Turner Bikes get into cyclocross with new Cyclosys

Turner Bikes, a US mountain bike company steeped in history (anyone remember the original Turner Burner?), has decided to step into the cyclocross market with its new Cyclosys. Drawing on the company's mountain bike expertise, the new model features a 1,430g (3.15lb) aluminium frame with disc brakes, thru-axles and space for 43mm tyres.

We’ve seen quite a few mountain bike companies getting into the cyclocross game over the past few years, Orange, Santa Cruz, Norco, Niner, they've all got in on the skinny tyre action. There are many parallels between mountain bikes and cyclocross bikes, and with disc brakes and thru-axles seeping into the latest cyclocross bikes, the traditional lines separating the bikes are becoming increasingly blurred.

The new Turner Cyclosys has a more organic background though, and came about because founder Dave Turner says he rides and races cyclocross during the winter, really getting into it over the last few years. 

“In the 30 plus years I’ve been in mountain biking, I’ve seen the sport and the racing scene evolve and change over the years,” says Dave Turner. “Some for better, some for worse. What I experienced at my first CX race in 2010 reminded me of the “good ol’ days” of MTB racing: a great sense of community and camaraderie, and a good dose of competitiveness.”

As such, Turner says the bike hasn’t just been designed for one purpose, it’s intended to be able to tackle a wide range of riding, from gravel roads to commuting as well as regular cyclocross racing. The bike features a lightweight aluminium frame with clearance for up to 43mm tyres and is equipped with disc brakes, giving it a lot of versatility when it comes to build options. The geometry has been designed to offer quick steering but without the twitchiness of an out-and-out cyclocross race bike.

Neither is it trying to be a gravel bike, Turner telling Bikerumour that “...I don’t think most people need a true gravel bike either, most of those look like a 1982 Fisher or Ritchey mountain bike. Unless you’re racing the Dirty Kanza or riding gravel across an entire state, something like the Cyclosys is plenty stable with the right kind of tires. I’ve tried to split the difference.”

There will be six frame sizes, with the size large, a 56cm, featuring a 16cm head tube, 71.5° head angle and 73.5° seat angle, 425mm chainstays, 1030mm wheelbase. Reach and Stack figures haven’t been released yet.

The frame is designed for disc brakes, there is no rim brake version. The rear post mount on the chainstays has been designed in such a way to avoid the necessity for adapters. To provide the necessary tyre clearance the rear stays are asymmetric, the non-driveside chainstays fattened out to 24mm. There's a PressFit30 bottom bracket for additional stiffness. Turner says this approach provided the necessary tyre clearance, good for 43mm gravel tyres, yet keeps the chainstays short for nimble handling and stiff for optimum power transfer.

Both the frame and fork utilise thru-axles, a 142x12mm at the rear, using a DT-Swiss RWS Alloy axle, and 100x15mm up front on the new TRP fork that Jo got the scoop on a little while ago. That fork slots into a 44mm head tube. All cables are routed internally through the down tube, with interchangeable ports allowing for different build options. The frame is designed for a 140mm minimum disc rotors, while the fork has a 160mm recommendation. The top tube is flattened too, a common cyclocross feature to ease shouldering when the terrain makes riding impossible.

In the US the frameset will cost $1,399, and Turner offers two build options, a Shimano Ultegra Disc build ($ 3,676) and SRAM CX1 ($ 4,137). You can buy direct, and UK distributor Silverfish hasn't announced UK pricing yet.

More at http://turnerbikes.com/bike/models/turner/Cyclosys