Pinnacle Sentinal 2

bice

Anyone got experience of this bike? Evans seem to have a warehouse full of them, which may speak volumes. It looks well specced, but anyone actualy got one? Or is it better to stick with trek 1.5 and Specialized Allez?

fuzzynavel

bice wrote:

Anyone got experience of this bike? Evans seem to have a warehouse full of them, which may speak volumes. It looks well specced, but anyone actualy got one? Or is it better to stick with trek 1.5 and Specialized Allez?

I just noticed this beast too.....full tiagra groupset....apparently down from 729.99..

Frame: Pinnacle a7 custom-shaped tubing with P-Stay seat stays and mudguard clearances - Forks: Pinnacle P carbon fork legs with alloy crown and mudguard clearance - Gears: Shimano Tiagra 9 speed front and rear derailleurs - Shifters: Shimano Tiagra STI - Chainset: Shimano Tiagra compact chainset - Brakes: Shimano A550 long reach for mudguards - Wheels: Mavic CXP22 rims with Shimano Sora hubs - Tyres: Continental Ultra Sport 700 x 25c - Bars: Easton EA30 alloy handlebar 26.0mm diameter - Stem: Pinnacle P-Fit adjustable stem - Saddle: Selle Italia XO Transam - Seatpost: Easton EA30 alloy seat post - Pedals/Extras: Wellgo LU-948 alloy cage pedals with clips and straps. TubeTops paint protectors and spare gear hanger

mididoctors

handles like a wheel barrow

the headtube is a telescope

fat spongy tyres

comfortable round town commuter.. almost sit up and beg

I hate it, got one gratis after being run over from behind on the way to work still ride it as a shopper/commuter.

fuzzynavel

mididoctors wrote:

handles like a wheel barrow

the headtube is a telescope

fat spongy tyres

comfortable round town commuter.. almost sit up and beg

I hate it, got one gratis after being run over from behind on the way to work still ride it as a shopper/commuter.

Not a particularly glowing review then!!

mididoctors

fuzzynavel wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

handles like a wheel barrow

the headtube is a telescope

fat spongy tyres

comfortable round town commuter.. almost sit up and beg

I hate it, got one gratis after being run over from behind on the way to work still ride it as a shopper/commuter.

Not a particularly glowing review then!!

no not really especially if you want to do some serious quality millage..it would take forever on that sentinel.. in reasonable comfort..which is where i think this bike is aiming at

A trek or even a low bianchi for 500 quid is available on that evans website (if thats his store of choice)

the higher end pinnacles have decent geometry by the looks of it... but its horses for courses..

I tend to recommend the giant scr 3 for a cheap entry bike.. I know a few guys and gals with these and they are proud owners..not the prettiest bike in the bunch but you can pick up the previous yrs model for 400 quid if you look around.

but the buying advice sticky at the top of the forum lays it out fairly well

OTOH some people may like the upright position the sentinel offers (comes with the usual cast of thousands aheadset spacers if you want to really layback)

bice

Thanks for the feedback.

But my cycle to work scheme is an exclusive deal with Evans: so it has come down to Trek 1.5, Specialized Allez Sport or ... er ... something else that can stand up to a bit of commuting and riding for fun at weekends.

The Pinnacle Sentinal 2 seemed a good bet; better specs than the Trek with Tiagra throughout. I dont mind the Sora too much but found the stuff on the Trek 1.2 too cheapie.

I went to see a Pinnacle Sentinal at Spitalfields at lunchtime, but it had long been sold so I could not test it. (With all the peeing about from Evans - Wansworth especially - buying from Halfords would be a joy. Actually, the guys are helpful, but its a wonky outfit and I am glad I'm not a shareholder!)

Perhaps it's because I am a more mature rider that one of the guys suggested the Pinnacle. It seemed a good machine to me, but I only sat on it and did not ride it. Is this the model that you found such tut?

marcthehammer

Hi.Ive got the Scott s60 and i can highly recommend it.Bout the same price as the trex i think.

mididoctors

bice wrote:

Thanks for the feedback.

But my cycle to work scheme is an exclusive deal with Evans: so it has come down to Trek 1.5, Specialized Allez Sport or ... er ... something else that can stand up to a bit of commuting and riding for fun at weekends.

The Pinnacle Sentinal 2 seemed a good bet; better specs than the Trek with Tiagra throughout. I dont mind the Sora too much but found the stuff on the Trek 1.2 too cheapie.

I went to see a Pinnacle Sentinal at Spitalfields at lunchtime, but it had long been sold so I could not test it. (With all the peeing about from Evans - Wansworth especially - buying from Halfords would be a joy. Actually, the guys are helpful, but its a wonky outfit and I am glad I'm not a shareholder!)

Perhaps it's because I am a more mature rider that one of the guys suggested the Pinnacle. It seemed a good machine to me, but I only sat on it and did not ride it. Is this the model that you found such tut?

yes.. the upright position didn't agree with my reptilian racing brain (which can't accept my racing days are long gone)

its not going to make "that" much difference.. the pinnacle is not a good option for hard riding at the weekends

the trek looks the most racy... havn't ridden the trek or specialized but both look ok and appear to be in the recommended sticky post at the top of the forum ..so you can blame them if you hate them

basically avoid the pinnacle.. twist my arm i say get the trek (though i wouldn't be seen dead on one)



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bice

Well, I have now tried the Pinnacle Sentinal 2 ... after being sent half way round London on a fool's errand by Evans to stores that weren't selling it.

My conclusion is ... it is very difficult indeed for the unitiated to judge these bikes.

The all Tiagra on the Pinnacle is very reassuring, the wheels have plenty of spokes crossing each other for extra strength (rather than gimmicky neat patterned arrangements), the weight was OK (probably more than the Trek 1.5). I felt more stretched out on this than the Trek (it was correct frame size).

It was not more upright at all, but the saddle was uncomfortable. Much of this was the set-up. I think the handlebars were too low and the hoods a bit high, and I didn't like the bad and inadequate taping of the cables around the handle bar which meant you could not rest your hands all along it (probably an authentic UK feature this, whereas on the Trek the cables are more neatly and tighly bound up in Taiwan or wherever).

I think the bike is basically fine, and no worse than the Specialized Allez or the Trek 1.5, but the way it was set up was not so great for me. It needed some thinking about to set up properly for me, which is a bit difficult in a busy shop for a 10-minute test. The saddle I found really cheap and I would probably replace with my Brooks anyway, which is unbeatable for comfort.

I did like the Tiagra stuff, which is an improvement on the Sora on the Trek. The Trek 1.2 and 1.5 both changed worse than the Specialized and the Pinnacle.

I am told the Bontrager chainset on the Trek is great, others say it is rubbish and the Tiagra on the Pinnacle is better. I haven't a clue. And the knowledgable road bikers think it is all tut anyway.

To be frank, it has been a bit disillusioning testing these road bikes. The retail outlets bear as much resemblance to a 'local bike shop' as Tesco does to the village grocers. The magical moment of sitting on the Specialized Allez entry model two weeks past seems long ago. While I was happy enough to lay out £800 or so on a road bike with a cyle-to-work deal, I now think I am better off not wasting any more of my time on this and continuing with my old 531 steel frame Claud Butler that was given to me by 'security' from the office car park. It does the job of getting me to work and gives me pleasure to handle and admire (with its very odd and beautiful retro double cross bar arrangement). And I can go into Soho for lunch and thing is likely to be there when I come out again.

The power of marketing and uniformity prevails: get a US-hyped, but Chinese-made Trek or a Specialized or a Giant from a supermarket like Evans. It is probably the safest, least imaginative course. And I doubt things are very different higher up the road bike food chain in spite of the gung-ho opinions offered here by the passionate believers in one brand or another - the issue seems to be merely which interchangeable components happen to be offered with any particular bike.

bice

Well, I have now tried the Pinnacle Sentinal 2 ... after being sent half way round London on a fool's errand by Evans to stores that weren't selling it.

My conclusion is ... it is very difficult indeed for the unitiated to judge these bikes.

The all Tiagra on the Pinnacle is very reassuring, the wheels have plenty of spokes crossing each other for extra strength (rather than gimmicky neat patterned arrangements), the weight was OK (probably more than the Trek 1.5). I felt more stretched out on this than the Trek (it was correct frame size).

It was not more upright at all, but the saddle was uncomfortable. Much of this was the set-up. I think the handlebars were too low and the hoods a bit high, and I didn't like the bad and inadequate taping of the cables around the handle bar which meant you could not rest your hands all along it (probably an authentic UK feature this, whereas on the Trek the cables are more neatly and tighly bound up in Taiwan or wherever).

I think the bike is basically fine, and no worse than the Specialized Allez or the Trek 1.5, but the way it was set up was not so great for me. It needed some thinking about to set up properly for me, which is a bit difficult in a busy shop for a 10-minute test. The saddle I found really cheap and I would probably replace with my Brooks anyway, which is unbeatable for comfort.

I did like the Tiagra stuff, which is an improvement on the Sora on the Trek. The Trek 1.2 and 1.5 both changed worse than the Specialized and the Pinnacle.

I am told the Bontrager chainset on the Trek is great, others say it is rubbish and the Tiagra on the Pinnacle is better. I haven't a clue. And the knowledgable road bikers think it is all tut anyway.

To be frank, it has been a bit disillusioning testing these road bikes. The retail outlets bear as much resemblance to a 'local bike shop' as Tesco does to the village grocers. The magical moment of sitting on the Specialized Allez entry model two weeks past seems long ago. While I was happy enough to lay out £800 or so on a road bike with a cyle-to-work deal, I now think I am better off not wasting any more of my time on this and continuing with my old 531 steel frame Claud Butler that was given to me by 'security' from the office car park. It does the job of getting me to work and gives me pleasure to handle and admire (with its very odd and beautiful retro double cross bar arrangement). And I can go into Soho for lunch and thing is likely to be there when I come out again.

The power of marketing and uniformity prevails: get a US-hyped, but Chinese-made Trek or a Specialized or a Giant from a supermarket like Evans. It is probably the safest, least imaginative course. And I doubt things are very different higher up the road bike food chain in spite of the gung-ho opinions offered here by the passionate believers in one brand or another - the issue seems to be merely which interchangeable components happen to be offered with any particular bike.

bice

Well, I have now tried the Pinnacle Sentinal 2 ... after being sent half way round London on a fool's errand by Evans to stores that weren't selling it.

My conclusion is ... it is very difficult indeed for the unitiated to judge these bikes.

The all Tiagra on the Pinnacle is very reassuring, the wheels have plenty of spokes crossing each other for extra strength (rather than gimmicky neat patterned arrangements), the weight was OK (probably more than the Trek 1.5). I felt more stretched out on this than the Trek (it was correct frame size).

It was not more upright at all, but the saddle was uncomfortable. Much of this was the set-up. I think the handlebars were too low and the hoods a bit high, and I didn't like the bad and inadequate taping of the cables around the handle bar which meant you could not rest your hands all along it (probably an authentic UK feature this, whereas on the Trek the cables are more neatly and tighly bound up in Taiwan or wherever).

I think the bike is basically fine, and no worse than the Specialized Allez or the Trek 1.5, but the way it was set up was not so great for me. It needed some thinking about to set up properly for me, which is a bit difficult in a busy shop for a 10-minute test. The saddle I found really cheap and I would probably replace with my Brooks anyway, which is unbeatable for comfort.

I did like the Tiagra stuff, which is an improvement on the Sora on the Trek. The Trek 1.2 and 1.5 both changed worse than the Specialized and the Pinnacle.

I am told the Bontrager chainset on the Trek is great, others say it is rubbish and the Tiagra on the Pinnacle is better. I haven't a clue. And the knowledgable road bikers think it is all tut anyway.

To be frank, it has been a bit disillusioning testing these road bikes. The retail outlets bear as much resemblance to a 'local bike shop' as Tesco does to the village grocers. The magical moment of sitting on the Specialized Allez entry model two weeks past seems long ago. While I was happy enough to lay out £800 or so on a road bike with a cyle-to-work deal, I now think I am better off not wasting any more of my time on this and continuing with my old 531 steel frame Claud Butler that was given to me by 'security' from the office car park. It does the job of getting me to work and gives me pleasure to handle and admire (with its very odd and beautiful retro double cross bar arrangement). And I can go into Soho for lunch and thing is likely to be there when I come out again.

The power of marketing and uniformity prevails: get a US-hyped, but Chinese-made Trek or a Specialized or a Giant from a supermarket like Evans. It is probably the safest, least imaginative course. And I doubt things are very different higher up the road bike food chain in spite of the gung-ho opinions offered here by the passionate believers in one brand or another - the issue seems to be merely which interchangeable components happen to be offered with any particular bike.

mididoctors

bice wrote:

Well, I have now tried the Pinnacle Sentinal 2 ... after being sent half way round London on a fool's errand by Evans to stores that weren't selling it.

My conclusion is ... it is very difficult indeed for the unitiated to judge these bikes.

"snip"

The power of marketing and uniformity prevails: get a US-hyped, but Chinese-made Trek or a Specialized or a Giant from a supermarket like Evans. It is probably the safest, least imaginative course. And I doubt things are very different higher up the road bike food chain in spite of the gung-ho opinions offered here by the passionate believers in one brand or another - the issue seems to be merely which interchangeable components happen to be offered with any particular bike.

The wisdom of your years is telling

bice

But you have concluded the same - get a Giant. It's unfornutate you did not take your own advice and ended up with a Pinnacle

mididoctors

bice wrote:

But you have concluded the same - get a Giant. It's unfornutate you did not take your own advice and ended up with a Pinnacle

as i said

I hate it, got one gratis after being run over from behind on the way to work still ride it as a shopper/commuter.

I was given the pinnacle by a insurance company as "goodwill" reparations for being flattened from behind by a young man in a sports car

I use it round town as my old town bike is toast



apparently i still get to claim so its a ride for now freebie ontop of replacing my other town bike

I ride a condor at the weekend.. thou on a hiatus since i have back injuries from crash

hence all the posting at this site of recent...