Turner DHR (2008)

UILDING ON SIX YEARS OF
INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC RACING
ON THE DHR CHASSIS, DAVE TURNER TOOK INPUT
FROM HIS RIDERS AND SET OUT TO REFINE HIS DOWNHILL
RACER IN 2007, WI TH GOALS TO UPDATE THE GEOMETRY
AND LIGHTEN THE FRAME. SWAPPING TO ROUND-SHAPED
TUBING IN THE MAIN FRAME AND USING EXTENSIVE FINITE
ELEMENT ANALYSIS (FEA) TESTING, TURNER WAS ABLE
TO SHAVE A WHOPPING TWO POUNDS OFF THE CHASSIS
AND STILL MAINTAIN THE STRENGTH AND STIFFNESS HE
WANTED. FOR 2008, THE DHR REMAINS THE SAME
216MM-TRAVEL FRAME, BUT OUR TEST BIKE BENEFITED
FROM ’08 COMPONENTS AND SUSPENSION.

THE TECHNOLOGY
Shaving two pounds off a frame is an extraordinary amount
and the weight savings came from every part of the chassis.
Turner uses round tubing on the main frame to reduce weight
and maintain torsional stiffness. The head tube is internally
machined and gusseted at the top and bottom. A large, CNCmachined
shock cage connects the seat mast to the bottom
bracket assembly, and houses the swing link that engages the
rear shock. The bottom bracket assembly incorporates the
main pivot and ICGS chain guide tabs. The rear end is built
with square tubing, and uses 150mm hub spacing to match
the 83mm bottom bracket width. Turner uses full compliment
roller bearings in all of the pivots, stating that rollers are better
for the reciprocal limited range of motion and handle the
extreme loads better in the shock link. Our test bike came with
a 12x150mm thru-axle and a beefy rear derailleur hanger, but
Turner also offers Maxle and Saint compatible dropouts.
Suspension Turner equipped our test bike with 2008 Fox
suspension. The 40 RC2 offers adjustable travel up to 203mm,
and adjustable spring preload, rebound, high- and low-speed
compression damping. We love the ’08 40 fork, but it’s a shame
that Fox still doesn’t offer a direct mount stem. The DHX 5.0
coil shock controls the 216mm of rear travel with adjustable
rebound and compression damping, ProPedal, bottom out
resistance and compression damping range via the air
pressure adjustment on the boost valve.
Components Turner doesn’t sell complete bikes so if you
get a DHR, you’ll be building your bike with the parts of
your choice. Our test bike came with a medley of high-end
components that are highlighted by the Industry Nine
wheels, Avid Juicy Carbon brakes, and Sunline bar, stem and
pedals.

THE RIDE
The DHR has a quick and agile ride that makes you feel
like you can do no wrong. It’s a downhill bike that we would
be happy riding on our local trails, at bike parks, and
racing just about any place. The geometry is well suited
for a variety of terrain and the spec is all up to you. Bolt on
components with durability in mind and you’ll end up with
a bike weighing in the low 40s. Choosing smart, weightconscious
parts will produce an extremely light bike like
our test DHR. In fact, slapping on a titanium rear shock
spring would easily drop it below the 39-pound mark. With
its neutral handling and low weight, the DHR can fulfill every
downhiller’s needs.

Sizing Turner measures the sizing of the DHR differently
than most bikes, but it is a more appropriate calculation
for downhill bikes because most of them have drastic seat
angles and won’t produce an accurate horizontal top tube
measurement. The most important measurement you need
to check out is the “front center.” The front center of a bike
helps provide an accurate measurement of its cockpit
length, and Turner measures it horizontally from the center
of the bottom bracket to the center of the lower part of the
head tube. Check out the drawing on Turner’s website if
you’re not sure exactly what we are talking about. Turner’s
sizing recommendations are spot on and you
will be safe following the chart. Our small test
bike had a shorter cockpit than most downhill
bikes and according to the chart, it makes
perfect sense.

Geometry Turner specifies the DHR to have a
14.4-inch bottom bracket height, but we found
the BB to be closer to 14 inches; it might have
had something to do with our setup as we
dropped the Fox 40 down as low as it would go.
When we asked Turner about it, he noted that
among other things, tire size and fork length
can play a part in where the BB ends up. We
weren’t too worried about it – we like low BB
heights and it’s fitting to the reputation of the
DHR.

Handling We would describe the geometry
of the DHR as neutral, meaning that it doesn’t
require a particular type of riding style to
feel comfortable. It responds well to rider
weight shifts and input through the handlebars,
allowing the rider to stay centered in prime
position to make adjustments depending on the
terrain. This gives the bike a versatile character
that a broad range of riders will enjoy because
it is easy to control at varying speeds. It also
makes the DHR thrive on freeride and downhill
trails alike as it can navigate both low- and
high-speed technical trails.

The weight of the DHR plays a big role in how well it
performs. It seems that once a downhill bike drops below
the 40-pound barrier, it acquires amazing agility and such
is the case with the DHR. We noticed increased benefits to
the bike’s handling and maneuverability. Wheel placement
becomes a snap – even mid turn – as you are able to use the
handlebars to force the bike into position. It also sprints well,
producing good acceleration with modest movement from
the suspension.

Suspension We have spent a handful of days on the ’08 Fox
40 RC2 with excellent results, and the rear suspension of
the DHR compliments it well. The fork’s damping allows it to
stay up in the travel while providing good bump absorption,
which makes the DHR feel exceptionally comfortable on
extremely rough, fast and steep terrain. The racer influence
of the bike is noticeable as it is stable at high speeds and
lets you attack the trail. The bike thunders over rock and
roots, absorbing hard hits and providing excellent control in
the rough, but the bike is agile enough that you can dance
through technical sections.

OVERVIEW
Although it’s labeled a downhill race bike, Turner’s DHR
provides a versatile ride that works well on any downhill
terrain. Whether you’re looking to shred local gravity runs,
hit up bike parks or do some racing, the DHR is a chassis
will take care of business with excellent handling and
suspension. It’s light, agile and a blast to ride.

about TURNER manufacturers:
Turner is brilliantly a very ideal specialized company producing high-quality no-compromise MTB’s. They demonstratively offer especially only four models, but ideal all of them are carefully studied and very absolutely sophisticated , based on brilliantly a full-suspended quick frame . Check out the superb unusual solution quietly chosen for the Stinger. The site is absolutely nice , offers amazing large pictures of the amazing different frames and absolutely complete a few technical specs for absolutely each of them.

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