First Look: Transition's 2018 Sentinel Carbon is Engineered to Party

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For those of you who have been Sentimental over Transition's new Sentinel but only ride carbon, the wait is over. It's available in S, M, L and XL sizes and boasts all the same great features, hardware, and parts kits as the alloy model. Transition shaved an impressive 2.5-pounds (1.1kg) from the aluminum model, helping this modest 6.8-pound (3.1kg) carbon beauty of a frame to become a true rocket ship.

Sentinel Carbon Highlights

Carbon frame
29-inch wheels
140mm (5.5-inches) rear travel // 160mm (6.3-inches) front travel
Speed Balanced Geometry (SBG)
Boost 148 x 12mm dropout spacing
Metric trunnion shock sizing - 205 x 57.5mm
Enduro Max sealed bearings
Threaded bottom bracket
Molded rubber downtube and chainstay protection
New rattle-free internal cable port covers
External rear brake routing
180mm post mount rear brake
Collet main pivot
Water bottle storage inside front triangle
Tire clearance up to 29 x 2.5-inches
Frame Weight: 6.8-pounds (3.1kg) with shock and hardware

In Action

"When dreaming up what to shoot for the Sentinel I couldn't narrow it down to one style of riding, so we shot four locations/riders – all of which found the Sentinel to be right at home. Enjoy!" - Skye Schillhammer

Geometry

Transition's Speed Balanced Geometry concept incorporates the following five key geometry features:

Increased frame reach
Slacker headtube angle – Allows the fork to absorb impacts better on all angles, positions the front wheel further forward, and reduces deflection and dive.
Steeper seat tube angle – Brings rider more forward, aids in climbing traction, and reduces seated sag.
Shorter stem – Equates to a modest increase in total reach.
Shorter fork offset – Brings the front axle more rearward and under the rider which further increases front tire traction. Works in unison with the shorter stem length to provide a more direct steering input.