So I got the call from Jay late last week and was told a Wildcard was on it's way from the factory overseas. I started to get that feeling I usually only get during the days leading up to opening day of the Whistler Bike Park... anticipation. Like you, I had only heard, read, and seen about it from what I could squeeze out of Keith and Jay so I was anxious to get my hands (and feet) on one and see for myself what all the hype was about. Then Jay dropped the bomb on me... "Hey Shin, why don't you take it up to Whistler this weekend?" WOW! The least I could do (other than give the bike back after I was done with it) was write up a little review. Most of my comparisons will be against the Chaparral. Mostly because it's the bike I've been spending the majority of my time on lately but also because it seems to be the bike it's compared to most due to it's design. More on that later.
Like any dualie, the suspension components will have a lot of influence on how a bike behaves. The Manitou ISX-6 and 1point5 Travis 180 Single are no different. It took a while to dial in the ISX-6. Since it has an infinite amount of adjustments you can literally dial this shock to perfection. The air spring along with it's numerous compression, rebound, and bottom out controls allow this. The 180mm Travis Single was great out of the box other than dialing in a bit of rebound and compression to match the rear. Avid Juicy 7 Brakes worked great as did the SRAM X9 shifting. The FUNN Hooka DH cranks performed flawlessly while maintaining an impressive weight to strength ratio. The Gamut chainguide worked flawlessly as well. The Formula/S-Type wheels mated to Kenda Nevegals did their duties as promised. The bike was finished off with a mix of Truvativ, FSA, WTB and FUNN parts. I ran the bike in the 6.5 inch setting which mated well with the 7 inch Travis up front. It all worked well together and built up to a respectable 39lbs. Not bad for a prototype with a burlier build.
Now the ride...
First off this bike begs to be jumped. It has nice 'pop' off the lips (more so than my Chaparral) and begs to be tossed around due to it's light weight and short stays. I'm not a slopestyle star by any means but jumping the Wildcard felt as natural as a thoroughbred does. So much so that I soon found myself overshooting a few of the landings. Thankfully the 6.5 inches of highly progressive travel happily soaked it up and saved me from a ride in the meat truck to the Whistler Clinic. Did I mention how nice it 'pops' off lips?
Like any Banshee, cornering was also second nature. The Wildcard held it's line through the many berms and off camber corners that Whistler has to offer. Banshee continues it's tradition of using internally ribbed stays for a laterally stiff rear end unmatched by any in the biz. The stiff short stays combined with the Wildcard's lowered BB make for one sharp handling ride.
Technical riding didn't seem to phase the Wildcard. Roots and rockgardens were relatively easy to maneuver through even though it isn't a 9" travel hill couch. It held it's line through the gnar without flinching. Tight switchbacks were handled with ease thanks to the single crown fork. I found myself almost riding the front end and swinging the rear around while taking tight corners at high speed. The Wildcard is very responsive to rider input.
Some of the differences between the Wildcard and Banshees of yore are immediately apparent. The swooping downtube and 1.5 headtube stand out the most. Subtle differences include the rocker arms which are machined out and sleeker than previous incarnations; the seatstay pivot, which is located lower on the strut; the top of the seatstay is machined out for weight savings; the dropouts are slightly modified and trimmed down for weight savings; the chainstay is shorter and more compact. What you can't see is the new system in the dropout pivot and the upcoming hydroformed tubes.
I honestly can't think of anything really wrong with the Wildcard. Riding this bike at Whistler was a real treat. There was a minor clearance issue with the seatstay making contact with the seat tube. It's my understanding this has been rectified. And there were some tire clearance issues... also corrected for production. Can't really fault it for those reasons. It was a pre-production prototype after all. It climbed surprisingly well, as do most Banshees. It descended like a champ. It descended so well I could see myself riding a Wildcard all summer long as my Whistler 'play bike'. This duty currently belongs to my Chaparral. Buh bye Chaparral, hello Wildcard??? Perhaps.....
-Shin
