40 mbr m ay 2 019
new bikes
£2,000 / 29in / calibrebicycles.com
Calibre Sentry
Calibre has a great track record of producing
quality bikes with budget price tags — will it
keep its guard up with the new Sentry?
need to
know
● Race-ready 29er
enduro bike for £2k
● Alloy frame
with cutting-edge
geometry and sizing
● RockShox Deluxe
R shock pumps out
150mm travel
● Travel is increased
to 160mm up front
with a RockShox
Yari RC fork
● Tough casing
WTB tyres add
weight, but fit
the intended use
perfectly
● Four frame sizes,
including an XL with
a generous 506mm
reach measurement
● Sentry Pro gets
a Lyrik fork and coil
shock for £2,800
t
hink race-ready 29er enduro bike, and I bet the
Canyon Strive, Yeti SB150, or new Santa Cruz
Megatower spring to mind. But what happens when I
say you only have £2k to spend on your new weapon
of choice? And that’s for the complete bike, not just
the frame. Now you’re probably rubbing your chin and looking
thoughtful, because even the YT Capra 29 AL Base model
costs £2,299 plus shipping.
But there is a bike that has the geometry and attitude to
rival the best boutique builds, and it’s available at a fraction of
the cost from Go Outdoors... It’s the new Calibre Sentry. With
29in wheels, cutting-edge geometry and 150mm of travel,
this £2k race bike looks set to transform the entry-level 29er
enduro category with the same vigour that the Calibre Bossnut
changed everyone’s expectations of a £1k full-suspension
trail bike.
And when we say cutting-edge geometry, we’re not using
a blanket term like longer, lower, slacker, which is often
applied to bikes that aren’t especially long, low or slack. So
let’s get down to brass tacks. We measured the head angle
on the Sentry at 64.1°, the BB height at 331mm and the reach
measurement on the size L at 485mm. All pretty close to the
10-rated Yeti SB150 we tested last November. The Sentry even
gets a short 42mm offset fork, which stops the bike feeling
overly large and unwieldy on tighter trails, the 160mm-travel
RockShox Yari RC proving time and time again to be one of the
best forks in its class.
The relatively steep 69.6° seat tube is offset forward of the
BB, so you’ll have no problem getting the saddle in the perfect
position for climbing. And thanks to the 442mm chainstayBy driving the shock off the seatstay
small-bump response is improved