After over three years of development, Turner Bikes has come out with a carbon model. With other medium sized brands like Intense, Yeti and Santa Cruz releasing carbon mountain bikes in the last few years, Turner looked under increasing pressure to get with the fantastic plastic. However, Turner has taken its time and has chosen a race bike as its first carbon bike as it’s those racers that are fastidious about weight saving and efficiency.
Carbon frame in 'not swoopy' shocker!
The new Czar looks pretty much like a Turner, which will please its fans. It hasn’t got overly swoopy tubes or the organic shapes that many carbon bikes have and presents a pretty conventional silhouette.
The 29in wheeled bike will have 100mm suspension front and rear and is aimed ‘directly at the marathon/XC racer.’
Two sets of bottle bosses
External cables with removable bosses.
The DW Link is still being used and it should give good performance for those riders that ride lots and who want to use the DW Link’s anti-squat suspension for fast, big ring-style performance.
“We’re going to place the carbon bikes in our line where we feel they’re most advantageous to the type of rider they’re aimed at,” says Turner Bicycles’ founder David Turner. “We’re going to look at those people who are hyper conscious about saving every gram they can.”
We’ll be looking to get a closer look at the new Czar at this week’s Sea Otter Classic event, so stay tuned for our coverage this week.
With 23 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)
Thanks Chipps – looking a little closer at the rear brake I think I mis-took the replaceable chips 😉 in the rear for bolts – and in true STW style didn’t bother to rear the spec 😀
Mmmm – fast and clean looking… No post mount rear brake? Press-fit BB?
There is a press-fit BB and there are post mount rear brakes. Both on the spec sheet
Thanks Chipps – looking a little closer at the rear brake I think I mis-took the replaceable chips 😉 in the rear for bolts – and in true STW style didn’t bother to rear the spec 😀
*read
Oh great. Another bike to add to the ‘WANT’ list…
Very tight.
Nice looking bike, and available in mahoosive too.
They’re not catering for the ‘looks-to-silly-on-a-29er’ short folk then?
too, not to, for the pedants (FTP?)
For years my dream build was a five spot. I want one of these now, in black.
That is luverly 3> 🙂
Arse… Luverly <3 😉
Im guessing it has to be run 1×10/11 as I cant see where there is room for a front mech
Looks like direct mount to me.
The colour’s right 🙂
Sadly, full-sus isn’t compatible with my gravitationally challenged stature 🙁
Lovely that. I imagine it’s going to be really affordable too!
hmmm, that is a lovely looking bike. Mrs Stealf may moan if I add another bike though. hey ho, she rarely visits the garage..
Lush!