RAW Paradise 4

In the lifetime of every hand-built trail, there is a very fleeting moment of this raw perfection.

Like a powder day on skis, the organic material provides a bottomless feeling. Pushing deep into turns, and releasing soil with each revolution of the wheel. During this special time, even the trail sounds different. Rolling over years of compressed leaves, bark, sticks and red rot sends a hollow echo through the ground that you can almost feel in your chest. But for these reasons, it doesn't last long. Soon enough the soil will be displaced, roots and rocks exposed, and the once deep and soft tones will be replaced with harsh thuds as your tires catch newly formed braking bumps. But luckily there's always the next trail, or the next storm, bringing another powder day.

For us, this is paradise.

John is riding his Sentinel V2. Here's what he had to say about it after putting it through its paces for this video: "I rode the previous Sentinel all over the world last season, racing EWS, riding bike parks, and all around having a blast. This new iteration isn’t just a change in looks. The updated leverage curve, head angle and chain stay length have made the Sentinel even more confidence inspiring. Those words get thrown around a lot, but for me what that means is when I see a new line, maybe it’s a huck, maybe it’s taking a sneaky high line into a turn, the bike handles that challenge even better. The suspension is more supple, providing more grip, but it's also more supportive through big impacts, keeping it composed in any situation. Moves that you think are going to be rowdy, end up smooth." -John Richardson