For 2009, Dave Turner at Turner Bikes completely changed his mountain bike lineup from the 4 four bar suspension that he helped make famous to the new Dave Weagle DW-Link design. The 5 Spot is the 5.5″ travel trail bike of the group and one of Turner’s most popular models due to its versatility.

There was a lot of rumor mongering in the months proceeding DT’s announcement of the DW-Link switch. It was a secret that he held close as the crew at Turner Bikes readied for a complete line switch over. With just about everything completed as of this article, we are still waiting on the RFX (6.4″) to round out the lineup.

To hear Dave Turner’s own thoughts on the DW-Link and the new Turner Bikes lineup…check out this recorded interview.

What does Turner Bikes say about the 5 Spot?

Ripped from turnerbikes.com

The all new 140mm travel trail bike harmonizes the intuitive handling and incredible versatility of the older 5 Spot to a higher level with the addition of the dw-link for 2009. Turner revolutionized the trail bike class in 2003 and now, five years later, Turner’s newest trail bike continues to be the leader with world class Turner geometry and unparalleled quality.

Now riders can experience the incredible efficiency of dw-link rear suspension combined with Turners superior chassis integrity and award winning handling. Descending with the newest 5.Spot will give you the confidence to conquer almost any terrain with active braking and a perfectly engineered linkage ratio in the 140mm trail bike class.

Specs:

• Travel: 5.5 inches (140 mm)
• Class: Enduro Trail/Adventure XC
• Shock: Fox RP23 (7.5×2)
• Tech: DW-Link
• Front Derailleur: 34.9 mm top pull
• Stock Colors: Blue Streak/Iron Glimmer/Raw
• Other colors available – see turnerbikes.com for options and geometry

Initial Thoughts on the Turner 5 Spot

The overall build quality of the frame is fantastic. Turner Bikes uses Sapa to do their frame manufacturing and this US based company does a great job hammering out the quality frames that Turner Bikes expects. All of the welds and fitment are top notch as you would expect out of a frame in this price range and there are little touches (grease fittings at pivots) that bring this frame a cut above some of their competition.

Most of Turner Bikes’ customers opt for the frame only option to build the bike to their own specs, but for 2009…Turner is also offering complete build kits that you can find on their website. Having been a previous owner of a Turner Flux (4″ xc rig), I can tell you that there is a unique feel to a Turner mountain bike. Will this new DW-Link 5 Spot live up to the Turner brand? Only one way to find out…