Dave Turner is a competitive guy. Like way competitive. He does not like to lose. In fact, he has a great disdain for it. He recognizes that complacency is for losers, and losing ain't for him. That's why scrapping his all-time best selling model's design, and switching to the dw-link was almost easy. Sure, he had great bikes that hoards of people love, but he's taken his designs to the next level -- and it affords him the handling characteristics for which he's been searching.

The Turner 5 Spot has long been the undisputed champ of the Turner bike line. Its 140mm (5.5") of travel and balanced geometry have made it the bike to ride. With the addition of the dw-link, Turner cranks thing up. Turner was drawn to the dw-link because of its anti-squat characteristics. By virtue of Newton's Third Law of Motion, when something accelerates, its mass is transferred rearward. The dw-link design both counteracts this transfer and allows the axle-path to change to meet the demands of the trail while doing so. The result? A bike that glides over rocks, roots and ruts, yet still remains firm while hammering out of the saddle. And it provides active braking -- meaning the suspension can still cycle while modulating the brake -- providing you unparalleled control in the sketchiest of terrain.

The Turner 5 Spot doesn’t just ride like a dream, it’s engineered to take a pounding. A reinforced head tube gusset ensures the frame will withstand the stress of the 140mm travel fork recommended by Turner for use with the 5 Spot. Its CNC-machined bottom bracket shell, integrated lower shock mount and girder-like rockers provide oodles of torsional stiffness. The new dw-link rear still features the super stiff boxy stays that allows the bike to corner like an Indy Car. All this is done without sacrificing one iota of the trademark Turner tire clearance.

From "the more things change, the more they stay the same department", the 5 Spot still uses Turner's trademark bushings with zerk fittings at the pivots, not bearings. For 2009, the zerks have been redesigned -- now crafted from stainless steel, they screw into the frame (as opposed to past iterations which pressed in), which means that your zerks will stay put. Turner enthusiastically touts the benefits of their proprietary bushing system over bearings, citing the incredibly tight tolerances, low and easy maintenance, long life, all of which translate into a torsionally stiff rear swingarm that pivots smoothly.

The disc-specific Turner Five Spot is powdercoated in Blue Streak or Iron Glimmer stock finishes in XS, Small, Medium, Large, and XL. For those of you 6’5” +, an XXL size is available for an additional $200 (includes custom color charge.) Or for those of you that are weight weenies or looking for a stealth aesthetic, with a short wait and no upcharge, you can get it raw -- that's right, no finish whatsoever. The 5 Spot comes stock with a 7.5 x 2.0" Fox Float RP23 shock (View our set-up video) . It requires a 30.9mm seatpost and a 34.9 mm Traditional Top Pull Front Derailleur. Post-mount disc brake tabs now provide a clean, direct fit for the brake caliper.

2009 Turner 5 Spot Pricing
	Frame	XTR 970	SRAM X.O	XT 770	SRAM X-9
5 Spot	$2495	5299	4286	4528	4320

2009 Turner 5 Spot Geometry

Size	Effective Top Tube	Seat Tube	Head Tube	Stand Over	Head Tube Angle	Seat Tube Angle	Chainstay	BB Height
XS	21.5	13.0	3.5	28.0	69.0	73.0	16.9	13.4
S	22.5	15.0	3.9	28.9	69.0	73.0	16.9	13.4
M	23.0	17.0	4.5	30.0	69.0	73.0	16.9	13.4
L	23.6	19.0	5.3	31.0	69.0	73.0	16.9	13.4
XL	24.2	21.0	5.9	32.0	69.0	73.0	16.9	13.4
XXL	25.1	23.0	6.6	33.0	69.0	73.0	16.9	13.4
All lengths are measured in inches. Geometry based on 515mm fork (axle to crown)