Competitive Cyclist

TURNER DHR

The DHR is and always has been Turner’s pure downhill race bike, hence the acronym for its name -- Down Hill Race. The Turner DHR is a long-proven mainstay of the line, and will now share the dw-link rear suspension with its Turner stablemates. Dave Turner knows that races are won and lost by mere seconds, and it's finding those seconds that keeps him up at night. It's those seconds that makes him willing to scrap previous designs in favor of the right idea. The prototyping phase of its development has been very thorough, and Turner Bicycles is now positive that the new dw-link DHR is better in all respects than its predecessor. And that, friends, is a bold statement.

For 2010, the DHR changes dramatically courtesy of its dw-link suspension. Turner chose the dw-link suspension 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 counteracts this mass transfer yet still allows the rear wheel to stick to the trail like velcro. What you get is a bike that pedals better than ever so it is a guaranteed ripper out of the corners. The anti-squat in the dw rear suspension keeps it firm, yet super responsive and active even under furious pedaling efforts. The dw-link is also active under hard braking over the heaviest braking bumps. On the front end of the bike, the 63.5° head angle is prime for the steepest descents at world cup speeds, adding stability and sure handling where lesser bikes would rattle your nerves.

The Turner DHR features 8.3” (210mm) travel using a 9.5" x 3" Fox DHX RC4 rear shock. The shock has external controls for both high and low speed compression damping, rebound, and their now legendary boost valve. A wider range of adjustment compliments the DHR's linkage rate. As usual with Turner's DHR, the shock sits low in the frame to keep the bike's center of gravity as low as possible for high speed stability. The bottom bracket is perched at 13.6" in response to input from world class riders and this adds to maintain the low center of gravity as well. Roller bearing pivots anchor the DHR’s super stable rear end. Admittedly, the roller bearings are a move away from Turner's famous journal bearings, but they are ultimately more sensitive and provide the best suspension response across even the slightest ripples in the trail for matchless traction. This is a race bike after all, and Turner feels that the bump response is worth more periodic maintenance to keep the steel rollers fresh.

The dw-link DHR is now built with a 1.5" headtube. Now you can exercise the option to use standard press-in cups or a zero-stack system to fine tune your head angle if you are using a 1-1/8" steerer. For those running a 1.5" steerer, you'll be assured the security and stability of the oversize bearing assembly. The larger headtube also provides a greater interface with the top and down tubes to allow more weld area and is gusseted to further strengthen the junction. The result is an incredibly stiff, tight tracking machine that has zero lateral flex, yet weighs in at 9.5 lbs.

The Turner DHR is disc specific and has a direct post-mount on the rear dropout for the brake caliper. It's available in Bright Turner Green, Semi-Gloss Black, and Raw in four sizes --Small, Medium, Large, and XL. It requires a 30.9mm seatpost and has a 1.5" headtube. The 83mm bottom bracket features machined ISCG '05 chainguide tabs and creates a smooth chainline with the 150mm rear end. It includes a 12mm x 150mm thru-axle.

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2010 Turner DHR Pricing