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Is the extra worth it for the 5 spot?
May be able to help here as I tested a Covert back-to-back with my DW 5-Spot (assuming that's the version you mean).
Covert - geometry is spot-on (no pun intended) and is really confidence inspiring. It builds up to around 30lbs with decent kit (not sure where Transition get the idea it can be built to 28lbs) so not bad weight-wise. Finish is good, but am surprised they specced quite a short shock (7.5" x 2" - same size as the 5-Spot but with 10mm more travel). It also looks "right" if you know what I mean. The only downside I found was brake jack due to the single-pivot design - even substituting a CCDB couldn't tame this. If this doesn't bother you (and many riders reckon it's bull anyway) then I reckon it's an awesome bike. For me it put me off.
DW 5-Spot - DW suspension action is awesome - plush but taught when accelerating, doesn't sag under climbing, no brake jack or pedal kick-back - for me it's the best design out there. Adding in the CCDB just makes it sublime, like riding a tyre 1 size bigger in terms of grip. The main problem for me with the 5-Spot is the HA is too steep and on my large frame the front too high. I ran mine with Float 160mm forks to slacken it a bit but then the BB was a bit too high. Interestingly, Turner has addressed the geometry issues for 2011 with a slacker HA and slightly lower BB.
Conclusions - if you're happy with a single-pivot design then the Covert is a no-brainer and great value for money. If you want a "better" suspension platform then the DW is very good but you should wait for the 2011 version which is supposed to arrive this month. Hope this helps!
I'm a big Turner fan and currently run a Flux and also used to have a HL 5 Spot.
I wanted to buy a new 5 Spot for European holidays but was put off by the short TT, steepish geometry and cost as its a bike that won't get used all year round as I live in the Midlands (flat) so normally use my Cotic Soul or Flux.
I decided to go for the new Specialized Stumpjumper EVO, decent TT, 67deg HA, 150mm travel and 13.5" bb height, all for £2900.
Never ever owned or wanted to own a Specialized before but it seemed the sensible (money & geometry) option to go for
[url= http://www.specialized.com/gb/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=52818&scid=1000&scname=Mountain ]HERE[/url]
Sorry doesn't answer your question directly, though I was also seriously looking at the Covert (and 5 Spot) also
any pics
Looks like a single pivot to me,with rocker actuated shock.The wheel is on a fixed path/radius.
So the pivot just above the rear axle, what's that there for then?
[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_suspension#Single_pivot ]Single Pivot[/url]
So the pivot just above the rear axle, what's that there for then?
Might want to think about it a bit more 😉
single pivot or not I like it!
Sorry. Still not convinced. An orange 5 is single pivot and a Saracen Ariel is single pivot albeit with a linkage design to attach the rear to the shock. The Transition is a 4 bar design but does not use the Horst link as the rear pivot point is on the seat stay.
It is a single pivot, just like all the Konas are and every other bike with a pivot on the seat stay.
Really..
Four-bar suspensions and the Horst link
The four-bar active suspension utilizes several linkage points to activate the shock. A Horst link suspension has one pivot behind the bottom bracket, one pivot mounted at the chain stay, in front of the rear wheel drop-out (this pivot being the venerated "Horst link"[1] ), and one at the top of the seat stay. Some examples of Horst link four-bar designs include the now-discontinued AMP B-5, the Specialized FSR and related bikes, Ellsworth, KHS, Titus, and Merida.
A four-bar, seat-stay pivot suspension is similar looking, having a pivot above the drop out instead of in front of the drop out (ie no Horst link and no patent problem). Having the pivot in front of the drop out (i.e. on the chain stay) allows the linkage components to affect the path of the rear axle, thereby allowing for a more complex arc of the axle path. Placing the pivot on the seat stay (above the drop out) makes the rear axle travel path like that of a single-pivot bike, since the chain stay is the only component that affects the rear axle's arc.
Seat-stay four-link pivot bikes perform exactly like similarly placed monopivots under acceleration and chain forces, which means they aren't as neutral under acceleration as Horst-link, four-bar bikes, dw-link, or Split Pivot bikes. However, when brakes are mounted on the seat stays, dw-link, Split Pivot and FSR four-link bikes have an advantage while braking over rough ground.[4] One manufacturer well known for their long-time use of the seat-stay pivot four-bar link suspension is Kona, who incorporate the design on their entire line-up, along with other manufacturers such as Infiza and Icon.
[i]A four-bar, seat-stay pivot[/i] is a different way of saying single pivot link driven...
It is what it is dans160, sorry...Like an Orange Blood...
No lesser bike for all that though, looks cool
I'll agree from the wiki link the end result is the same but the method is different.
Faux bar
dans160 your wiki link even says:
[i]"Seat-stay four-link pivot bikes perform [b]exactly like[/b] similarly placed monopivots"[/i]
and
[i]makes the rear axle travel path like that of a single-pivot bike,[/i]
i.e. are the same as...
Go have a look at the Orange Blood (see the similarity?) ...I quote (from their webpage):
"We love single-pivot simplicity at Orange, and the Blood is essentially a single pivot with a twist"
[shrugs/] it's cool though, for about 140/150mm travel bikes, it's makes eff difference in the real world. It's splitting hairs really
I agree they behave the same as but as I stated the method or execution is different IMHO. OST and VPP are different but achieve pretty much the same result.
Orange Alpine 160.
any new colours in 2011 for the covert?
Covert. Polished and Orange for 2011. We have a red one, and it's beautiful.
Think there's a British Racing Green - review on bikeradar has pics. Looks tasty.
the green was 2009 I think
Forgot to update before now - we're getting them in polished, orange and black for 2011. Blue red and white were 2010 colours (I think you could get them in Orange and Green in 2009, although uncertain?).
Any pic's of the new colours?