Interbike 2010: Turner’s upcoming RFX all-mountain machine

Turner Bikes say their new RFX all-mountain chassis should finally be ready for release in another eight or nine months after much anticipation and lots of prototype testing – and from the looks of things, it may very well be worth the wait. 

Target specs for the artfully TIG-welded aluminium frame include 165mm of rear wheel travel, a stable-handling 66-degree head tube angle and relatively low 35cm (13.8in) bottom bracket height, tidy 432mm-long (17in) asymmetrical chainstays and a target weight of 3.3kg (7.3lb) with rear shock. 

The heavily reinforced head tube will fit a number of different steerer diameters, and the rear end will again use Dave Weagle’s superb dw-link suspension system plus Turner’s trademark composite bushing pivots with integrated grease ports for easy servicing.

Pricing is still to be determined and is expected to be in-line with Turner’s status as a small-volume boutique brand, but it may not be as bad as some have feared. According to Dave Turner: “[It’ll be] more than a 5.Spot but only as much as it has to be.”

Speaking of the 5.Spot, Turner’s versatile trail bike receives several key updates for 2011, including a 44mm-diameter (internal) head tube that’ll accept either straight 1-1/8in or 1-1/8 to 1-1/2in tapered steerers, a slacker 67.7° head tube for improved high-speed stability and a new ‘burrito’ seat tube gusset for a more finished appearance.

The 2011 Turner 5.Spot gets a slacker and tapered-compatible head tube, narrower chainstays, updated cable routing and a new ‘burrito’ seat tube gusset

There’s even updated cable routing that now includes provisions for a remote-actuated dropper seatpost, and, in a nod to the newer crop of narrow-stance two-ring cranksets, Turner have slightly narrowed the asymmetrical chainstays for better clearance. 

Turner also add the tapered-compatible 44mm-diameter head tube to their Sultan 29in-wheeled full-suspension chassis for 2011, along with a slightly slacker head tube angle and the same ‘burrito’ fully enclosed gusset used on the 5.Spot. 

Meanwhile, the 100mm-travel Flux gets the new gusset, too – but continues on with a straight 1-1/8in-only external-cup head tube – and the striking DHR World Cup-style downhill racer continues on essentially unchanged.

Turner’s DHR downhill rig features 210mm (8.3in) of rear wheel travel and low, stable geometry aimed at World Cup-style racing