Turner Flux

***francois*** · 06-10-2005

Turner Flux - Review
We received the Turner Flux in the mtbr.com offices and I got a chance to ride it for several weeks...

Turner Flux

Photo ©: mtbr.com

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2005 Turner Flux Review

Introduction:
We received the Turner Flux in the mtbr.com offices and I got a chance to ride it for several weeks. I normally ride a Turner 5-spot on the buff trails of Northern California. The Turner Flux is a lot like the 5-spot but more agile. It climbs better and it carves tight singletrack better. It is the little brother that could! This Flux weighed in at 25 lbs even. It climbed like a goat and it handled all the descents that San Jose-Norcal area could deliver. It made me question why I owned a 5-spot? The Flux seemed perfectly capable of handling the local stuff.

Below is a review by one of our riding crew, Derek Mau. Derek is a cross-country type rider who rides Titus Racer-X. Derek climbs like a goat and is more careful on the descents. Read his review and discover how well the bike worked for him. I knew the Flux could handle the fast singletrack of Norcal but how would it do on the rough stuff in Moab and Fruita? Well it passed with flying colors. It handled the rough stuff at high speed and by then end of the road trip, Derek was doing 2-3 foot drops with confidence. The best thing I can say about the Flux is that it elevated Derek's riding... about two notches higher!

Francis Cebedo
-------------

Date Reviewed: 5/10/2005
Duration Product Used: 1 week, approximately 24 hours of ride time
Reviewer: Derek Mau

Strengths:
- superb handling
- excellent climbing prowess
- plush ride
- inspires rider confidence

Weaknesses:
- makes you want to spend more money on a new bike

Similar Products Tried: Titus Racer-X

Bike Setup:
FSA components (handlebars, stem, headset, crankset, wheelset)
SRAM X.9 Trigger Shifters, SRAM X.9 Rear Derailleur, SRAM 9-Speed Cogset
Fox Float RP3,
Rock Shox Reba SL

Bottom Line: Turner knows their bikes!

Where to start? It is so hard to describe something that works so perfectly. If I can ride a bike on technically challenging singletrack without having to think about it, something has to be right. Steep ascents with steps and other obstacles... no problem. Scary descents with even bigger obstacles... no problem. Fast descents on your favorite trail - just go faster. Getting out of the saddle to accelerate and close that gap or crest that hill faster than you can say Damn! Life is good!

Even though my height is 5 feet 5 inches and I weigh only 125 pounds, I was able to fit comfortably on a medium frame without any strange setup modifications. Basically, I just adjusted the seat height, saddle position, bolted on my pedals and experienced some of the best riding of my life on Gooseberry Mesa, Porcupine Rim and the trails at Fruita, CO. The Flux was easy to maneuver and manual over obstacles. Setting up for jumps, clearing small obstacles and pulling up the front-end are a snap requiring less effort when compared to my Titus Racer-X. The suspension design and shock setup allows me to track straight through whichever line I choose. I was able to follow one of my riding buddies, on a 37 pound freeride (DH?) bike, doing a fast descent on Porcupine Rim through a particularly rough section. Essentially I just followed my buddy's line down the trail and stayed on his rear wheel until we paused to regroup with everyone else. The look of surprise on his face was priceless when he turned around to see who had been tailing him for past few minutes. Especially since my friend was not expecting a small rider on an XC bike to be shadowing him on a rough descent. The Flux remained poised during the chase and I was able to maintain control without having to fight with the bike to keep it on track. Sometimes, because I am such a lightweight, the bike and I get bounced around on particularly rough descents. This was not the case today. The big plus is that my body did not feel beat up after hammering up/down Porcupine Rim. How cool is that?

After riding the Flux on a variety of trails and terrain I can definitely say it is an awesome FS bike. The bike's qualities inspired added confidence and I can truthfully say that my riding skills improved during the week I rode the Flux. Hmmm. Am I ready to trade-in my Racer-X for a Flux. Stay tuned for more details on this saga.

5 out of 5 stars!

Related Links:

Manufacturer Site: http://turnerbikes.com//
Mtbr.com user reviews: http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/xc_full_...t_124855.shtml
Video of Turner Flux in action: http://mtbr.com/author/photos/Flux_30sec.wmv

tscheezy · 06-10-2005

Excellent writeup. I cannot compare the Flux to the RX, but the overall comments reflect my experience with a demo of the Flux also. A very fast, stable, neutral, and balanced ride. An eminently capable climber and fun descender. Good stuff.

**SSINGA** · 06-10-2005

Nice write-up. Glad he kept his review to the bike as a whole instead of nit-picking certain component choices.

boy, ain't this the truth!
Weaknesses:
- makes you want to spend more money on a new bike

How would a Yellow one look with my Orange Pack

Brodiegrrl · 06-10-2005

hmmm

I have the Edge - whatever he calls it - Racer X and I find it amazing on anything XC in the US. I haven't ridden it on porcupine rim, but I have ridden it in Gooseberry mesa and other trails in Fruita and Moab and I'm amazed everytime I ride it.

I recently picked up the Turner 6 pack as my 'freeride' bike and I have not found its limit riding the Shore - I don't huck huge - or the one day I rode at Whistler. Its a scary thing when your bike keeps asking for more!

Did the turner have the same fork as your racer x?

***francois*** · 06-10-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brodiegrrl

Did the turner have the same fork as your racer x?

Good question. That is a significant difference. The Racer X has a Marzocchi 80 mm Air shock and the Turner has a Rock Shox Reba 100mm. The hype about the new Rock Shox is true. They are very good.

Also, the Turner had 2005 Magura brakes which were significantly better than the Avid Mechs on the on the Racer X.

We'll edit the review with the component spec differences between the two bikes Derek was comparing.

francois

Brodiegrrl · 06-10-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by francois

The Racer X has a Marzocchi 80 mm Air shock and the Turner has a Rock Shox Reba 100mm. The hype about the new Rock Shox is true. They are very good.

I went from the 100mm Xfly to the Minute 3.

WAY better!

The Minute was a lot stiffer, way less bouncy - due to the SPV - and could track like like a rabid dog after its prey.

I did have the Xfly in Moab/Gooseberry.

The minute is A LOT more confidence inspiring then the Xfly.

Jaybo · 06-12-2005

I love my 5 Spot! However, at times, I wish it would carve up tight singletrack better. It feels like I'm lumbering at times working hard to turn the bike in really tight conditions. I think, "Come on, baby, turn." It is like trying to turn quick on giant slalom skis. Furthermore, the Spot tends to not put you in as good a position on climbs. You tilt back a bit too much. Regardless, the Spot does 90% of what I like well.

Great review. It sounds like the tester is going to sell his Titus and buy the Turner. Moab looks very fun.

Jaybo

***francois*** · 06-13-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaybo

I love my 5 Spot! However, at times, I wish it would carve up tight singletrack better. It feels like I'm lumbering at times working hard to turn the bike in really tight conditions. I think, "Come on, baby, turn." It is like trying to turn quick on giant slalom skis. Furthermore, the Spot tends to not put you in as good a position on climbs. You tilt back a bit too much. Regardless, the Spot does 90% of what I like well.

Great review. It sounds like the tester is going to sell his Titus and buy the Turner. Moab looks very fun.

Jaybo

I got the 5-spot last year for the 'longevity' factor. I figured, that much travel would keep me happy for 3-5 years of all kinds of riding.

After riding the Flux though, I immediately replaced my Romic rear shock with an RP3. Much, much better. The bike is a lot more agile. Lighter too.

francois

Jaybo · 06-14-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by francois

I got the 5-spot last year for the 'longevity' factor. I figured, that much travel would keep me happy for 3-5 years of all kinds of riding.

After riding the Flux though, I immediately replaced my Romic rear shock with an RP3. Much, much better. The bike is a lot more agile. Lighter too.

francois

I went from a Romic to a RP3 and could not be happier. A great upgrade. The bike feels like it is a gear faster. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy my Spot and plan on riding it for a long time. I got a Pushed Vanilla that has been a blast. It must be cool to be able to test ride such a cool bike. Great job.

Jaybo

RedRocker · 06-14-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by SSINGA

How would a Yellow one look with my Orange Pack

Like a weenie air-sprung work of art no doubt

jokermtb · 06-18-2005

if Turners didn't exist, I'd be on a Titus....but since I just woke up, I'm glad that's not the case...

Turner - the only mtb bike I'll ride....

tazdevl · 07-06-2005

Good write up but it seems like you're comparing apples to oranges if you're on a RX 80, using hydro vs mechs and a medium frame versus a small? RX.

***bustamove*** · 07-17-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by tazdevl

Good write up but it seems like you're comparing apples to oranges if you're on a RX 80, using hydro vs mechs and a medium frame versus a small? RX.

The focus of the review was on the frame - not the components or front shock. The purpose of listing my current ride setup was to give the reader an understanding of my previous ride experience and how my opinions were shaped. Basically, I tried to stay away from reviewing the parts on the bike.

Derek

goneskiian · 07-18-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by bustamove

The focus of the review was on the frame - not the components or front shock. The purpose of listing my current ride setup was to give the reader an understanding of my previous ride experience and how my opinions were shaped. Basically, I tried to stay away from reviewing the parts on the bike.

That's kind of hard to do don't you think? Considering all those parts are attached to the frame and have an effect on how the frame performs (especially the fork).

Nice review anyway. Sounds like a great bike.

Cheers!
-Ian

KMan · 09-15-2005

I seem to be kind of slow finding thie review but I came to the same conclusion.
My background:
Been riding MTB for 15+ years now, racing 10.
I had been a Titis Racer X owner for the past 4-5 years owning 3 different racer X's.
1st Racer X was the last year them made the frame w/out the X-link (80mm)
2nd one was the year after that with the X-link (80mm)
I had purchased my last Racer X in 2004 (100mm version)
I love the bike...but wanted something where the suspension did not ramp up so much as I alsway had problems getting full travel out of any of my X's. I had tried 3 different shocks and non of the shock changes helped.

I finally decided I was going to try something completely different. I had owned a few years back a Trek Fuel 100 and like the way the suspension felt, but had a difficult time actually owning a Trek bike so I sold it. I figured a frame with a similiar suspension set-up would be the way to go. Started hanginh out on the Turner board and saw that DT was coming out with the Flux.......decided to give it a try and am ABSOLUTELY greatful that I did. The Flux is just an awsom frame design. I would say it is everything the Racer X is and more. The Racer X is known for being a great climbing bike and the Flux is just as good a climber....probably better since the suspension eats up more of the bumps. Down hill the Flus just rules.....great down hiller for being an XC rig.

All in all I just wanted to say I agree with your concludion of the Flux...especially in comparison to the Racer X. My ONLY negative about the Flux is that I prefer anodozied frames and wis my Flux was anodized.

Other than that I plan on keeping my Flus for quite some time and would only sell if if Turner makes some nices changes to the current frame.

KMan

Tag1 · 04-08-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by KMan

but had a difficult time actually owning a Trek bike so I sold it.

What does that mean? Why would you sell a bike you liked?

Also, how does the Turner compare to the Fuel?

Beldrueger · 04-17-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tag1

What does that mean? Why would you sell a bike you liked?

Also, how does the Turner compare to the Fuel?

Maybe Trek doesn't carry the boutique "cool" factor in his bike club.

That's how I read it.