Transition Introduces the Aluminum Sentinel and Scout – Video

Nobody does launch videos like Transition. They’re irreverent, self-referential, and absolutely hilarious. Sure, many brands have tried, but they rarely quite hit the mark. And this video hits the mark … mostly. To herald the arrival of aluminum versions of the recently updated, formerly carbon-only Sentinel and Scout, Transition decided to lampoon the mountain bike industry’s obsession with carbon fiber. We have to mention, though, that there’s something a little disingenuous about the message Transition is trying to send here. Four out of the five most recent bikes they’ve released have been, until today, only available in carbon. And two still are. Carbon is where Transition’s focus is. That’s not to say they’re hypocrites, but maybe the industry’s motivations are not as heartless as this video makes them out to be.

Regardless, the fact that Transition is adding to their aluminum portfolio at least proof that they’re paying attention to all of their consumers, and they have a sense of humor about it. The video also makes spot-on indictments of our industry’s tendency to dictate trends that seem out of touch with the user base. One is a perfect assessment of how women’s products are designed, and another is the sudden death of the 27.5-inch wheel.

Transition, though, is obviously a fan of little wheels. Not just because the new aluminum Scout proves they’re not giving up on it, but because the brand has always been about fun. Transition isn’t afraid to cater to riders who have the desire and/or the skill to do the things that 27.5-inch bikes are meant to do. The Scout carries forward the 140-millimeter rear travel and 150mm front of the carbon version, and is available in a $5,000 GX and a $3,900 NX build kit. The spec prioritizes suspension and braking, with a Grip 2 damper. Or, if you’ve got more expensive tastes but prefer an alloy frame, there’s a $2,100 frame-only option as well.

But for everyone else, the aluminum Sentinel carries forward as what could only be described as “super-all-mountain.” With the new Spire taking the reins as Transition’s biggest-hit big-wheel bike, the Sentinel is for riders who want a lot of forgiveness in their bike’s geometry, but don’t need all that enduro-level travel numbing the trail. The 150mm rear-travel, 160mm front-travel alloy Sentinel is available in GX or NX builds with essentially the same spec and in the same price breakdowns as the Scout: $3,900 for NX, $5,000 for GX or $2,100 for frame-only.

As you might expect, the bikes and frames are a few months out, but you can go to transitionbikes.com to get in line.