[MMcG]

I dunno - I'm used to FS bikes with 16.9 - to maybe 17.5" chainstays. bcd - was running really short chainstays on his modified 29er DH bike.

To be honest, 18.2 - 18.3 seems kind of long for the type of trails here in the east. But perhaps for midwest and western trails where things are a little more wide-open if you will - that length works.

I guess the only way to tell is to ride some - unfortunately that's difficult unless you have access to a bike shop like the Path in CA or some other mega cool bike shop.

That type of shop just doesn't exist in this region - but maybe rightly so since we have a season called winter to deal with here in New England.

 

[El Caballo]

I ride a hardtail with 18.5" chainstays. The downside is that it's a little bit harder to lift the front. (Though if I had a suspension fork which I could bounce, I wouldn't care...IMO this is really only an issue on rigids.) The upside is that I don't loop out backwards on steep climbs and it feels a lot smoother over bumps.

From an engineering perspective, chainstays should grow along with TT for larger frame sizes -- but for some reason they don't. I can see shorter riders wanting to stick with 26" or ride a 69er, but I think most larger guys will be surprised how much better a bike rides with longer chainstays.*

(* The exception being bikes designed mainly for gravity racing, where climbing performance isn't an issue, and singlespeeds -- both of which are usually ridden standing up..)

 

[ÆX]

I dunno - I'm used to FS bikes with 16.9 - to maybe 17.5" chainstays. bcd - was running really short chainstays on his modified 29er DH bike.

To be honest, 18.2 - 18.3 seems kind of long for the type of trails here in the east. But perhaps for midwest and western trails where things are a little more wide-open if you will - that length works.

I guess the only way to tell is to ride some - unfortunately that's difficult unless you have access to a bike shop like the Path in CA or some other mega cool bike shop.

That type of shop just doesn't exist in this region - but maybe rightly so since we have a season called winter to deal with here in New England.

mine are 16.25 but grow to 18.

i can do it on my bike b/c of my high pivot.

with a bb area pivot at 5'' your tire with 16.5 c/s

would be like 3'' onto your seat tube. not to mention front der overlap
that all you xc have to deal with. lol.

i would not buy a bike with 17+ c/s fs/ht/xc/dh/dj29/26/24 or not.

 

[MMcG]

mine are 16.25 but grow to 18.

i can do it on my bike b/c of my high pivot.

with a bb area pivot at 5'' your tire with 16.5 c/s

would be like 3'' onto your seat tube. not to mention front der overlap
that all you xc have to deal with. lol.

i would not buy a bike with 17+ c/s fs/ht/xc/dh/dj29/26/24 or not.

Alex,

Can you elaborate as to why you wouldn't by a bike with 17" plus chainstays? What is it about that length that would deter you?

I'd love to hear from a builder on this one.

Thanks.

Mark

 

[ÆX]

Alex,

Can you elaborate as to why you wouldn't by a bike with 17" plus chainstays? What is it about that length that would deter you?

I'd love to hear from a builder on this one.

Thanks.

Mark

i like to turn my bikes. anything over 17 feels like a limo to me.

as for the builder point of view. like i said i think they have to use 17+

to clear a front der. i would use a wider bb and use -17'' cs if i were to build a xc 29er.

 

[jncarpenter]

Thoughts from IB '06:

Turner Sultan This bike is fast. Just fast. It accelerates smoothly in all conditions and the ability to coast through the rough stuff without losing any speed is really impressive. The overall handling reminded me strongly of the Niner RIP9. Some guys I talked to preferred the Niner (citing the higher, wider bars on that bike as nice), some the Sultan (including a RIP9 owner ). Probably comes down to personal preference. The Sultan just rails through corners and refused to break loose even when mashing the pedals up loose stuff despite the rather wimply looking Maxxis Ignitors. The handling is sweet, balanced, and very predictable. When DT set out to make a 29er that acts as a counterpart to the 5-Spot, he nailed it with the Sultan. The Reba is sort of lacking in travel, but does pretty well with the little it is endowed with. This was also one of our favorite bikes at the show. Those of you who have preordered one are in for a serious treat. This is the bike that could get me to sell my 5-Spot and migrate to weird wheels.

 

[mud'n'sweat]

Another review on the Sultan....

Interbike 2006 Report
Day 1 – Sept 25, 2006
Location – Bootleg Canyon, Nevada
Author – Thomas Tran aka ‘Rensho’ (mtbr 29er Specialist)




Turner Sultan: Med, reba, gears, ~100mm stem, narrow risers, Maxxis Ignitors. I had a tough time getting along with this bike. Can’t put my finger on it. It felt sluggish on the trail, and was not plush. The bars felt high. Just getting off the RIP9, this was a very different bike. The Sultan felt less active, but slower getting the power to the ground. The tires held this bike back some. Initially, they were too high pressure. Getting them back down to ~28-30psi helped them stick without pinching. The narrow bars also don’t allow for easy application of power as you try and get up some of the steep gullies. A wider flat bar would have helped keep the front end a little lower. I could not pin down what the bike does well. It is a Turner, so you know it will last and is very well supported. I kept replaying in my head Aqua’s review of the Sultan and how he wouldn’t trade it for his RFX/6pack. If I have time, I’ll ride this again tomorrow. I don’t feel I’ve unlocked what this bike is capable of. Some cockpit adjustments and tires would go a long way.

 

[N8 v2.0]

Another review on the Sultan....

That's the review I read too...

 

[MMcG]

I suspect the bike is somewhere in the middle of those two reviews.

Tscheezy has been a Turner rider and devotee (nothing wrong with that) for years and years. and the other reviewer is a Niner hardtail rider so he may have some RIP 9 bias as well.

They sound like two very excellent FS options - probably comes down to rider preference in the end.

For me, if I could afford one of those options, I'd go Niner.

 

[Soupboy]

Go figure, one of the most unabashed Homers likes, well, another Turner. I'm sure it's a fine bike but it's also the best example of a boutique player dieing of crow ingestion overdose in recent memory.

Thoughts from IB '06:

 

[jncarpenter]

Go figure, one of the most unabashed Homers likes, well, another Turner. I'm sure it's a fine bike but it's also the best example of a boutique player dieing of crow ingestion overdose in recent memory.

....well, one of the reason's we choose our bikes as we do is for the ride (go figure). A nice characteristic about Turner bikes is that there is a certain "feel" to the ride that is passed on from one model to the next....to most, the geometry just feels very dialed & intuitive. I don't think it is a far stretch to assume that if you prefer one Turner, you will likely be inclined toward another of his models vs. the competitor.

On the crow bit, I know you got your feelings hurt because DT was reluctant to design the 29'er (HL) at the point you were ready to invest in one (I remember all your incessant posts on the Turner board to this regard)....however, he was tied up with multiple projects & obviously underestimated the longevity/ success of the 29" format. However, when I spoke with him last week on the subject (Sultan), I asked if he had ridden it & he replied "Yes...it's a fun freakin' bike". Ideally, isn't that what we all want from manufacturers? The willingness to take a risk & perhaps extend their opinion/ experience in the process?

MMcg...I think the Rip9 looks pretty sweet as well, personally I'm inclined to believe they both rip! From the pics I saw...it looked like perhaps Rensho should have ridden the small Sultan. My one concern with the Niner is the pivot/ bearing issues that are frequently a problem w/ the VPP style (multi link) designs. Given that Turner's bushings are effectively a proven, no hassle system...I am inclined to watch & see how the Rip9 holds up over time. Again, I agree w/ you that they are both going to be quality riding steeds.

FWIW...if I wasn't a "Homer", I would likely pick up the new Ventana offering (El Rey). Ventana (Sherwood) is another example of a builder who started out with little interest in 29" bikes & is now a convert :biggrin:

 

[RJM]

I too had a chance to ride the Sultan 29'r around interbike. I will say it rode very well. Most notable was how light it felt, compared to a flux(probably the closest 26'r to the sultan), the sultan felt lighter for some reason, and faster.

At this point, I am nowhere near owning a 29" bicycle, but the Sultan sure was a blast to spin around on.

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