Turner

In a period of about a month, I'd talked to my buddy Matt in Atlanta, convinced myself I wanted an early Turner 5 Spot (what the "Homers" on MTBR call a TNT or HL or something, suspended Turner...aka not a newer DW-Link frame), and found one on eBay and had it built. Total cost, around a grand, thanks to the piles of unused weirdness that crowd my palatial corner office here at One Utahdog Center.


Before, sitting on my den floor.

And after, shown here at it's maiden voyage out at Hanna Park. It's a fun bike, and when ridden with a little finess, such as that which comes from being an offroad cyclists that prefers rigid bikes, should last forever. The feel is like riding a couch, which should be nice for my aging back, and yet not nearly as vanilla boring as my Cannondale Rush 5, which was my last experience with suspension. Don't get me wrong, the Cannondale was a decent bike and I can't complain too much about it because I made money off the thing, but the Turner is more nimble, even with 5 inches of boinginess out back. Actually the Turner is more nimble than the blue EWR, at least in it's current configuration. I need to sort that EWR. I don't think it likes the Fox fork.

Hanna is a good test for a bike like this too, because the trails are tight and twisty and require mobility and squirtability that many suspended bikes simply don't have, and the trails and parking lot are never far apart, so shake-down rides that expose loose bolts and the like don't leave you stranded and walking 10 miles. I never carry tools or water at Hanna. Just swing back by the car and take a swig after every lap.

As for the build cost tally sheet, see below...the ones marked "$0" were obviously not free, but rather come from the hoarded stores of weirdness...

Frame - $575 shipped

Easton Mountain Two wheels - $275 from Pricepoint

Avid BB7 brakes - $110 from Pricepoint

Kenda Nevegals - $60

Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur - $55

Race face Deus headset - $40

Shimano UN-52 bottom bracket - $25

Sachs Extreme front shifter - $19

Oury grips - $7

Rock Shox Revelation coil fork- $0

Sachs Wavy 8spd rear shifter - $0

Altek levers - $0

SDG saddle - $0

Race Face System stem - $0

Race Face Air Hardened bar - $0

Race Face Diabolus post - $0

Race Face Turbine cranks, RF rings, RF bash - $0

Shimano Deore XT pedals - $0

Shimano IG90 chain - $0

Shimano Deore XT cassette - $0

Shimano Deore XT front derailleur - $0