2009 Team Scalpel as reviewed at MTBR.com
MTBR.com took the ’09 Team Scalpel to task, and came back with some pretty astonishing words. Check out some of these quotes then go read the whole detailed article here.
On the Lefty Fork: “insane XC fork that leaves me drawing blanks if asked to name a fork I would prefer regardless of bike brand.”
On the bike overall: “There’s so much feedback and so little slop anywhere that I’ve not been on anything else that handles like this bike. In fact I’ve been on dual suspension bikes with front and rear locked out that don’t react as quickly as the Scalpel does with its suspension fully active”.
'09 Turner 5-Spot w/Pro Build
ALLEN DONHAUSER | JANUARY 2009
Best demo ride ever. It’s a bit funky in the looks department, costs a small fortune and isn’t particularly light but holy snakes what a ride.
I love hype as much as the next bike-nerd but I have to say this DW-link stuff sure is the real deal. How many times have you heard the phrase “pedals like a hardtail?” Well, how about better than a hardtail. That’s more like it.
I loved the way it zips you forward with each pedal stroke and yet stays completely active and plush over bumps. Sure, we’ve heard it all before – from many companies in the past, including Turner themselves. Well, I’ve owned 3 Turners and this beats them all. Along with being backed up by the best customer service in the biz, the 5-Spot is super stiff in the corners and has bang-on geometry. It’s like magic. I want one.
Ed. note: The 2009 Turner 5-Spot has 5.5. inches (140mm) of travel and is available as a frame as part of Turner’s new build kits. http://www.turnerbikes.com/09fivespot.html
Shimano FD-M667
ALLEN DONHAUSER | JANUARY 2009
I haven’t run a big ring for a while now and I’ve still always had trouble keeping my chain where I want it on fast, rocky descents (Burma in Annadel and Pine Mountain Road come to mind). Sure you can usually shift your chain back into place but I like to be able to pedal between the chunky stuff and out of corners without wondering if I’m spinning free or not.
I’ve tried shiftable chain guides with rollers and both SRAM and Shimano normal front derailleurs but nothing works quite like this innocuous little gem. At first glance it looks like all it cousins – but because it doesn’t have to shift up to a big ring Shimano has been able to optimize the shape of the cage for the small and middle rings and it just will not let the chain drop.
It also is more comfy with shifting between a bigger jump from small to middle (22 to 36 tooth), which makes up a bit for missing out the 44 those few times when you’d spin out a regular middle ring. Plus, it’s cheap, doesn’t add the weight of a roller and backplate and won’t get any more gunked up in the winter than a regular derailleur. Honestly, this is my favorite product from last year because it such a simple solution to a problem that has caused me so much frustration.
Shimano makes two double front derailleurs as part of their brand new SLX line of parts, an offshoot of the Deore line. Learn more here.
Facebook
Twitter