tell me your thoughts please

I would if I could but I can’t 😉

It would be my next bike if I wasn’t robbing peter to pay paul!

i posted the wrong one.
it is this one that is itching me

Just got back from Cannock today after taking Hotlines demo bike out for a spin. Just signed up to do a couple of 09 bikes to get a foot hold before going in properly for 2010. Wanted to do a new euro brand and was between these and Commencal but with Merlin doing all they can to destroy Commy as a brand i went for these. Hence why ive got the demo to play with for a few weeks.

After all the magazine hype and reviews on these things i almost didn’t want to like the bike and ‘jump on the bandawagon’ as such but its VERY difficult not to like them. Sure there are 5 inch bikes that climb a little better but the only thing ive ridden thats almost similar in terms of the bikes attitude and descending ability are the Marin Wolf Ridge range but these carry a pretty hefty weight penalty over the Zestys. It does just beg to be ridden harder, only complaint i did have was with the width of the bar but speaking to Rick the new bikes are all coming through with a wider stock LP bar.

Ive got my heart set on a new 5spot when i get back from France in mid July but for a few hundred quid extra over the price of the frame i can get one of these off the peg with few changes needed to the spec to get it to how id want it. ARGH – difficult decisions. Chicksands tomorrow with it so it should swing me one way or the other.

Problem will probably be getting hold of one this year, they are sold out in all sizes at Hotlines (i manged to get 1m and 1l in the 514 but id have taken lots more if i could) so its just whats left at dealers… Might just screw it and get the 914 instead, will work out about the same as my Turner would 😆

Either one would do!

I was writing about the Zesty (514) not the Spicy youve changed it too!

Ive not ridden one but if it descends better than the Zesty, which lets be honest its going to, its likely to be one hell of a bike.

Stock situation better on these too, S M L all in stock!

large is 50 cm???

Yeah works out at about 19.5″. They seem to size up pretty big HTT is 24.2inch.

any idea what shock ratio they are.

216mm i2i shock so it must be the 8.5×2.5 they are using.

160mm travel – 63.5mm stroke = 2.52

High volume shock on these too so id imagine they run fairly low pressures.

says on the tech sheet you can not run more than 200 psi in the shock.
i run 270 psi in the same shock on my ventana. ❓

i think they look bloody lovely, if i was ever to buy a full suss again it would be one of those hands down.

Not sure then ton, do you have a link to the tech sheet? Ive always known rear floats to be min50 max300 but i guess this is a pretty big shock compared to most standard ones.

What ratio is the ventana?

don’t know mate.
can find any info at all.

If you want to drop me an email to luke@rutlandcycling.co.uk with roughly what you weigh ill try and find out for you.

luke, i am not shy.
21stone on the button mate.

v10 – Member
Wanted to do a new euro brand and was between these and Commencal but with Merlin doing all they can to destroy Commy as a brand i went for these.

What’s happening with Merlin, v10?

…but with Merlin doing all they can to destroy Commy as a brand…

?

Incidentally i have those Shimano XT776 wheels the spicy comes with, on my Dialled Alpine, and they have been golden.

The whole Merlin thing at the moment is pretty good for the consumer. I mean 20-30% off a current model bike is good yeah!

Its all well and good but many of the small-medium sized dealers (who don’t get the margins the biggest dealers get) to sell these bikes to most customers (who in the current climate are very price savvy) are going to have to match merlin on price (who have been doing this level of discount on the bikes since pretty much the start of the season). In doing so they are going to struggle to break even in some cases.

Because of this there is going to be less and less sign ups and more dealers dropping them as a brand, why on earth stock something you cant make money on or struggle to shift when there are other manufacturers that to an extent protect the pricing of their goods until they see fit.

Im not saying discounting is a bad thing, were as guilty as most for shagging prices from time to time but whenever ive bought in bulk (which is quite regularly) to do offer prices on bikes ive always been totally up front with the company telling them how much im going to sell for, sometimes we raise advertised prices because of this to keep them happy. July 1st is a date set with a number of brands we deal with to start advertising discounts on current bikes from RRP.. not Jan 1st!

Commencal’s are great bikes, i even own a Meta 666 unfortunatly in a year or so’s time when i snap a mech hanger (or the frame :lol:) i wont be able to get it sorted at an lbs!

The more ive been looking at this bike for Ton as this post has developed the more i keep thinking it would make a fine replacement for the meta!

No problem at all ton, ill have a word with them tomorrow and see what they say. I rock in at just over 10.5 so the other option is for me to set up our stock one and sit on it twice 😀

according to another thread on tonights postings someone has !!

Hughjengin ??

July 1st is a date set with a number of brands we deal with to start advertising discounts on current bikes from RRP.. not Jan 1st!

So what brands would these be so i know whether i will be shooting down from p’boro to have a lookie 😉

you are not the only LBS to say that about merlin/commencal.
my local LBS owner said the same, although he blamed the importers. he was basically saying that the bikes sell themselves and there is reason to discount them heavily and if all the dealers sold for a similar price (not a cartel just a few £ off rrp) then they would still sell out of them before the end of the year.

Test rode a Zesty at BikeRadarLive, really impressed, lovely bike around the test track, but ultimately chose a Genius as it was a better climber.

Surely your shooting up not down from P’boro Jamie! I guess your about halfway between our Rutland and Grafham stores though. Might be worth popping down to Graf this w/e as its the demo w/e and we always sort out a deal on any decent stuff bought off the back of it over the two days.

MrSmith – I dont know what Madison are playing at to be honest, if anyone gets a little cheeky with pricing on the bikes we sell and i point it out to the Importer its usually changed within hours.

Luke, I’ll probably regret asking this but… ‘Sell me a 5 Spot’ 😯

Nice bike Ton and supposed to be good. Guy i know has one and likes it.

Only comment i would make would be around the rear end stiffness as the linkage looks a bit flexi for a guy of your size 😕

I bought a Zesty 314 about 5 weeks ago, love it makes me smile. Havnt rode it to much though, was being a prat on my first ride with SPDs, went straight off the back forgetting I had the SPDs on, broke my wrist. Still riding it though only hurts a little.

Gizzardman ill be honest im unashamedly Turner biased!

The are my own personal favourite frame manufacturer (style/build quality/backup/bushing lifetime) and ive loved all 4 ive owned previously. Now coupled with my own personal favourite suspension linkage (after 2 great years on a Sunday 05/06 – and ive just bought a new one!) so they are like a perfect package in my eyes.

However putting on my sensible hat which i have to wear at work and when im speaking to customers they arent for everyone. Some peoples riding style just suits single pivot / horst link bikes more, saying that; aldomac on here got one from me to replace his Orange 5 and from speaking to him since is getting on very well with it. The general consensus from everyone ive sold one too or have spoken to thats ridden one is that its a damn fine bike, some people mention the weight and it is a little fatter than some other frames but im sure that and the DW go some way into the planted/solid feel that it has over most other bikes in the same category.

Price obviously comes into it too – RRP on the frame is 2k and for that you can buy a Trance X2 off the peg which is a super bike with a great spec. However your buying something more with the Turner, its a boutique bike and something quite special which you will be very proud to own.

Ive ridden pretty much every 09 5 inch bike this year (with exception to Trek and SantaCruz offerings) and would rate my top 5 in all round ability as 5Spot -> E120 -> Zesty -> Five -> Trance X although the Zesty may jump to no2 after I give it some licks at Chicky tomorrow 🙂

*Removes sensible hat*
Oh and most important of all they just look awesome 😆

If you need any more info just drop me a line. I did have a bit of a deal on the frames at BRL too which i could probably extend for you, and also a killer price on a full build which is on the site.

Mmmm I want a 914…. but havent a clue where I’ll be able to test one properly for size etc…

crosstrax leeds.
ask for ed or lyndon….

Thats a mission from Taunton!
But i was in Manc yesterday

ton – Member
tell me your thoughts please

Get rid of the gears and suspension and you’ve got a bike 🙂

epicyclo – Member

ton – Member
tell me your thoughts please

Get rid of the gears and suspension and you’ve got a bike

Posted 21 seconds ago # Report-Post

i tried that at ssuk at the weekend.
a very strange way to ride a bike me thinks….