Turner 5 spot - any good? « Singletrack Forum

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Turner 5 spot - any good?

100 posts & 41 voices | Started 6 months ago by pintofbestbitter | Latest reply from slowrider

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TurnerGuy - Member

Originally the Flux build kits were sold with 100mm forks.

Since then an mtbr forum member built up his flux with 120mm forks as an "all-mountain" flux - and I think Dave Turner had a go and liked it.

Now Flux builds are commonly 120mm forks and the Turner Flux build kits are 120mm.

This obviously steps on the toes of the steeper 5-spot so it is probably that, plus the fact that slacker is more in fashion, that caused the newer 5spots to be slacker.

Don't ever remember seeing anyone other than Hora complain that the older 5spot was too steep, and there seem to be some pretty decent riders on the mtbr turner forum, some with plenty of Turners in their arsenal.

I think a trip to see Jedi is in order...

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

Don't ever remember seeing anyone other than Hora complain that the older 5spot was too steep, and there seem to be some pretty decent riders on the mtbr turner forum, some with plenty of Turners in their arsenal.

There probably are some good riders on mtbr. However I've no idea how you can tell unless they display their trailmedal badges

Posted 6 months ago #
ChunkyMTB - Member

Or maybe they just own a bike long enough to have a valid opinion...

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

How long does it take you to figure out a frames strengths and weaknesses?

Posted 6 months ago #
ChunkyMTB - Member

Nobody on here values your opinion, that's just scientific fact.

You will agree I'm sure

BTW the Spot was really designed around a 140 fork but tubby trail warriors like yourself kept on slapping big gnar forks on (for the car park - gear off) Which is why he had to tweak it to stop the middle aged trail warriors from whining.

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

Nobody on here values your opinion

Years ago STW used to be a funny place. Now its attracted the type who are angry and cliquey. People who sit behind their pc's following and posting vitreous messages.

Tubby? Why the personal attack fella?

Posted 6 months ago #
ChunkyMTB - Member

I agree it was great years ago, until certain people turned up...

Posted 6 months ago #
wrecker - Member

BTW the Spot was really designed around a 140 fork but tubby trail warriors like yourself kept on slapping big gnar forks on (for the car park - gear off) Which is why he had to tweak it to stop the middle aged trail warriors from whining.

Ummmmm, I thought that you had Lyrics on your spot?
Nowt wrong with that, I have 36's on mine but I'm afraid I'm not
tubby

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

Lets be honest, there are an element who follow and post against others. A sort of online forum stalking. I've noticed by and large its the same characters. Wierd, really wierd. As apart from the odd poster I don't tend to notice whose who.

If I don't agree with someones opinion (say Junkyard or TJ who have strong opinions which may not be the same as my own but all folk are different) I don't post. Both good blokes (Junkyard met, TJ not yet).

Its also a real shame that SFB left STW. I've never targeted anyone. TBH I don't think I've got the level of concentration needed.

There are a few on here though that follow and post. Its systematic of someone who is bitter, angry and a wee bit lonely in their life.

Posted 6 months ago #
crashtestmonkey - Member

I hate to say it but hasn't Turner merely followed fashion with slacker angles, not necessarily because its better but because the market and the press say it is? Keith B used to post on rec.bikes back in the day and he always hated riser bars, as a bent bar compromises strength when a flat bar and the correct rise stem would give the same position. He eventually gave in to market forces and started selling riser bars and was pretty open about why.

Possibly my cynicism but when "sorted" bikes like the 5spot or Orange 5 get development tweaks I'm always dubious about the benefits, especially when they happen to follow trends.

I'd have one of those cheap 2010s tomorrow if I hadn't just paid twice that for car repairs

No need for personal snipes, but Hora you do sound very sensitive/demanding to what you expect from a frame or fork whether they're genuine or psychological traits you find fault with. I've tended to like most of the frames I've had so possibly I'm just an insensitive lump, or my riding adapts to suit without me realising it.

Posted 6 months ago #
TurnerGuy - Member

However I've no idea how you can tell unless they display their trailmedal badges

For one thing, some of them post videos of their rides

As I said - the 2010 spot was a bit close to 120mm Flux so they have widened the gap.

Posted 6 months ago #
renton - Member

i had a 2009 5 spot for about 2 weeks so not sure if my opinion counts or not.

ive got a set of steps that i set my suspension up on for every bike ive owned in the last 6 months (which is about 6 :mrgreen:)

the first time i sent the turner down the steps i ended up over the bars, this was with the cockpit set up the same as the previous bike which was a 2010 stump 140mm travel.

the turner felt nervous and a bit snappy at the front to me with the 140mm forks on the front and also was a lot shorter in the top tube than the stumpy too.

i see turner have slackend the head angle off a bit on the later model frame which could help i guess but i didnt really get on with the way it felt.

now riding a 2011 pitch which feels awesome in comparison.

just my 2p worth.

i also agree with hora about the way the forum is going.

when i first joined back inthe day before the new forum and i had a completely different username this forum was a place to come and get help/ info from like minded bikers.

now it just seems to be a piss taking contest and a chance for key board warriors to have a go at certain folk.

so what if hora changes his bike all the time, thats up to him isnt it??

peace everyone, lets just get out and ride !!!!!!!

Posted 6 months ago #
Hooter - Member

Got a 2010 5 Spot and very happy with it. It's set up with 140mm Pikes. Brilliant trail bike for anything rocky in the Peaks and Lake District or trail centres like Gisburn or Llandegla. I'd like to try it with 160mm forks sometime, but I don't get all the obsession with headtube angles myself.

Posted 6 months ago #
iwluap - Member

Took my 2010 XL 5-Spot (with 140 32's) out for it's first ride on Saturday. All I can say is that it was ace. Pro-pedal off and could not feel any bob at all. Probably running the shock a little bit soft, but it seemed to work for me. Tracked perfectly up the hills and through the mud and didn't at any stage feel as though I was going to be pitched over the bars coming down hill.

Only the first ride mind - I was worried that I wasn't going to like it - so need to ride it more and in different environments to see what it can do, but as they say, first impressions count, and mine were fantastic!

Posted 6 months ago #
NorthCountryBoy - Member

I was quite cautious about posting on this thread for fear of it all becoming personal, but as a Turner rider I thought my comments may be useful to the OP.
I don’t have trail badges or claim to be a great rider.
I just enjoy riding bikes. I mentioned the fort William track as a reference point that more people may be able to gauge rather than something local to me.
I bought the Turner as a 140mm travel bike as that’s what I thought suited my requirements. I don’t think I need 160mm of travel or the associated extra weight.
I also think running the bike as it was designed is a good idea. I respect the guys that designed it. I assume they tried a lot of options to get from prototype to the market place. I also realize that like everything changing tastes, fashion and development drives the bike industry.
Hora please don’t take my opinions as aggression towards you, I Was merely trying to give the alternative view that the 2009 frame was actually rather good and the 2011 doesn’t feel that different (to me anyway).
I always find when tweaking set up its best to try things back to back. If you buy a new part hoping it will make the bike feel better, there’s a good chance you will convince yourself it is better.
Why not come up to the lakes and we can go for a Turner group ride?
Not sure if there will be badges available though?

Posted 6 months ago #
heihei - Member

I agree with Hora's assessment of the 2009 / 2010 frames in Large. I had one and liked it, but never fell in love with it like I did my old HL medium. I ended up selling it for a Medium Mojo HD.
My mate, on the other hand, has a Medium 09 and fitted one of the Angleset rip-off headsets from the guy in Israel along with a CCDB and it's totally transformed the bike.

PS Also worth noting that based on his posts on MTBR, Dave Turner isn't beyond tinkering with frame geometry based on what riders demand rather than what he personally feels is best!

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

Northcountryboy, no offence taken. I just wanted to shake the tree alittle as I didnt/dont want anyone to buy into a frame that's not potentially for them.

Its quite a distinctive ride zippy ride isn't it with a sharp techy feel. I admit I struggled with it. I'm more used to the blur4x and I was out of my comfort zone as that was more a lower longer-feel. I admit I'm more of a nervous rider who will have a go at most trails so out of my zone I feel abit 'lost'.

BTW I ran my 115mm blur4x with 140 Fox 36 floats (internally set). No 160 carpark warrior forks on mine

Posted 6 months ago #
repatriot - Member

All this guff about the head angle and no talk about how brilliant the rear suspension is! Its so good it pushes you to go at things hard and harder. In my humble opinion the 5 spot needs a bigger fork just to keep up with the rear, I have a Fox 32 140 and it is well under forked for my riding. I 150 Rev at least is needed!

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

Yep! Next time you freewheel through a techy bit sit down and you'll feel the traction/lack of kickback etc!

Posted 6 months ago #
TurnerGuy - Member

70 degree HA and 100mm forks is where it's at...

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

This may be good for us: http://forums.mtbr.com/turner/dw-5-spot-rp23-mod-503070-post5513120.html#poststop

Posted 6 months ago #
TurnerGuy - Member

I think the shock on the 2010+ has the boost valve stuff, whereas his post is from 2009 and so possibly doesn't - in case it makes much difference.

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

Turner were going to put the boost Fox on but changed their minds for 10/11- not sure about 2012.

Posted 6 months ago #
robinlaidlaw - Member

I've got a 2010 large and love it to bits.
I'm running 150mm Revs on it and the handling feels great albeit quite sharp. I came from an SX trail running 36s (and DH bikes before that) and prefer the 5 Spot, it doesn't need so much body english to pull the bike around but is still stable. Also, it will still steer properly when climbing slowly, which very slack bike rarely will.
I run the rear shock with about 19mm sag (17mm recommended by Turner) and the spacer trick linked to on MTBR above. As far as the high front end is concerned, I run a 70mm zero rise stem with no spacers and after trying completely flat wide bars am now on a set of low rise Easton Havocs which feel ideal.
The shock and bushings take a few weeks to bed in but they do and it feels even better once it has.
Also worth mentioning that it is one of the stiffest frames I've ever ridden laterally, which has to help tracking through rough sections.

For those with RP23s on a DW 5 Spots that haven't already tried it the MTBR shock spacer trick is excellent, you can run the shock softer and lower which helps the feel of the bike without it bottoming any more easily.

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

Robin, where did you get your ski-material from? I've googled/can't find. Thats the only thing stopping me from modding the shock.

I'm 210lb but found running the shock <150psi made it great-responsive etc. However it does blow the marker off the shock shaft so the above (I guess) would help prevent me having to run alot more psi/making the rear too firm.

Posted 6 months ago #
wrecker - Member

Hora, did you not get a whole new bike then or just the front triangle?
The 2011 bikes have the mod as standard.

Posted 6 months ago #
robinlaidlaw - Member

Hora,
I used the plastic off a lid of a spindle pack of blank CDs. It's a little thin as measured with a vernier so I made the shim slightly wider to give the same volume.
I'm about 170lbs and ride quite hard (ex DH racer) with it set this way and rarely blow the travel marker ring off.

EDIT: possibly worth mentioning that I set my sag on both ends standing with all my weight on the pedals as a half way house between XC style setting it while seated and DH style setting it standing in an "attack position" crouch. I would not expect to take a big hit while seated without bottoming the shock but it's fine when standing. This also will be making my headangle slacker than standard when I am riding.

Posted 6 months ago #
hora - Member

Ah, Wrecker my 2010 shock was swapped over.

Posted 6 months ago #
wrecker - Member

OK. Mod away!

Posted 6 months ago #
slowrider - Member

hora. never EVER sit down in technical stuff. please. at least save it for when im not there, i would hate to have a ride interrupted by the need for an air ambulance.

Posted 6 months ago #