Been pondering a new FS ride and the 2012 5-spot intrigues me. I have read a few online reviews but would be interested to know your thoughts and experiences. What's good/bad/ugly? Also, what size do you ride and what are your height/leg length measurements? At 5' 7" with a 30.5" floor-to-crotch leg measurement (with cycling shoes on), I'm not sure between small and medium.
Cheers!
Had mine about 4 years now I think. Great bike, always been a hoot to ride, not as good looking as the old HL 5 Spots, but that don't matter once your pointing it down an Alp. Ride it all over the place, been to the Alps twice it and no great rush to replace it as it does all I want and I have a larf on it.
I'm 5' 6" and have a medium frame but long legs and short body. I'd say you'd be better with a medium, best see if you can get a leg over one first though.
In Italy a few years ago:
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Thanks Coogan
I've had five 5 Spots through all generations from HL to TNT to DW link. Current one is a 2010 and while I'd love a 2012 it's not sufficiently different to me to warrant a swap-out, especially if I run a Works Components angle set.
They are extremely well made, the journal bearings are bombproof and as maintenance-free as you could wish - far, far better than the skateboard bearings used in most full-suss bikes.
As Coogan says, the 5 Spot is incredibly versatile with many 'personalities' in 1 bike: mine has been built light for singletrack blasts, medium for all-round fun, and with coils shock/Lyriks and DH kit for Morzine (where it rocked by the way).
The DW suspension is a big step ahead of previous generations - it feels very deep and plush, equally it's easy to tune to your personal ride characteristics with an air shock. I've done everything from XC races to DH weeks on mine.
I'm 5'10 and ride a Large. I'm a 'tweener' (in-between sizes like you) and having ridden both (my wife has a Medium) I'm better suited to the longer TT length and feel of the Large.
As you can see from the below, mine have been ridden around the world, from Peaslake to Whistler to Morzine to Moab!
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The only thing I would swap mine for is a Turner Burner, and that's more out of curiosity rather than a real need.
It did take a while to get it to feel right, I think some of that came from an initially stiff linkage but once sorted, it just flies. I've never ridden another bike that has had so much traction on the climbs.
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Great gallery Digger! You demonstrate the versatility of the 5-spot very well. I would probably go with a 140/150 mm fork and a 1 x10 setup. I'm not in the habit of chucking myself off mountains that often...
Ta Rob. In 20+ years of offload riding I only ever owned one full susser. I'm used to squeezing the available traction from a hard tail. I suspect that I may be spoiled for grip on a 5- spot!
I have a 2011 which I'm building back up. Previously built burly with 36's, coil shock, crossmax SX etc. now building it with 150mm revs, monarch RT3, arch ex's, 2x10. Felt great burly, was happy to ride it all day and take abroad. I've had and ridden a good few bikes and my thoughts on the spot are its very composed and efficient. Never feels flustered but rewards good riding. I wouldn't describe it as especially plush, plough-like nor a skill compensator. It is longer, lower and slacker than my LTc. The spot will be my second bike which I ride occasionally and lend to friends etc for a while until I decide to sell it.
Love mine, just had it powder coated as I cant see any reason to change it. It is very composed in all situations. as mentioned the climbing traction is superb, it just gets on with the job.
I have tried a u-turn Rev, a Domain and now a Dual air revs. It has had the std RP2/3, Vanilla Coil and now runs a Monarch Plus.
They are very versatile and the only thing I have against it is it's slightly heavy, but I'm more then willing to put up with that because it's so acomplished at everything.
[url= http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4094/4926345841_a583f4d96a_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/17059060@N00/4926345841/ ]P1000850[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/17059060@N00/ ]eastham_david[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/17059060@N00/6903695327/ ]P1040349[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/17059060@N00/ ]eastham_david[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/17059060@N00/7961502554/ ]P1040761[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/17059060@N00/ ]eastham_david[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/17059060@N00/6205036418/ ]IMG_8277 cropped2[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/17059060@N00/ ]eastham_david[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/17059060@N00/5123492517/ ]P1020951[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/17059060@N00/ ]eastham_david[/url], on Flickr
Like the black paint job there Vortex!
Dream bike for me. just can't afford one! nice pics guys keep em coming!
Not want you all an action shot, I had the old Horst link which I had for nearly 4 years....but this is better
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Sorry to hijack.
I am considering one, but can't decide between L and XL. I am 6ft 2, 33inch inside leg, long arms and upper body.
from an engineering point of view (on my 2005 ish HL job), bushs are much better than ball bearings, even full compliment or needle bearings for the job of rear suspension.
Put it this way, if you ride it for 5 years, you'll have saved your self at least 2 sets of conventional bearings (£160 inc labour for a spesh FSR, or about £450 for one of the new Yetis LMFAO), so they are pretty good value really, in the long run, at least thats what you tell the misses
6ft 32" legs on a large with short stem here solarider.
Had a 2005 Horst link. Amazing bike.
That's the Pentlands coogan.....
Another hijack, thinking of selling my 2011 frame + forks, headset and wheels, link here;
Obviously my opinion would come across as biased but I'm 6'3" with 34" inside leg, I've always ridden large frames (including 3 previous Turners)and thought the XL would be a gate but far from it, first bike to fit me properly. I'd always go for a larger frame with shorter stem now. Only looking to sell it to get a Sultan, I just can't get away from having a Turner. I phoned them up a couple of weeks ago, Dave Turner answered the phone and I chatted to him for half an hour, that isn't uncommon either. How many companies can you do that with?
Like others have said I don't think the DW spots feel as plush as the older HLs but in every other way they are superior. It had NO pedal induced bob with the RP23 but they do tend to blow to through the travel too easily, suspension performance is massively better with the CCDB and pedal bob is still almost imperceptible.
ive a 2005 horst link , keep thinking of selling but its a great do it all bike , dont know whats gonna replace it 🙂
A DW spot obviously....
Btw I'm 5-8 and ride a small with 50mm stem, give me that sharp snappy feel I like
davosaurusrex' frame is an absolute steal. Must still have some transferable warranty on it too.
And I've just agreed to sell it for £800! Damn you Merlin! And yep, warranty runs out April 2014. And in my experience (and many others) Turner will always help you out even when the warranty has expired.
Y'know, I've been thinking maybe I should try a Yeti or an Intense or somesuch but writing this and reading the other posts if you can afford one why would you consider anything EXCEPT a Turner?
Hi,
They are a fantastic bike.I had a 2004 HL Spot and it did me proud.Currently have a DW Flux which suits my riding better (for sale by the way).As soon as they release a 4 inch 29er i will have another Turner.In terms of sizing i am 6'2" and 34" inside leg.I rode a large HL and am riding a XL Flux which fits me better.
Thanx,
Max
Looking at the similar geometry of my current hard tail, size-wise it sits somewhere in between the small and medium 5-spots. I currently use a 70mm stem with an effective top tube of 575 mm, or 645 in total. This roughly equates to the small with a 75 mm stem, or a medium with a 60 mm stem. Based on the numbers, I'm leaning more towards the medium but I suppose the proof is in the riding.
I'd go with the medium based purely on the fact that you see a lot of threads along the lines of "wish I'd gone for the bigger frame size" and next to none the other way round. If you're on the cusp of sizes Turner usually advise to go bigger but email them your details and they'll let you know
Cheers davo, sensible advice there!
I've had a Horst link version a dw version and a sultan.
Both 5 spots have been really good trail bikes. the dw improves upon the Hl in two vital areas stiffness and squatting/sogginess under power.the trade off for the second is that you do lose that magic carpet ride feel that the host link had, but its much better under power and when steep climbing.
I only had my dw for about a year before getting a sultan, but that's a different story.
Got a 2010 5.Spot and a 2011 Flux. Use my Flux for 90% of my riding. They're both top top bikes. The 5.Spot is truly a do everything bike. It doesn't climb or pedal as well as the flux, but it's not far off and when you're going down it is a revelation. 2011 has a slightly slacker head angle than the 2010 so it'll be even better on the very steep and technical stuff. If you want one bike to do it all (and do it all very, very well) the 5.Spot is the one. Enjoy!
I have the HL version. Medium, with a 70mm stem and a layback seat post. This is spot on for me at 5' 6''.
You're welcome to try mine, if you are close to SE Wales.
Hth
Marko
My first one
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The one after that
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The present one
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My '05 HL. I'm 6'2" and this is a L with a 90mm stem. Absolutely love it, best FS I've ever had.
Here's my 2010 DW 5 Spot it's a large and now has Renthal 780 bars but needs new grips, I also need to sort my seat post cable routing out. I am also thinking of changing the stem to a Hope DH stem. Very happy with my MK ll tyres grip like hell.
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I'm very similar build to Boxfish, (5'6" and 30/31 inside leg) Ride a 2011 Medium 5 spot. Seems good for me.
Vortexracing how does the Monarch plus feel compared to previous shocks?
Very nice, although it's off to Loco for a fettle, it has a leak. 🙁
It seems to be perfect. I think it supports the midstroke better than the RP2/3 did, although that was std. I would expect a push tune on the Fox to make that better.
Thanks. Is it low/low tune?
yip, it is
I have the 2012 large with fox 34 160's - used to have a blur lt. The big thing I noticed is the stiffness and how well it pedals. It went to morzine this summer and soaked up everything. I would show you a picture if I could work out how.
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It seems I'm the only one that never really got on with a 5 Spot. Its not that I didn't like it, just didn't like it enough. It pedalled really well, was competent enough going downhill. I suppose it was just a bit uninspiring. Was a bit high and steep to make it really good going downhill, despite fitting both/or Lyriks/Works headset. It was no more than OK tbh.
I've now got a Zesty which for me is just a much better bike. OK, it lacks the kudos of the Turner which I know is a bit of an attraction, and I suppose it is a bit more likely to snap in half and kill me, but I much prefer it, it climbs just as well and descends much, much better.
Having been lucky enough to snap up davosaurusrex's old XL 5 spot I have found the frame design to be quite "interesting" so far. Coming off the back of long Orange five and then Cotic Hemlock ownership I think I may have taken many things for granted.
1) 44mm head tube. 1 1/8th steerer internal headset, steeper angles. Tapered steerer, external headset slacker angles. Limited options.
2) Seat tube that only lets you partially drop your post (or buy a dropper). The bike is designed to be ridden hard and so this is not ideal. Limited options.
3) Front mech restrictions (or use a hacksaw). Limited options.
I am not yet one of the Turner faithfull but hope to be convinced. The frame looks and feels the part and so I am looking forward to hammering it around the local trails (when I finish building it).
Thanks
Post some pics up when it's built! Regarding the build issues;
1 - I ran the Chris King Inset with 150mm 1 1/8 forks and it felt slack enough, certainly for down south. Haven't sold it yet, it's green, yours for £70 guv!
2 - never felt the need to drop the post that far before I got a dropper. Droppers are ossum though, well worth the investment, so good around Surrey Hills where you're changing between climbing and descending so frequently
3 - I took a hacksaw to a standard XT mech (which I bought off a friend for a tenner to be fair), 5 minute job so not much of a problem. Would have left it on the bike but will be going on the Sultan that I might click 'buy' on today!
The seat tube is uninterrupted. You should be able to drop it plenty.
The front mech job is very very simple. Not really sure how this limits you options?
How is using an internal headset steepening up the angle? Should be exactly the same, plus 44mm ID head tube gives loads of options.
If you use a fork with a tapered steerer then the headset required uses an external lower bearing which lifts the front of the bike 10mm or so and therefore slackens the head angle slightly
Not issues - just observations on things I didn't have to think about before. Having to modify a component to make it work with a frame is new to me and just seemed a bit odd.
Internal headset means no or very limited bottom cup and therefore a shorter (effective) axle to crown length which is probably a good thing on an XL Turner. Fitting external cups lengthens this and slackens the angles whilst raising the BB height.
Have to admit that I haven't actually experienced the seat post insertion feature yet as none of my existing posts fit - just going off the forum comments I came across whilst researching the post to use - may be old frames (210mm insertion before you hit butting apparently)? For Alpine / Scottish trips I do like the saddle to be completely out of the way.
Pics will prob not be that impressive. It is going to be a hotpotch of components and hand-me downs until I shift my other frames. Not sure the brown grips and saddle were ever a good idea.
Lime green grips FTW!
That frame had a protruding bit of weld inside the seattube which I have moaned about on another thread previously as it's not the only Turner I've had with this problem. I wrapped a broom handle with wet and dry and finished it myself so all should be good now.
My 'old' 5-spot
[url= http://farm1.staticflickr.com/196/505715306_b60b233112_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexleigh/505715306/ ]Turner 5 Spot - June 2005 - Current[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/alexleigh/ ]Alex Leigh[/url], on Flickr
Horst, bit big but still had lots of fun. Best being two weeks in Moab a few years back. Definitely the prettiest ones 🙂
My 11 year olds 5-Spot. But might be an RFX. Dunno, it's a custom size tho and ace.
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8299/8006809205_2f8cb6209a_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexleigh/8006809205/ ]Jessie's Turner Something[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/alexleigh/ ]Alex Leigh[/url], on Flickr
Hey Alex, when Jessie outgrows that and should you want to sell it can I have first dibs? My daughter is 5 and she would LOVE that! Actually I love it too, saw your build thread, suspected to be DTs wifes' frame isn't it?
Brilliant bike! Climbs well and a real toy for tech singletrack.
Mine is on sale: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-2012-turner-5spot-frame?replies=1#post-4532624
Well, I bit the bullet and a black 2012 5-spot landed on my desk this morning. Got that bike-build feeling again. Woohoo! 😀
2013 raw 5 spots are £1695!
Good work silverfish!
Try to ignore the state of the patio/fence/brake hoses/logo-valve alignment...
Absolutely loving my 5-spot!
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8)
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I'm 5ft10 and bought a medium 2011 one. Had to sell it because it was too small. I'd say 5ft7 would be perfect on a Medium 5 spot.
First time round Laggan Black on mine today. What a bloody great bike 🙂 I have had it for a year now and i can honestly say i don't look at any other bike and wish for a change. Absolutely love mine.
5' 8" on a medium here. Wheelbase is slightly longer than I'm used to (normally ride a hardtail). I love the fact that I can stand up and stomp the pedals without suffering too much bob. Still getting used to riding full suss again after 8 years of hardtails.