Turner 5 Spot: Reviewed

Turner's much loved 5 Spot chassis has been through a number of changes since it's inception in 2003. Gone are both the original Horst Link and faux bar designs, in its place is a dw-link system that controls the Spot's 140 mm of travel. The dw-link itself is two short stout links that create a certain amount of built in anti squat depending on where the bike is in its travel. The system is claimed to be able to balance mass transfer during acceleration while increasing traction and bump sensitivity. The early stages of the bike's travel features a rearward axle path that can be found on many other designs, but the Spot also uses a Fox RP23 with very light compression damping that should further enhance small bump compliance, and therefore traction. A lot has been written about dw-link and the wonders that it seems to work, but this was my first time riding a bike built around Dave Weagle's much heralded design.


Turner 5.Spot Details

• Intended for enduro/all-mountain use
• 5.5"/140 mm of rear wheel travel
• Fox RP23, dw.link tuned (7.5" x 2")
• Uses dw.link rear suspension
• 6.8 lb. frame weight
• Colors include charcoal grey, sangria, raw
• MSRP $2495 USD (frame only)

The Spot is built using aluminum, as are all the bikes in Turner's lineup. The front triangle features an aggressively sloping top tube that should give every rider ample stand over clearance, even those who are cursed with short inseams. An interesting, albeit hidden, aspect of all of the current Turner full suspension bikes is the complete lack of standard sealed cartridge ball bearings at the pivots. Instead, the bikes all use journal bearings (picture precision bushings) that are made of a high grade kevlar composite. The journal bearing is built to handle greater side loads than a common sealed bearing that would distribute those same loads through only a few of its balls. Neither the aluminum pivot shaft or the bearings themselves are as susceptible to rust or the elements as standard sealed bearings combined with steel pivot shafts. Holding it all together is Turner's Hex-Lock pivot system that is a step beyond the regular nuts and bolts that usually tie things together.

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Turner 5.Spot geometry

Head angle	68.6
EFF Seat Angle	72.6
EFF Top Tube	23"
Chainstay	16.9 mm
Bottom Bracket	13.7"
Actual Frame Size (seatube length)	17"
Standover	30.2"

Based on a 525mm axle to crown fork with a 26"x2.3" tire
Reach: 15.6"
Stack: 23.1"

Want to know what the reach and stack measurements mean?

Turner offers the 5.Spot in six sizes, from extra small through to double extra large. If you measure up somewhere between 4'11" and 6'5", you should be able to find a size that will work for you.

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The Build
Here in B.C. it is easy to get a little too focused on the more aggressive side of the all-mountain scene and end up over building our bikes. We wanted to do something a bit different with Turner's capable 5.Spot instead of the usual slackened out do-everything bike that you would usually find under one of us. With that in mind, the parts we chose lean more towards the trail riding side of the all-mountain spectrum. I think a lot of readers in other parts of the world may find this particular build decidedly aggressive, but for our terrain and intentions it is certainly not the case. Turner's 5.Spot sits squarely in one of the toughest categories to define, and making it even more difficult is the design's capable nature and ability to work well with a number of different fork options. The Spot should feel at home under a number of different riders with varying skill levels and trail tastes. Turner lists the Spot as a trail bike with cross-country and all-mountain tendencies, I think that is a pretty accurate description. It's not uncommon to see different 5.Spots equipped with a number of different travel length forks depending on the rider's preferences.


We fitted our Spot with Fox's new Float RP23 shock that features Boost Valve technology that is lifted directly from their DH series of dampers. We were excited to have see how the new Fox technology mated to the Turner's suspension, although it should be noted that the 5.Spot comes stock with the non Boost Valve version. We matched this up front with their 150 mm travel 32 Float 150 FIT RLC fork. This latest version gets an update to their new FIT cartridge that claims to benefit from both slightly less weight as well as a touch less friction. The RLC acronym means that this fork has rebound, lockout, and low speed compression adjustments, as well as adjustable lockout force. Plenty of buttons and dials to play with on this build!

Much like a bunch of crows are attracted to shiny bits, all of us in the office wanted to have a go on Easton's beautiful Haven wheels. Lucky for me they are a great match for the 5.Spot with the front wheel being easily convertible to accept the Fox fork's 15 mm QR axle. Weighing in at well under 1700 grams and having a fully sealed rim bed for easy tubeless conversions certainly doesn't hurt their cause either.


Drivetrain duties are a SRAM affair with a mix of their X.0 kit and carbon Noir cranks. The boys at SRAM know that a lot of riders like to add some personal touches to their machines so they now offer these select components with five different color accents so you can match, or stand out a bit like we chose to do with their tango color option.



The Specs

Frame and Size	Turner 5.Spot •medium Frame •140 mm travel
Rear Shock	Fox RP23 HV, dw.link tuned •7.5" x 2"
Fork	Fox 32 Talas FIT RLC •150 mm travel •15QR
Headset	Ritchey
Crankarms	Truvativ Noir, Tango
Chainring	Truvativ, 22/32/42, Tango
Bottom Bracket	Truvativ GPX
Chain	SRAM PC 991
Cassette	SRAM PG990 11-34, Tango
Rear Derailleur	SRAM X.0., long cage, Tango
Shifters	SRAM X0, Tango clamps
Handlebar	Eaton Monkey Lite CNT
Stem	Race Face Atlas
Grips	ODI Ruffian
Brakes	Magura Marta SL
Front Wheel	Easton Haven •15 mm thru-axle
Rear Wheel	Easton Haven •10 x 135 mm
Tires	Front, Bontrager FR4 2.35 folding Rear, Bontrager FR4 2.35 folding
Saddle	WTB Silverado TLD
Seatpost	Truvativ XR

Other highlights include a very nice Easton Monkey Lite CNT handlebar, a Race Face Atlas stem in a short 50 mm length, and a Truvativ XR post with a WTB Silverado saddle perched atop it. Not to be forgotten are Magura's high end Marta SL brakes. Magura has them weighing in at 315 grams by using a combination of magnesium and titanium, along with a carbon lever blade.

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Climbing
The 5.Spot climbs quite well, although I wasn't as blown away by it's ascending abilities as I thought I'd be. Reading other reviews would have one believe that while aboard the Turner a rider magically sprouts angel wings and sips sparking water as he crests the steepest grades. In reality, the 5.Spot was on par with other bikes of the same intentions in most situations, and slightly more refined in others. What I discovered was that on less demanding gradients the rear suspension was just as susceptible to rider input as any other bike. The Fox RP23 gently moved through a few mm of its stroke as I pedaled away, even when I made a conscious effort to be as smooth as possible. This isn't a knock against the 5.Spot, every full suspension bike is guilty of this foible, and it can be quite easily managed with the Float's Pro Pedal lever while climbing on smoother terrain.


Strangely, or perhaps not if you've read up on the physics behind the dw.link, as the terrain got steeper the rear suspension became much more isolated from my body movements. While being quite stable in its travel, it was still active enough to provide a noticeable amount of extra climbing traction that 5"-6" travel bikes are well known for. I also never felt like I was forced to lower the TALAS equipped Fox 32 fork to manage tight climbing sections, even with the short stem that I chose to run.

Don't expect to be blown out of the water by the Spot's climbing abilities, but do expect a competent climber that is at least on par with its peers. There were situations when I did reach down to activate the Float shock's Pro Pedal feature, mainly on shallower grades and smoother climbs. The compact top tube may also necessitate a slightly longer stem (5-10 mm) than what you are currently running in order to improve all day epic ride comfort.

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Descending
The 5.Spot is a bit misleading in that its travel is actually far more capable than one would think during the first cautious trail ride. The 140 mm of dw.link controlled travel that felt quite firm at slow speeds quickly came to life when the bike was fed trail at a decent pace. The lightly damped and active compression stroke of the RP23 easily took care of small, high frequency trail chatter, but strangely in a different manner to other bikes I've ridden that have similar amounts of travel. Back to back comparisons proved that the Spot doesn't completely mute small to medium sized trail chatter in the same way the other machines are able to, but depending on what a rider is looking for that can be a great attribute. Think of the Spot's travel as "sport tuned" as opposed to a more forgiving bike that manages to squash any and all trail features. I don't look at this as a negative trait at all, the bike simply has a different personality and it's great that an aggressive rider has an option like the 5.Spot to choose from. When the terrain wasn't steep or technical enough to force me to hunt and pick my way through obstacles is when I found myself a gear or two higher and covering ground faster than I was expecting.

Watch the movie to see the 5.Spot in action!

Mike Levy on the Turner 5.Spot

by spoiledgoods

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The 5.Spot had two completely different personalities when it came to being pushed hard at speed. While the early to mid stroke of the bike's dw.link suspension never felt overly plush in relation to the amount of travel, larger hits that approached the bike's bottom out were easily handled with a lot of composure. Even at 30% sag, which some would say is quite a bit for a 140 mm bike, I never felt like I was taxing the Turner on hard or awkward landings. Reading up on the Turner's dw.link suspension tells me that the rear suspension has a nearly linear rate in the later stages of it's travel, so why does it feel so confident on large hits? I believe that the reason for this is that our 5.Spot is sporting Fox's latest Boost Valve equipped Float RP23. The Boost Valve is advertised as being far more capable than Fox's previous generation Float dampers and I'd have to agree. The 5.Spot turned out to be the perfect test sled for my first go on the new Float as the Boost Valve's performance may not have been quite so clear on a bike that has more progressive travel. Another possible reason for the Turner's inspiring big hit performance must surely be traced back to how incredibly stiff the chassis is. Big hits or awkward landings did little to twist the bike regardless of off center landings or bad form. Slamming into corners also revealed a rear end that easily rivals DH frames that weigh in at four pounds heavier than a bare Spot frame. There aren't a lot of noodles out there anymore, but there are not many trail bikes as laterally stiff as the 5.Spot. Very impressive.


My personal ride, as well as the last few test bikes that I've spent time on, all have much more relaxed angles and it took the entirety of the first loop to come to terms with the Spot's slightly quicker handling. That's not to say that the Turner was a handful, it certainly wasn't, but if you're expecting a lazy all-mountain machine the 5.Spot certainly isn't it. The green machine will award a rider with smiles when he discovers how fun it is to approach the trail in a different manner than they may on a lazier bike. The very competent suspension combined with angles that encourage the rider to change lines at will add up to a ton of fun. Pay attention and stay on top of the Turner and you may have more fun than you would on a slacker and longer travel bike. I discovered exactly that on my time aboard the 5.Spot.


Think of the 5.Spot as the fine tuned Italian sports car of trail bikes. The suspension is not as forgiving as other machine's and the handling is quicker and demands more attention, but the Turner will eat up trail like no other with the right rider aboard. A 5.Spot rider who expects the bike to do more than its fair share of work will quickly have their ass handed to them, but a rider who makes the bike work for them will be rewarded with a sharp handling and stiff bike that can cover ground excitingly fast.

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How about those parts?
• The sharp looking Easton wheels are impressive. We'll have a full review for you to read down the road, but in brief they were very stiff despite the low weight and lack of spokes. Neither wheel came out of true or lost tension as I write this, but I'll be putting much more time on them as they get passed from test bike to test bike. Stay tuned...

• I would have liked to see the Magura Marta SL brakes have a bit more power, but I can't argue with the great feeling lever and superb modulation. It certainly doesn't hurt that they are light to boot.

• The WTB Silverado saddle did not agree with my behind and was a source of great discomfort even during short rides. A design that is a little too wide in the wrong place is the culprit. Remember that a bicycle seat is a very personal thing and that you may find the Silverado to your liking, and if not there are plenty of other WTB seats to pick from.

• The Bontrager FR4 tires blew me away with their predictability and traction in both wet and dry conditions. While certainly not mud tires by any stretch of the imagination, they cleared mud well and held their own on the wettest of days. In dryer conditions the 2.35" width felt nearly as forgiving as a wider DH tire. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these to anyone looking for a set of high volume trail or AM tires.


• There isn't much to say about SRAM's X.0 component group that I haven't said already. Shifting was dialed during the entire test and never needing any upkeep.

• It's worth noting that only certain front derailleurs will bolt up on the 5.Spot without requiring modification. We originally installed a SRAM dual pull model and it quickly became apparent that it would come in contact with the Spot's swingarm as it cycled through its travel. Turner makes no bones about this and even has detailed instructions on their website on how to correctly modify a dual pull unit if you insist on installing one. While there are a lot of bikes that will only accept certain models of front derailleurs, having to modify one to make it work seems like going overboard. Our advice: just get the proper 34.9 mm top pull, bottom swing model and be done with it.


There is a lot to like about the Turner 5.Spot, but it certainly will be suited to some riders more than others. If you are looking for a point and shoot type of trail bike, the 5.Spot isn't for you. Finesse riders will be able to take advantage of the quicker handling much more so than those who simply want to take the straightest line down the hill. On the other hand, when it does come time to push the Spot, its dw.link suspension combined with the Boost Valve equipped Float shock is fully capable of dealing with anything you'd ever want to throw at the 140 mm travel bike. I could see many 5.Spot owners being very happy with a slightly longer fork bolted to the front of their Spots as well, especially if you are looking for a more relaxed head angle to deal with steeper or burlier terrain. It speaks volumes about how capable the Spot actually is that many owners do just that.

Visit Turnerbikes.com to see their entire lineup

Turner's trail bike is loved by many and it's easy to see why. Does the green machine with 140 mm of travel appeal to you? Tell us what you think of the 5.Spot below!