides the best insight, even more so than the paid reviewers. Being underbiked is way undersold for most riders. Having a bike you can completely taking advantage of, then navigate, makes your skill shine and brings out more satisfaction IMO. Though being overbiked can really make you understand the quality of having bigger can be better… which can lead to growth in different areas too. It comes to 2 things, what you ride 95% of the time, and what you enjoy when you ride. To me this tells me the type of bike you should buy. Or just buy 3.

It depends on the type of parks in your area where you ride 90% of the time. Parks by my house are mostly for trail bikes so I ended getting trail bike. My buddy has the Ibis Mojo and I have the Pivot Trail 429. We ride together at our local trails and my bike is more nimble than his.

I went from a hardtail to the 2021 Scaple se . Upgraded the rear shock to be a bit beffeir . Put a shorter stem and put a 28 tooth chainring for my big western climbs . I have taken this xc type bike to a light weight trail bike . Coming from a hardtail my 120 travel capacity on the Scaple to me is plush even with me using a bit more air pressure on the suspension above a normal sag .

Excellent video!

I like the 160/150ish bikes personally if I had to have just one bike. Something like the Ripmo or Switchblade which takes advantage of the DW Link to make climbing much easier and all the benefit of the extra travel. Swapping between coil/air and DH/light duty tires completely changes those bikes too.

The internet needs a Clint Gibbs review of the SJ Evo.

I have a 21 Stumpy and a 22 SJ EVO. The regular Stumpy is better for most stuff if speed is a concern. The EVO is more capable/comfortable on hairy terrain. EVO is the go to for parks too. If I could have just one probably the regular Stumpy but tough call because lighter wheels and tires on the EVO would be somewhat of an equalizer.

In the last two years I owned a 2021 Stumpjumper expert, 2021 Canyon Spectral 29 CF8, a 2022 Propain Tyee and spent significant time on a 2022 Evil Wreckoning (200+ miles). I ride in the PNW so I am no stranger to longer steep climbs and steep downhill with plenty of slippery rocks and roots. Honestly all these bikes were awesome and could handle all the trails I rode. The Stumpjumper climbed slightly better and was a little more energetic on tamer trails, but got a little overwhelmed when things things got gnarly or when doing bigger drops. It could do it, but was not as composed as the other bikes. The Spectral was sort of in the middle, pretty quick accelerating, active, poppy and felt great on any trail and the suspension felt pretty bottomless with some bigger hits. The Tyee has a coil and feels a bit more plush on chunky terrain, but still pedals very well and has good pop. The longer chainstay requires a little different riding position compared to the other bikes, but offers great traction and confidence once you adjust. The Wreckoning was the bruiser of them all, but still climbed well and the short chainstay made for some fun cornering and was easy to get the front up and throw about while still being able to smash into stuff if you wanted. The Propain Tyee ended up being my favorite all rounder, just edging out the Canyon for my needs and is now my only bike.

Can't imagine doing Stanley Gap back to back. That's a one and done trail for me lol. Maybe do it again next year.

Thanks Clint, I needed this video. I’m on the cusp of making a new bike purchase and I’m going back and forth between 120-130R/140F trail bikes and 150R/160F enduro bikes. I’m on the east coast and most of my local trails definitely pair best with a trail bike, but I’d like to visit a lift access bike park a few times a year. This video offered some good food for thought. Thanks.

Buddy got a SJ a few months ago. I agree it feels very low center of gravity. Also very stiff bike and efficient. Like more of your energy is going to pushing you forward. I ride a tallboy and it sounds more like your transition. The SJ felt like a rocket but I wonder if it would beat you up because it's so stiff.

I think that there are only two bikes that make sense for most people. The first is the light-weight, 120/120mm travel, efficiently pedaling and climbing Downcountry bike like the Transition Spur. The second is the more capable and progressive, 150/160mm or more travel All-Mountain/Enduro bike like the Stumpjumper Evo. The range between 120/120mm and 150/160mm travel I call the no go zone. If I could have only one bike like many of us, I would choose something like the Stumpjumper Evo and then put on the lightest fastest-rolling tires that make sense for where you ride. And that's exactly what I have, a Stumpjumper Evo Expert with 2.6 front and 2.4 rear Maxxis Rekon tires. Very capable on the steep and rough while still rolling very fast.

It's interesting when I started researching mtbs the Sentinel was always highly praised but I eventually discovered that usually 2 things eventually happened with some of the owners I watched, either your crazy dedicated and blessed with where you live and only ride diamond trails and parks and those riders stick with the bigger 170mm+ enduros, or, the previous Sentinel lovers sold their bike for something just as capable but more playful like the Revel Rail 29 or Ibis Ripmo. Seems like the Sentinel finds itself in an awkward middle ground where similar geo bikes are just as capable but play better on the trail, or a bigger bike just does it's job better when your fully committed to smashing diamond trails, parks, and racing.

Transition smuggler is the middle bike between the spur and sentinel. Maybe it wasn’t released at the time of your video. Same travel as the stumpy. I couldn’t decide on which bike to get between the two so I went with the stumpy expert. I’m a fan of the swat box

I think the number one selling point of the Evo is the adjustability. You can literally turn it into a sentinel for a park day and steepen it back out for local trails

Having ridden a Sentinel (not really an enduro bike more like a long travel trailbike), the Stumpy is a good choice but after riding the Spire there was no need to be under biked, the Spire does it all like a champ, mullet or 29 its hard to beat.

Couple of thoughts: 1) When you mention your contact Lars at Transition, that's the owner Lars correct? Pretty solid contact. 2) Ive seen some very recent photos of a new Smuggler that been making the rounds on the internet so I think its coming soon (which based on #1 you might already know)

Your trails look like a ton of fun, though not terribly technical, similar to most of what I ride around my home. I have an older SC 5010 (trail) and a newish SC Hightower (all-mountain). The Hightower is a ton of fun locally, even though sometimes I’m a little bit over biked. Likewise, I’ve ridden the 5010 in Moab and southern Utah, also fun, but I definitely felt under biked sometimes. I did a Sentinel demo in Southern Utah; it felt awesome on gnarlier terrain (and there’s lots of gnarly terrain there), while still being fun (though admittedly overbiked) on some of the gentler blue trails. I found a deal on one, so I’m buying it to leave family that live there (who I visit often). The Sentinel would not be my first or second choice for my local home trails though. If you’re a recreational 1-bike rider, get a bike tailored to what you write 80% of the time and remember a good trail bike (and some skill) can flex from XC to an occasional black-run park day. A balanced all-mountain bike can flex from turquoise to (some) double black, assuming you have the balls for it (which I don’t). In spite of it’s geometry, most people consider the Sentinel an all mountain bike, with a decided lean towards descending &/or gnar.

I haven't ridden an enduro yet but ride an Optic with 140/125 and modern geometry and other than high speed, there doesn't seem to be anything the bike can't do if I had the skill to ride it. Trail bikes seem to be the sweet spot for 95% of what most riders require unless you're riding park or more downhill type places like BC all the time.

It definitely depends on where you ride. I have an Ibis Ripmo, which is a direct competitor of the Sentinel, the Ripmo does pedal and climb better than the Sentinel so actually does trail bike duty pretty well. I mostly ride in Colorado and Wyoming, where we do have steep and techy trails, and the Ripmo is very at home on those. Though when I've taken my Ripmo to the PNW and hit some of the black DH runs there I actually felt maybe a hair underbiked and would probably get a full on enduro bike if I lived on the wet side of Oregon or Washington.

Hey Clint, I find you to be one of the most objective and structured reviewers of bikes... this is my first comment to any of your videos. In reality this is not the right comparison since it's apples to oranges. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.... it's awesome... really how you break down the 'whys'. But in reality, I wish you had kept the Spur and compared that to the Stumpy. That would be a really good video. Maybe someone can lend you a Spur? On the flip side, the Sentinel vs the Stumpjumper Evo would be a great comparison of two bikes with similar purpose and geometry. What do you think?

I would like to see the Stumpjumper EVO in this comparison. It is a little more travel, I think it might split the difference between the Transition and the Stumpjumper.

I'd also be interested in the middle bike onf the Spur/Sentinel. For now, 145/150 Salsa Blackthorn at 28-pounds and a one-off 125/130 2023 27-pound Trek Top Fuel. ...The Top Fuel is my preferred choice. It has the middle shock setup that would be found if there were a bike between the Spur / Sentinel: 185 x 50/55. I like the negative air volume of the 185/210 shock vs the 165/190. The 205/230 shock is generally a bit slow to react. But, the 205 seems to be the best as far as "responseinvess" in the Enduro category. I guess, I'm saying your test here is unique and very well warranted. Technically, there's a huge difference in the rear shock perameters, but the large negative air chamber in combination with the wheelbase is quite a powerful combo. It does have an edge over 165/190 shock-tuning perameters.

I steepened the fork angle on my sentinel by 1 degree. Noticeable improvement in climbing and fork suppleness. The 64 head angle was a crutch.

I put a +1 angleset on my sentinel and it mostly fixed all the drawbacks of the sentinel you described …feels much more agile and better all around. I have an XC bike, had the 2022 Stumpy, and have the V2 Sentinel…but I always was reaching for the other bikes and not the stumpy, so I ended up selling. The XC bike is hands down the best for local stuff…but the Sentinel was the better choice for Pisgah, although I had a blast on the stumpy too…just had to tone it down a little. But…If I only could keep one bike…Stumpjumper it would be

Nice shout out to Lars! He is awesome

Ha! It's funny, the entire time I was watching this I couldn't help thinking about the "down-country" trend that's been going on with XC in recent years. And then you made your prediction at the end about the potential emergence of a trail-enduro hybrid. I used to ride XC exclusively until I discovered the overwhelmingly shameful amount of fun downhill bike parks can be. I almost didn't want my XC buddies finding out I was riding a chairlift back up the hill (I felt so cheap and dirty). For the past two years I stayed the day after the UCI World Cup event at Snowshoe to ride the park after it opened back up and both times I rode my Canyon Lux. That may sound insane to most people who can visualize how limiting 100 mm of travel can be but if you stay on the green and blue trails it is surprisingly manageable. I have since visited Snowshoe again and on that occasion I decided to rent one of their Commencal Clash downhill bikes so that I wouldn't destroy my XC baby (or myself, I guess). Although the Clash is normally their enduro model, this unit was coined the "Ride Park edition" and it was equipped with several variations I suspect in an attempt to get the best of all worlds. Now, I realize my opinion may be extremely biased, but I discovered several things from the experience: I hate 27.5 wheels, riding flat pedals is extremely unnerving, a lack of a dropper post is a major disadvantage and 180 mm of travel is worthless if your riding entry level suspension components (I'd take my 100mm Fox step cast forks over that any day). But in reference to your concluding comment, I'm curious to know how a well equipped trail bike (such as your Stump jumper) would perform with a decent 180 mm fork on the front. Doing so would increase the downhill effectiveness without sacrificing all of the trail riding capabilities and theoretically preserve some of the agility of a lighter bike with a somewhat shorter wheelbase. Thanks for your video. Another great one!

Transition Scout FTW (just needs a mullet set up)

I often wonder what it would be like to have a 120/160mm travel bike. Let's say you take the Transition Spur with the single pivot flex stay suspension, put on a 160mm fork and then correct the geo to something like 77* STA and 65* HTA. You get a light-weight efficient-pedaling/climbing Downcountry rear end with an Enduro front end and progressive geometry with out getting too long. Would it work well or would it just be unbalanced?

I just ordered a Sentinel (coming from a 2019 Pivot Mach 6). I chose it because I like to ride bigger stuff like Avery and Bennet and kinda wanted a one bike to do it all. The stumpy isn’t a bike I would want to bring to the Enchilada. If I could have a few bikes I would like a shorter travel bike.

I am looking a lot at a stunt jumper to pull all the parts off my Hard tail and build up a single FS bike. I am running a 140mm pike and am really considering a SJ.. are they worth it ?

I agree with your major points: it’s better to be underbiked and the overall weight of the bike plays a significant role in how the bikes climb and how responsive they are in technical situations. However I think that there is a size related factor here. And that is if you’re 6’2- 6’4” taller you’re going to get on an XL bike whether it be a down country bike or Enduro bike, and the wheelbases is are not that different these days. And in my experience an XL Enduro fits better than anything 140 and under. If you can get that bike with Enduro level travel to have a 64 degree head angle and stay at or under a 50 inch wheelbase it can be very responsive IF the bike has a good pedaling platform like a trailing 4 bar link bike. And IF you can set up the suspension properly. If you can get it to a lower weight like a down country bike it can fill all of those gaps. If you do the same thing and you put somebody who’s 5 foot eight or 6 foot tall or whatever on an enduro bikes they’re always going to choose something like you did with the stump jumper because it fits better and it feels more responsive because the enduro bike is materially too much bike, literally. But in my experience when you go to a down country bike at 140 travel in the front your hand position becomes so much lower overall on those bikes if you’re a taller rider that it’s actually better to ride the Enduro and try to get the bike weight down. Overall the body position things that you need to do on a climb keeping it in a straight line are just not as big a deal for a large rider. Also, One other often overlooked point on this is the fact that most people are riding Enduro casing or heavier casing tires by all the manufacturers when really all they need is a cross-country tire for the trails that they ride. If you put a cross country tire on most Enduro bikes they can transform the bike into a much more responsive machine than what you get when you ride Enduro casing or heavier tires. It’s a great way to transform a long wheelbase, long travel heavier bike into something more agreeable to cross country type riding; or what most of us over a certain age would consider Enduro riding: going out for three or four hours on a killer trail and having a bike that doesn’t beat you up at the end.

Great video, but more importantly, it looks like it's time for a new cross country/down country bike!

Have you tried the Flight Attendent or Fox Live equipt bikes? i modified my Niner Jet 9 with the handelbar mounted Open-Pedal-Closed control, and know how effecive that is, and am picking my next bike. I also have a YT Decoy E Bike, so i know what easy is.

Nice video quality, Clint! Which camera did you use and what settings are you on? Thanks

Throw a carbon wheel set up with fast rolling tires

Hi there wTching here .. From canada

Hey Clint, thanks for the edit. What's the weight difference between the two?

I have a stumpjumper expert, but if Ibis made a bike between the Ripley and Ripmo, as you say "I'm in".

I think when bike companies made All Mtn Enduro bikes, the intent was a bike that could climb good and be able to take on the most challenging descents. (High speed, chunky with rocks, ruts,roots jumps, drops and gaps) True a 130-140mm Trail Bike can do this but probably not feel as strong and confident. But honestly, most daily riders on their local loops are probably not encountering trails that have sections that require an Enduro bike to clean. Plus, being under-biked builds up your skills anyway.

This video accurately demonstrates that bikes are like golf clubs - sure you you can play an entire round with only a 2 iron but what fun is that. Work hard , save your money, and have an assortment. The only question is which bike style do you begin with - and the answer to that is …………..

I’m a Fl girl and have been getting out there and riding trails. I mostly ride Big Shoals trails Mossy Ravine trail at White Springs. There are some hills and the river trail, I broke down about 6 miles in the woods lol had to walk it out of there. I need a good bike . I thought mine was good until I saw your channel lol lol. Anyway what kind of bike would you recommend for me ?

what camera are you using when you are standing next to the two bikes.....very clear.

Clint where in GA are this Trails?

What don't you consider the Transition Scout a bike between the Sentinel and Spur?

Are we not gonna talk about the (dropper?) cable is detached and flopping around at 6.40 ish?

So is what you’re saying is…. it depends?

Get a commencal meta tr!

You have two trail bikes there mate. Get the stumpy evo, or get a proper 170mm enduro bike and sell the transition.

Autumn forest at it's best

Trail bike

So you'd be looking for a Transition Smuggler .... If or when Transition releases a new Smuggler

On these trails obviously transition is overkill. You probably would be fine on xc bike.