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Turn on the spot: The latest5.Spot turns out to be ourfavorite. The changes thatTurner made were all for thebetter.

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the hidden niceties that add to this ensemble.Turner worked closely with Fox to fine-tune the suspension

with custom valving just for the 5.Spot. You can’t see it, but youcan feel it. The cable routing gets its own management systemso there are no zip-ties or plastic clips needed to hold cables andhoses in place. And speaking of cables, we complained aboutthe rear derailleur routing on the old 5.Spot, so Turner tookcare of this objection with improved (out-of-the-way) routing.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?Our experience with dw-link rear suspensions tells

us that 20-percent sag is the minimum and up to 30percent is not out of the question. We used closer to 30percent to get the best results out of the 5.5 inches of rear-wheel travel. This 5.Spot used a fixed-travel Fox 32 Floatfork that we found to be ideal.

Moving out: The 5.Spot feels shorter than the23.5 effective top tube measurement

would indicate. The 5.Spot rider sitsin a comfortable upright positionwith a weight bias that feelsslightly forward of center.The 5.Spot has always been

a lively bike, and the 4.2 takesit up a notch. The Envewheels cut rotational weightand add rigidity, so that’s aplus right off the start. Butthere is more. The stiffer rearend and beefier frame tubes

all hold up their end of theperformance bargain. And let’s face it,

the Shimano 2x10 drivetrain is at itsbest with 26-inch wheels.

Sprinting: This bike hauls when you get out of the saddle,choose a big gear and throw down a hard effort. The low toptube encourages the rider to throw the bike around, and thedw-link rear suspension doesn’t get thrown off by pedalinginfluences.

Cornering: It may be a combination of the dw-link suspen-sion and slacker head tube, but the 4.2 doesn’t have the definedcounter-steering trait of previous versions. Instead, the steeringinput is quick and very neutral. While the Continental TrailKing tires roll like nobody’s business, we found them to be theweak link in the 5.Spot’s cornering performance. Their sideknobs don’t offer the seamless transition of other trailbike tires.

Climbing: Turner designed the 5.Spot for, among otherthings, epic-length rides where conserving energy is job one. Wehad the best climbing results by staying planted in the saddle;standing moves your weight too far forward. Stay seated, con-serve and move forward. It doesn’t hurt that weight has beentrimmed off the last 5.Spot we rode, even if some of the creditgoes to the lightweight and expensive wheels.

Descending: The 5.Spot’s rear suspension delivers small-bump compliance, firm mid-stroke performance and a very pro-gressive big-hit cushion at the end of travel. The slackening ofthe head tube adds confidence by slowing things down a bit inthe front. The older 5.Spots made quite a racket while descend-ing, but the Shimano Shadow Plus rear derailleur keeps thechain from banging on the stays like a dinner bell.

September 2012 / MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION 97

The Evolutionary Class Champ

W e tested our first Turner 5.Spot way back in 2003and have witnessed years of evolutionary (as wellas revolutionary) changes to Turner’s Swiss army

knife of mountain bikes. The 5.Spot we test here, called ver-sion 4.2, uses the same dw-link rear suspension as the 5.Spotwe tested in 2009, but that’s pretty much where the similari-ties end. Everywhere you look, you will find tweaks andchanges. For the better? There is one way to find out.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?In this day and age of highly categorized bikes, just call the

5.Spot a mountain bike—and that is the ultimate compli-ment. Turner offers downhill and cross-country race bikes,but their 5.Spot is for the rider who wants one mountainbike that can do it all.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?While the 5.Spot 4.2 has a familiar profile, closer inspec-

tion reveals a totally different made-in-the-USA frame fromwhat we last tested. The aluminum frame tubes have beenoptimized for improved strength, and the downtube isdesigned to allow you to run a piggyback reservoir shock.The bottom bracket is lower. The head tube is slacker. Therear-wheel spacing is increased to 142x12 and accepts athru-axle. One holdover is that the bottom bracket, lower-link pivot and shock mount are integrated into a singlealuminum casting. The dw-link rear suspension’s two-pieceupper links wrap around the seat tube to meet the uppershock eyelet. All moving parts pivot on composite bushings(journal bearings), and there are grease ports at each pivotlocation.

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?The pricey carbon fiber Enve wheels steal the show. The

Shimano 2x10 XTR drivetrain with the magic golden switchon the rear derailleur (Shadow Plus) is hard to miss, but it is

The Turner 5.Spot

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PriceWeightHotlineFrame testedBottom bracketChainstay lengthTop tube lengthHead tube angleSeat tube angleStandover heightWheelbaseSuspension travelSuspension travelFrame materialForkShockRimsTiresHubsBrakesCranksetHandlebarShiftersFront derailleurRear derailleurChainringsCassetteTallest gearLowest gearPedals

TURNER 5.SPOT$2650 (frame & shock) $7995 as tested26.4 pounds(951) 677-171117" (medium)13.75"17"23.5"67.7°73°29"44"5.9" (front)5.5" (rear)AluminumFox Float 32 RLC FITFox Float RP23 Adaptive LogicEnve Carbon (26")Continental Trail King (2.2")Chris KingFormula R1Shimano XTREaston Haven Carbon (28.75")Shimano XTR Rapidfire PlusShimano XTRShimano XTR Shadow PlusShimano (38/26)Shimano 10-cog (11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-36)23.5 feet (per crank rotation)4.9 feet (per crank rotation)None (weighed with Shimano XT Trail)

All the way, U.S.A.: We have tested many versions of the Turner5.Spot, and the 4.2 is the best yet. The frame gives you plenty ofleeway to build it up as a singletrack hauler, a downhill mauler oranything in between.

TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?Our 5.Spot came stock with a very sleek quick-release

clamp for the seatpost. Still, we’d be tempted to equip thisbike with a dropper post, even with the weight penalty.

Don’t be tempted to outfit your 5.Spot with anadjustable-travel fork—you just don’t need it. This bike isso dialed that no Band-Aids are necessary in the climbingor cornering departments. We also did not find ourselvesreaching for the shock’s ProPedal while trail riding. Dialingin 30-percent sag and riding the shock on full open got allour trail-riding chores done.

We’d like to try Maxxis High Roller, Kenda Nevegal orSchwalbe Hans Dampf tires on the 5.Spot. We wouldexpect them to further enhance the bike’s cornering ability.

BUYING ADVICEThe Turner 5.Spot proves that both 26-inch wheels and

aluminum frames can be as cutting edge as 29ers, 27.5ersand carbon fiber. There are so many bikes that do a fewthings really well but always leave gaps. The 5.Spot is thekind of bike that will never have you wishing for anythingduring a ride because it covers all the bases equally well.When you look up the definition of a mountain bike in thedictionary, this is the bike that should be pictured. �

American craftsmanship: The heart of Turner’s legendarystiffness is the single aluminum casting that anchors the bottombracket, lower-link pivot and shock mount. Zirk fittings makeservicing the suspension’s composite bushing quick and pain-less. The Shimano XTR Shadow Plus rear derailleur keeps noisein check.

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