You should have gotten the grey one, it handles way better than the mustard color one.

The fact that you can get everything that you wanted but realized it isn't what you needed, quoting the Stones, shows you are being honest with yourself about your riding. Keep looking, that is half the fun, enjoy.

I find that many riders get aggressive bikes when their riding is more trail oriented. You can see them slowing down on fast, thin, singletracks because they can't keep the line. Or missing switchback turns. On the other hands, I've seen very aggressive riders that still prefer the XC superfast and agile climbs and still manage to hit some scary stuff although not as fast.

Anything Evil is what you’re looking for. It’s perfect for me riding in PA. A dream with a Push coil, slightly steeper HA (but can throw an angleset in for slacker), reasonable wheelbase, efficient pedaling.

It’s the thrill of the chase. More fun to research, analyze, compare, dream, buy the best parts/bikes than it does to actually own and ride it. I have that addiction and it’s cost me about $10k in buying/selling/buying/selling.

I have owned one of these for nine months now, I get you on a few things in that this bike wants to go fast all the time and can feel awkward if not being pushed. I ride mine on everything from tight tech stuff here in Stockholm to the first three EWS rounds this season and it was definitely more at home on long tracks in the mountains. The tighter stuff just took some adjustment to my riding to get right now it feels grand. Shame it didn't work out for you man, good luck with the next build!

I primarily ride the V2 Sentinel in the PNW, and agree with your assessment. As you wisely note, it just doesn't fit your quiver/style. I feel lucky that it is a perfect match for my quiver, geography, and the type of riding I do most. Between the Sentinel and my Hardtail (Giant Fathom) I feel 90% covered. Great video!

Love the honest update! Seems like a lot of channels are only focused on positive reviews. Looking forward to seeing what you try next. BTW, I’m pretty excited about the updated Santa Cruz line (Mega and Hightower) and hope to see one in my local shop this year.

I demo’d a Sentinel and thought it rode well/ similar to the Specialized Stumpjumper Evo that I went with. The Stumpy is the only bike that I’ve ever ridden where I swapped to the high bb setting and removed the -1 degree headset cup after a few rides. My first trip on the bike was Pisgah and ride mostly on the more rocky trails on Monte Sano.

What you described fits with my thoughts and ultimately my decision to go for a Revel Rail 27.5 over a Transition Patrol. UK trails are generally pretty tight and techy too. Sometimes you can get lost in the research and need to come up for air and a sense check to try and think about ‘what’s right for me’. Hopefully demo days will be coming back soon.

Great video! It's so easy to get caught up in "the latest trends" (longer, lower, slacker). Especially East Coast riding can punish you if you go too much to the extreme. I was between sizes on my current ride (M versus L). Definitely glad I sized down for the kind of riding a lot of us do out east. Good reminder that most of us need an "all round" bike because we don't have a full stable to choose from.

This just shows that different people like different things, and that’s great, it’s better to know that and to have a bike that you love

Thanks for your honesty, makes sense about you being on the east coast

Great video as usual! It makes me feel better about passing on the Sentinel for the Stumpy EVO Expert. I just picked it up about a month ago and it's been feeling great. It's a bit of a change from my 2019 Yeti SB130 which ended up being too trouble prone and expensive to keep up with. I live in Mills River, NC where Trace and Spencer are my back yard trails and the Stumpy seems perfectly built for this area.

Such a great video Rich! I love my V2 Sentinel but felt a lot of the same things you did on the V1 and it just wasn't for me! Thanks for sharing

Cool. Unfortunately for me, I'll never know the feeling of riding a full suspension. I ride a hard tail. Here in Hawaii we simply don't have the trails you guys have. But we manage to have fun. Safe riding everybody! Aloha

Putting another vote in the ballot for Pivot Switchblade. It’s a super fun all-arounder and very comfortable to get along with

I find the Pivot Switchblade and Firebird to be a great balance between fun leisurely rides and have plenty to push things to the rowdy areas. Good luck with you journey!

I found the switchblade to be a perfect balance for my riding. It has enough travel to get stupid and enough trail manners to pedal on the more mellow stuff. It can handle out of state riding as well. The stumpjumer evo is another bike that has those characteristics.

Nice insight, can totally relate. Would recommend a Propain for you (spindrift or tyee) they come with 64.5 HA and 435-445mm chainstays, so they are more on the conservatory side of things.

I was in a similar situation. I had the transition patrol and at first loved the ploughing nature of it, but overtime I missed having a poppy bike, and needed up going from an xl on that to a s4 Stumpjumper evo and I am LOVING it. Check the stumpy out in your quest i race it for enduro and it’s totally enough while still being playful

Have you considered fitting an angle adjust headset to sharpen the head angle and trim the wheelbase a little? With that and an air shock set up for more pop it might suit you a whole lot better.

I live in Georgia and own the Revel Rail, I love it. it’s a great all mountain bike that loves eating rocks and roots and peddles up the long climbs great.

Informative and honest, thanks for posting. Sorry it didn't work out..

I've two bikes I currently own and have had for about a year or so. One in particular delights and confounds me in equal measure. Neither of them were instant love at first ride. I've had a couple of bikes in my past that just felt right from the first pedal stroke. These two, many many dollars later still are not 100% right and I'm tempted to ditch them both. It's so frustrating, because even with a demo (rare now, and always a problem as I need XL / XXL) one cannot expect to get a decent view from a couple of hours at best on the demo bike. Now one considers themselves lucky to get to see it in the size one is looking for and ride it on pavement outside the store. Hope the next bike works for you!

I’m unknowingly following in your footsteps. I bought a Hightower V2 last year. I love it. But I just bought a Sentinel V2 for riding in Southern Utah (where I visit frequently). I wanted something sorta similar to the HT, but also kinda different. It’s going to be a fun experiment. Most of the terrain seems fairly open compared to the tight switchbacks you’re riding.

Ripmo with a cascade link has been mint for my needs and preferences that match yours exactly!

I agree with you on this 100%, My first top spec bike was my 2021 Sentinel X01 build. I previously had a pretty crap (in comparison) spec Whyte S-150s alloy (a 150mm travel all mountain bike) and after owning the sentinel for over a year now. I feel like I was more comfortable on the Whyte.

Good for you for owning the fact that it isn't your favorite and acting! I went through two bikes during the pandemic prior to landing on a 3rd. You nailed it....one really needs to ride a new rig for a month with your own specific tweaks before really understanding if it is for you. Demos can't achieve this end. I did the same thing with snowboards this year....although way cheaper. I had 6 or 7 in the rotation and time on the mountain had my favorites rise to the top...the rest go up for sale....it's a pain in practice...but pretty simple in theory 😀

Following this with interest and keen to see what follows. My last "dream bike" was a Turner 6 Pack. It's the bike I compare each subsequent bike to. Currently very drawn to Transition, olive the lines. When I think about my local riding, my heart says Sentinel, my head says Spur. I'm also between sizes in their range so that's 4 bikes from one company that I really need to test out before getting spendy

Great video glad to hear your thoughts

The Nukeproof Mega is a great option! It is a little less slack but can also handle big hits and tight corners

So many bikes in this category I look forward to your search

Pivot Firebird, although a long travel doesn’t pedal like one.

Riding a nukeproof reactor 290. LOVE ❤️ it. Trail beast and extremely good performing in the enduro/dh disciplines.

You should check out the Bronson MX, climbs very well but plows on the downhill while still being very playful with the smaller rear wheel. I believe SC endorses coil on it and the cascade linkages can basically make it into a mullet Nomad. Also its not overly slack like many enduro rigs are now.

This proved the point I’ve made since I’ve been riding. We guys always want something new. It can be watches, bikes, cars etc… bike doesn’t need to cost an arm & a leg & you can still have fun.

Ilove my Sentinel , the grey colour helps ;-) It may be seen as over biked for a fair amount of my riding but that’s fine with me , it still rides well and I prefer to have some in reserve so I can hit the gnarly stuff when given the opportunity. Like many I suspect, I can grow into most new bikes and don’t have the money to swap bikes very often for nuances or marginal gains, but that’s fine if you can. Really like the balanced and clear articulation of all your reviews and advice - which is an increasingly rare thing to find in all facets of life !!

It’s always better to let go of something you love if it doesn’t work! I might suggest to you the Orbea Occam or rallon. I personally have the base level occam, it pedals super well, it’s pretty playful, and even the entry level model with a 140mm bomber z2 and 140mm fox float in the rear handles drops and black diamond trails very well while still allowing you to take those sharp turns like you were talking about and have fun. Manualing the occam is insanely easy and I can throw it around under me. Rhoddie Bicycle Outfitters in Blowing Rock NC stocks them and will let you test ride as well. I think I recognized a few sections of trail on your video somewhat close to the shop!

Pivot Switchblade sounds like what you need!

I was standing between a TR Sentinel and a Pivot Switchblade and hearing your "downside" points on the sentinel, I´m more than happy that I chose the Switchblade. I could ride it forerver, no difference in going up or down, steep or flat, rowdy or mellow. Just one of the best bikes I´ve ever ridden :D

I came off a sentinel for the same reasons. And got on a Rocky Mountain Altitude, and it’s amazing!!

Good video! I've been in your shoes. On my second "dream" build I rarely had time to ride and didn't set up the suspension properly. While doing a jump I crashed and tore my ACL. When I got back into riding I stayed on my other bike until, six years after my crash, decided to get back on the second dream bike. While riding I stopped with the help of a tree, gashed my inner thigh open bruising my femoral artery. While my buddy was driving me to the ER I asked if he wanted to buy my bike for a ridiculous fraction of what is was worth and he did. I didn't care about the loss because there is to this very day, no question in my mind that had I endured a third crash on that bike, it would have killed me. Sometimes you gotta listen to the spirits LOL! Best of luck with everything.

I feel ya, I went through 4 dream builds until I finally landed back on an EVIL Offering. Same sentiment, needed something that was fun at slower trail speeds as well as fully pinned stability. Its hard if you cant demo...

My Switchblade handles all the big stuff and still zips uphill while remaining lively in the corners. Also you can mullet and throw a coil on it.

I had the same cross country bike since 2016! Norco revolver... Most of it was replaced over time because I'm rough. This bike was the best thing I had ever ride in my life. I did the 2019 world masters with it... 3 weeks ago I bought a Canyon Lux. I'm now faster while climbing and descending but it will be gone at the end of the next season! I understand exactly what you are talking about!

The Transition Smuggler is a blast, and probably better suited to your riding style and area

Good luck on your quest! Curious what you decide on. Enjoy!

I’d recommend the Santa Cruz Bronson if you want something short and poppy. I’ve got a 2019 Bronson and it eats up terrain pretty well, even though I’m looking for something more stable

I had a sentinel and had some of the same concerns you state, I went to a Spur and love it, but there a few times I would like a bit more travel. Looking at the new Smuggler as my sweet spot bike.

From 2019 spez sj to 2018 gt sanction pro back to a 2021 spez sj. Now using a 2017 banshee rune v2. Modern geo doesn’t always mean better. It all comes down to what bike fits you well and of course your riding style. Literally, the quest for “the one do-it-all dream bike” is eternal

Take a look at the stumpy evo! I live in Knoxville and ride one and it has been great for me. There is so much geometry adjustment that it can completely change character. Go anywhere from 63 to 65.5 degree HTA with three position head tube angle cups and a high/low BB height adjust. I’ve had this bike about a year and it is a great all rounder for our area

Looked at the Sentinel ended up with a Ripmo. It does everything pretty well and definitely works well with tight east coast stuff but it's definitely happiest going down. My only complaint is it's a bit heavy for days where you need to pedal a lot.

Funny timing on this video as I’m going through the same thing with my Sentinel. It’s a great bike but it’s just downright boring to ride on my local trails. Features that used to be a mild to moderate challenge are nothing on the Sentinel as it just plows over everything. Riding places like Thunder Mountain and Killington it absolutely rips downhill but even still has its downfalls. An ideal downhill setup would make the bike absolutely miserable for normal trail riding. I think I’m going to sell it and just get a dedicated DH bike and a down country bike down the road.

I'm a fellow east coast rider(north carolina) and I personally think VPP is a great platform for a do it all bike in this area. Coming from scott going to intense was unreal 🤙I can ride pisgah and the pump track just by changing shock psi

I felt the same way on the geo of my large sb130 lr and ended up sizing down to a medium and man as an all around bike that thing is mint. Added a zeb and superdeluxe shock and have taken that bike everywhere from tight ne trail to windrock. These bikes just keep getting longer and longer so I always size down.

I'd love to let you take my dream build out for a week or two and get your thoughts on it. I really appreciate your levelheaded and honest analysis on this video and I'm curious to see what your assessment would be of my Guerrilla Gravity Gnarvana. (Size 2, full up dream build)

The Stumpy Evo is a very similar bike with tons of setup options including Cascade link and a mullet link. Sentinel is pretty close to the Evo in it's low/slack setting.

Propain Tyee. Check leverage ratio and active breaking stats. Good luck out there

This is when you pick up a slack hardtail. I intend to keep my upgraded Fuse as my local bike and a longer travel trail bike for the big and fast days.

That's exactly why I installed a Wolf Tooth GeoShift headset on mine(+1 degree), to match it up better with VT and East Coast riding.

my vote is for the Ripmo! best of luck and great video!

Hello my names Ross from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿. I have a 2021 ns fuzz 1. 29” I really like the bike and what it dose for me. If we all had the same taste life would be so boring. My bike has had a lot of money spent on suspension but again works well for me and it’s a great looking rig. Thanks for your video I found very interesting, just shows some top brand bikes like your transition don’t always do it for everyone.👌🤙 don’t rush in to buying just keep observing. Thanks buddy Ross uk

If you're at Windrock for the Go Nuts race in a couple of weeks, take a spin on my Fezzari La Sal Peak. I love it, and it sounds like it's exactly what you're looking for.

I recently went with a wreckoning over a spire for basically the same reasons you're getting on about. The spire was way to much of a point and shoot sled that plowed over features and felt like whipping a yatch. The wreckoning is incredibly capable while still being super fun and playful.

Hightower V3 just dropped, but I’d give the Stumpy Evo a try. You can adjust everything about it. Make it fit you perfectly.

Hey i would strongly recommend the pivot trail 429 great bike.

Consider the deviate highlander. Run it 140/140 and with a 51 offset fork, it has been perfect for our tight and twisty Ontario trails. Incredibly stable, and the 51 throws in some nice precision for the tight stuff and lives up the ultra stable rear end. Happy hunting.

Check out the Devinci Troy! 65 HTA and 77 ST. 150 up front and 140 in the rear. Absolutely love it here in the PNW

I live my Commencal Meta TR 2021, does quite well what you are looking for I think. It does for me for sure 🥰🥳

Get a we are one arrival . With the 2 linkage options you have zero compromises going from the 152 and 170. Ditto with rocky mountain instinct/altitude

You should check out the Merida one twenty line up they are fun playful and perfect geometry for stable riding but good in the corners would 100% recommend

Have you looked at Propain-bikes? Their Tyee (170-160mm) has some good climbing and descending abilities thanks to great geo and stats. I’ve used mine for mellow, techy, steep etc single track, BikePark, enduro racing, and it climbs quite well. The bike feels both stable and maneuverable while descending, but can also be quite playful. You won’t really have to put in a lot of effort into it to make it feel lively, so you can ride it both calmly and hard. The bike is also compatible with coil shock. Now this might not be the bike you’re looking for, but maybe it’s worth the look?

great vid, you deserve more subs

Honestly, I have ridden almost all big brand enduro bikes and a few 'boutique brand' ones too, as I work at a bikeshop. I think a PYGA Slakline will suit you perfectly! It is an amazing race-bred but still playful bike and it won't break the bank.

Transitions marketing and rowdy videos on the Sentinal NEVER under delivered what the bike was intended for. You basically had a Pit Bull for a frame on your dream build, and dressed it up with a sweater.

Patrol was my dream bike, finally got one in 2021 and could just never fully get along with it. Poppy & Fast but slow stuff was boring, it was a bit heavy and just didn’t like slower “Fun” riding hoping and popping. Got a SC 5010 now and it is so much fun! Went Medium instead of Large cuz all the new bikes are getting too long in my opinion. Feels like a bigger bike than it is and only feel outgunned on really rough trails, but day to day trails are a blast now!

Bronson 😏 I've got the V3 with a Cascade Link and DVO Onyx 170mm front/Topaz T3 rear. Even with a huge amount of travel this thing is awesome on all sorts of terrain. The V4 just like every other Santa Cruz these days has reduced the anti squat a bit and modified the linkage to work with a longer stroke shock.

I have owned 10 bikes in the last 15 months and the Pivot Switchblade is the best quiver killer on the market. I owned the 2020 Hightower and it is noticeably more fun to ride

You hit it right on the head with this video. When I Demo’d this bike I had the exact same feelings. You might want to check out the Revel Rail 29 or 27.5 version. I have a feeling you might dig it.

Interesting. I feel the opposite. My Meta TR is super aggressive and yet I want more. The geo is perfect, but mostly I want way more travel. Of course that's because me and Cory are more into free riding and we care more about sessioning features. Handling at lower speeds and pedaling is on the bottom of our list. I really want a Spire. Hope it comes back in stock soon. Great vid. 👍

I get it 🤙 it does happen, sometimes a bike or 2 like this helps us truly understand what we love or gives us the ability to see that. After 2 seasons on the specialized enduro and so many changes and tweaks I’ve come to the conclusion I don’t love it.

Hello thankyou for reading my message. Ross and for shortlisting me🤞

would love to hear your opinions on the new canyon strive; living in nc i find my '21 strive works excellent using the shapeshifter.

I was debating between the Sentinel, which a few friends ride, and the Ripmo. Ended up with the RipmoAF based on price, component spec and availability and am really happy with it. 65 degree headtube angle, slightly shorter wheelbase and reach vs. the Sentinel and the DWLink adds a little bit of responsiveness under pedaling load. I have mine set up with a coil shock and it absolutely rips the downhills while still being a decent climber. Definitely worth a look and would love to see you do a video on it.

I get what you are saying Semi-Sendy. I recently did my first dream build, a 2022 Evil Wreckoning with X01, AXS, PUSH, NOBL TR37's, etc. Really an amazing bike and does exactly what I thought it would do, it is confidence inspiring, absorbs the rough stuff and larger hits like nothing I have ever ridden and is still eager to turn and rip when things get tight. But I also have a 2022 Canyon Spectral CF8 with NOBL TR37 wheels. It is $4000 cheaper build and is 3-4lbs lighter, easier to pedal up hill, offers more fun on more boring trails and with similar geo to the Evil, the cockpit feels very similar in most respects. I am just about as fast on the Canyon on the same DH trails and while the Evil offers a bit more and deeper reserves when things get nasty, I still find myself gravitating towards the Spectral when choosing what to ride. I think if I did shuttle days and more double black terrain it would be different and the Evil would get the nod, but with the trails I ride most of the time I am thinking of letting it go as it feels redundant.

Thanks!

Sounds like the Nukeproof Mega could be what you are looking for. Really capable for racing but also poppy and a strong mid support for trailriding and techy stuff. You should demo one!

Know what you‘re talking about. I came from a Jeffsy to a Nomad to a Megatower (more travel, more bike park and Finale Ligure, more racing) but for local riding I was not happy. Now I am on a Stumpy Evo with Cascade and mainly EXT Storia V3 but change to the DPX2 for fun cruising. Most versatile Bike I ever had. So I kept it for 2 years and will keep it - totaly uncommon for me.

I can recommend the Orbea Occam.. so nice to ride... Very playful. Maybe the LT version could fit you very well

Thanks for the video, I liked it. This last 6 months have shown me how important it is to demo bikes. Looks to me as if the new Hightower would really suit you :p

I have a very similar experience with my 2022 Canyon Torque CF 7. It climbs very good, eats up technical stuff but isn’t playful at all. Jumps seems to require more speed as the bike doesn’t feel like it has any pop to it. Part of this could be a strength issue on my end as I’m a slender person but still the bike just doesn’t want to leave the ground. It’s caused me to wreck a few times and now my shoulder is probably killed for the rest of the riding season so time to sell it and go a different route.

you are far more skilled than I am, but I looked for a good enduro bike for over a year back in 2020-2021, and I was split between the Norco Range (but they run really high in price), The Santa Cruz Nomad (which are also expensive, but have more kit options) and the Trek slash. I ended up going with The Nomad V-5 S in an Oxblood Red, my favorite bike to date, close to my dream bike, but as a non-pro 16 y/o, it's gonna be as close as I get. I really like the feel of the long-travel VPP that Santacruz has on the nomad, the suspension feels almost bottomless. and it is fantastic on the trail. I would definitely check out and try to test ride the Norco Range, and let me know what you think, I never got a chance to test ride it, and I wonder if I should have gotten the high pivot instead.

Hear ya on not loving a bike ...been there many times with many brands even though they are totally sought after bikes ... just has to feel right for the rider after all humans are all very unique! Thanks for the review - happy riding!

Hey I feel ya we r definitely in some tight tech around here and I’ve honestly considered the Norco Sight over the Range I have now

good review, I love my sentinel V2 and find it to be very playful. Who knows, maybe region, style of riding and the terrain here where I live just gel with the bike.

I fell love at first sight in my Kona process 153 27.5 L size upon just seing that online.It was a risk for me to just buy it without even test riding. Luckily the bike fits me and my riding style. I didn"t even follow the trend of 29er but this bike that I have is fun and handle speed at the same time. despite of no test ride before I bought, I feel connected to the bike everytime I ride. The confidence is always there. I am not that hardcore yet but I thi.k this bike is a great start. this bike is worth keeping. This is a good start for me if I want to add a bike in the future, the geo numbers shold be the same as my Kona Process.

I know the Big Red S is hated by many but there is a reason you so many Stump Jumpers. I'm not loyal to any brand in particular and I've had a few different bike from different brands. I built up my 2022 Stump Jumper Evo not too long ago and it is the most amazing bike I have ever been on. The adjustable geo is a game changer. You can take it from 65.5 degrees to 63 degrees in a matter of minutes. I've got a Zeb on mine and I truly feel it is the perfect do it all bike. Its a bike I will have for the next three or so years. Good luck with your search.

I'm sure you've been inundated in suggestions, but demo a Rocky Altitude if you can. They were doing a demo last weekend in valemount bc where I was able to test it out on a lap, it's truely an incredible bike. super supple but always gives you something to push against, pedals pretty well for what it is, rails corners (even tight catch berms and switchvacks) and I've never been more comfortable going way too fast on steep trails full of holes.

I’ve been getting back into biking and I was going through the same type of debate. I ended up going with the Siskiu D7 over the more aggressive T line. I’ve ridden both at this point and I have to say the more playful one (the D) was definitely the right choice for me. It’s so much more fun day-in and day-out. What I lose in a few hard downs I more than make up for the other 95% of the time I ride.