Turner Bikes are probably best known for their full suspension frames. Originally crafted from aluminum, that eventually gave way to carbon fiber as the industry evolved. But recently, it seems like it’s been all Ti, all the time.
Most recently, Turner introduced their ARTi, or All Road Titanium, which was in addition to the Cyclosys Ti. With skinny tires covered it appears that all that gravel riding to develop those bikes made DT yearn for a more capable titanium steed – the new Nitrous. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it was previously used for another Turner model. Back in Turner’s rocker link days, and before dw-link, the Nitrous was a full suspension, short travel mountain bike focused on XC racing.
While still designed for XC riding, and probably some XC racing, the Nitrous Ti is built to be more capable than a gravel bike, but lighter and more nimble than a full suspension rig.
Featuring a beautifully sculpted custom titanium tubeset, the frame may be a classic hardtail, but it is packed with modern tech.
That includes things like a T47 x 73 bottom bracket situated under a flared seat tube and downtube for improved power transfer. From there, the custom tapered chainstays flow back to a 12 x 148 dropout with a bolt-on thru axle.
At the back, you’ll also find a flat mount brake caliper – something we’ve speculated we’d be seeing more of.
The frame is of course dropper post compatible for a 30.9, with the cable exiting the downtube and re-entering the seat tube below the bottle cage mount. Hinting towards its use for endurance epics, the Nitrous includes two standard bottle cage mounts inside the front triangle, a three pack mount on the bottom of the downtube, and top tube mounts for a bag or accessories up top as well.
The geometry is said to be modern, but not too modern. That includes a longer reach to be used with shorter stems and wider bars, a slack 66.8° head tube angle, and size specific chainstays. Even on the smallest sizes, the 420mm stays will still clear up to 29 x 2.6″ or 27.5 x 2.8″ tires.
Listed as being intended for a 120-140mm travel fork with either 29″ or 27.5+ tires, the complete build will include a 120mm travel SID Ultimate Race Day fork with a 44mm offset and 29 x 2.4″ Maxxis Rekon WT tires. Overall, the build kit seems pretty dialed for the price including a SRAM Eagle X0 1×12 drivetrain, Stan’s ARCH CB7 carbon rims with DT Swiss 350 hubs, and OneUp cockpit including their dropper. All this on a titanium frame for less than five grand. Well, before tax anyway with the complete bike priced at $4,995. There’s also a frame + fork option for $2,795 (which presumably includes the same SID fork mentioned above, though it doesn’t appear to be listed.).
Recently, Turner refreshed their website which is notable for what’s missing as much as what’s there. Currently, the only bikes listed on the site are the three titanium options. Does that mean Turner is done with full suspension (though rebuild kits and parts are still listed for sale)? Or just updating the site with new info? We’ve reached out to Turner to find out, and will update when we hear back. Update: David Turner has confirmed that it’s “Ti only, for now. Never know what the future holds, do we?” Turner hopes the Nitrous will be available by February.
