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Bicycle Review: Turner Flux By MBT Contributor Neil Chandra Taming trails with Mr. Turner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Getting Acquainted
I recently bought a new 2006 Turner Flux and took it through the paces as I commonly do with all of my steeds. Naturally, step one of this process is dialing in the suspension correctly. I was very surprised at how plush this 4" bike feels. I'm running a Fox Talas RLC at around 105mm and a Fox RP3 shock at 9.5mm of sag. While the Flux comes standard equipped with Schwalbe Nobby Nics UST tires (2.25), my first two rides were done with the excellent Gear Arrojo UST (1.95) tires.
I consider the Flux a natural extension of the other bikes I’ve owned which include the Ventana X-5, Yeti 575, YetiS AS-R SL, GT Zaskar Hardtail, and KHS Team Softtail. I’ve ridden mostly in the Front Range (Colorado) trails and the Kansas City trails like Landahl Park.
The Terrain
For her maiden voyage, I headed to a trail that is a very heavily wooded with tight curves and twisty Singletrack. There are several rocky sections with some "slow" technical terrain with no shortage of climbs, some of which are very steep and have loose rocks doing their best to devour what little traction you can muster. All in all, this is a very diverse trail without any real "downhill" like what’s found, for example, in the Front Range trails of Colorado.
Overall, the Flux is a very plush 4" travel bike that offers enough frame rigidity to track well. The frame is light and comfortable with a headtube angle at a perfect 70 degrees. The bottom bracket height is 12.8" and contributes to a very stable, planted ride. On the trail, the Flux is easy to flick around, but not overly twitchy, as one would expect— a feature that is easy to adore in the chop.
Cuts like a Blade
The Flux carves tight turns extremely well and changes direction very quickly without presenting twitch or instability. From the laid back cockpit, even blind corners are attacked confidently and quickly. I am very impressed by the turning ability of the bike and felt comfortable after only three or four sharp curves. It’s not as quick as a true racer chassis, however, with a 71 or 71.5 degree headtube angle, but this is a tradeoff I am more than willing to accept for added stability. The Schwalbe Nobby Nics (2.25) are truly great tires and hook up very well at all lean angles. They are a bit wider than the Geax Arrojo USTs (1.95) which also hook up amazingly well and roll with little resistance. Although I must confess that the Turner Flux chassis does well with either tire choice.
On the Hills
When it comes to the climbs, the Flux can eat up steep slopes very well. I feel it ultimately is edged out by the superb climbing attributes of a bike like the Yeti AS-R SL, and it requires a little more forward body positioning to keep up with even the most adept climbers. Ultimately, at this level, it really depends on rider skill in determining one bike’s attributes over another’s.
The Flux did, however, power up everything I threw at it, including a really rocky and loose climb that I make 70% of the time. The bike’s just so easy to ride that it allows its rider to look for lines and obstacles while enjoying the challenge of the terrain rather than fighting against it.
I was quickly able to climb everything that I had on the Yeti. Some sections required slightly more body English but descents were also a bit more relaxed and stable.
What Goes Up…
The Flux is a very capable at descending, as well, although my test session didn’t offer too much brutal or technical downhill terrain. I have, however, ridden a 575 on the Front Range downhill trails and would certainly be willing to do them all on the Flux. The only required adjustment would simply be a little more caution and slower speeds in the adjustment period, as the Flux requires more finesse on long and rough downhills. I am confident it is capable of keeping up with almost any bike in the 5"-6" range until the terrain becomes extremely rocky. Excessive rock or rooted chop can burn through the 4" of travel.
This is not to insinuate that the Flux can’t hold its own in the rocks. Rocky sections at lower speeds are a painless affair: Crawling sections that typically make bikes feel "tippy" were leveled with ease. Again this can be attributed to a slack headtube angle, decent bottom bracket height, and active rear suspension (in this case, Turner's variation of the Horst Link.) Technically speaking, the longer rocker arms are not as stiff as the superb Ventana El Saltamontes's short rockers. However, the bike actually feels plusher for my 180 lbs.
How About that Frame?
The chassis’ stiffness all but removes any hints of flex. Thanks to a very stable rear, the front wheel flies a straight line. It could be argued that extremely fast or heavier riders would appreciate an even beefier rear triangle. The Large size frame with 100mm stem fit my 5” 11” (180 lbs) stature perfectly.
I did detect a lot of chain slap though and while my chain never fell off or skipped around, the lack of chain tension can be a bit distracting and is something I hope to address soon. I will begin by removing a link in the hopes that it will alleviate the situation.
Overall, I am really enjoying the bike and suspect I will end up keeping it as a long-term ride. Its well-rounded traits on the trail make it a born explorer. Thanks to its stability and lightweight mannerisms, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to bring it out to the Front Range trails again.
Conclusions
I'm at least a two-bike guy and always have been. However, this bike handles everything I ride so well (I'm not a Hucker or Freerider) that I am having a hard time complementing it with another bike. As an aggressive trail rider who doesn’t seek out jumps but is willing to roll off almost anything under a couple of feet high, this bike fits like a well-worn bath robe.
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