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Nitrous
The big change for the 2023 model year is the switch to 'post mount' rear brake and Universal Derailleur Hanger. Removing the UDH allows you to use the newest SRAM 'Transmission' rear derailleur and cassette. Of course each frame is shipped with a UDH attached so any derailleur can be used.
Why was the Nitrous created? For fast cross country type rides, but with a fully modern geometry. There is no reason that a XC / fast trail bike designed to really be pedaled in anger should have a seat angle from 1992 and the head tube angle from a decade ago. Modern longer lower slacker works better than the old geometry just as well on light fast bikes as heavy enduro class bikes. Why a hard tail?? For many of us, there is a ton of riding that does not require a full suspension bike, and with trail sanitation happening daily, more and more trails are more and more fun on a hardtail! So I decided to make a fast, lively feeling mountain bike with stable, modern geometry that utilizes a beautiful steering, short stem and install a wide bar.
Voila, something far more capable feeling than any gravel bike when the going gets rough, and conversely far more nimble and responsive than a full suspension bike for powering along on the less demanding terrain that so many of us have easy access to.
The first part of designing the Nitrous was to make it inspiring to ride up the hill, almost urging you to new speed. With the low weight and balanced geometry, you will look at the steep sections of your favorite trails and know you can go further and faster than ever before. To create that snappy feel I pulled the chainstays in nice and short. As always there is a balance to frame geometry aspects and the first couple protos were even shorter, but I really felt the bike should be more stable. So the chainstay was stretched just a bit for some more stability on ungroomed trails. To maintain the awesome traction on the rear wheel, the seat tube angle was slackened a little.
For me, the 'longer’ part of the longer, lower, slacker ditty means that you can now install a crisp steering, super short stem and still be in a focused, powerful position while climbing. This ‘longer’ aspect to frame geometry also puts the front wheel further in front of your center of mass for more descending stability, and this is especially important when pushing the limits outside of the smoother flow trail networks.
Ok, now we need to talk about the ‘slacker’ part of the ditty. To be sure the Nitrous is slacker than most hardtails ever built. But it is by no means the slackest, the race to create the most extreme numbers is over. What is important is that the head angle is properly designed for the type of riding most will do on the Nitrous. Not so slack as to cause wheel flop on the tight technical turns and more importantly, it is not so slack that one cannot weight the front wheel on flatter turns.
The results of all the testing and geometry tweaking was to give the stability we expect out of a modern bike, without losing the liveliness we crave from a high performance hardtail.
So, is the Nitrous a fast XC bike or is it a stable ‘downcounty’ trail bike capable of zooming thru the woods ducking branches and carving up the spaces between the trees, or is it the perfect bike for Leadville type endurance races? I would say yes, it is.
| S | M | L | XL | |
| rec'd height | 5'1"-5'6'' | 5'6''-5'10'' | 5'10''-6'2'' | 6'2''-6'6'' |
| effective TT | 585 | 615 | 640 | 670 |
| seat tube | 370 | 400 | 430 | 470 |
| seat tube angle real | 75° | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74° |
| head tube | 85 | 100 | 125 | 155 |
| head-angle | 66° | 66° | 66° | 66° |
| bb drop | 62 | 62 | 60 | 60 |
| chainstay | 435 | 435 | 440 | 445 |
| reach | 420 | 443 | 462 | 478 |
| stack | 610 | 623 | 644 | 672 |
| wheelbase | 1140 | 1166 | 1200 | 1233 |
| standover@mid tube | 760 | 775 | 805 | 835 |
| Max post insert | 250 | 210 | 240 | 280 |
| { All specifications are subject to change. Measurements are given in ‘Millimeters’ and ‘Grams’ unless otherwise noted. } | ||||
Frame Specs
Frame Specs
| Seat Post Diameter | 30.9mm | |
| Headset Dimensions | 44/56 semi integrated ZS | |
| BB Shell | T47 Threaded | |
| Fork Length | 120-140 | (Geo based on 120 fork) |
| POST mount rear brake | 180 max | |
| Max Tire Clearance | 29'' x 2.5'' or 27.5'' x 2.8'' | With good clearance |
| Max Boost chainring size: | 36t oval 38t round |
Subtle shaping at the lower end of the Down Tube to the spread load over the BB shell and a dramatically flared Seat Tube both increase lateral rigidity for better feel when smashing the pedals. Along with the custom tapered chainstays, these subtle features set the Turner Ti ahead of the pack when it comes to ride tuning.
Bolts are stronger, stiffer, and simpler. Which is exactly why all our bikes come with them, it simply makes sense.
Every aspect of this Turner Ti frame is designed and engineered in the USA. From the gorgeous CNC tapered head tubes to the proprietary dropouts, we have designed every aspect of the frame.
As you probably figured out from the great price and long list of standard features, this frame is imported. We found this factory when we were producing the carbon Flux frames years ago. Soon after we started developing the first Ti Cyclosys with them. Our frames are not the first or the only Ti bicycle frames they build, as they are a factory long known for building world-class titanium mountain and road frames. What drew us to this factory was their ability to taper and create butted titanium tubing, and their massive CNC capabilities allowing us to create exactly what we wanted with out cookie cutter head tubes, bottom brackets and dropouts. Even our chainstay bridge is CNC out of billet to be super thin and not create a mud shelf!
‘T’ stands for threaded! Due to popular demand threads are back, and the new T47 offers bigger bearings & longer service life than older threaded standards. It will easily fit the larger and 30mm aluminum spindle creating a stiffer crank assembly, which is up to 18% lighter than the traditional steel spindle system.
Big change for 2023, really the ONLY BIG change, the switch to 'post mount' rear brake caliper type. MUCH easier to source mountain bike brakes with post mount calipers than almost exclusively OE flat mount combinations. The other BIG benefit is that a lightweight 4 piston trail bike caliper like SRAM G2 or Shimano XT/XTR can easily be sourced and bolted on.
Why offer a Guarantee?
Simply put, we know that you are going to love your new Turner Bike. But given the chance that it just doesn’t seem to fit right, we want to ensure that you will be happy in the long run.
Our customer service rocks and our bikes ride like no other, but in the end, we want it to fit you. If you cannot get comfortable on your new Turner Bike within 5 days of receiving it, give us a call and we will work out a solution, you may only need a different stem, or length of seat post. If that won't work, a different size frame can be swapped out.
I’ve been on Turner bikes for a long time. Flux, 5 Spot, Burner, and now the Nitrous. At nearly 60 years old, I seriously thought I was going nuts to consider a hardtail again after all these years on a squishy. Been thinking about getting a Nitrous for quite a while, but when I ran into Dave and Christina on a local trail riding theirs, I knew it was time. Frame was ordered the next week. As always, Dave was a pleasure to do business with. As for the ride…..this is likely the smoothest, quickest, bike I have been on! The bottom bracket triangle stiffness provides great power transfer and the seat/chain stay shape provides just the right amount of vertical compliance. I have been on this bike everyday since getting it, I don’t get beat up, I’m climbing like a goat, and I am descending everything the same as when I was on the squishy. Sure, there are great manufacturers out there for it frames, but having ridden Turners for so long, with zero issues, I knew Dave had this frame dialed. If you are on the fence, go for it, you won’t be disappointed!
For over a decade I’ve ridden hardtails that were overbuilt and stiff, even with premium materials. Not so with the Nitrous! Dave managed to design a balanced frame with lively acceleration, an unbelievably supple rear end, quick handling and a sturdy, reliable feel. The build quality exceeds the competition and you have to see the frame to truly appreciate it. This is my 6th ti frame from reputable manufacturers, all the previous ones have failed to deliver on the ride feel that makes the investment of titanium a bike for life. I can say without hesitation the nitrous is the unicorn I’ve been searching for. It delivers no matter where you ride it. This is what a hardtail should be, that magic ride you can’t get enough of. An absolute home run from Turner Bikes, I couldn’t be more thrilled with the Nitrous and the outstanding customer service from a true legend, Dave Turner.
This replaced my all full carbon race hardtail. I loved my old titanium El Mariachi and growing up in So Cal I always wanted a Turner. Enter Turner Nitrious. I wanted something more fun than my old race hardtail but still love the quick feeling of an xc bike. I built it up with xt groupset, dropper post, and a fox 34 130mm. The bike is a great all rounder. It climbs well and is snappy when you push it and makes descending steeper stuff easier than my older bike. I've noticed that it is really easy to bunnyhop and can really playful. I'd call it a dirt jumper that you can mountain bike on all day to sum it all up.
Sweet frame great customer service. Met David at unbound and promptly ordered the frame when I got home.
INTRO
The 2023 Turner Nitrous is the best first ride I've ever had on any bike. That includes a sample size of over 15 bikes in the last 3 years alone. Lots of good first rides....some great first rides...and now this best first ride. Usually I stop along the trail and tinker with adjustments of all kinds...like tossing and turning on an ill-fitting mattress. I'm not a set-it-and-forget-it rider. But the Nitrous has been so well sorted by David Turner there's nothing for me to do but ride it. I'm not sure why everyone doesn't have this bike.
THE BUILD
Size small frameset (I'm 5'-4") with 140mm DVO Diamond 51mm offset fork and 29" x 2.6 Rekon Tanwalls on 30mm wide rims. There is juuuust enough clearance for the 2.6 Rekon in the rear triangle. It's a beast in this mode - not sure I'll fork down at all. Running 170mm cranks and the BB height is perfect. This build is setup to cross nine streams at Sycamore Cove/Pt. Mugu, make a long single track climb, and then bomb down the newly re-worked Backbone trail. It's a workhorse disguised as a freshly minted coin. Simply lustrous.
THE RIDE
Turner Bikes feel good to ride because they feel good when David Turner (DT) rides them. And he makes changes to the ride if it doesn't knock his socks off...I get the feeling that DT is almost always messing with the ride quality of his bikes so by the time any Turner product comes to market it's really well sorted. There's no break-in period with the Nitrous. It feels like an old friend - strangley familiar - neutral handling - balanced and intuitive - no surprises or odd behavioral issues. The titanium is really cool and my first titanium bike - the feel against the trail is lively and muted at the same time - resilient and responsive...and it feels expensive. The steering is telepathic even with the 51mm offset fork. I like the longer offset for small bikes because I feel they may not lean over as well as longer/larger size bikes. The longer offset allows some steering input with the hands. Old school for sure but it works for me.
THE MAN
The Nitrous is an exceptional bike and like I said before I'm not sure why everyone doesn't have a Turner titanium bike frame. But the best part of the purchase is the back and forth with David Turner. DT shoots the breeze like an old friend - his comments are balanced and neutral - he intuitively senses the opportunity to please you. In short, the man is like his bikes and the bikes are like the man. DT and Turner Bikes are so well regarded because there's no separation. It is and has always been about the quality of the ride....his ride....your ride....and mine!
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