Tuesday, February 9, 2010
MTBGeartech.com interview
If you want to get some background info on the Legend MkII and us here at Banshee, then have a read of the interview we had with the guys at mtbgeartech.com
E-mail Problems
Hey Guys,
I'm afraid that both Jay and myself have been having serious e-mail issues for some time. Neither of us were really aware of the extent of the problem until the end of last week, but we are pretty certain we have not been receiving all e-mails for possibly several weeks. It is hard to say for sure.
We are in the process of trying to address this issue and going through the nightmare of changing servers etc, so please bear with us.
If you sent an e-mail in the last few weeks, that was not answered, then the chances are that we never received it, so could you please send it again? make sure that anything technical is sent to me at keith@bansheebikes.com to save time.
Hopefully we will be back up and running as per normal ASAP. Thanks for your patience!
Keith
I've signed up to Twitter, so feel free to follow me
I'm afraid that both Jay and myself have been having serious e-mail issues for some time. Neither of us were really aware of the extent of the problem until the end of last week, but we are pretty certain we have not been receiving all e-mails for possibly several weeks. It is hard to say for sure.
We are in the process of trying to address this issue and going through the nightmare of changing servers etc, so please bear with us.
If you sent an e-mail in the last few weeks, that was not answered, then the chances are that we never received it, so could you please send it again? make sure that anything technical is sent to me at keith@bansheebikes.com to save time.
Hopefully we will be back up and running as per normal ASAP. Thanks for your patience!
Keith
I've signed up to Twitter, so feel free to follow me
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thredbo, Australia Update from Team Geronimo
Well, it is already Tuesday, Feb. 9 down under. Graeme is at Thredbo, getting ready for the big race this coming weekend. He is staying and training with 18 year old Oz rider Danny Lavis - a pinner, from what Graeme says - and Josh Button, a top-ranked Oz rider.
Get this - in order to practice during the week, lift tickets are $70/day! And from what we understand, there are no qualifiers, just the race run. This event will be have way better attendance than Shepparton - that was Shepparton's first go round, it didn't seem to have a good reputation, and so a lot of riders didn't show for that one.
The course: 6+ minutes of gnarly, steep downhill. No uphills, no flats. Sounds ripe for arm pump . . . An initial report from Graeme said the Legend Mk II handles it all with ease! After 4-5 days of race training with Button and Lavis, expect Graeme to know the course like the back of his hand (and all the pinner lines). Watch our twitter feed for more race updates as the week progresses.
PS - Cody and Graeme recently met up with Damian Breach for a photo shoot and interview. Look for the exclusive Legend MkII bike check on VitalMTB.com soon!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Fogelsode #14: Flowy Trails and Big Drifts
We got hit by a small storm this week, making for lots of digging. The rain was pretty light during a few days, so Max and I went out for a trail ride! The dirt was great, so we sessioned a fun set of s-berms. We continued down the trail to a cool little line that I built last winter. It’s a berm into a hip step-down followed by a straight step-up. Max was hitting it dialed, but the time we filmed it he overcleared the step-down and nosed cased into the back of the step-up landing! Luckily he was all good! I threw a few tailwhips over it and we moved on down the trail. We reached a fun flowy section with some turns that drop away at their exits. They’re super fun because you can lean into them and go weightless as you fall towards the next corner. One has a fun high speed jump after it, that we ended up hitting a few times! The rain started to pick up, plus it was getting dark, so we got out of there!
My buddy has some property up in the mountains that we’ve been building on every now and then. The rain loosened up the dirt quite a bit, so we spent a day digging out there. Near sunset everyone was pretty tired, so we busted out the dirt bikes and Rhino to moto around a little track that’s up there! Matt was doing some crazy drifts in the Rhino, one time almost flipping it! Everyone else raced around on the dirt bikes, which was tons of fun because it was the first time riding them for most of us! Definitely a great way to end the day! Just good times hanging out, building, riding, and messing around with friends!
Enjoy!
Jack
Friday, February 5, 2010
Spitfire Headset Options
I've had a bunch of people e-mail me to ask about Spitfire V1 headsets recently now that the frames have started shipping out.
The spitfire V1 has a head tube that is tapered between 1.125" ZS top (44.0mm diameter) to 1.5" traditional bottom (49.61mm diameter).
So depending on your fork there are 3 options depending on the setup you want.
If you are running a 130-150mm travel fork with 1 1/8" steerer I would personally recommend the following:
If you are running a 130-150mm tapered fork something like this would work:
If you are running a 150-160mm travel fork with 1 1/8" steerer then to keep the geometry in line I would recommend running a zero stack lower cup setup like this:
Same top cup, but a flush mount bottom cup like the bottom part of this (you can buy this separately from cane creek, don't worry!)
So with 150mm forks with 1 1/8" steerers gives you the option depending on what geometry you are after.
These are the geometries you will get with the different setups.
I picked this style tapered head tube, as I felt it gave you guys the most options with regards to headsets and geometry in the tapered package.
The spitfire V1 has a head tube that is tapered between 1.125" ZS top (44.0mm diameter) to 1.5" traditional bottom (49.61mm diameter).
So depending on your fork there are 3 options depending on the setup you want.
If you are running a 130-150mm travel fork with 1 1/8" steerer I would personally recommend the following:
If you are running a 130-150mm tapered fork something like this would work:
If you are running a 150-160mm travel fork with 1 1/8" steerer then to keep the geometry in line I would recommend running a zero stack lower cup setup like this:
Same top cup, but a flush mount bottom cup like the bottom part of this (you can buy this separately from cane creek, don't worry!)
So with 150mm forks with 1 1/8" steerers gives you the option depending on what geometry you are after.
These are the geometries you will get with the different setups.
I picked this style tapered head tube, as I felt it gave you guys the most options with regards to headsets and geometry in the tapered package.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Luang Pra Bang to Koh Phangan
The plan was to ride from Luang Pra Bang to the Thai border crossing in Nong Khai. It would have been four hundred kilometres through one of the most mountainous regions in Laos. We were going to stretch it out over seven or eight days and try to enjoy it as much as we could. Due to an urge to get to the beach and limited time James was going to take the bus to the border. Morgan and I were then going to meet him in Bangkok before he flew back to Taiwan. While discussing our plan James suggested that we all take the bus to Vang Vien which is half way to Vientiane. Then he would spend a couple of days there with us and when we started riding for the border he would take the bus onward. When we got to the bus station the next morning the price for a ticket to Vang Vien was the same as the price to Vientiane. James did not want to have to pay for two bus tickets so he purchased a ticket to Vientiane. It did not take long before we talked ourselves out of riding to the border and into sitting on a beach in the south of Thailand.
We boarded the bus at 2pm and did not arrive in Vientiane until two or three the next morning. The border is 25 or 30 kilometres outside of Vientiane and does not open until 6am. We rode around Vientiane looking for something to eat and then decided that we would just start out for the border. Arriving an hour before the border opened we tried to fall asleep on the side of the road.
We crossed the border and booked a ticket on the night train to Bangkok. We biked into town and booked a hotel for the day to try to get some sleep. The train we booked did not have any sleeper cars so we were stuck trying to sleep in what turned out to be the most uncomfortable train seats. Not as bad the the third class wood benches, but pretty horrible. And in third class there is always the option of sleeping on the floor.
James and I had to apply for Taiwanese visas so when we arrived in Bangkok we got a hotel room, showered and headed for the Taiwanese Visa Office. What is usually a painful experience turned out to be pretty easy and we were back at the hotel asleep in no time.
After another night on a train (sleeping car) and a boat ride we arrived on Koh Phagan. For the time being we will be trading the lycra bike shorts and helmets in for swim trunks and snorkels. I forgot my speedo so there will be no speedo shots this trip. We all have to leave Thailand before the 14th of February. James is going home, Morgan and I are not sure what we will do.
We will be using the bikes on the island for transportation. But it looks like the bike adventure maybe over. If we find anything worth riding I will get some pictures and post something.
I would like to thank:
Jay for the Viento frames. Some may argue that they are not touring bikes, but I think they worked out pretty amazingly. The roads in Laos are not in the best shape and I could not imagine riding on them on anything other than a mountain bike. Sure if I could do it again there would be things I would change on my bike … but I would still want to be on a Viento.
Gavin and Mike from Spank Industries. The Vomax rims are probably the lightest weight rims I have ever used and they have stood up to the abuse of riding day after day for the past couple of weeks.
Fritz from Kail Protectives for keeping my head safe. I did not think a dirt jump helmet was going to be the best choice for a touring helmet but, I was surprised at how comfortable and cool it really was.
My brother Morgan for being on camera duty for most of the trip. Any of the good pictures were probably taken by him. Derek from Race Face, the guys from Xtracycle and Thai Customs for the memories.
It has been a great adventure,
Rob Dunnet
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Team Geronimo Announces 2010 All-Star Sponsor Lineup
After a whirlwind debut at Interbike ’09, Team Geronimo (http://www.geronimoracing.net) has ramped up to full on tornado status. The Pro racers, staff and Junior Development Team of Team Geronimo are proud to introduce their 2010 lineup:
- The Bikes -
As the USA Factory Racing Team for Banshee Bikes, Team Geronimo is proud to be aboard the newly released Legend MkII downhill frame, which is nothing short of phenomenal. Just days after its public release, Pro racer Graeme Pitts took the maiden voyage as the first in the world to ride this beauty. With less than 5 hours on the bike, Pitts managed a Top 15 finish at Round 2 of the Australian National Series at Shepparton. How does it ride? Let’s just quote Banshee Bikes owner Jay MacNeil, who said, “Anyone who rides this bike is almost cheating!” It really is THAT FAST. Team Geronimo will also be racing the Banshee Rampant in 4X and DS events.
http://www.bansheebikes.com
- The Kit -
Custom made Wrex Racing apparel will outfit the team. Their purpose-built gear is truly remarkable, stylish, and will exceed even the toughest critic’s expectations. Wrex offers a full line of custom jerseys, pants, shorts, rash guards (silver-embedded for odor control and anti-microbial action), winter jackets, rain jackets, hoodies, formal wear (for banquets and sponsor meetings!) and more. They make it easy to be the best-dressed racer on the race course. Wrex Racing’s motto says it all, “Rule #1: Leave the competition behind. Rule #2: There is no rule #2!”
Underneath their custom kits, the team will be protected by Dainese gear. It’s a shame that such excellent, stylish protection has to be covered up. From the minute the body armor comes out of its shipping box, it is evident that this gear is state of the art, lightweight, supple and STRONG. Finally, it is truly comfortable protection - riders might even forget they’re wearing it! From Seth Graves of Dainese/BTI-USA, “We are excited to start the 2010 race season sponsoring such a great team of excellent racers!”
The team will protect their brains with helmets by Kali Protectives – a company making quick strides in the MTB protective world. Racers will keep their eyes on the prize with eyewear by Smith Optics. No team would be complete without casual shorts from Cowboy’s Fuzzy Duds – look for their signature wacko prints to compliment team livery when they’re off the course.
http://www.wrexracing.com
http://www.dainese.com
http://www.kaliprotectives.com
http://www.smithoptics.com
http://www.cowboysfuzzyduds.com
- The Components -
Hayes Bicycle Group is equipping the team with powerful Hayes Brakes systems, race worthy Sun Ringlé wheelsets, and Answer ProTaper bars and gloves. Racers will enjoy a buttery-smooth ride with the highly anticipated Manitou Dorado Pro fork and super adjustable Revox shock. Clayton Goldsmith of Hayes Bicycle Group commented, “Everyone on the team is a class act and as a group, this is exactly the type of team HBG wants to partner up with. Their choice of riders and equipment is going to make them potent, and I would say probably one of the most successful first year teams. They are also one of the few teams we’ve chosen to run the new Dorado Pro DH fork this year – so of course their Banshee rigs will be the envy of everyone in the pits! Expect to see big things from Team Geronimo in 2010!”
When the rubber officially hits the dirt at Sea Otter, the team will be hooking up in the corners with Intense Tyres. "We are extremely excited to work with such a great group of Pros and the Jr. Development team, as the Intense Tyre System line has been fully redone for 2010 and this will really help get the tires out in front of the fans and atop the podium with this excellent program" – from Pete Dylewski, Marketing Manager at Intense Tyre.
MRP’s Ryan Cranston also commented, “MRP is extremely proud to partner with such a world class squad. Team Geronimo will be rocking G2 chain guides, Camber cranks, and Podium chain rings as they hang it all out there in pursuit of victory in 2010! Watch out for these guys!”
WTB has come on board with their sexy new Devo seat, which will sit on top of FSA’s Gravity seat post. FSA will also keep the cockpit in check with their line of Orbit headsets. Obtainium Performance Products’ titanium springs bring superior performance to the handling of these stunning bikes in addition to shaving weight and precious seconds off race times. Point 1 Racing stems and platform pedals, ODI grips, Shimano drive train components, Crank Brothers clips and Framewrap come together to finish off the build of Team Geronimo’s incredible rides.
When traveling by air, the team will use the incredibly well designed, sturdy and lightweight bike boxes by Crateworks. Ogio has also stepped up to aid in the team’s travel comfort with their progressive line of gear bags, hydration packs, helmet cases, and race umbrellas.
http://www.hayesbicycle.com
http://www.intensetires.com
http://www.mrpbike.com
http://www.wtb.com
http://www.fullspeedahead.com
http://www.obtainiumperformanceproducts.com
http://www.pointoneracing.com
http://www.odigrips.com
http://www.shimano.com
http://www.crankbrothers.com
http://www.crateworks.com
http://www.ogio.com
- The Coaches -
Gene Hamilton of Betterride is the official skills coach of Team Geronimo. His techniques are proven, his guidance invaluable, and it is time for the gravity biking world to catch up with other sports by retaining coaches – Team Geronimo is honored to be working with Betterride. Gene comments, “I am excited to be working with Team Geronimo. I’ve coached Graeme Pitts and the Buell Brothers in the past, and I look forward to working with Cody Eichhorn. They all have the potential to do really well, and have an impact on the sport. It is going to be a fun and successful race season with one of the best new teams on the circuit.”
James Wilson of MTB Strength Training Systems is the official strength coach of Team Geronimo. Wilson’s program has steadily become recognized as the premier mountain bike strength training system, especially for gravity racers. His workouts produce maximum results that correspond to decreased race times and injury avoidance due to flexibility. Wilson’s routines are sport specific, don’t require a huge investment in time and allow for quick recovery - almost too good to be true.
Taking time out from Tabata Intervals, James added, "I'm excited to work with a team that is obviously so dedicated to the sport I love. They've shown that they are serious about developing and supporting talent and I'm looking forward to helping them on their mission to make a splash on the racing scene."
http://www.betterride.net
http://www.bikejames.com
- About Team Geronimo -
Team Geronimo is home to a five-star line up of some of the strongest young talent in the Professional gravity racing world: Michael Buell, Brian Buell, Graeme Pitts, Brandon Turman and Cody Eichhorn (Australia). Team Geronimo is also proud of its Junior Development Team: Alec Toney, Madison Bailey, Teddy Benge, Tanner Spence, Robert Petit, Roy Benge and Tyler Spence – they are some fierce young rippers!
Behind the scenes, putting the puzzle pieces together for a successful 2010 race season are: Leslie Pitts, Team Manager; Brandon Turman, Marketing Manager and Junior Development Team Manager; and Troy Walch, Team Mechanic.
Look for Team Geronimo at the 2010 Sea Otter Classic, Pro Gravity Tour, Mountain States Cup Series, US Open, Crankworx Colorado, Crankworx Whistler, Fluidride Cup Series and select other events. The team is gearing up for entry into the World Cup Series in 2011.
The stokage meter about this team is cranked all the way up, and for good reason – they have incredible talent, vibrant personalities, and a true sense of professionalism on and off the race course. 2010 is going to be a phenomenal year.
Be sure to become a fan on Facebook and to follow Team Geronimo on Twitter!
http://www.facebook.com/teamgeronimo
http://www.twitter.com/teamgeronimo
http://www.geronimoracing.net
- The Bikes -
As the USA Factory Racing Team for Banshee Bikes, Team Geronimo is proud to be aboard the newly released Legend MkII downhill frame, which is nothing short of phenomenal. Just days after its public release, Pro racer Graeme Pitts took the maiden voyage as the first in the world to ride this beauty. With less than 5 hours on the bike, Pitts managed a Top 15 finish at Round 2 of the Australian National Series at Shepparton. How does it ride? Let’s just quote Banshee Bikes owner Jay MacNeil, who said, “Anyone who rides this bike is almost cheating!” It really is THAT FAST. Team Geronimo will also be racing the Banshee Rampant in 4X and DS events.
http://www.bansheebikes.com
- The Kit -
Custom made Wrex Racing apparel will outfit the team. Their purpose-built gear is truly remarkable, stylish, and will exceed even the toughest critic’s expectations. Wrex offers a full line of custom jerseys, pants, shorts, rash guards (silver-embedded for odor control and anti-microbial action), winter jackets, rain jackets, hoodies, formal wear (for banquets and sponsor meetings!) and more. They make it easy to be the best-dressed racer on the race course. Wrex Racing’s motto says it all, “Rule #1: Leave the competition behind. Rule #2: There is no rule #2!”
Underneath their custom kits, the team will be protected by Dainese gear. It’s a shame that such excellent, stylish protection has to be covered up. From the minute the body armor comes out of its shipping box, it is evident that this gear is state of the art, lightweight, supple and STRONG. Finally, it is truly comfortable protection - riders might even forget they’re wearing it! From Seth Graves of Dainese/BTI-USA, “We are excited to start the 2010 race season sponsoring such a great team of excellent racers!”
The team will protect their brains with helmets by Kali Protectives – a company making quick strides in the MTB protective world. Racers will keep their eyes on the prize with eyewear by Smith Optics. No team would be complete without casual shorts from Cowboy’s Fuzzy Duds – look for their signature wacko prints to compliment team livery when they’re off the course.
http://www.wrexracing.com
http://www.dainese.com
http://www.kaliprotectives.com
http://www.smithoptics.com
http://www.cowboysfuzzyduds.com
- The Components -
Hayes Bicycle Group is equipping the team with powerful Hayes Brakes systems, race worthy Sun Ringlé wheelsets, and Answer ProTaper bars and gloves. Racers will enjoy a buttery-smooth ride with the highly anticipated Manitou Dorado Pro fork and super adjustable Revox shock. Clayton Goldsmith of Hayes Bicycle Group commented, “Everyone on the team is a class act and as a group, this is exactly the type of team HBG wants to partner up with. Their choice of riders and equipment is going to make them potent, and I would say probably one of the most successful first year teams. They are also one of the few teams we’ve chosen to run the new Dorado Pro DH fork this year – so of course their Banshee rigs will be the envy of everyone in the pits! Expect to see big things from Team Geronimo in 2010!”
When the rubber officially hits the dirt at Sea Otter, the team will be hooking up in the corners with Intense Tyres. "We are extremely excited to work with such a great group of Pros and the Jr. Development team, as the Intense Tyre System line has been fully redone for 2010 and this will really help get the tires out in front of the fans and atop the podium with this excellent program" – from Pete Dylewski, Marketing Manager at Intense Tyre.
MRP’s Ryan Cranston also commented, “MRP is extremely proud to partner with such a world class squad. Team Geronimo will be rocking G2 chain guides, Camber cranks, and Podium chain rings as they hang it all out there in pursuit of victory in 2010! Watch out for these guys!”
WTB has come on board with their sexy new Devo seat, which will sit on top of FSA’s Gravity seat post. FSA will also keep the cockpit in check with their line of Orbit headsets. Obtainium Performance Products’ titanium springs bring superior performance to the handling of these stunning bikes in addition to shaving weight and precious seconds off race times. Point 1 Racing stems and platform pedals, ODI grips, Shimano drive train components, Crank Brothers clips and Framewrap come together to finish off the build of Team Geronimo’s incredible rides.
When traveling by air, the team will use the incredibly well designed, sturdy and lightweight bike boxes by Crateworks. Ogio has also stepped up to aid in the team’s travel comfort with their progressive line of gear bags, hydration packs, helmet cases, and race umbrellas.
http://www.hayesbicycle.com
http://www.intensetires.com
http://www.mrpbike.com
http://www.wtb.com
http://www.fullspeedahead.com
http://www.obtainiumperformanceproducts.com
http://www.pointoneracing.com
http://www.odigrips.com
http://www.shimano.com
http://www.crankbrothers.com
http://www.crateworks.com
http://www.ogio.com
- The Coaches -
Gene Hamilton of Betterride is the official skills coach of Team Geronimo. His techniques are proven, his guidance invaluable, and it is time for the gravity biking world to catch up with other sports by retaining coaches – Team Geronimo is honored to be working with Betterride. Gene comments, “I am excited to be working with Team Geronimo. I’ve coached Graeme Pitts and the Buell Brothers in the past, and I look forward to working with Cody Eichhorn. They all have the potential to do really well, and have an impact on the sport. It is going to be a fun and successful race season with one of the best new teams on the circuit.”
James Wilson of MTB Strength Training Systems is the official strength coach of Team Geronimo. Wilson’s program has steadily become recognized as the premier mountain bike strength training system, especially for gravity racers. His workouts produce maximum results that correspond to decreased race times and injury avoidance due to flexibility. Wilson’s routines are sport specific, don’t require a huge investment in time and allow for quick recovery - almost too good to be true.
Taking time out from Tabata Intervals, James added, "I'm excited to work with a team that is obviously so dedicated to the sport I love. They've shown that they are serious about developing and supporting talent and I'm looking forward to helping them on their mission to make a splash on the racing scene."
http://www.betterride.net
http://www.bikejames.com
- About Team Geronimo -
Team Geronimo is home to a five-star line up of some of the strongest young talent in the Professional gravity racing world: Michael Buell, Brian Buell, Graeme Pitts, Brandon Turman and Cody Eichhorn (Australia). Team Geronimo is also proud of its Junior Development Team: Alec Toney, Madison Bailey, Teddy Benge, Tanner Spence, Robert Petit, Roy Benge and Tyler Spence – they are some fierce young rippers!
Behind the scenes, putting the puzzle pieces together for a successful 2010 race season are: Leslie Pitts, Team Manager; Brandon Turman, Marketing Manager and Junior Development Team Manager; and Troy Walch, Team Mechanic.
Look for Team Geronimo at the 2010 Sea Otter Classic, Pro Gravity Tour, Mountain States Cup Series, US Open, Crankworx Colorado, Crankworx Whistler, Fluidride Cup Series and select other events. The team is gearing up for entry into the World Cup Series in 2011.
The stokage meter about this team is cranked all the way up, and for good reason – they have incredible talent, vibrant personalities, and a true sense of professionalism on and off the race course. 2010 is going to be a phenomenal year.
Be sure to become a fan on Facebook and to follow Team Geronimo on Twitter!
http://www.facebook.com/teamgeronimo
http://www.twitter.com/teamgeronimo
http://www.geronimoracing.net
K9 Cup Installation by Scott Smith
One of the things that got me stoked on the Rune, was the ability to custom tune the geometry using angled headset reducer cups. This combo has gotten great reviews, and with the headset cups now coming in -1 and -2 degree options, seemed like the way to go. I opted for the -1 degree cups.e="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal">
One thing I considered was if the head tube needed to be faced or not. The K9 Industries cups are designed for a 4.625" head tube, and the Rune's head tube is 4.75. That's only .125" difference, or 1.58mm off both ends. K9 advised that facing was not required for this amount of difference. I also wanted to avoid facing since it could potentially cut into the welds a tiny amount. So I opted to skip the facing and proceed directly to....
Installation!
The K9 cups have notches at the front and back, which are meant to align with the front & back centers of your head tube. So the first step for installation is to determine exactly where the centerline of your head tube is. The method suggested by K9 is to lay masking tape down the center of your top tube, then sight along this to the front of your head tube, which also gets some tape to temporarily mark the center. Although not suggested by K9, I found a set of vernier calipers were very helpful in determining the center of the top tube. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the banshee team graphics are perfectly centered!
Installation of the tape down center of top tube and head tube:
Using calipers to make sure the tape is centered:
After checking with the calipers, it occurred to me that a laser pointer would be great for this- and I had one in the form of a cat toy. Playing with lasers in my garage also sounded like a lot of fun!
laser-checking the top tube
One thing I considered was if the head tube needed to be faced or not. The K9 Industries cups are designed for a 4.625" head tube, and the Rune's head tube is 4.75. That's only .125" difference, or 1.58mm off both ends. K9 advised that facing was not required for this amount of difference. I also wanted to avoid facing since it could potentially cut into the welds a tiny amount. So I opted to skip the facing and proceed directly to....
Installation!
The K9 cups have notches at the front and back, which are meant to align with the front & back centers of your head tube. So the first step for installation is to determine exactly where the centerline of your head tube is. The method suggested by K9 is to lay masking tape down the center of your top tube, then sight along this to the front of your head tube, which also gets some tape to temporarily mark the center. Although not suggested by K9, I found a set of vernier calipers were very helpful in determining the center of the top tube. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the banshee team graphics are perfectly centered!
Installation of the tape down center of top tube and head tube:
Using calipers to make sure the tape is centered:
After checking with the calipers, it occurred to me that a laser pointer would be great for this- and I had one in the form of a cat toy. Playing with lasers in my garage also sounded like a lot of fun!
laser-checking the top tube
And the headtube
After verifying the center lines were correct, it was time to press the cups in! The cups are a tight fit, so K9 calls for anti-seize paste on the head tube. I tapped the cups in just a tiny bit with a block of wood and hammer, checked to make sure they were straight, then pressed both cups in at the same time, using a park headset cup press.
Upper cup
The cups pressed in easily after that, and everything tightened up nicely and spun freely. To be honest, this was a job I was a little apprehensive about- and it certainly requires more patience than a typical headset install- but it's not too complicated and I don't expect any durability issues.
Thanks for this Scott, I'm sure a bunch of our Rune, Wildcard and Scythe customers will find this a very useful and helpful tool if they choose to go for this option.
We make our frames strong here at Banshee, and we have no issue with these cups being used on any of our 1.5" headtube frames, except the Legend (Would you really want a 61.8degree head tube angle when unsaged anyway?). We don't want to limit our customers at all, and we realise that you guys are bike coneseurs anyway, who know what you want, and that sometimes it doesn't always perfectly match up to what we make, as everyone is different. So if you want to alter the head angle using this method, then go for it. However, be sure not to face the head tube to the point where it interferes with a weld, and to take your time and do the job properly just as Scott has done. As long as you do it properly then the frame will still be under warranty.
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