Out with the old, in with the new! When I got my first ride on my 2008 Turner Flux I was amazed at how much better it was than my old bikes. I had been riding the same bike brand for 10 years and thought that they were good. I had been able to have great success on those bikes. But now I couldn't help but wonder, what if I had been riding a Turner, would I have been better? My 2008 Flux was a straight arrow. There was no "noodling" of the rear end like I was used to . I was holding a line on the ups and downs. I wasn't used to that level of responsiveness. I liked it.

I liked it so much that I called David Turner and told him. He said, "Well let me send you a 2009 one with the DW link. You'll notice the difference right away on the trails." Well, besides being in awe of talking to the actual president and inventor of Turner Bikes, I was stoked.

Is it better? Unequivocally - YES! It is the best bike that I have ever ridden and so much fun. The 2009 Flux is even stiffer side to side. Being stiffer torsionally makes it track better and hold a line better. On the first ride this was easy to notice because I went to a place that I ride frequently. There is this one left hander that dumps into a rocky shallow uphill that is off camber. On the old flux I had trouble holding the speed that I wanted without getting bounced off the line. On the 2009 Flux, I was all the way up the hill with ease and let out a big woohoo!

This bike doesn't need as much rider input to go straight and fast. But being a former world cup racer, I'm still focused on the fundamentals of a good xc bike which is uphill performance. The 2009 Flux doesn't compromise pedaling efficiency one bit. When out of the saddle, the DW link makes it as stiff as a hardtail, especially combined with a front fork lockout. No "caterpillaring" here! On technical uphills its really great because you have the stiffness of the link combined with precision tracking and then this ground hugging effect for the ultimate traction. I actually had a little trouble on a couple tricky uphills because I oversteered, lifted up too much and was not trusting in the capability of the bike. I found the bike going where I wanted it to go, but my mindset was with the old Flux.

The third ride was in West Virginia on Canaan Mountain Trails, near where I used to live. Again going to those familiar trails really gave me good insight on the bike. There are a bunch of square rocks and small wheel size rock gaps on Lindy Run Trail. I couldn't believe how the full stroke of the travel and path of the wheel was unaffected by these square bumps. My ride quality was undisturbed and I was very happy.

My boyfriend Tim, is co-owner of Shenandoah Bicycle here in Harrisonburg, VA. He is the one that turned me on to Turner Bikes. I feel sorry for him now because he doesn't have the new DW link Flux. I have a feeling its not going to be too long before he says, "I have to have the DW link". And of course, I'll say, "Out with the old, in with the new".

Without a doubt the 3 day stage race at this years Trans Rockies was the hardest riding/racing I've ever done. Outta the gate it was something like 7000ft up, countless sections of unrideable up's and downs including a mile long scree slope on the first day that saw many a tumbling rider. Stage 2 had the greatest impact on me and was the toughest thing I've done, as I'm not used to high elevation. One rider commented (for those that are familiar) that it was like starting in Moab and heading up to Burro's pass via porcupine rim, turning around heading back down and then riding the road back up and down again! I don't know about that but when you can stretch out your arm and touch the side of the hill you've been hika biking up for the last hour, it's pretty steep. Oh.. and then you have to come down the other side. I had the only Flux DW in the race. Several other DW bikes came out to play from Ibis and Pivot, but it was my Turner that didn't blend in with its flashy granny smith green. Mated with a talas on the front this 25lb duo made the 3days enjoyable, effiecient and super strong frame with a 100-140fork. But for most of the ride I was in 120mm mode and really could have just left it in that position.

Couldn't help noticing that when I dropped my bike off for wrenching it wasn't pulled apart like some bikes from the 'big brands'. Other than a wrecked front derrailleur on day 1, all the wrench had to do after the wash was oil the chain and check tire and shock pressure! On day three the 40km slop fest in the rain had no ill effects on the Flux. It still ran as quiet as it did on day one. No squeaky pivots here! I ride the Flux as hard as I can every time I'm on it. When a bike can go through what I've put it through it really doesn't fall into the XC race category as its listed as it can handle a lot more than XC-ish riding. Being in race mode I don't carry a camera. So my pics are of the scenery after each stage, pretty boring stuff compared to what it was like on the trails. Except this one of a tired beat up 40+ rider who managed a 6th place at the end of it all. Can't wait to do it again.

The endurance racing scene is something that I've been dabbling in for about 10 years. I've been racing XC events for 21years. I've got to my credit some podium finishes in the early days and many top ten finishes since then. My events include XC, 6hr-8hr-24hr and multiday events. Being this long in the saddle the last thing any racer should be concerned about is his/her equipment. Well it's been a lot of trial and error and expense on my part to find a frame that is perfect in every way. The masters category is no exception to these demands as age is not an indication that we are slowing down. We are just as serious about racing/riding as the younger crowd and will go to great lengths to have the right tool for the job. My latest Turner rocket, a Flux DW, exemplifies what a perfect all around XC bike is. It climbs, decends and corners better than any 4" travel 26er bike I've owned. It squirts forward when you touch the pedals because its such a solidly built frame. It doesn't creak, crack or whine when I'm beating it up day after day. Plus, maintenance is a breeze and its always really fun to ride! Confirmed by I've yet to meet a dissatisfied Turner owner. At my age I'm becoming less concerned with how well I finish, but moreso with how well I'm riding and how much fun I'm having. Turner bikes allow you to be your best no matter the conditions.

I've had many memorable rides. Some were group rides in some scenic far away places, like Sedona, DownieVille, or Moab. Some were just solo missions going at whatever pace fancied me that particular day. One thing that is almost always a given is how soul cleansing pedaling my bicycle can be. There really is no melancholy...when I'm turning those cranks, up in the forest!

The DW link fooled me at first with it's remarkable climbing prowess. It came off as a bike with XC manners untill I got it in the rough stuff. It handled all of those moves that I reserve for my RFX with ease. Then, on the high speed, 3 mile descent... my buddy behind me (on a downhill bike), noted that there was no discernable difference in speed between me descending on my RFX, and this DWlinked Sultan! I can't wait to see what the new RFX will be capable of!

SBG