It seems the price of nearly everything is going up these days, which makes the new alloy Transition Sentinel and Scout builds welcome news. Of course calling these affordable could be a stretch depending on the current state of your bank account, but the upshot is they’re priced almost $1,000 less than the cheapest carbon builds.
Transition is offering two builds on both the 29er Sentinel and 27.5 Scout. The $3,899 NX builds features a Fox 36 Rhythm fork and Float X Performance shock, a SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain, and SRAM Code R brakes. The $4,999 GX builds naturally includes a SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain plus a Fox 36 fork with GRIP 2 damper, a Fox Float X Performance Elite shock, and SRAM Code RSC brakes. An alloy frameset option is priced at $2,099 for both bikes.
The aluminum frames feature a SRAM universal derailleur hanger and the same “Speed Balanced Geometry” as the carbon models, The Scout has a slack 64° head tube and ~77° effective seat tube angle, while the Sentinel sits about half a degree slacker in both the head and seat angles.
Availability is limited, though the Transition website is currently showing Sentinel framesets in most sizes and colors available for preorder on their website with an ETA of 3+ months. It’s probably best to check with your local dealer for full bike builds — just don’t get your hopes up too high.
