Turner Sultan

4.7 inch FS 29er

I didn’t ride the Sultan at the dirt demo because I knew I was signed up for it at the Sovereign trail demo in Moab on Saturday. It did not disappoint. I really liked the Sultan I rode last year at Gooseberry and JEM and this one is just that much better. A couple people who ride TNT Sultans who demoed this one said it was a lot better. 6th element seemed particularly impressed. Hopefully he’ll chime in with his impressions. It’s been a year since I rode the v.1 Sultan and I could still feel the differences. It just felt more capable. More Rip 9 like but did not lose much of it’s more XC roots. It still got up and boogied when you put the hammer down and just seems to make you want to push it though it’s perfectly happy to toddle along in cruiser mode too. Despite its greater am/trail capacity this year it still loves to rail the twisty buff stuff.

This was the last ride of my six full days of riding and we’d already put in a huge 5 hour ride on Gold Bar Rim that morning so you’d think I would be feeling pretty tanked. But the Sultan made me feel fresh and seemed to deliver more go for the measly input I was applying than I deserved. It rolled over the rough stuff smoothly and handled step ups and small drops with aplomb. This is the only bike I’ve ever been able to pedal through the big sandy wash on the road out to the Sovereign trailhead. It just floated right through it.

I liked the feel of the large for my 5’ 11.5” inch body but it did feel a bit taller than last year and more upright but not as big feeling as the Rip 9 or Lunch Box. Like the Spot, the Sultan just flies flat when you hammer yet still seems to stay active over bumps. The wheels weren’t on par with the Mikesee offerings on the Lenz but I didn’t think they were as noodly as some. I am pretty light though and ride lighter than my weight.

All the Fox 29er 120 forks I sampled felt pretty good… better than anything I tried last year for 29ers and the RP23 set at about 35% sag was just right.

This is a home run, Dave. This is my favorite looking and riding 29er of the bunch. It looks so well proportioned it doesn’t even look like a 29er and I’m not constantly being reminded that I’m on a big wheel bike when I’m riding it either.

Maybe by time things settle down next year and they become a bit more available I’ll be ready to buy one. I think I just found the replacement for my HH100x.

Photo credit goes to Bob the Wheel Builder because I was having too much fun riding this very bike out in Moab to stop and shoot pics. I ran into Bob up on West Leg in BC when he was riding this bike and he was pretty excited about it (well…. about as excited as Bob gets about anything). I think he was hoping that it wasn’t that much better than the v.1Sultan he just purchased but it looks like he’s already planning on getting one ordered.

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