The Turner King Khan is a beast of a fat bike with 120mm of travel at either end and room for 5in tyres - James Huang / Immediate Media
120mm of rear wheel travel comes courtesy of the excellent DW-link system and a Fox Float CTD Trail Adjust rear shock - James Huang / Immediate Media
As always with Turner frames, each pivot rotates on IGUS bushings instead of cartridge ball bearings. Grease ports make maintenance a snap - James Huang / Immediate Media
The lower link is machined from a single block of aluminium - James Huang / Immediate Media
Tyre clearance is generous all around, with only a few places where slush could accumulate - James Huang / Immediate Media
The meaty CNC-machined thru-axle dropouts are spaced for 177mm hubs. Post-mount threads for the rear brake are replaceable in case of damage - James Huang / Immediate Media
A CNC-machined yoke arches around the rear tyre - James Huang / Immediate Media
Threaded bottom bracket cups - yay! - James Huang / Immediate Media
The external cable routing isn't as pretty as internal setups but it's far easier to live with - James Huang / Immediate Media
Our bike didn't come with a dropper post, but routing is integrated into the frame should you decide to add one - James Huang / Immediate Media
The 44mm diameter head tube is decorated with a bolt-on badge - James Huang / Immediate Media
The down tube is offset slightly from the head tube but there's still insufficient clearance for the stock RockShox Bluto fork - James Huang / Immediate Media
The chain doesn't quite drag on the rear derailleur housing when it's under tension but we'd prefer more room here regardless - James Huang / Immediate Media
The upper pivot block is artfully sculpted - James Huang / Immediate Media
The rear derailleur is bolted to a burly replaceable hanger - James Huang / Immediate Media
The Turner King Khan is "not a fat bike – it's a mountain bike with fat tyres".
So says Dave Turner of his latest full-suspension machine, the King Khan, which sports 125mm of travel out back, 120mm up front, and has clearance for 5in wide tyres.
While the bike's huge footprint makes the King Khan a natural for winter riding, prior experience suggests that the excellent DW-link rear end and Turner's typically versatile handling will be also well suited to standard mountain bike terrain.
120mm of rear wheel travel comes courtesy of the excellent dw-link system and a fox float ctd trail adjust rear shock:
125mm of rear wheel travel comes courtesy of the DW-link suspension design
That is, assuming you're okay lugging around a fair bit of heft. We only took delivery of our tester a few weeks ago and haven't yet had a chance to tear it down to get an actual frame weight, but the complete bike is quite the beast at 15.29kg (33.70lb) without pedals. And that's with a comparatively high-end build that includes a SRAM XX1 drivetrain, Shimano Deore XT brakes, a Thomson fixed seatpost and stem, and upgraded wheels built with Industry Nine hubs and 65mm-wide Surly Marge Lite rims!
Other slick features include versatile external cable routing, a threaded bottom bracket shell for creak-free running, Turner's trademark IGUS suspension pivot bushings with integrated grease ports for easy servicing, and a custom machined bolt for the 177mm-wide thru-axle rear end.
As is always with the case with turner frames, each pivot rotates on igus bushings instead of cartridge ball bearings. grease ports make maintenance a snap:
As always with Turner full-suspension frames, each pivot is graced with a grease fitting for easy maintenance
BikeRadar's US office in Boulder, Colorado, has been getting pounded with winter weather over the past couple of weeks, so our King Khan has been getting plenty of use. The bike isn't without its quirks but it's proven to be remarkably fun and capable in the snow despite the weight, and we're looking forward to drier conditions to see how it does on more typical terrain.
Our tester came with a non-standard build kit but the official retail price for the stock setup is US$5,999.
James Huang is BikeRadar's former technical editor. After leaving BikeRadar in 2016, he worked at CyclingTips and Escape Collective. He now runs the Substack cycling publication N-1 Bikes.
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