Happy New Year

and a cool little vid i saw. Its of El Chorro in Spain a pretty scary hike if you ask me, but I bet it would be super cool to do... any dudes wanna ride it?



So with this little vid wouldn't it be cool to have a picture taken of a Banshee on the bridge that crossed the river.
Send in a picture of the weirdest, strangest or craziest place with your bike in the photo.
Could be on top of the Empire State building, NFL football game could work, in the meat section at your local grocery store or even El Chorro. Be creative and we might even use it in our catalog and web page... of course we would hook you up if we use it.

Its not all doom and gloom here in the bike industry

We've all been bombarded by the stories of economic turmoil and everyday the dow and nasdaq seem to loose another 5%. American unemployment is looking at 10% and every country is getting hit. My sympathies do go out to those who are out of work and are finding it hard to make ends meet. However on the bright side of things you can say that 90% of americans ARE employed and spending and those numbers are probably around the same for other bike buying countries as well.

For us, Banshee is coming off a growing 2008 and looking for continued growth in 2009, the bike industry seems to be chugging along quite nicely. Greg from Straitline was mentioning that one of his friends came back from LA and when the gas prices were through the roof there was a ton more people on bikes. Even in rainy Vancouver you can see alot more people pedalling around.
Sure Banshee isn't in the pavement market and has no intentions of going into this market but I'm sure some of those people will be crossing over and could eventually figure out how much fun it is to ride offroad. At the end of the day though we're all just cyclists and I hope that more people get out of their cars and off their couches, get a bike and be happier, healthier and more well adjusted.

Anyway as the year closes I just wanted to give you a little bit of goodnews.

Heres some annecdotes i picked up off the newswire.

Taiwan Companies Investing Heavily; China Offers Support

TAICHUNG, Taiwan – The Taiwanese bike industry is investing heavily in adding production capacity and/or upgrading its facilities.

During Bike Europe’s recent visits to the country which took place last October and December, numerous companies announced to work on new facilities or expanding existing ones. And they are helped by Taiwan’s former enemy; the People’s Republic of China.

Old hands in the bike industry surely remember flying into Taipei Airport (at that time still called Chiang Kai-shek) for the Taipei Int’l Cycle Show and being welcomed by anti-aircraft guns. This took place years ago when tension between the two countries reached red alert levels with the US sixth fleet rushing to the region.

cont.

Study: Americans Will Spend Less on Gear

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—Leisure Trends asked active Americans about their spending plans in the upcoming months. Close to 50 percent of active Americans plan to spend less on sports related gear, clothing and equipment, while only 1.6 percent plan to spend more. The rest (48.2 percent) plan to spend the same amount.
more here

Yeah it says less but there are still 49.8% that will spend the same or more... if that ain't the proverbial glass is half full/half empty thing then i don't know what is. The headline could have read "50% of Americans not likely to change their spending habits on Outdoor sports"

Winter jibbing by Matt

Hey Jay

Just wanted to wish see how your x mas went. Mine went well...dinner with the family ect ect. same as usual. Thought I'd send ya some sweet gmx ing pics. throw them on the blog if ya want, and perhaps wish everyone a happy new years for me. take er easy.

Matt B
Thanks Matt for the pics... that actually looks like a lot of fun. Keep enjoying the snow... only a couple more months until it thaws out a bit and you can get back on the wheeled version. Me... I'm going back to Taiwan and 20degree weather... I got a Legend back there and I need to build up my 29r.

Building a Paradox

Ok its not fully together but most of the parts are on it when the pictures were took. My friend Ryan did finally get it together and took it out for a little parking lot play and spent alot of time on the back wheel doing wheelies... he says its a new experience doing wheelies on a 29r and says it feels like no other 29r he's EVER ridden. It's quick and lively and with the Reba on the front it just feels great.
I am now going crazy jonesing to get mine built up and confirm what he says.
Whats super cool from the pics is this is a large and it doesn't look freaky. Actually looks like a medium so I figure the XL should look pretty cool too. I think you clydesdales are really going to love this bike.
Everything seems to fit and there is pleanty of tire clearance. I really look forward to getting these out there and we're just finalizing the special pricing for the first batch. We also have a couple guys lined up to give us some feedback on the bike who have extensive experience with other 29r rides, so I really want to hear how the Paradox compares to everything else they've ridden. I think its important to benchmark your products against other brands so don't be surprised if you see me and Keith riding around on another brands bike sometimes - its good to know where you are and where you need to be.

New Team Rider, New Bike, New BikePark

So, i have heard loads about this Putrajaya Bike Park. I have been itching to ride it for ages, finally had the chance to this past weekend. Most people have been riding the 'fun' dh track on the smaller trail, but lucky for me and ben, Didi gave us permission to ride the sections that have been completed on the other fun dh track on the bigger hill. that combined with me being on a new bike, the Banshee Rune, it was going to be an awesome weekend.

Full on DH set-up!

The trail it self was amazing, very smooth, so doesn't require a dh bike, a 5in bike with good geometry would be ideal. Even though its smooth, its far from easy. sure, you can roll down slowly on a xc hard tail like many riders did. But once you start going fast, it gets really hard to link the whole trail up and keeping it smooth. Tight corners, loads of bits where the trail just drops away from you in a corner. Done beautifully to keep it technical in a way that Malaysian dh trails have never been before. You really have to work the terrain and move the bike around, otherwise you are not going to stay in control or be going fast.

Saturday - we got there around 10.30, walked the trail, and sectioned it. It was a slow start, I haven't been riding much for the past 4 months so my fitness was a bit shocking, Ben was feeling sick from the roti chanai breakfast. We were having trouble getting the two big jumps at the bottom of the trail properly. We gave that a break, went over to the smaller fun trail. It was my first time riding that trail too, starts off tight, with my favorite part being the jump where you land in a berm. BRAAAP!! It opens up later and gets very fast, ending with a tight series of 3 berms and a small step down. We spent a couple of hours at that trail, till we warmed up properly, then headed back to the bigger trail on the other side.


Railing!

We didn't bother riding the top section as there isn't that much too it and its quite steep to push up. Focused on the middle section and the last few jumps, we were finally clearing them nicely. Ben doing his signature move, getting big air and getting the rear end out really sideways. I was having a great time, really loving the 180 degree berm, really getting it low. We were both really tired, but having such a good time we couldn't get ourselves to leave. We stayed there till 4pm, and couldn't wait to come back the next day.

Sunday - excited about the days riding ahead, we arrived there even earlier and headed straight to the fun dh trail, didn't bother with the small track. A bit more of the trail was done, a really nice table/hip after the two big jumps and another hip that lands in a big berm. the track dried up a bit too, so the track was riding nicely. We were really getting the flow today, trying to get every last bit of speed out of the track. Around mid day we were joined by FRM guys. They too, like us were just in awe at how amazing the trail was.

Catching fresh Putrajaya air

We spent the rest of the evening just sessioning the mid section and later on taking pics on the 180 berm. I took my turn taking some pics too, got one of Ben which I was more excited about then the whole days riding. Cant wait till its posted up. Unfortunately, I dont think I will be able to ride Putrajaya again this trip back home, its going to be amazing once the whole place is done. as of now, the main dh trail is about half completed. The finished trail should be around the high one minute/ two minute mark. Definitely going to be THE place for dh riding in the near future.

A bit on the bike, I am now on board with Banshee Bikes , big thanks to the guys at Fakawi and Rizal for making this happen. Definitely feels like exactly what I need, a very chilled-out set up, no stupid politics etc, just a bunch of guys who share the same passion for riding our bikes.


5 speeds is all you need

As of now, I am riding the Banshee Rune, its a 6 in bike, but the geometry is fairly suited for dh riding. I am running it with parts from my old bike, so it is using a Fox 40, but set at 7 inches- giving it a same axle to crown height as a Fox 36. So far I am very happy with the bike.. I ran it with a DHX Air for a few rides, but it's clear that I needed a DHX coil. The DHX air still likes to sit low in its travel, something I do not like at all. Right now I am using a coil, running a 250 spring but I need a 275 or 300 rate. running a fair bit of compression damping to keep it from bottoming hard, but the bike is still riding very well, accelerates insanely well, and soaks up the small bumps very well. Very impressed with it so far as I am not exactly using the bike in the way its designed for. Look out for a full review of the bike being used as a dh bike around april next year.

Adam aka penangkia
Team FakawiBanshee

Sicklines build an Amp

Click here to read about the build project of this 24.2lbs blue tinged beauty.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Its a couple more days left and I didn't want to forget to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
You're probably all rushing around trying to organize stuff or buy junk for people. It really can be pretty crazy. For me its a time when the mound of emails gets a little less and I can take a bit of a break.

To all the Banshee army, the distributors, dealers, our riders and reps, we had a great 2008 and we couldn't have done it without you. We appreciate all the hardwork you've put in and I wish I could personally thank each and everyone one of you myself.

... from me and Keith have a great one. We sincerely send our best wishes your way and hope that Santa brings you everything you want.

On-trend with the Rampant

The 'white bug' has grabbed me...it started with white E13 plastics for the chain device, then white Syncros pedals, now a white saddle, and plotting to get a white Syncros FR handlebar and some white Syncros rims

The Rampant is back to "play bike" setup with a 50mm stem and short seatpost, I went dirt jumping this morning and instantly remembered what a rad little bike the Rampant really is

happy Christmas to y'all ;)

Rob C

Esher Shore in latest MBUK magazine

Issue 223 of MBUK magazine recently hit the newstands here in England, and Esher Shore is listed as one of "50 things every mountain biker should do in 2009"

For those of you new to the Banshee/ Mythc blog, Esher Shore is Mythic's UK base of operations with the Freeborn Esher shop backing onto the awesome Esher Shore bike park...not many shops have a 3 acre, 4km bike park in the backyard ;)



You'll find the Esher Shore trail crew test riding their latest trail building creations on their Mythic Wildcards, Scythes, Runes and Rampants

With a membership of +6,500 riders Esher Shore is always busy, even during the dark wet winter months, as its one of the only riding spots that is truly all-weather...



...there are massive plans for Esher Shore in 2009: a brand new double-length pump track that has just been finished and will open in the New Year, lots of trail rebuilding and the "slopestyle" park being relocated into the shore area to take advantage of the elevation drop, and a "skills zone" being built on the existing slopestyle park

more info here: http://www.eshershore.com/

happy christmas and happy trails!

Rob C

Reach and stack based sizing

It has finally happened! Some of the bigger players have joined up and suggested a new standard in bike sizing, which means that we can finally leave behind the old fashioned standard that is irrelevent for most mountain bike frames. I have never believed in using the seat tube length as the guage for frame size, as for a lot of freeride or downhill bikes this just doen't make sense, as you are not in the saddle much of the time when really riding.

The new standrad of reach and stack being proposed makes more sense to me. So we are going to add these values to our geomery tables in the near future. I still feel the need to include the old style geometry, as angles are also very important, and for some riders so is the seat tube length. It will just be another tool in addition to more exact geometry to help people choose the right sized frame for them.

The reason why reach and stack dimensions are important to any bike where you standing out of the saddle... because essentially these are your 2 points of contact with the bike... pedals and handle bars. Therefore the geometrical relationship between the 2 kind of gives you the 'feel' of the geometry of the bike. sure it excludes inportant informaion like head angle and seat angle, but it can be used as a guage to select the size of frame best suited to you after you have looked at the overall frame geometries to choose the best frame for your needs.

A step in the right direction!