VERY nice. I managed to land a Transition Sentinel last year - cosmetic damage meant a healthy discount - and that was a fun build. Very frustrating bit was getting all the clearances around the BB and chain guide sorted - turned out XTR dimensions were supposed to be OK and weren't - so in had to go a boost XT crankset and the XTR diverted to a COTIC Simple build. The cheeky little lower Kashina slider is fun on your frame - noticed the reviewers talking about that when this frame first came out. Attention to weight - Hope brakes, Rental bars, Hope stem etc can really push the overall weight down on these and really pays off. I also have gone for a One Up dropper on a recent Stanton build, Reverbs are so neurotic that I am a bit fed up with them. Some work forever without servicing, others develop 'squish' pretty randomly. Oh yeah, just remembered....the internal routing on the rear cable for the Sentinel was a major PITA. with every normal method - thin wire, brake wire, plastic inner, small ferret, etc - not resulting in swift insertion. Eventually brake wire did it, but only after I M M E N S E F R U S T R A T I O N . . .
Everything else was OK though. I went for a secondhand set of Stan's Flow 3 30mm internal for lightweight cross-country duties, and 35 internal WTB on Hope for following my son in bike parks and down Alps - he is A L O T faster....what wheel set are you going for?
You have the nicest colour, I think.
Great project. Nothing wrong with a bit of newness which works. After all, things we call 'retros' were new and new-fangled BITD. In 1992, I went from a couple of steel Marins to a Team Ti new fangled geometry...now a definite classic. My Klein didn't keep though - sold it after 2 years since it was such a lousy climber compared to the steel Team Marin and Team Ti.