[adictionbass]

So I’m in the market for a new bike with an end goal of having 1 go anywhere do just about anything bike. I ended up setting my criteria at: 140-160mm of travel, 650b, DW link and a trail/all-mountain geometry. This has led me to the turner burner.

I have come down to a size dilemma as I seem to always do being 5’ 10.25” with a 33.125” inseam (barefoot). Living in north Texas we don’t have a lot of demo days to try new bikes so I have mostly been going off the numbers and online reviews. I took some time and made a graph that overlaps a bunch of frames, but not sure anyone else here would really be interested in going through all that; basically the medium burner seems to fall in line with large sizes of similar trail bikes, yet it is still rated per the site for the medium height (5’6” to 5’10”) rider.

I feel like my current bike (Tallboy C) is just a little too big for me length wise, but I like the stack height (ETT of 24”, stack of 24.1”, reach of 16.6” and a 60mm stem). For the burner, this puts me either on a large with a 35-40 mm stem and 20-30 mm of spacers, or a medium with a 60-70mm stem and 40-60mm of spacers.

Not really sure which way to go on this one, does anyone my size have any feedback?

 

[airwreck]

Not your size but consider the stack easier to correct than reach. Also large burner reach at 17". Turner has the trade program also that lets you switch frame sizes if you aren't satisfied with your choice. I do know one person who's 5-11 on a medium burner with a 30mm stem, personal preference...

 

[savechief]

How many spacers on your Tallboy?

100 or 120 fork on your Tallboy?

 

[adictionbass]

20 mm and a 120

 

[savechief]

I want to run my own numbers with your situation, but you should never run 40-60mm of spacers. Typically I've seen 30mm as the maximum, and that was for road forks that see less stress.

 

[rigoishe]

hello, i am 5'11" and ride a large burner with 70mm stem and 15 to 20mm spacers, still playing around with getting the bike dialed as i got it for christmas and have only had it for 4 months. Where in north Texas are you? I am in Austin and there is a bike shop here called Cycle Progression that has Turners they Demo.

 

[savechief]

Assumptions:
1) Used geometry, fork A2C, etc. from Turner and Santa Cruz websites
2) External Cup lower headset with 12mm stack height for both bikes
3) 46mm fork rake for both bikes
4) Your 60mm stem on the Tallboy is a 0-degree rise
5) Zero Stack upper headset with 8mm stack height for both bikes

Here are some options you have for (they all get you to within a mm or so)...

Same vertical handlebar position as Tallboy, but 1cm closer:
Medium Burner, 65mm/0 degree stem, 23mm spacers
Medium Burner, 65mm/+6 degree stem, 15mm spacers
Large Burner, 40mm/0 degree stem, 15mm spacers
Large Burner, 40mm/10 degree stem (Renthal Duo), 10mm spacers

Same vertical handlebar position as Tallboy, but 2cm closer:
Medium Burner, 55mm/0 degree stem, 26mm spacers
Medium Burner, 55mm/10 degree stem, 17mm spacers
Large Burner, 30mm/6 degree stem (Syntace Megaforce 2), 15mm spacers

I'm sure there are other frame size/stem/spacer combinations, but you get the idea. Personally, if I were you, I'd stick with the Medium Burner, get a 65mm, 0 degree stem (Race Face Atlas or Easton Havoc) and try 20mm and 25mm of spacers to see which one feels better. You are used to a 44" wheelbase with the Large Tallboy, and my calculations estimate the Large Burner wheelbase to be about 46.3". The Medium Burner wheelbase should be about 45.2". You would have to decide if you want a bike with over a 2" longer wheelbase versus what you ride now.

 

[Child]

Since I'm also kinda in between sizes I emailed turner for advice when I got my Spot a little over a year ago they told me: If you're in between sizes go with the larger frame. At least that's their general advice.

 

[Bullit_cn]

I would say a large would be better for you ;-)

 

[deanopatoni]

Since I'm also kinda in between sizes I emailed turner for advice when I got my Spot a little over a year ago they told me: If you're in between sizes go with the larger frame. At least that's their general advice.

I'm in between too and got the same advice from DT. You can always go for a shorter stem if you find the large frame too long. This is a far better scenario than having to put a longer than optimum stem on a medium frame. Noting that short stems wide bars are better, and also that stems are now commonly available in lengths as low as 35mm long (Gee Atherton style).
Deano

 

[prooperator]

Go with a large.

 

[adictionbass]

Savechief, awesome response. This is the comparison I made of frames based on the geometry given on the websites (some others may find it useful). Bottom bracket at the bottom, top line is effective top tube, top right is the result of stack height, reach, head angle and head tube length.
It's mostly just a list of the bikes I have ridden with the addition of the Bronson for comparison.

Medium 5.7 felt too small. The large 5.7, large mojo and medium mach 6 all felt pretty good size wise (which is right where the medium burner seems to live).

I'm currently leaning towards the medium as I have always gone with the larger option. I'm going to tweak my tallboy to be a little closer to the medium burner and see how it feels this weekend.

 

[savechief]

I'm in between too and got the same advice from DT. You can always go for a shorter stem if you find the large frame too long. This is a far better scenario than having to put a longer than optimum stem on a medium frame. Noting that short stems wide bars are better, and also that stems are now commonly available in lengths as low as 35mm long (Gee Atherton style).
Deano

But in the OP's situation, he would only need a 55-65mm stem (hardly what I would deem "longer than optimal") on a Medium Burner to get into his desired position.

 

[NWfreeride]

Given your information, I'd also suggest a large.

Speaking with Dave himself (when looking at Burner vs. Flux), he told me that the geo on the Burner wasn't supposed to require more thinking. You buy the frame size you're used to, and you run a shorter stem with a wider bar.

To get the most out of these 'new school' geometries, you need to ride stems less than 60mm and bars over 730.

The longer TT will offset the shorter stem, and position you nicely 'in' the bike.