I got the opportunity to thoroughly demo both bikes over the course of 4 days, so I decided to write a comparison for all the people having a hard time deciding between the two.
I tested them in the Swiss Alps on a good variety of single trails: fast and flowy loam trails, steep forest trails with many roots, steep loose rocky trails, and I also threw in a pretty technical one that's steep, windy with lots of tight turns. Overall, I'd say that the trails here are probably rougher and steeper than your average rider's place. So keep that in mind when reading on..
I rode both in a Large and identical sag settings: 26 % in the rear, 20% front. The Sentinel had the X01 build and the Scout the GX build.
I'm 5'11", weigh about 145 lbs (without kit) and I'd classify myself a proficient rider with a fast but playful riding style.
You can tell that the two bikes are related and have a similar feel. They can absolutely be ridden on the same trails and won't feel out of place, but excel in different areas and are aimed at a different type of rider.
Sentinel
The Sentinel is more serious than the Scout. It's primarily a stable enduro bike that wants to go fast over rough terrain, but blurs the lines to the playfulness of a trail bike. It holds a line better through a rock garden and gives you less trail feedback. You have to go faster on it to unlock its playful side. It's incredibly composed at mach looney, and LOVES to go sideways at high speeds! When approaching a rock garden, it wants to you to pick the fastest line and then stick to it without trying to deviate too much. It's more unwieldy on tight switch backs and less responsive on flowy / pumpy trails. Nonetheless, the pop you get out of the rear-end is quite impressive, but you have to ride faster and lean into the rear more to get it to lift of the ground.
Scout
The Scout is more playful than the Sentinel. It's primarily a playful trail bike that wants you to use the features in the trail to play with, but taps into the burliness of an enduro (it has very aggressive geometry numbers). It's less stable than the Sentinel and becomes chattery at lower speeds, but I found it impressively stable for its 140mm travel and 27.5" wheels. It still allows you to go very fast (for context, I rode decidedly faster on the Scout than on my Banshee Rune V2 170mm / 160 mm with 27.5"), but then urges you to use the terrain to play around: scrubs, manuals, pop off rocks / roots. When approaching a rock garden, it prefers to go a bit slower and wants you to pick a smooth line through it, by adapting to the terrain more. To me it also felt quite at home on tight windy trails, as it corners beautifully. I found the grip / traction it had in corners amazing. It's rear-end is noticeably more responsive than the Sentinel's which makes it pump and pop a lot better. The pop is actually mind blowing - I was doing 30 - 40 cm bunny hops on the road with it..
What they both share is a big sweet spot in terms of fore-aft balance. You have a lot of leeway in placing your weight, without the bikes feeling like they're about to slide out or bucking you. They actually love to go into a drift (rear-wheel sliding out) and feel extremely stable and controlled.
Both also climb really well, especially given their eagerness to descend.
To sum it up, I would call the Sentinel a stable enduro bike with a playful side, while the Scout is a playful trail bike that reaches into enduro territory.
To choose between the two, it really comes down to what kind of rider you are:
Again, both can do what the other does and won't feel out of place on the same trails, but their strengths are in different areas and different speeds.
Personally, I really liked both bikes and this made it a tough decision on which to buy. But in the end I went with the Scout, because it suits my riding style better. I don't care about time or being the fastest, I care more about flow and creativity. I also tend to be more active and light on the bike, i.e. prefer to go over and around obstacles instead of smashing straight through them.
Therefore, I appreciate the added playfulness of the Scout more than the added burliness of the Sentinel. I loved the Sentinel at mach looney, as it allows you get escape unscathed when things get dicey. But for me the Scout has a better balance of aggressiveness and playfulness and it cornered better, especially the tighter those corners were. I don't always have to ride the Scout at the limit in order for it to feel playful. I'm more willing to go a bit slower when I encounter a steep and rough section and be more careful with my line selection, but then in turn have a bike that wants to turn the trail into a playground: scrub, manual and pop everywhere. I think the Scout is incredibly versatile in that sense.
But keep in mind, to somebody who rides faster and / or is heavier, the Sentinel may feel more versatile.
I tested them in the Swiss Alps on a good variety of single trails: fast and flowy loam trails, steep forest trails with many roots, steep loose rocky trails, and I also threw in a pretty technical one that's steep, windy with lots of tight turns. Overall, I'd say that the trails here are probably rougher and steeper than your average rider's place. So keep that in mind when reading on..
I rode both in a Large and identical sag settings: 26 % in the rear, 20% front. The Sentinel had the X01 build and the Scout the GX build.
I'm 5'11", weigh about 145 lbs (without kit) and I'd classify myself a proficient rider with a fast but playful riding style.
You can tell that the two bikes are related and have a similar feel. They can absolutely be ridden on the same trails and won't feel out of place, but excel in different areas and are aimed at a different type of rider.
Sentinel
The Sentinel is more serious than the Scout. It's primarily a stable enduro bike that wants to go fast over rough terrain, but blurs the lines to the playfulness of a trail bike. It holds a line better through a rock garden and gives you less trail feedback. You have to go faster on it to unlock its playful side. It's incredibly composed at mach looney, and LOVES to go sideways at high speeds! When approaching a rock garden, it wants to you to pick the fastest line and then stick to it without trying to deviate too much. It's more unwieldy on tight switch backs and less responsive on flowy / pumpy trails. Nonetheless, the pop you get out of the rear-end is quite impressive, but you have to ride faster and lean into the rear more to get it to lift of the ground.
Scout
The Scout is more playful than the Sentinel. It's primarily a playful trail bike that wants you to use the features in the trail to play with, but taps into the burliness of an enduro (it has very aggressive geometry numbers). It's less stable than the Sentinel and becomes chattery at lower speeds, but I found it impressively stable for its 140mm travel and 27.5" wheels. It still allows you to go very fast (for context, I rode decidedly faster on the Scout than on my Banshee Rune V2 170mm / 160 mm with 27.5"), but then urges you to use the terrain to play around: scrubs, manuals, pop off rocks / roots. When approaching a rock garden, it prefers to go a bit slower and wants you to pick a smooth line through it, by adapting to the terrain more. To me it also felt quite at home on tight windy trails, as it corners beautifully. I found the grip / traction it had in corners amazing. It's rear-end is noticeably more responsive than the Sentinel's which makes it pump and pop a lot better. The pop is actually mind blowing - I was doing 30 - 40 cm bunny hops on the road with it..
What they both share is a big sweet spot in terms of fore-aft balance. You have a lot of leeway in placing your weight, without the bikes feeling like they're about to slide out or bucking you. They actually love to go into a drift (rear-wheel sliding out) and feel extremely stable and controlled.
Both also climb really well, especially given their eagerness to descend.
To sum it up, I would call the Sentinel a stable enduro bike with a playful side, while the Scout is a playful trail bike that reaches into enduro territory.
To choose between the two, it really comes down to what kind of rider you are:
- The more you are about speed, like to feel as little of the trail as possible and ride more rough and steep terrain? à go with the Sentinel
- The more you are about playing with the trail, therefore like to use obstacles and ride more flowy and playful terrain à go with the Scout
Again, both can do what the other does and won't feel out of place on the same trails, but their strengths are in different areas and different speeds.
Personally, I really liked both bikes and this made it a tough decision on which to buy. But in the end I went with the Scout, because it suits my riding style better. I don't care about time or being the fastest, I care more about flow and creativity. I also tend to be more active and light on the bike, i.e. prefer to go over and around obstacles instead of smashing straight through them.
Therefore, I appreciate the added playfulness of the Scout more than the added burliness of the Sentinel. I loved the Sentinel at mach looney, as it allows you get escape unscathed when things get dicey. But for me the Scout has a better balance of aggressiveness and playfulness and it cornered better, especially the tighter those corners were. I don't always have to ride the Scout at the limit in order for it to feel playful. I'm more willing to go a bit slower when I encounter a steep and rough section and be more careful with my line selection, but then in turn have a bike that wants to turn the trail into a playground: scrub, manual and pop everywhere. I think the Scout is incredibly versatile in that sense.
But keep in mind, to somebody who rides faster and / or is heavier, the Sentinel may feel more versatile.
