Blog entry by Ricky Ehret
And, as the company name implies, Turner Suspension Bicycles is a bike model that focuses on designing and titanium rod building full-suspension mountain bikes.
Funny thing about David, however lately his enthusiasm for turning pedals has turned more and more towards riding cyclocross and gravel bikes. Being as much a rider as he is a designer and business man, David made the choice to look beyond fats-tire bikes to satisfy both his private and enterprise needs. This evolution has now bled into the highway category, and the result is the Cyclosys All Road Ti (Art) that balances street performance with off-street capabilities. The Art frame takes the information that Turner has acquired from years of testing. Racing to ship a bike that not solely seems to be good however presents trendy efficiency. Certainly one of the primary things we noticed on the titanium sheet body was how shapely the tubes are. Since titanium is a very inflexible material, it may be onerous to work, so seeing the unique shapes
was a sign that this frame had some distinctive qualities.
The downtube and seat tube both flare as they mate to the T47 bottom bracket for added stiffness. The seat tube is essentially the most noticeable since its tube diameter is way smaller however flares from edge to edge on the underside bracket shell. The chainstays have also gotten the tube shaping as they too, meet up with the bottom bracket. There's a tapered 16cm head tube at 71.5 levels for responsive steering. All these small details add up and titanium tubing deliver a very responsive and stiff platform with a 102cm wheelbase.
"While the bike is more street-oriented, it still has loads of room for knobby ’cross tires and supplied more bike than we need for our cyclocross racing goals. Our size-medium frame has an effective high tube of 54.9cm. A frame attain of 38cm however a reasonably tall stack at 57cm.9cm and a frame reach of 38cm however a reasonably tall stack at 57cm. In the rear, the 42cm-long chainstays result in a 12x142mm via-axle that threads to the derailleur hanger. For added compliance, the seatstays have an S-shape bend that maintains huge tire clearance while permitting a longer tube to slot in a shorter distance and maximize the material’s natural damper properties.
Our Art test rig is built for street riding in thoughts, as David Turner talked about, "This is as highway-oriented as we want to get." We have the dependable Shimano Ultegra gruppo with hydraulic flat-mount brakes. They're matched to mechanical derailleurs with the Ultegra RX version in the rear that has the added retention, because of a clutch-type spring. The Praxis Zayante Carbon crank is fitted with 48/32 rings and matched to an 11-34 cassette.
For cockpit and seatpost, the bike was spec’d with the most recent Easton EA70 choices. The AX bars have a 16-diploma flare within the drops, leaving the hoods at 42cm and the drops at 49cm. The new Easton stem also has the ability to mount a cycling pc to the front with their direct-mount accessory. The Easton seatpost has unbiased tilt. Saddle rail adjustments. To prime off the seatpost is a professional Stealth quick saddle with carbon rails and enormous
heart relief.
To keep things rolling, Turner equipped a set of carbon Knight Composites 35 clincher disc wheels that have been set up tubeless with a pair of Maxxis Rambler 38mm tires. The wheels are built around the dependable DT Swiss 240s hubs. Despite the business normal of running a 160 entrance/140 rear rotor combo, we have been stoked to see 140mm Centerlock rotors front and rear.
The Art has been floating around the office for a couple of months, and when not used on the weekend group rides, it ended up doing double duty at some local cyclocross races. Discuss twin-objective! While the bike is extra road-oriented, it still has plenty of room for knobby ’cross tires and offered more bike than we want for our cyclocross racing targets.
Transitioning into winter riding, the disc brakes and enormous-quantity tires meant we were confident on the tarmac no matter what Mother Nature despatched our method, and it has been wet. We even swapped over to a extra paved, street-particular 28mm tire, and the Turner then blended into the native group rides except for the huge flare bars.
No matter which tire we selected, the titanium wire body supplied a efficiency-oriented journey quality that damps the small road imperfections. Larger bumps are felt however muted, and the larger the tire, the less we had to rely on the body for compliance. The carbon Whiskey fork matched to the tapered head tube. The 12mm thru-axle mean that the bike tracks predictably by means of turns. No matter if we have been on twisty and quick paved street descents or unfastened, entry dirt roads, the Art responds immediately to enter. The overall geometry is extra road efficiency than gravel stable, however we never felt over our head on the fastest dirt descents.
Just like its designer, David Turner, the Art is tough to designate in a selected class. It's road-oriented with efficiency and quality, however the off-highway love is sprinkled in. Room for big-volume 38mm knobby tires converts this multi-purposeful bike into an ideal choice for exploring the roads that many have forgotten or dismissed. Thanks to the standard craftsmanship, consideration to element and titanium tubing, this bike will most probably outlast your cycling aspirations.
While we have been able to easily match 40mm tires with minimal knobs, the Art is just at home residing with a pair of 28mm tires on it. For those looking for a gravel-particular bike that matches the most important tires, this may not be the top decide, however for those who don’t need to be constrained by the pavement, then this is your efficiency choice and, might we say, eternally machine. The design and engineering are all performed within the USA, but the body is manufactured in Asia.