I finally managed to take my 09 dw five spot for a quick blast tonight and im having mixed opinions……..

ive come off a 2009 enduro and more recently a 2010 stumpy which both have fsr rear ends.

the dw spot feels completely different to be honest and just plain weird??

the back end on the spot feels like there is a ton of stiction in the bushings, even with no air in the shock it took some effort to compress the back end??

it was also clonking and creaking until i nipped up the bolts on the linkages, not a lot but just enough.

I have a set of steps that i like to clear on my old bikes and on the 5 spot i felt as thought i was going over the bars !! i can see why people install anglesets on these things too.

mind im running a 140mm thor fork which has been cut for the frame so i can put any more spacers under the stem. im still keen to try a long travel fork though.

the one big thing for me which is a concern is that when i was stood up stomping on the pedals every time the cranks come past the frame on the drive side the crank arm was clunking the swing arm a bit??

i take it this isnt normal ??

overall though i think once i get the shock set up and perhaps the bushing re-greased i might start to like it !!

I have an 08 Enduro and toyed with getting one of the £999 DW spots recently but I think Hora beat me to the last large while I was umming and aahing about that head angle. I have a set of lyriks that I was going to put on it but have read that this raises the bottom bracket height a tad too much.

It looks in good nick, could the “stiction” feeling be that the previous owner hasn’t ridden it much and the bushings just need to bed in?

Have you checked the rear triangle alignment. The pedal strikes would worry me.

you could be right .

i need to give the bushings a strip down and maybe regrease them.

any ideas on the crank arm hitting the frame though??

beat me too it lol

the frame looks straight from the back.

would xtr cranks flex under my 17 stone weight??

never had an issue on other types of cranks??

Not the drive side but similar issue & here

Put a spacer (or extra/remove any non-driveside spacers) under the hollowtech BB. Look at my post in mtbr turner forum on the 5spot on a ‘quirk’.

am i right to think that with a 73mm bottom bracket width you can only run one spacer??

Yep, Turner website says one spacer on the drive side only.

can you run two spacers on a 73mm shell or do i risk damaging the frame or cranks?

I’ve got 1 either side and I checked the thread/arm depth. So I say yes you could use two on your driveside. BTW I run XT (old gen crank arms).

Maybe XTR are lightweight and designed for svelte racers? NO OFFENCE but why seek lightweight parts if you are heavy like me? 😉

erm they came on the bike i bought mate!!

post me a link to the thread you are on about as i cant find it !!

I don’t think you’d damage the frame as they use 2 spacers on the same side on 68mm shells but I’m not sure on the cranks – is there more than 2.5mm of adjustment on the preload collar? If yes then I’d think it’d be OK

Renton I’m on a blackberry but go to mtbr forum Turner subforum and look for a post high up by ‘horacek’. That’s me.

it cant be right though can it , i mean there is quite a bit of clearance the other side and yet less than 5 mm this side and thats with a spacer fitted??

I noticed it was close but then ny cranks are very stiff so no biggy- 2xspacers driveside will sort. If the axel isn’t long enough then switch to a XT but I can’t see them being different lengths. Bear with the frame- you have to ride it differently but don’t go higher than 150 forks. !ollocks to people saying 160 is great- NOT on the 09/10 version – its like a fricking gate at 160- fronts too high/loamy and the BB is 14″ (I measured it).

I’ve got offset bushes on order.

Ps. Run your shock LOWER than recommended. I’m 210lb and run 150psi- it’ll break the linkage in earlier and I don’t bottom out my shock or sit low in travel.

The rule says 200psi for my weight? But at that I found the shock harsh- kicking me forward even on 1 pro pedal and almost slow rebound.

These are just my views but findings so far..

I have a 2011 spot. It does take some getting used to, depending on what bike you’ve come from but it will just click.
Get a grease gun and give it some welly into the zerks. If you get a chance, try a coil. I was not impressed with the rp23 at all on the spot, wither too stiff or using far too much travel on small stuff. The coil has been a revelation and well worth the weight penalty. I’m running a 160 fork and it is mega, does everything I want it to. I may toy with dropping it to 150 at some point. Can’t help with the contact issue though, I only have one spacer on my XT BB and its fine.

ok here are some pictures to show the difference …………..

non drive side…………

drive side.!!!!

bb set up

damage so far after a 5 min ride !!

any ideas??

oh and spoke to the original owner and the bushings were regreased about a year ago !!

A year?!?
In UK conditions?
Get em greased.

Two spaces non-driveside….

Also remember wreckers ‘spot is a 2011 with totally different geometry- relaxed angles and lower BB so its a different bike with 160’s..

Fair comment hora. I still think it’s worth trying a coil though.

oh and spoke to the original owner and the bushings were regreased about a year ago

Careful with this. It could mean it was dismantled, cleaned, re-greased and re-assembled, or it could be that he gave them a squirt a year ago with a grease gun.

Just measured the gap between the very end of my crank arm and the left chain stay on my flux and it’s 1cm.

Checked my 09 dw spot and the distance is equal on both sides, looking the same as your non drive side. Defo something odd there, have you got another pair of cranks you can try?

Wrecker- agree. What’s the eye to eye/stroke?

Its 200 x 57?

thanks for the replies

i havent got another pair of cranks i can try unfortuantley.

im going to take these off and have a look.

could the frame be out of alignment??

im getting lots of creaking too but im putting that down to the bushings not having any new grease for a year.

190 x 50 hora. I got a new van RC from a bloke on here. Nice chap too. Had to get a new spring but they’re only £20 odd.

I don’t know if this is true but put the bike upside down and look down/straight on whilst level at the front of the bikle

Grease the bushings every 3-4 rides. You know when they need it because it goes in, if they dont it wont.

Deffo something amis with the clearance, however knowing how well built and stiff turners are, I would change the cranks as a first option.

I did 7 years on a HL 5 spot and finally changed to a DW in June this year. It spent 3 months trying to kill me and only in the last 3 weeks have we clicked. Took a long time to get used too but once you do its just fookin ace. Very sensitive to the correct setup though. Rear shock is pretty easy, but the fork needs to be spot on to compliment the frame.

Just back from a night ride on mine and probably one of the fastest. The bike just loves to be pushed.

what travel forks do you run lowey out of interest?

just been in the garage to look at mine both my cranks are equal distance from the chainstay about 10mm each side.

Is the crank arm bent?

BTW mines a blue 5 spot 09 in small size

Every 3-4 rides? Its been 8 rides already on mine? Sure? I can’t be bothered!!

I’ve had a similar issue with my ’10 DW Spot and RF Atlas cranks. Changed the cranks for SLX and the problem solved.

It’s indeed sensitive to setup. I ended up using a 1 degree angleset and DGC mod to the shock (I weigh around 210+/- geared up). Sag is around 15-16 mm, 150 mm Revelations and I like it this way now.

Had it set up with Lyriks Solo Air @ 150 mm previously and while very stiff and bombproof feeling I think Revs are better and more sensitive for trailriding.

And, indeed, tried Lyriks @ 160 mm and it’s too tall for the frame IMO.

P.S. I’d definitely squeeze some grease into the pivots. Not sure about 3-4 rides though – I think it should be fine with a longer interval.

I can’t be bothered!!

Try. If it wont take grease its fine, If it does then you are improving the bikes performance… its a 2 minute job.

Renton, run 150mm Revs… Part of the long love hate period was getting use to these forks. I spent 7 years riding Fox Vans…. The revs are a lot more sensitive to correct setup, bit like the frame. I got some tips from here on how to do it and hey presto… the bike came alive.

I do also think its about mindset. This really is a bike that needs to be thrashed. I spent the first few weeks mincing and it fookin bit me. However, when you find the sweet spot with set up and get the confidence in the bike, the it really does just come alive.

Mine is a 2011. Because of the tough introduction, I spent a lot of time researching all manner of things, longer forks, dropper posts, head angle adjusters.. in the end I stuck with it, got the fork working properly and now fly. Its dead easy to blame the kit, when all you need to do is learn to love it the way it is.

Lowey I’m willing to swap my 2010 brutal but love you 5spot (that you crave) for your 2011 slacker and more neutral 5spot 😉

Oh I dream to have your 2011 HA. Go on! Birch yourself!

Renton, if I tried this on any other bike it’d be like riding a Rodeo bronco.. http://forums.mtbr.com/turner/dw-link-sitting-down-certain-section-seems-better-741573.html#post8492824

Renton if your frame is still creaking after re-grease, then you need the updated bolts from Turner, there’s a thread on mtbr about it.

Ring or email Greg and he will send you a nice packet of new bits to stop the creaking.

I did, he did, and it has.