AM Transition Sentinel - long term review

yuley95

soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
Which Hunt wheels did you order? How has the experience dealing with them been so far?

I'll borrow your current set permanently when you're done with them ;)
I ordered the Trail Wide in 29er boost. I was tempted to go for extra strength with the enduro wide set but wanted 30mm internal and the enduro set is 33mm.

It’s been a pretty good experience but there a couple of things i thing people should be aware of:
  1. They add GST on top of the advertised price (thanks Harvey Norman)
  2. My bank added a foreign currency charge (not sure if all would).All together, this added about $80 to the advertised price which is significant.
  3. When it was ordering, it was a weekend and the website said the wheels I was ordering were in stock. It also indicated 3-4 days delivery time. This was 28 July. I got an email late on the Monday to say they were now out of stock due to a number of orders over the weekend (not sure why their website cant account for that). They then communicated pretty well re the revised arrival time but the date did change a few times so if you are counting on them arriving by a certain date, you might be disappointed. Worth keeping in mind. Mine ended up arriving on 9 August so not too much later.

I was planning to do a full review once I have a few km’s on them but for now will say they are well packaged, they look quality, they come pre-taped with tubeless valves, the specific freehub (Shimano or XD) and spare spokes and nipples.

I mounted Maxxis tyres and they went on really easily. In fact, a little too easily with a bit of a loose fit. I had to pull the bead out towards the edge of the rim with my fingers on both sides and only then could i get it to inflate tubeless.

Having said that, it’s only a 5 minute job and they then inflated REALLY easily and I’ve lost no air in 5 days.

One nice little touch is getting a card with the name of the builder and their check list for quality control (see below).

Stay tuned for full review (probably repeating much of this same info!)




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tkdbboy

Likes Dirt
Sucks to hear about the extra ~$150 sting. Other than that, sounds like a super smooth process and quality wheels! (so far ... fingers crossed)

Looking forward to the full review.
 

yuley95

soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
Sucks to hear about the extra ~$150 sting. Other than that, sounds like a super smooth process and quality wheels! (so far ... fingers crossed)

Looking forward to the full review.
It was $80AUD extra (not USD) so not quite as bad as that. Definitely still a chunk of cash and worth being aware of.

Seems to be a few different ways people are approaching online sales now and sometimes you see the final price in AUD, sometimes the pre-tax price in AUD. Sometimes the full price in a different currency and sometimes pre-tax price in different currency.

The PNW website shows AUD until you get to the shopping cart and then is USD - weird and a bit confusing.


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yuley95

soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
Ride update number 2
I’ve had a couple of rides on the 29” wheels now and starting to get a better feel for the bike. It was comfortable straight away but I was only going at seven tenths. Still not 100% dialled but my final run today at Red Hill had a massive grin on my face and was feeling close to 100%.

That grin was mostly because I’ve found what this bike was made for - fast chunder. For those that know it, my final run was down Fall Line at Red Hill. For those that don’t know it - it’s pretty fast with good flow. It’s also ABSOLUTELY BEAT. The sandy soil out that way seems to wash away easily and leave a lot of ruts, exposed roots and rocks waiting to grab a wheel and throw it 5cm to the left or right. It dares you to go faster until you bin it (which happens eventually).

In the past, its been fun but threatens to rattle my teeth loose. The Sentinel is feeling really nice after some time setting up the DPX2 shock and the Durolux fork. There is a really nice balance now. Both getting close to full travel when they should and both feeling nicely damped. Even in wet conditions today - it felt like the most grip and control I’ve ever had on Fall Line.

Last week I rode Lysterfield and sessioned Follow Me which I find is a good trail to get suspension right. It has a couple of reasonable sized drops to flat to test deep compression and has a section of fast root-infested flowing trail to test high speed smaller, repeated compressions. Also has a couple of small lips to boost of and a couple of small berms to get rebound and slow speed compression set up.

After a few runs down there, I realised I needed a couple more clicks of high speed compression on both the fork and the shock. Still only 2 clicks (of 5) on the fork and 3 clicks (of 10) on the shock. I also added a couple of clicks of slow speed compression on the fork and opened up the rebound a click on each.

It really settles in to landings now and even has enough in reserve that I’m not so concerned landing among roots as I know it can absorb the landing and still track over the roots as well.

I’m still loving how well this things turns into berms and holds a line. Bit surprised by that. In fact I’ve noticed that the slack head angle and short stem seem to make the wheel sort of ‘flop’ over into a turn. It means that it is really easy to initiate an aggressive turn. You just have to be deliberate about it.

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The other thing I noticed today was how well the back end comes around when you want it to. I’m not sure if it’s the geo, the suspension, the fact that I’m a bit ‘under-tyred’ on the back compared to the front or if it’s my ham-fisted braking technique but as I was riding down some of the slower, steeper and more tech trails - or even when charging hard but coming into a slower, tighter corner - the back end would easily oversteer just enough to open up the corner while still staying in control. Given the bike is a bit of a limo, it’s a handy trait to have.

In terms of some of the components, here is a quick snapshot:
Durolux - really impressed with stiffness and damping. I can’t compare to 36 or Lyrik but this is streets ahead of my old Marzocchi in terms of the damping feel. I like the integrated mud-gaurd and the axle system too. It’s a winner in my books.
PNW Bachelor and Loam lever - I’ve gone from 150mm on my old bike to 170mm now and really appreciated it today on the Deadwoods trails in the steeper, more tech sections. The other part of the equation is the really low top-tube of the Tranny. Leaves stacks of room to move around. The post itself is fine. Not sure there is much to say when a dropper works well. It’s not quite the smoothest in the world - but close enough. There is a tiny bit of side to side play but still feels solid. Return speed is fine and can be adjusted with more air pressure. I like it at the moment as it drops easily and with only a little weight on it. The lever is great and deserves all the accolades it gets.
Hunt Trail Wheels - I’m going to reserve judgement for a while. They are really good so far but I want to go over them with a tension metre in a couple of months and see if they have held up. I LOVED my previous wheels (Flow MK3 on Project 321 and Hope Pro4 hubs) so these have a lot to live up to...

On a related note, I had to send my rear brake (Magura MT8) off to Eurocycles to fix a slow leak where the hose enters the caliper. It’s pretty crap that they have been leaking there but I have to say the communication and service from Eurocycles was top notch. They’ve been fantastic.
 
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Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
Noice!

From a fellow monster truck driver, make sure the stem bolts on the steerer are done up tight. I've had the steerer slip on me and cause a digger when I've been hitting a berm.

If you continue to have reliability issues with the Maguras and want something utterly reliable but with good modulation have a look at the Trp Quadiems.

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yuley95

soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
If you continue to have reliability issues with the Maguras and want something utterly reliable but with good modulation have a look at the Trp Quadiems.
Funny you say that - I’ve been very tempted by a set for sale on here. I’m a bit low on cash though after putting this build together so should see if the fix works first. Eurocycles replaced the hose AND the caliper (all under warranty) so should be sweet
 

yuley95

soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
Nice bike!

How tall are you to be on the XL?
Thanks mate. I’m about 190cm.

The new style geo is interesting. It’s a much longer wheelbase and longer reach than my previous bike - an XL Yeti SB66.

But the effective top tube is a touch shorter and i have gone from a 50mm stem to a 35mm stem. As a result, it feels really comfortable and not as stretched out as the numbers might make it appear.

Also, I think that the really low top tube means that the bike seems to disappear when jumping. All in all, I’m really happy with the sizing.
 

yuley95

soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
Nice to hear your thoughts on this.

There's an interesting thread on the topic below, if you want to add your thoughts?

Geo discussion
Saw that thanks. The new Geo works for me - maybe because I’m just on the cusp of XL. Seems like bigger blokes are having issues with it.
 

Paulie_AU

Likes Dirt
Thanks mate. I’m about 190cm.

The new style geo is interesting. It’s a much longer wheelbase and longer reach than my previous bike - an XL Yeti SB66.

But the effective top tube is a touch shorter and i have gone from a 50mm stem to a 35mm stem. As a result, it feels really comfortable and not as stretched out as the numbers might make it appear.

Also, I think that the really low top tube means that the bike seems to disappear when jumping. All in all, I’m really happy with the sizing.
Cool. I am looking at a 485 reach bike at 175cm tall. Thinking a 30mm stem. Hmm might create a thread regarding long reach.
 

teK--

Eats Squid
Interesting you mention Follow Me as a good tuning grounds. I am of the same view. It is a track that has a bit of everything but not too long so you can easily session a whole run, make changes, and then session again without forgetting how everything felt.

Build looks mint; love it!
 

yuley95

soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
All the new build Tranny’s on here recently made me think I should update my PYR with a progress report and a few comments on some of the components now that I’ve had almost 2 years on them.

Bottom line is I love this bike and have no intention of moving on from it any time soon.

Since my most recent report, I’ve really progressed my riding and the terrain I’ve taken the bike on. I’ve been to Mt Buller a few times, rode for a week at Bright and have been steadily increasing the levels of insanity I’m willing to ride out at secret Red Hill trails (not really that secret).

This thing just steps up each time and takes it all in stride. Not only am I smashing trails like Abom at Buller 10 seconds faster than before but I’m hitting 20 foot gaps and 2 metre drops at Red Hill and this 140mm ‘Trail” bike is amazingly smooth, composed, forgiving and confidence inspiring.

Changes I’ve made

Haven’t changed a lot. The SDG radar didn't get along with my arse to swapped it out for a WTB Silverado and we are all much happier. Running PNW loam grips and digging those. I think I prefer cleats so running Crank Brothers E-mallets which I like.

More substantial changes

Three things to talk about here - Michelin tyres, shigura brakes and volume spacers in the DPX2.

Firstly, I still love minions but I also love Michelin wild enduro front and back. First time I’ve tried a tyre (and I’ve tried plenty) that lives up to Minions in terms of traction, weigh, feel, ease of mounting and tubeless setup. Some other brands and models get two of three of those things right but never the whole set... until the Michelins.

Shigura brakes are legit. I was actually really happy with my Magura Trail brakes (MT7 up front and MT8 out back) but after running them for a few years, I thought I would try mixing it up. Got some Zee levers and installed them really easily (including very easy bleed). The lever feel is noticeably better and more immediate with seemingly even more power and great modulation. Highly recommended.

In terms of volume spacer - this is a bit of an interesting one. For a bit of background, I weigh about 72kg. A lot of people on the inter webs love the V1 sentinel but bemoan the lack of progression in the shock leverage. I bought this frame second hand and never felt it bottom out so figured people were just full of shit. I then borrowed a shock wiz and was getting a score of around 95 for my shock set up which confirmed I was in the optimal setting but it also said I was not getting an ‘deep compression’ events. I cracked open the air can and found there was a 0.86 inch spacer in there which is quite large. I looked at the Fox reference guide and it said this volume spacer was too large for a DPX2 running a 57.5mm stroke (advises against this size spacer for 55mm stroke and 60mm stroke).

I swapped it out for a 0.4 inch spacer and ran it for a few months. What a change! Don’t ever do it. I had to have more pressure in the shock for the right sag which led to a harsh feeling on small bumps and it also managed to start bottoming out on bigger hits. This led to it mashing the o-ring that acts as a bottom out bumper and making a loud ‘clank’ on the big bottom outs (thankfully only a few).

I had the shock checked over and serviced by NS Dynamics and a new bottom out bumper installed. Thankfully there was no damage. I have now put in the 0.6 inch spacer and it’s all good. Back to a nice feel over small bumps and ramps up well for me.

This is turning into a long post so more on other parts in the next post...

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yuley95

soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
...continued.

Suntour Durolux
I’ve been really impressed by this fork and not just ‘for the price’. Full disclosure, I did have an issue with a bit of wear on one stanchion and a slight ‘knock’ noise from the negative spring but Suntour replaced the fork quick and easily and the replacement has been running super sweet for over a year.

It’s really supple off the top and well damped with a good range of rebound adjustment. The compression adjustments aren’t as noticeable but I have still found a nice sweet spot. Every few months I open the bleed valve and a small but audible ‘psht’ escapes which seem to confirm pressure does build up and its worthwhile releasing it. I’ve done a lower leg service a few times which is easy. You can change travel without changing the air shaft and its very easy to swap volume spacers to play with ramp up.

Hunt wheels
There’s been a bit of chat in other threads about ‘fake wheel companies’ that simply pick catalogue rims, hubs etc, have them built, brand them and sell them online. There is a bit of this happening but there is still a gulf between companies that take care about what they do and others that are... shit. Hunt use Novatec hubs but they upspec the bearings and lace them up using good spokes to good rims.They are well built and the customer service has been excellent. They’re not DT Swiss or Industry 9 but if you know what you’re buying and happy with their model, they are very good wheels for the price. Mine came well tensioned and are still running smooth as they day they arrived.

PNW Bachelor dropper with Load leaver
Nothing to complain about. It keeps owing up and down without play and i haven’t serviced it at all in almost 2 years. Which makes me think - I should probably services it... Loam lever is great
 
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