turner sultan

Back in March, I posted some pictures of a stealth black Turner Sultan project that Mudpie was working on.

At that time, he was riding a 32 lbs. red RFX that seemed to be fitting the bill for the new Asheville, NC local.  Due to an attempt at flying incident on Green’s Lick at Bent Creek, MP dented the RFX and had to build up the newly painted Sultan in a hurry to be ready for our HIP rides over the past weekend.  The build came out even better than I had imagined.  All of the parts came over from the original white/polished build with the exception of the fork, bar, pedals and saddle.

Here are the changes:

Original:

• White Brothers fork
• Older Time ATAC’s
• Sycros Carbon Bar
• Specialized Saddle

New:

• Fox F29
• New Time ATAC Ti
• Gravity DH Bar
• Selle Italia Saddle

The flat black front and rear really sets the bike off with the red Chris King headset and white Fox fork.  Mudpie put a real beating on this bike down Pilot Rock DH in Pisgah over the weekend.  Even with the F29 at 100mm, this is a very capable bike.  I think he was missing the RFX during the really rocky sections, but the Sultan is a great all day bike.  It climbs incredibly well and the larger wheels help the 4 inch bike feel like it has just a little bit more travel than it really does.  As for the looks…I’ll let you judge for yourself, but by taking a look at the set of pictures below, you can tell this is a great looking ride.  This is by far the best looking Sultan I have seen so far.  Now all it needs is some all black Industry Nine’s on Stans Flow rims…

Everyone knows that I am a sucker for all black bikes. Jason just got his pearl white Sultan back from Turner with a new look.

Before – White Frame Seen in Gallery Below
After – The Stealth Black

The Sultan is one of the most lusted after 29er full suspension bikes. With 4″ of travel, this bike feels like it has 5″. Made out of 5 Spot tubing, this bike is a great all around machine. With the introduction of the 20mm 29er Reba coming soon, there should be some great AM styled Sultan’s in the near future.

From the Turner website:

The Sultan is a full-suspension XC frame for riders who love the speed, plushness, and flow provided by 29-inch wheels. Tow big 29-inch wheels spinning down the trail… For some guys it’s the ultimate feeling in off-road riding. We took a conservative approach in designing the 2008 Turner Sultan 29er. The result is an awesome trail bike that exploits the larger wheel’s advantages (faster speed, bigger tire contact patch, and greater gyroscopic stability) without affecting the performance characteristics that every Turner frame is famous for. The Sultan’s geometry is designed to work with, not against, 29-inch wheels to achieve neutral handling, and can be easily set up with a variety of 3 to 5 inch travel forks. The Sultan features a big wheel variant of our famed Turner rocker suspension to deliver the same plushness and pedaling efficiency as our 26-inch frames.

• 6.0 lbs frame
• 4″ rear wheel travel
• Famous Turner tire clearance to handle any 29-inch tires available
• Available in Sasquatch sizing (XXL/23″) for tall riders
• Fox RP23 rear shock

Stay tuned for full build pics….

Related – History of Turner Bikes