[mtbmonk]

A friend wants my help putting a new ride together for Christmas. She is really stuck on either a Turner Flux or a Titus Racer-X 100. I have to say, she’s really excited, so I don’t want to steer her in the wrong direction. She likes to race a little, has been dreaming of riding a 24 hour and trends to do all day trail rides. I’ve had her read all the reviews, check out both websites and chase down a few riders to ask them what they think. And still we’re stuck between the two!

 

[Duh-luth]

The most important consideration is finding out which of the bikes is going to provide the best fit. Toptube length, standover, etc. should be compared to find the better match for her size. Obviously, if possible, a test ride would be the real determining factor. Then comes the fun part of speccing the frame out with all the goodies.

 

[KRob]

Two great choices. If i were in the market for a 4" bike that fit those criteria again (I was when i bought my HH100x), those two would be at the top of my list as well. It may just come down to which one fits best, or which one's available the soonest, best dealer/shop etc. You can't go wrong here.

 

[Jerk_Chicken]

I'll offer my experience that it's hard to tune the Racer-X's shock. You either bottom out or you don't get enough travel if you add air to prevent it. Very tough.

 

[Davide]

Edge Cycles? --- Blur XC

A friend wants my help putting a new ride together for Christmas. She is really stuck on either a Turner Flux or a Titus Racer-X 100. I have to say, she’s really excited, so I don’t want to steer her in the wrong direction. She likes to race a little, has been dreaming of riding a 24 hour and trends to do all day trail rides. I’ve had her read all the reviews, check out both websites and chase down a few riders to ask them what they think. And still we’re stuck between the two!

I have only a good two rides experience with the Racer-X but I can only say good things about it. It was very easy to set up (fox float, was a couple of years ago), very efficient (almost hard-tail like) and stable at speed. It is built great, with maintanance-free quad bearings and Titus is one of the few (with ventana, intense, ellsworth, and then the very smal ones) remaning manifacturer in the USA, with great reputation. I can only imagine how a Rp3 makes it even better, although if your friend is light she might think about havine the shock modified by PUSH.

If you want to go retro and consider a faux-bar I would look at Ventana El Saltamontes instead of the Flux, or a Sycip

An alternative is the Edge-cycle Icarus Woman, made out of steel or titanium http://www.edgecycles.com/index.cfm that can be made custom. Of course Titus Ventana and Sycip could also build a custom for your friend which is a big plus.

Another idea is the Blur-XC, which works better on small bumps and it is lighter than all the bikes you are considering, which might be a factor for a lighter rider that wants to do a 24h

 

[Rouleur321]

You keep trying to harpoon that whale, Ahab.

 

[Braids]

I'll offer my experience that it's hard to tune the Racer-X's shock. You either bottom out or you don't get enough travel if you add air to prevent it. Very tough.

I've had my bike since July and I had no problem setting up the shock and enjoying the ride. I'm not feeling harsh bottoming out and judging from the o-ring I'm getting full travel on my bike. I love the ride too. How much sag do you have set up on your bike?

 

[mtbmonk]

Racer-X 100 it is!

Thanks for all the advise. She/we decided on the Titus Racer-X 100. Through a little searching, we were able to find someone to let her demo the bike. And that's all it took. As we were advised, it was all about the feel...

BTW: I ride a Titus Racer-X 100 ti but I was trying to stay as neutral as possible...

 

[KMan]

I hope you read this 1st....

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=971534#post971534
I also have a pretty detailed review on the Turner forum comparing these 2 bikes.

In a nutshell, I have owned 3 different Racer X's (80mm w/out the x-link, 80mm with x-link and a 100mm Racer X. Personally I like the Turner Flux much better and am very glad I made the switch. Noted both are great bikes and they ride differently.

KMan

Thanks for all the advise. She/we decided on the Titus Racer-X 100. Through a little searching, we were able to find someone to let her demo the bike. And that's all it took. As we were advised, it was all about the feel...

BTW: I ride a Titus Racer-X 100 ti but I was trying to stay as neutral as possible...

 

[Davide]

please stop?

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=971534#post971534
I also have a pretty detailed review on the Turner forum comparing these 2 bikes.

In a nutshell, I have owned 3 different Racer X's (80mm w/out the x-link, 80mm with x-link and a 100mm Racer X. Personally I like the Turner Flux much better and am very glad I made the switch. Noted both are great bikes and they ride differently.

KMan

Please The link you refer to is for a 2005 Flux which has a Horst link suspension. The "Flux" that mtbmonk is considering is 2006 which has a single-pivot/faux-bar design.

Can we please stop talking of the 2006 turners as if they were identical to the 2005: if one claims thay a horst or a single-pivot are identical I don't see any point in discussing differences between a Flux and a Racer-X ... everyting is similar for a casual ride but not for the level of performance we are discussing here: the flux you review is no longer in production

Please really this is making these pages a joke

 

[KMan]

Joke???

While you are correct the 2005 and 2006 Turners are different (and I personally have not ridden a TNT 06 Turner). Here are a few of a ton of reviews comparing the Horst Turners to the new TNT Turners and pretty much the consenses is there is not much noticable difference. That being the case, me personally even if the new TNT Turner road a bit worse than the 05 Horst link Turners, I would still prefer it over a Racer X...and remember I have 5 years on 3 different Titus Racer X's so I have some experience there. Also recommending a Blur? Not even in the same game as a Racer X or Flux. Not sure of the weight of a Blur either, buy my Large Flux weighed 5.6lbs. My Racer X's were right at 6+ lbs with Ti hardware.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=133832
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=150975
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=148725
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=148324
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=104632

Some phots of my old bikes - not sure where teh RX100 phots is

KMan

Please The link you refer to is for a 2005 Flux which has a Horst link suspension. The "Flux" that mtbmonk is considering is 2006 which has a single-pivot/faux-bar design.

Can we please stop talking of the 2006 turners as if they were identical to the 2005: if one claims thay a horst or a single-pivot are identical I don't see any point in discussing differences between a Flux and a Racer-X ... everyting is similar for a casual ride but not for the level of performance we are discussing here: the flux you review is no longer in production

Please really this is making these pages a joke

 

[MTBNate]

Mmm... I have a Titus/Asylum 29er Racer-X and it is by far the sweetest XC machine I've ever ridden:

However, I hear Turner is working on a 29er based on the Flux.... should be a great ride as well!

 

[Ridin'Dirty]

I'll offer my experience that it's hard to tune the Racer-X's shock. You either bottom out or you don't get enough travel if you add air to prevent it. Very tough.

The RP3 that comes stock on the RX100 is changing a bit in 06 but I agree with the posts above. I am waiting on a RX100 as well. I got a much better deal on the Titus so that is what really sealed the deal. I considered a Sycip as well and it is tough to turn away from such a beautiful frame (plus I love my steel frame SS) but at the end of the day if you like to ride fast and race, the other two bikes are probably a little better suited? I could be wrong though - never got to ride the Sycip - which my lbs will soon list on ebay btw!

 

[KMan]

I heard the same as well

I actually ordered a Niner s.i.r.9, but because of back issues I have I cancelled the order. I develop too much pain riding a HT. I will seriously take a look at ordering a 9er Turner when it becomes available.

KMan

Mmm... I have a Titus/Asylum 29er Racer-X and it is by far the sweetest XC machine I've ever ridden:

However, I hear Turner is working on a 29er based on the Flux.... should be a great ride as well!

 

[lovemonkey]

I actually ordered a Niner s.i.r.9, but because of back issues I have I cancelled the order. I develop too much pain riding a HT. I will seriously take a look at ordering a 9er Turner when it becomes available.

KMan

Titus has a 29er racer-x now

 

[MTBNate]

Titus has a 29er racer-x now

They do indeed! I can give you the scoop on getting a killer deal on a Titus Ti frame if you decide to go that way... via a PM.

If Ti is not your bag nor in your budget, then perhaps an aluminum Speedgoat Asylum 29er (like mine) is prehaps your ticket to big wheeled joy.

 

[lovemonkey]

They do indeed! I can give you the scoop on getting a killer deal on a Titus Ti frame if you decide to go that way.
If Ti is not your bag no in your budget, then prehaps an aluminum Speedgoat Asylum 29er (like mine is prehaps your ticket to big wheeled joy.

Sorry, I missread your post. I didn't mean to be redundant.

 

[Davide]

While you are correct the 2005 and 2006 Turners are different (and I personally have not ridden a TNT 06 Turner). Here are a few of a ton of reviews comparing the Horst Turners to the new TNT Turners and pretty much the consenses is there is not much noticable difference. That being the case, me personally even if the new TNT Turner road a bit worse than the 05 Horst link Turners, I would still prefer it over a Racer X..

It is too bad that the reviews come from exactly the same people (Bikezilla ad Tcheesy first. plus now some shop owner that sells the bikes) that used to claim that Turners were superior because of the Hortst link, and had magic links locations which made them superior to all other horsts (bar none, call it Titus, Intense or Specialized). Now of course the claim is unsostainable unless ... we decide that there is no difference ... no difference right where big differences used to be.

It is such an embarassing and childish (and marketing driven) brand-mania that is not even worth discussing.

Really: if a horts vs a faux-bar makes no difference let's stop discussing between different brands pluses/minuses Geometries are basically identical for most bikes, and we can just discuss the shocks and tires (that make up 90% of the performance anyway).

 

[Rouleur321]

It is too bad that the reviews come from exactly the same people (Bikezilla ad Tcheesy first. plus now some shop owner that sells the bikes) that used to claim that Turners were superior because of the Hortst link, and had magic links locations which made them superior to all other horsts (bar none, call it Titus, Intense or Specialized). Now of course the claim is unsostainable unless ... we decide that there is no difference ... no difference right where big differences used to be.

It is such an embarassing and childish (and marketing driven) brand-mania that is not even worth discussing.

Really: if a horts vs a faux-bar makes no difference let's stop discussing between different brands pluses/minuses Geometries are basically identical for most bikes, and we can just discuss the shocks and tires (that make up 90% of the performance anyway).

The only thing childish and incessant is your crusade.

Do us a favor....show us a single bike or car or any other product that hasnt had its design refined over the years. Go ahead.

 

[richwolf]

Davide

In your post you said

"It is such an embarassing and childish (and marketing driven) brand-mania that is not even worth discussing."

Yet you discuss it ad naseum.