Spend just a few minutes with David Turner and you’ll walk away certain that his approach to frameset design is an extension of his passion for cycling itself. His conviction about the way a bike should ride isn't just a byproduct of his grasp of suspension theory. Listen to him talk about the importance of axle path in suspension design, or his beliefs on the use of bushings over bearings, and one thing is abundantly clear -- Turner knows "his stuff" because he rides "his stuff" all the time.
David Turner’s background is that of a dedicated cross country racer, but it makes perfect sense that he’s made his name in full suspension bicycles. Turner was a member of the Mongoose Factory team beginning in 1990. While he was still racing, he got deeply involved in the design and testing of the prototype suspension systems that eventually led to the Horst Link -- a fully active, four bar linkage suspension design that has proven the test of time. With the experience and knowledge he gained during his years with Mongoose, he began designing his own frames in 1992.
After years of testing and designing bikes, Turner continues to manipulate the axle path of the rear wheel when designing his bikes to determine the pedaling dynamics he desires. After years of licensing the Horst link to accomplish this, Turner has unveiled a new design dubbed TNT -- Torque Neutralizing Technology. The axle path of the new design mirrors the old to within 1.1mm at the peak of travel, on the 5.3” travel 5 Spot. In both our tests and many others, each has found this calculated difference to be negligible in the field. We attribute this in large part to Turner's careful placement of the pivots that help to control and limit the lengthening of the chain during the shock cycle, so you'll feel no suspension-induced "kick-back". In short, we think Turners ride as well as they ever have.
Other than a model specific axle path, the other signature detail of Turner bikes is their near-exclusive use of journal bearings instead of cartridge bearings. Journal bearings are commonly known as "bushings", and Turner insists on using them because of their amazingly high tolerances -- they're precise to within one-half of one- thousandth of an inch. And, they are extremely resistant to lateral flexing and feature superhard coated aluminum pivot shafts are not prone to rusting like ball bearings. Since sealed bearings in a suspension pivot never make a full rotation, the load is consistently resting on 2 to 3 balls within the race. Ultimately, those bearings become ovalized from wear, and suspension performance quickly deteriorates. The bushings used by Turner have the ability to carry a load far greater than that produced by a bicycle frame, which translates into durability and serious lateral stiffness, allowing a Turner to track beautifully through roots, rocks, ruts and whatever else gets in its way.
Turner has received sustained critical acclaim for what has become its signature bike, the 5 Spot, a 5” travel trail bike. It's been Turner's best seller by a long shot over the last two years. It's been such an in-demand frame, in fact, that October 2004 marked the first time in the model’s history that there has been open stock in inventory at Turner. Turner injected the soul of the 5 Spot into two new frames in 2005, the 4” travel Flux, and a 3” travel cross country rocket, the Nitrous -- Geoff KabushTeam Maxxis claimed NORBA championships in both Elite Men’s XC and Short Track in 2004 on the Nitrous. (This isn't the first time Turner bikes have graced the top spot on NORBA or UCI podiums -- many larger companies’ factory teams have ridden Turner bikes to glory with "after-market" decals.) of
Turner’s understated aesthetic is indicative of their company philosophy that function precedes fashion – no flashy graphics, just beautiful riding, finely-crafted frames designed by Turner and his staff at the 2500 square foot Turner Suspension Bicycles facility in Murrieta, CA.