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MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION
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25 MUST-HAVE TRAIL GADGETS
A BIKE NERD’S ULTIMATE DREAM
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• JUNE 2016 • www.mbaction.com • GEAR AND GADGETS FOR EVERY BIKE NERD
TURNER
RFX V4.0
RETURNS
•CARBON
•FASTER
•BETTER
JUNE 2016
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BIKE TEST / TURNER RFX V4.0
TURNER
RFX
V4.0
Carbon version of a freeride favorite
T
he RFX was first introduced in 1999 at a time before
events like the Red Bull Rampage even existed. That
first version was a dedicated freeride machine and
usually had a long-travel, double-crown fork; huge tires; and
a burly attitude that was meant for hucking off anything,
including the roof of your house. Since then, the RFX has been
through several versions, refining its personality with each
reincarnation.
When Turner decided to stop the production of the iconic
RFX back in 2012, diehard RFX fans were sorry to see it go.
For the past few years the RFX has been missing from the
lineup—until now. The new RFX is a long-travel bike that’s
part freeride, part enduro and all Turner.
WHO IS IT MADE FOR?
The RFX started as a dedicated freeride machine, built with
7 inches of travel and meant for hitting gnarly trails. The latest
version takes that long-travel capability and adds a lightweight
carbon chassis and a more pedal-friendly geometry. The bike
is still slack and capable of tackling the steepest of trails, but
the new RFX is geared more towards the enduro rider than the
park rat.
While you could build your new RFX as a park bike, or even
a long-travel trailbike with a light-enough parts package, the
RFX seems geared towards the rider or racer who wants a
little more travel than what your typical 150- or 160-millimetertravel bike offers.
WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?
The RFX 4.0 is the first long-travel bike from Turner built
with carbon. The frame uses Toray high-modulus carbon
fiber in the front and rear triangles. The bike is held together
with a dw-link suspension design and machined aluminum
rockers that ride entirely on cartridge bearings. The bike
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Full enduro: This bike is touted as an
enduro specialist. It’s certainly light
enough to make it to the top of the
climbs, but also has a plush suspension
feel that wouldn’t stray away from a few
laps in the bike park. For the aggressive
rider, this is a bike that can do it all.
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BIKE TEST / TURNER RFX V4.0
sports a very slack geometry, with a 65-degree head angle
and a 160-millimeter-travel fork. Our test bike with a matched
170-millimeter Lyrik fork was even slacker.
The bike also has all the modern amenities you’d expect from
a carbon enduro bike. It has a direct-mount front derailleur, a
12x142-millimeter rear axle, a tapered head tube and a clean but
fast-looking flat-black finish. Turner chose to use external cable
Weagle-approved: The dw-link may look
like the Turner four-bar linkage bikes of the
past, but the linkage is more complex than
that. Turner’s adaptation of the dw-link
design is plush and surprisingly efficient.
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routing throughout, which keeps the ride noticeably quiet and
the maintenance easy.
WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?
Turner is one of the few companies left that offers its bikes as
frames and lets you choose a parts package. Since Turner bikes
are also available to you directly through their website, you can
Light and clean: The carbon construction
of the front and rear triangles make for a
streamlined look that works impressively
well and keeps the weight under the
30-pound mark.
Mechanic’s choice: The RFX has
externally routed cables. This might not
seem like the right choice for aesthetics,
but we can tell you, it’s the right choice for
this bike. The routing is smooth and easy
to use. It’s also quiet and makes the job of
replacing a cable or housing much easier
for any home mechanic.
Boostin’ it: The RFX has a playful
character that’s at home on trails that
feature jumps and gaps. Feel free to take
it on the rowdy lines.
tinker with the components to your heart’s content. Our test bike
came spec’d with SRAM’s flagship XX1 drivetrain, a RockShox
Lyrik fork and Stan’s wheels. All of these components are “industry
standard” and did not disappoint during our testing.
The RockShox Monarch Plus shock comes standard with a
DebonAir sleeve, which makes the bike feel incredibly plush. It’s
as close to a coil shock as you can get and provides a very supple
and lively ride when combined with Turner’s dw-link suspension
design.
Industry standard: The SRAM XX1 build kit and Guide Ultimate
brakes worked flawlessly during testing and would be welcome on
any of our test bikes.
Get the size right: Turner bikes seem to run smaller than some
we’ve tested in the past. Our large-sized frame fit our 6-foot
test riders well, but anyone taller would want something bigger.
Thankfully, Turner also makes an extra-large RFX for the big guys.
HOW DOES IT PERFORM?
Suspension setup: Turner makes setup easy with air-sprung
suspension front and rear. We ran a matched 30-percent sag front
and rear, which worked perfectly for the aggressive SoCal trails we
tested on. The bike is remarkably plush, but can easily be tuned
to be more efficient using RockShox Bottomless tokens in the fork
and volume spacers in the shock. Our testers were happy using
the stock setup, so they didn’t feel the need to tinker.
Moving out: Turner’s cockpits run on the small side of the
spectrum, so a few of our testers felt they could easily go up a
frame size. If you find yourself in between sizes, we’d recommend
going with the larger size. Our size-large test bike fit true and
worked well, but the 6-foot-2 testers who used it easily could have
ridden an XL and felt more comfortable.
Climbing: The RFX doesn’t put climbing at the top of its list
of priorities, but it will float to the top of the hill with enough
gumption. The lightweight parts package and climbing switch on
the Monarch shock allow this bike to grind out climbs as long
as there’s a strong rider at the controls. The slack geometry
works well charging up technical climbs, as long as you let the
suspension do the dirty work.
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BIKE TEST // TURNER RFX V4.0
Cornering: The 65-degree head angle is impressively
aggressive and makes for a bike that’s super stable in highspeed corners. The chainstays are also relatively short, which
makes slow-speed maneuvering possible. The bike corners
more like a downhill bike than a trailbike, which makes technical
cornering a blast on the RFX.
Descending: The impressively supple suspension and slack
geometry make this bike excel at descending. This bike is plush
and stable in the best ways without sacrificing the nimbleness
necessary to ride tight switchbacks. It’s also not afraid to hit a
few jumps and drops along the way.
TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?
The external cable routing might not be as streamlinedlooking as an internal option, but we applaud Turner for using
it. The routing is spot-on, easy to use and impressively quiet on
the trail.
Our test bike came with a RockShox Lyrik fork, but you could
easily go with the lighter Pike chassis and not lose stiffness or
compromise geometry. To us, the Lyrik seems like a bigger fork
than the RFX was meant to handle. That said, though, the plush
rear suspension felt well-matched to the Lyrik’s forgiveness
for the rider looking for a daily driver/park bike rather than an
enduro race machine.
BUYING ADVICE
The Turner RFX is as much at home turning laps in the bike
park as it is on the enduro racetrack. The suspension is tuned to
meet the needs of the most aggressive riders, which also makes
it a great candidate for the park rider who wants a bit of trail
riding in the mix. The simple, no-frills design will appeal to those
who appreciate the details in the finish quality and suspension
tuning done long before this bike ever hit the dirt. The new RFX
was a long time coming but well worth the wait. ❏
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Not a dirt jumper? The RFX is a trailbike that likes to stay on
the ground…most of the time. The suspension comes off the
ground easily with the right pilot at the controls.
TURNER RFX V4.0
Price
Weight
Frame tested
Bottom bracket height
Chainstay length
Top tube length
Head tube angle
Seat tube angle
Standover height
Wheelbase
Suspension travel (front)
Suspension travel (rear)
Frame material
Fork
Shock
Rims
Hubs
Tires
Saddle
Seatpost
Handlebar
Stem
Brakes
Front derailleur
Rear derailleur
Shifters
Crankset
Chainrings
Cassette
Pedals
$6534
28.5 pounds
Large (18")
13.4"
17.35"
24.4"
66º
73.5º
31.5"
47"
170mm (6.7")
160mm (6.3")
Carbon
RockShox Lyrik RCT3
RockShox Monarch Plus DebonAir
Stan’s Flow Team
Stan’s NEO
Schwalbe Nobby Nic (27.5x2.35")
WTB Devo Team
KS Integra Dropper
Level Nine Carbon (785mm)
Thomson X4 (50mm)
SRAM Guide Ultimate
None
SRAM XX1
SRAM XX1
SRAM XX1
SRAM XX1 (28t)
SRAM XX1 11-speed (10-42)
None (weighed with Shimano XT Trail)