West Fernie Dirt Jumps

A couple of weeks ago James and I went to the West Fernie Dirt Jumps. I forgot my knee brace at home so I was on camera duty. James got to ride with a bunch of the local 12 year olds.

(If you can not spot James, he is the bigger guy on the left.)

Table Top

   

Tuck No-Hander

   

Toboggan

 

We had a great summer or riding and hope that the snow does not come too soon. There are a couple more trails that I want to ride before I head back to Taiwan.

Keep riding.

Rob and Jim

Paradox Review No.2

Hello everyone,

While back in Nelson last week I got two good rides in on the Paradox, one on Paper Bag, and one on Seven Summits.

Paper Bag, is a technical descent oriented trail that starts out with a lot of up-and-down before dropping the vert in short order. Me and my buddy Waz used to ride it on Saturdays in high school to shake off the hangover. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden it clear minded. The Paradox was great for the initial part of the trail with lots of speed and direction changes. Now-a-days, people just ride the downhill portions and push on the uphill portions. The Paradox brought me back to 2000, when free riding included climbing. She made it up most of the tech portions with little effort from me. I bitched out on a few things, but mostly because I was feeling tired and just didn’t have the drive that day. Plus it was super hot. I like how stable the bike feels on uphill switchback corners. It does feel bigger than a 26’er but still somehow still fits. It feels more stable and like there’s more room for error – forgiving I guess.

Jay mentioned that DHing on the Paradox was a little like brining a knife to a gun fight. While I don’t disagree, it is important to note that a knife can be just as deadly as a gun, when used properly. The DH portion of Paper Bag was more challenging on the Paradox than on my FR bike (obviously!). However, everything was still rideable, but at a lower speed and with a little more deliberateness with regards to choosing a line. You can’t just point and shoot in the steep and loose, but you can choose a careful line and pilot the bike down. Of course, the Paradox is not intended to be a gravity bike, but my point is, it’s still capable, though it doesn’t excel at DH oriented riding. I found myself lofting the front wheel just a little to smooth out the transitions of the many steep rock drops/chutes. A square edged rock managed to put a nice flat spot on my rear rim. I was waiting for the hiss of leaking air for the rest of the ride. Somehow the flat didn’t occur till we were already down – but it was right at the flat spot on the rim. Strange. Always remember to carry a spare 29r tube in your pack if you usually ride 26 bikes – or at least a patch kit.

Side note: If anyone wants to check out Nelson trails, pick up the detailed guide book Roots Rocks Rhythm from one of the many stores on Baker Street. $15 bucks is worth it for proper directions – chicken scratch drawings on beer coasters are only so good! Plus the revenue from these guide books goes to trail maintenance.

Seven Summits is definitely an epic XC/AM trail that everyone should try. It has become reasonably popular (especially for a Kootenay trail) and we’ve hard of people driving 8 hours from Vancouver specifically for it. As a result, it’s seen some wear, but there’s an active trail crew that maintains it – we passed them as they were fixing up a section. Thanks Spooner! I rode it with my sister and my friends Trevor and Kelly. It’s got some pretty rough sections – lots of fist sized rocky zones, but also lots of buff singletrack. I think the ideal bike for this trail would be a 5” and 5” full suspension (Spitfire… ahem… ahem). . At the end of the Seven Summits, you can drop the Dewdney to add to the descent, which we did. The Paradox blew my mind on the climbing portions of the trail. I kept up with Kelly and she’s some crazy wicked tri-athlete who trains religiously and I’m just a hack who skis and bikes. As I noticed on Paper Bag, this bike feels really stable on switchback climbs. As far as the flats and downhills go, the bike still rips, but you have to choose the right line, as you would with any hardtail. If you get sloppy and just ride over the rocks, you are gonna feel it – it is a hardtail. However, the curved seat stays do add some vertical compliance. I rode this trail on my Scirocco (with straight seat stays) years ago, and remember feeling substantially more vertical harshness.

Overall, I think a little bit of the vulnerability I felt on the descents was due to the Scwalbie 2.1 Little Albert tires. The have a very rounded profile. So, although you get a longer contact patch with the 29er wheel, it is also narrower with these tires. I don’t know what that does to the entire contact area – might be equal to or even less than a 26er with fatties at low pressure. I want to try some different tires soon. I have a feeling it will completely change the feel of the bike. The little Alberts are great for ripping the shit out of tacky and loamy singletrack, but when the going gets tough (steep and loose), they left me feeling a little exposed. Jay, what do you think of your set up? Didn’t you pick some 2.3’s or even 2.4’s? I can’t remember.

Addendum

This afternoon, I spent some time monkeying with my cockpit set up on the Paradox. I rocked the handlebar forward a little bit, so the curve of the bar would be more upward, and less backward. I also moved my brake and shift levers further away from the grips. I fussed over the Reba a little bit and increased the compression damping a few clicks. What a difference! I felt a lot more confident in my braking and overall body positioning on the bike. The greatest benefit was the fork adjustment though. I’m not overly familiar with RockShox, so it takes me a while to get them dialed the way I like them. With two clicks (from fully open) the bike felt more stable when adjusting my weight and braking – less pogo stick action. It bunny-hopped way better and felt better launching lips. And, I didn’t notice any loss in bump absorption. Does anyone have any advice on how to set these forks up? I’m all ears. I sure wish I’d had my bike set up this way for Paper Bag and Seven Summits – I would have ridden better for sure.

Oh, I stopped by Hardcore Bikes today and threw the Paradox on their scale. She weighted in at 28.66 lbs (13.00 kg) with the build I described before plus a little bit of dirt and with my steerer tube still an inch above the top of the stem. Oh, I also changed the front derailleur to an X9 with the high clamp – and there is more tire clearance now.

Anyway, this afternoon, me and my buddy Dustin went and sessioned some Mill Creek Trails (back in Edmonton now – Nelson vacation is over) and took some pics. We put on our best Kranked I – Live to Ride hats and threw down on some drops. Enjoy the pics.

Side-Note

While I was back, I also met up with my buddy Travis Hauck (the NRG rep) and did a heli-drop to Burn and Beyond up Kokanee (on my FR bike not Paradox…. sorry guys….). This trail starts at the top of Mount Solid, which is just west of the peak you see on the Kokanee Beer can. The next day we got Pat Williams from Kootenay Dirt Tours to shuttle us up at Baldface Lodge all day. We rode Cherry Toppers, Short and Funky, two new unnamed trails and Shannon Pass. In total (according to buddy’s GPS), we got 3600 vertical meters (yeah, meters, not feet) of descending that day. It was mad. I think there was a post on pinkbike about this area a while ago – hurting for vert or something. Then the next day, we hit up Power Slave – a wicked trail up Give Out Creek (see Roots Rocks Rhythm). This is easily one of the best trails in Nelson. Placenta Descenta followed, and then Skier’s Right.

Should be a fun fall, with tackier trails,

Kurt Morrison

Oh, by the way I remember reading a post on the blog a while back all about the Scirocco. In the comments, a few guys were jonsing and couldn’t find any to buy. Good news my friends. I was at Sacred Ride in Nelson and noticed a Scirocco (not sure what size) hanging from the rafters for CAD $350, so there you go!

Mythic Spitfire in MBR magazine

Along with the Mythic Rune bike test in the latest MBR magazine here in the UK, was this great snippet in the 'Hot Gossip' section

The bike shown is Keith's prototype Spitfire 5" trail bike, that is due for release in 2010

MBR are going to be involved with testing a second prototype, and giving experienced feedback to Keith to help him fine tune the design

Considering the stonking test the Rune had in MBR, and the fact that trail bikes outsell all other suspension bike cateogories in the UK about 10:1 - the Spitfire could be just what Mythic needs to truly explode big into the UK market

personally I cannot wait to get my hands on a spitfire ;)

cheers

rob c

Matej - last 3 weeks - HATTRICK!!!

Hey Keith, Jay and all others.

After a 2 weeks break from racing there were last 3 weekeds filled to the
top.

The first there was a 3rd race of National series which took place in Bozi
Dar, the highest situated village in Czech Republic and ended with a sprint down the road into town . It was pretty
challenging race for me, because I was leading the cup by a couple of
points. I had to do my best in semifinal and also in final. Both raceruns I
was carrying the speed well and was also in my pretrained line. I finished
1st in both runs and made bigger gap in overall between me and second.



The second weekend (22.-23.8.2009) I thought I'll be off. Unfotunatelly I
found a Hungarian National Champs in Tokod on UCI Calendar. I managed to try
it. First part of the course was really steep and loose - real fun to ride.
The second part was speeding on the meadow with open fast corners and one
big jump. At all the course was good. I tried to push it, I did a couple of
small mistakes but I crossed the line with the fastest time, tho! I was
really surprised, how the people from hungary was carrying about me. They
made me a VIP pit, they were coming to me and telling important
things...nice experience.


The last weekend I traveled across the east border to Slovakia (Velka Raca -
Oscadnica) where a lot of guys from my country are going to race when there
are no races in Czech. It was 4th race of Slovakian National Series. On
Saturday there was non-stopping rain, heavy rain! I decided just to walk the
course and watch the lines. On Sunday, the race day, I did 3 runs before the
racerun. I know it's not too much but I felt really good, tho. I did really
smooth run with hard pedaling and I won the race with 6seconds gap!!


Pin it!



Cheeers

Matej Charvat

www.CharvatBros.com

Getting high... In the mighty San Juans

Linden and I put our brand new Paradox frames to a major test this past weekend. Two days of absolutely insane riding and hiking. And hiking? Ever try to ride your bike up a 20 degree slope at 13kft? It is a freaking hard time! Here is a small taste of what we put ourselves through.


Just a little bit of exposure. Linden making his way across a ridge off of Red Mountain #3 (12890ft). Just of few feet down to the valley floor, more like 1500 ft of sheer drop on either side.


Linden making his way up the start of Imogene Pass. The pass goes from the town of Ouray Colorado at 7700ft to 13000ft with in 14 miles.

Banshee Legend MkII

As most of you know, a total of 62 Legend MkI frames have been used, abused, raced and podiumed over the last 18 months, all in the name of progress. I have had huge amounts of feedback and suggestions from a lot of great riders, bike mechanics and engineers, and I have tried my best to take it all on board and use it to develop, refine and improve the Legend for the MkII version which will be available to the public for 2010.


In general the feedback was very positive. Everyone seemed to comment on just how fast this bike was and the majority loved the way it rode, but there was definitely room for improvement.

I'll admit that we did run into a few issues. The biggest issue was pivot wear... not the bushings wearing out, but the axles! I've tried a couple of different materials, but due to the high loads and large diameters combined with wide angles of oscillation wear has proven to be an issue on the legend. The other issue with bushings on the legend frame has been stiction if tolerances are not spot on, or pivots are over tightened. So after much debate, I have switched the design to run on high quality (INA) large diameter fully sealed cartridge bearings, combined with a new pivot assembly to reduce friction in pivots to an absolute minimum, whist still being able to handle the loads without needing to be replaced regularly.


To put this in perspective, the bearings I am using in the main pivot where loads are highest are 6202-2RS bearings which have a 35mm OD. Bigger bearings cope with bigger loads. All the bearings I have used are also common bearings, and so affordable and easy to source. If you did need to do a full bearing replacement for every pivot, then I calculated total cost to be around $40 if bought from a regular bearing supplier. I was checking out a competitors bike, and the main pivot which takes similar load to the legend main pivot, uses a bearing that only takes 1/4 the load, and costs almost 4 times as much!

I considered needle bearings and double row angular contact bearings, but after some number crunching and load analysis, the deep groove ball bearing came out on top. It can cope well with lateral loading (which happens a lot in DH racing) as well as the axial loads that the suspension demands. I have kept the pivot assemblies as simple as possible, as well as fully floating, there is zero friction caused by friction on washers or anything like that. All pivot axles will be manufactured from high grade steel (12.9Cp) and we will be looking at doing a racer upgrade kit in titanium in the future to save some grams, and add a little bling.

The bearings themselves add a little weight over bushings, but I have cancelled this out by weight savings elsewhere, while also making the bike stronger in the process.

It is not just the bearings that have changed however, there have been literally hundreds of tweaks and alterations based on the feedback I received. Not a single CNC part remains the same as the last batch, everything has been looked at again and refined or totally redesigned. It might take a keen eye to spot them, but there are changes almost everywhere to strengthen, lighten and generally improve the design and make it more compatible with parts like chain guides, as well as improve manufacturing tolerances by changing assembly patterns.



Other main changes:

• There will only be one travel setting of 8" (203mm)

I found that nearly everyone rode their MkI legends in the one setting the whole time without switching except to give the other option a quick try. I feel that 8" is the right amount of travel for the majority of DH courses.

• Suspension linkage

I have modified the linkage geometry and components to make the leverage curve a little bit more linear (was slightly too progressive before). This will make tuning shocks easier, and offer the rider slightly more control and traction.



The axle path is not as initially rearward as before, which reduces the chainstretch and pedal kickback experienced. Don't worry, it is still more rearward than most DH bikes to give great square edge bump absorbtion, but will feel more controlled now, as the radius of curvature of the axle path is not as tight.

• Geometry

Well, I'll let the following geo table do the talking here, but essentially the BB has dropped, the head angle has slackened, and the top tubes are longer. The longer top tubes have pushed the weight up slightly, but only by maybe 100g or so. We'll post actual weights when we have a couple of protos ready.


I think I have covered everything now, and anything I haven't you will probably be able to spot in the following pics from my computer screen.


Oh, I'm blatantly going to be asked about cost and availability dates... Cost has yet to be confirmed as it depends on a few factors as well as the shock that we ship the frame with. Availability will be early 2010.

I want to just say a big thanks to all those legend test riders out there who have supplied me with feedback. I have done my best to adjust everything accordingly to follow the general trend. I couldn't have done it without you!

If you want to know more about anything, or have any other questions, then just post it in comments below and I'll answer as soon as I can.

Legend Podiums In Australia - Again!!

Hey All,

The 2009 Downhill season in Queensland Australia finished yesterday with the final round (round 6) of the Sunshine Series held at Upper Brookfield 30km west of Brisbane. This is one of my favourite tracks as it has a bit of everything but due to the dry weather conditions experienced over the past 3-4 months, the track was very loose and dusty and this made it even more challenging. I raced Under 19 Male category and was fortunate to qualify 1st for the race. My race run was conservative to say the least because I was still haunted by my crash last week after qualifying 1st and this kept playing on my mind (Dad says I have to build a bridge and Get Over It!!). I had a clean run albiet slower than I would have liked but still managed to get the win and put the Legend on the podium again. As a result of the win I managed to place 2nd overall for the Sunshine Series 2009 and brings to an end a fantastic result for the Legend in my first season of racing it.

Now the training starts in earnest for the Australian National Series which is to be contested at various tracks throughout Australia and will include the National Championships at Eagle Park Adelaide South Australia in January 2010. I am really looking forward to this series as a member of Team Banshee which is being formed under the close eye of Darren Boman - Barspin Imports and Australian Agent/Distributor for Banshee Bikes. I will keep you updated on our training and race results as they come to hand.

Ball’s Palsy

While walking up to the top of some classic Fernie single track. My brother and I  started talking about stories I have heard of Dangerous Dan and Lance Armstrong riding and building while going through cancer treatment. I started to think about what it would take to keep me off my bike. This summer has been one of the best summers I have ever had on my bike. I have been able to ride some amazing trails and meet some amazing people. The times off my bike have not been so good. The first ride back in Fernie I hurt my knee again and it has been pretty sore for the past month or so. While taking a break from my bike I went to Northern Ontario to visit some family. I was helping my dad clean up the yard around his house and I was bitten by a wasp and had an allergic reaction. I broke out into hives, I was so itchy I was going crazy. It took me 48 hours to be back to normal.

This past Saturday I woke up and when I went to brush my teeth the right side of my mouth would not work. Later on I realized that the only way I could close my right eye was to close my left eye. After three hours in Fernie Emergency I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy (we have been calling it Ball’s Palsy). Basically the nerves in the right side of my face are inflamed causing that side of my face to be paralyzed. I have been on medication for the past five days that makes me feel pretty sick.

I have been on my bike twice since I was diagnosed (I should be fine) and that is pretty much the only time that I feel good. Anything from riding down the side of the road to riding down a classic downhill helps put everything into perspective for me. So what would it take for me to stop biking?

Get on your bike and smile … even if only half of your face works.

Banshee Wildcard- Long term review

Banshee Wildcard Review- Part I of II

This summer has been my favourite summer of riding period. With frequent trips to the Whistler Bike Park, a few excursions to the north shore, dirt jumps, and street rides, I can honestly say that I’ve have had more fun riding ma bicyclette than ever before.

I began this summer on a 2007 Santa Cruz Bullit, and as a true gearwhore addict, couldn’t resist the search for that ultimate and last fix. Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to have a Banshee between my legs (yikes!). Here are my thoughts on the new Banshee Wildcard.

What’s in a name?

Over the last few years, bike companies have made a concerted effort to use a new software program called the Labeltron 2000 to name and categorize every single type of bicycle found in their product line. Fresh and sticky labels that read “Downhill”, “Freeride”, “Cross-Country”, “All-Mountain”, “All-Mountain light”, “Enduro”, “4X” and “Slopestyle” grace the pages of glossy catalogues and flash websites found on the interweb.

But seriously, what’s in a name? Aside from helping marketing guys earn their big bucks, a name or label helps potential customers convey the type of bicycle they want to their friends, bike shops, and fellow bulletin board members.

When I heard that Banshee was going to produce a “Slopestyle” bike, I was immediately curious to see what Banshee had to offer. I mean Banshee had a reputation for building indestructible tank bikes that were frequently equipped with 3.0 meats, chromo cranks, and Monster T’s; not exactly something I was interested in. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Banshee had something new up their sleeve. One might say, a wild card of some sort.

Specs and Geometry

The label Slopestyle conjures up different images for different people. Some mountain bikers see Slopestyle as a passing fad where mountain bikers do dated BMX tricks on really big jumps, while others see Slopestyle as the progression and future of mountain biking to the mainstream. For me, I see Slopestyle as a venue to create a lightweight and versatile ripper of a bicycle suitable for an assortment of different terrain. Slopestyle bikes often make great versatile rigs, especially for smaller riders. And for me, most of the features I look for in a bicycle are found in Slopestyle labelled bikes.

Desired item/ Found on the Banshee Wildcard

Full seat tube (14.5”)/ Yes

Low stand over (27.4”)/ Yes

ISCG chainguide mounts/ Yes

Slack(ish) head angle (67 degrees)/ Yes

Light weight (8.92 with a DHX air 5.0)/ Yes(ish)

Decent top tube length (21.9” for a small)/ Yes

Short chainstays (16.8”)/ Yes

Low bb height (13.9”)/ Yes

1.5 Head tube/ Yes

When all was said and done, and the Microsoft Yes chart was completed, I knew I had to contact Banshee and order myself a new frame.

My Banshee Wildcard looks like this:

 and weighs

Spec wise 

I have my Wildcard built up to be a versatile little rig that can climb up Fromme comfortably, and with the drop of a seat post, bomb down Whistler’s finest trails. Suspension wise, it’s equipped with a Fox Float 36 and DHX air 5.0. A Chris King 1.5 Devolution headset, Thomson X4 stem, and Easton Havoc bar keep the cockpit tight. Juicy 7’s with Goodridge housing slow me down in style, and Sram X.9 and X.0 keep my shifting needs happy. Hadley hubs, Mavic EN 321 rims and Bontrager Big Earls keep the wheels spinning. Truvativ Stylo cranks, E-13 LG1 guide and Atomlab pedals keep the cranks turning. A non-bling notable includes an OEM speced seat post (gasp!)

Geometry wise 

The sum of the parts above result in a tight little package with a 67 degree head angle, 27.4” stand over height, 13.9” bb height and a 34.63lbs digital scale weight. Overall, I’m happy with these numbers, but woud be happier to get my Wildcard down to sub 34lbs. 

But how does it ride?

How a bicycle rides can be very subjective. One rider’s claim is another rider’s joke. Don’t laugh; remember how well 24” rims and dual 3.0 tires rode? That’s why I find it is essential to give set up numbers.

I run a fairly firm set up for my 160lbs weight. I run 6.3” of travel in the front via a Fox Float 36 and 5” of travel in the rear via a DHX air 5.0. I set up my DHX air 5.0 with 175psi in the main chamber, 150psi in the boost valve, the bottom-out resistance fully cranked, and my rebound set at 8 clicks from the fastest position. Ordinarily, I run my rebound fairly slowly, but on the Wildcard, it begs to have the rear end lively to pop off jumps. 

Climbing

The Wildcard has the benefit of a near full seat tube length. At 5’7, I have enough seat post on the small frame to get full leg extension for extended climbs. With a fairly steep seat tube angle of 73 degrees, the Wildcard allows me to get centred and also over the front of the bike if need be for steep climbs. This puts me in a comfortable position for cleaning Fromme’s switchbacks as well as tackling more difficult uphill trail conditions.

The DHX air is a great match for the Wildcard. I made a deliberate effort to climb while sitting and standing, combined with and without the propedal lever engaged. To my surprise, the Wildcard climbed amazingly well and exhibited minimal to no suspension bob (with the propedal lever engaged). Given the right gearing, the Wildcard is capable of taking on extended climbs, and with the right build kit, would even make a decent All Mountain style bike.

Descending

The Wildcard loves to be ridden hard. With a 67 degree head angle, short chainstays, and a relatively low bottom bracket height, it absolutely rails. One of the first things I noticed while riding my bike on A-line was how comfortable I was getting my weight over the front wheel and really digging into the turns. I felt like I was riding in the bike, rather than on top of it. Cornering in the Wildcard feels like being in a powerful, quick steering, low slung sports car with deep bucket seats and a full tank of gas.

As a smaller rider, I really appreciate the stand over on the Wildcard. It gives me ample inseam clearance to comfortably manoeuvre and finesse the bike over slow technical trail obstacles like rocks, roots, and skinnies.

Braking on the Wildcard is relatively smooth. It exhibits much less brake squat than a true single pivot bike like the Santa Cruz Bullit. Banshee has done an excellent job with its faux-bar design, creating a laterally stiff rear end, with mild mannered braking properties.

Jumping

The Wildcard is very stable in the air. It has plenty of pop off the lips and is easy to toss around for whips and transfers. The travel ramps up nicely and provides a firm platform to boost jumps with.

One feature on the DHX air I found very useful was the bottom out adjustment. Prior to its adjustment, the Wildcard felt very lackadaisical in the air, and sucked up jumps like a downhill bike. It felt sluggish in the bottom stroke of its travel and seemed to wallow in its travel. However, after fully cranking the bottom out adjuster, the Wildcard came alive and it’s been good times ever since.

The Midas Touch

Banshee is a great company to deal with. Their customer service is absolutely amazing. Any questions I had regarding the Wildcard were quickly answered with a prompt, polite and enthusiastic response. It’s great to see rider operated bike companies like Banshee out there in full force, and the passion and enthusiasm they bring to the sport. This is something big bike companies should take note of.

Banshee also includes nice touches like an extra derailleur hanger, touch up paint, and bushings to keep your ride looking and feeling fresh. My Wildcard is anodized black. In addition to being lighter than the painted frame, it resists scratches better, and is easy to wipe off after a long muddy ride on the shore.

The Fine Print

Price. At a MRSP of $2056 Canadian dollars, the Wildcard isn’t exactly a bargain. At this price point, there are plenty of other options worth looking at. Expensive tooling, high-end quality and production, extensive research and development, and limited runs all come at a cost to the consumer. But the old adage “You get what you pay for” can definitely be heard whispered throughout the trails. Whether you choose to hear the whispers or not is up to you.

Final Thoughts

The Banshee Wildcard is the real deal. It corners, descends, jumps and even climbs well. Whether these features equate to the ultimate Slopestyle bike, it’s not for me to say as I don’t think I can back flip X-up over a 30 foot gap well enough to properly put it through its paces. Fortunately riders like Banshee’s Alan Hepburn can put the Wildcard through its paces and seem to be doing a very good job at it too.

What I can say with confidence is that Banshee has produced a real winner in the Wildcard. It excels in a variety of conditions and is an absolute blast to ride. Does this mean that the marketing guys need to create a new label for the Labeltron 2000?

 

Banshee Wildcard Review- Part II of II

Three quarters of a year worth of bum sits later on the Banshee Wildcard and here we are.  A follow up review is on tap.….Inquiring minds want to know.

As indicated in my original review, the Wildcard weighed in at a very functional 34.63 lbs.  While neither heavy nor light, the Wildcard never truly satisfied my deepest functional weight weenie desires.  To clarify, a functional weight weenie is a bike consumer who displays sincere motivation towards reducing the weight of his/her bicycle without sacrificing the ride integrity of said bicycle. 

In the quest for optimal and functional weight weenie savings, new parts had to be ordered.  So, what’s new?

Generic seat post = Thomson Elite 

Truvativ Stylo cranks = Race Face Atlas FR

8” front rotor = 7” front rotor

Atomlab (old school) pedals = Kona Wah Wah pedals (OMG, WTF, BBQ, A Kona branded part on my bike)

Worn 7spd Sram cassette and Sram chain = New 6spd chopshop Ultegra cassette with cross step Sram chain.  Ask master mechanic Axx from Team NSMB for detailed setup instructions.

The last time I weighed the Wildcard was before the new 6spd geared setup and it weighed a claimed 34.1lbs.  After the new 6spd setup, I’d like to think that it weighed sub 34lbs.  However, I do realize that without a scale shot, a claim is just a claim.  But I’m claiming this weight like a gold miner staking land.

My Banshee Wildcard now looks like this:

and now weighs

So, what else is new?

If you look closely at the tires, you’ll notice that I’ve crossed over to the dark side.  No more single ply tires, just serious DH meats.  A Maxxis Ardent 2.4” with triple compound in the front and a 2.35” super tacky Highroller in the rear.  Follow this thread if you’re curious about my decision to switch to DH tires. 

http://bb.nsmb.com/showthread.php?t=119401&highlight=2.35%22+tires

The result is a significant weight gain and a final weigh in at 35.38lbs.

A spec sheet with weights and parts is all fine and dandy, but the best upgrade any mountain biker can get is an optimized bike suspension setup.  For years I’ve setup my own suspension based on general manufacturer guidelines and the F-word…..Feel. 

For years I’ve been content with my own suspension setup.  This is where James at Suspensionwerx comes in.  I’ve heard rumours of this mythical legend working his mysterious voodoo craft on bicycle suspension.  And to be honest, the service he provides is 150% legendary.  He began by reducing the travel of my Fox Float RC2 from 6.3” to 5.5” to better match the rear end travel of my DHX Air set at 5”.  James broke out his trusty calculator/ruler and asked about my weight and riding style. He set the sag, compression, rebound and bottom out adjustments.  After a few more adjustments, a series of test rides occurred and voila, a World Cup tuned suspension setup.

Front Fox Float RC2 = 7 clicks high speed, 9 low speed, compression 75psi.

Rear Fox DHX Air = 125 psi compression, 135 psi Propedal.    

Specs and Geometry

With the new suspension setup, the geometry on my Wildcard has changed.  The bb height is now at 13.75” and the head angle is 67.5 degrees. 

But how does it ride?

The new parts and Suspensionwerx setup has made the Wildcard an even better ride.  The suspension travel is way more active than before.  This is great for descending and has made the Wildcard feel like a mini-DH bike when riding on the shore.  A new air suspension sensation for me is having the little stuff soaked up while not bottoming out roughly on the big stuff.  My previous air suspension setups have been on the firmer side to prevent harsh bottom outs.  The steeper head angle combined with having the suspension sit in its travel, coupled with real DH meats makes the Wildcard carve bermed corners like it’s on rails.  

However, there are some minor tradeoffs with this type of suspension setup.  When climbing out of the saddle, the Wildcard exhibits significantly more suspension bob.  I usually climb while seated, and the new plusher setup has not bothered me enough to use the rear lockout for climbs. 

Since Whistler Bike Park has opened, I have had the opportunity to jump and corner the bike at higher speeds.  With the new Suspensionwerx set up, the bike rides equally well over the small stutter bumps as it does floating in the air and hooking up in the corners.  It is the most well rounded set up I have ever ridden.     

The Fine Print

Well, you might be wondering if I’ve experienced any problems with the Wildcard.  I’ve only had one minor issue so far.  After a couple of really muddy rides last season, the Wildcard developed a loud squeak in the rear triangle.  After a through cleaning and generous gob of Phil Wood grease, I have been squeak free ever since.  This squeak free period has included some of the nastiest mud, and snow rides mother nature has graced us with.

The anodized black finish on my Wildcard has been very durable, but I have seen a few Wildcards with the wet paint finish that don’t seem to be fairing as well.         

Final Thoughts

The Wildcard has been a fun, solid, and reliable ride.  It’s been relatively trouble free and with the right suspension tweaks, has the ability to be an absolutely amazing ride.  The Wildcard has made me happy enough to keep it for another season.  And for those who know and ride with me, that’s saying a lot.   

Although there is a new generation of young rippers repping Banshee frames, most of the people I ride with continue to be underwhelmed by the Banshee name.  Perhaps a ghost of Christmas past, riders sometimes still mistake the Banshee of new with the Banshee of 3.0 Gazzi past.  

C.C.