This is how we test our frames outside of the lab.
If you want frames put through their paces, then a good option is to send them to some crazy Aussies to shred on, so thats one of the things we did! there is definately something in the water down there!
Some legend testing footage from 2 young rippers,
Ben Nylen
Ben Nylen. from kane chenoweth on Vimeo.
Ryan Hunt
Ryan Hunt Promotional Video - Uni Track from Nick Peterson on Vimeo.
Keep it up guys, you are shredding, great to see the legend doing what it was made to do. You now know the names, so keep an eye out for them!
And an old favourite put this vid together of testing over the last 2 years.
Chris Soininen
(chris just told me it is 45.7C there today! I would vaporise!)
It is a hard life being a bike tester!
We have test riders all over the world, but it is summer in Australia, so they tend to be riding the most right now.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Nicks Legend Video and etceteras
Nick at Freebike in Italy did this cool little feature for TV.
It has english subtitles if you click on the little arrow in the lower corner and hit the box for closed captioning. Took me awhile to figure that one out.
Also Nicks got some neat pics and some other stuff on his forum here
Definitely appreciate all the work that went into this and its a pretty cool video showing some of the parts and stages when we were just getting started; like the first FEA analysis on the links.
Anyway enjoy and if you like it leave some comments for Nick.
It has english subtitles if you click on the little arrow in the lower corner and hit the box for closed captioning. Took me awhile to figure that one out.
Also Nicks got some neat pics and some other stuff on his forum here
Definitely appreciate all the work that went into this and its a pretty cool video showing some of the parts and stages when we were just getting started; like the first FEA analysis on the links.
Anyway enjoy and if you like it leave some comments for Nick.
Snowed in
10pm last night, the snow was falling thick and fast here in London, England
normally the snow does not hang around in London, I was expecting it all to be gone this morning
I woke late to find a thick blanket of snow covering the City, and snow still falling...perfect conditions for a snow ride on the Heath
For some reason in the UK, when it snows the country grinds to a halt, kids don't go to school and people seem confused about how to dress or how to get about
I've never had such problems, and kitted up with a full array of breathable waterproof clothing, glove and sock liners, my trusty TSG potty and some Spy goggles that the nice people that import Da Kine gave me last year
The Rampant didn't seem at all fazed by the snow, I let the tires down a little and turned off compression damping at both ends, making the bike more fluid for dealing with all the undulations in the heavy snow
Nice low pedalling gear, a slow and steady grind up the hills through some surprisingly thick snow, and after half an hour, onto the top of the Heath
Cross-country snow riding is a hell of a workout as there is so much resistance against your tires, after an hour it was time to head home...
The downhill is always more fun, and as long as you go subtle in the snow, you shouldn't have any falls
It looks like we have snow for the rest of this week (I am off work) so I'm going to put in a ride every day, probably a snow night ride tomorrow which should be entertaining to say the least!
happy trails!
Rob C
normally the snow does not hang around in London, I was expecting it all to be gone this morning
I woke late to find a thick blanket of snow covering the City, and snow still falling...perfect conditions for a snow ride on the Heath
For some reason in the UK, when it snows the country grinds to a halt, kids don't go to school and people seem confused about how to dress or how to get about
I've never had such problems, and kitted up with a full array of breathable waterproof clothing, glove and sock liners, my trusty TSG potty and some Spy goggles that the nice people that import Da Kine gave me last year
The Rampant didn't seem at all fazed by the snow, I let the tires down a little and turned off compression damping at both ends, making the bike more fluid for dealing with all the undulations in the heavy snow
Nice low pedalling gear, a slow and steady grind up the hills through some surprisingly thick snow, and after half an hour, onto the top of the Heath
Cross-country snow riding is a hell of a workout as there is so much resistance against your tires, after an hour it was time to head home...
The downhill is always more fun, and as long as you go subtle in the snow, you shouldn't have any falls
It looks like we have snow for the rest of this week (I am off work) so I'm going to put in a ride every day, probably a snow night ride tomorrow which should be entertaining to say the least!
happy trails!
Rob C
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival
Banshee is proud to be a part of the Terry Larrazabal festival in April.
I'll be there personally with my Legend trying to beat Brian Lopes on the DH course... He'll i'm so confident i'll loose i'm placing bets against myself.
Also we'll have a contigent of riders from Fakawi Tribe and hopefully get a few Banshee guys from Taiwan and Indonesia to come and participate in the festivities. Should be a great time and I'll definitely be posting daily about the goings on.
If you're in the area and want to come check it out you really should.
More information on the festival can be found here. Make a vacation out of it if you have a chance and all of us will be more then accomodating.
http://www.tlbf.org/
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Want to have an African Adventure...?
Do you fancy a break from the norm? Travel? Adventure? and all round life altering experience?
Well my girlfriend found this and thought that it may appeal to some of the Banshee community.
You could be, wait for it... a
This is a 3 month voluntary charity position for those who are 21+ and have to have relevant experience.
This trip will cost you time and money, but it may be an experience that shapes the rest of your life... why not take the plunge??
If interested, click here.
Spread the word, as this may just be what someone you know is looking for.
Well my girlfriend found this and thought that it may appeal to some of the Banshee community.
You could be, wait for it... a
'Bicycle Maintenance Training Officer!'
and not just at your local council... no, in Zambia!This is a 3 month voluntary charity position for those who are 21+ and have to have relevant experience.
This trip will cost you time and money, but it may be an experience that shapes the rest of your life... why not take the plunge??
If interested, click here.
Spread the word, as this may just be what someone you know is looking for.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Legend Spotted in the Woodlot
Eh Keith,
We all I can say is you created a bike that is stupidly fast. It is going to take me a little time to get used to it as it is way slacker and lower than what I am used to normally, but it is a dream to ride. The pedal platform on the bike is really good. You mash on the pedals and the bike just goes like stink.
I did a little blog entry about my first ride. http://mtnbike.blogspot.com/2009/01/installation-lap-2009-banshee-legend.html
Feel free to use it on the Banshee blog if you like.
Have a good one.
Dean
We all I can say is you created a bike that is stupidly fast. It is going to take me a little time to get used to it as it is way slacker and lower than what I am used to normally, but it is a dream to ride. The pedal platform on the bike is really good. You mash on the pedals and the bike just goes like stink.
I did a little blog entry about my first ride. http://mtnbike.blogspot.com/2009/01/installation-lap-2009-banshee-legend.html
Feel free to use it on the Banshee blog if you like.
Have a good one.
Dean
Sunday, January 25, 2009
MUD, MUD and more MUD
England's economy might be going down the toilet, but one thing we are never short of is RAIN...shame we can't export the rain to bolster our GDP??
the recent bout of freezing weather (courtesy of northern winds) has passed, and we are back to our typical mild (4 degrees celsius) temperatures and wet weather with plenty of wind
nothing like finishing a hectic week at work with a great night ride, out I went into the rain and spent a solid hour slithering around the muddy singletracks, technical climbs and descents of NW London's "hampsted heath"
it got so foggy and muddy out there I could hardly see towards the end of the ride, and wondered if my light batteries were going flat?
got home kinda muddy.....
the only hassle is cleaning the bike, well a few buckets of water and some muc-off takes care of that! then you have to clean yourself, your shoes, your pads and clothing, mud everywhere
its all good though, the buzz of a good ride is always worth the wear and tear to your bike and all the cleaning afterwards
if you are contemplating going riding in the Winter, my heartful advice is just to get out there and do it regardless of the snow /rain / winds! such a good buzz...
happy winter trails to all Mythic and Banshee riders!
Rob C
the recent bout of freezing weather (courtesy of northern winds) has passed, and we are back to our typical mild (4 degrees celsius) temperatures and wet weather with plenty of wind
nothing like finishing a hectic week at work with a great night ride, out I went into the rain and spent a solid hour slithering around the muddy singletracks, technical climbs and descents of NW London's "hampsted heath"
it got so foggy and muddy out there I could hardly see towards the end of the ride, and wondered if my light batteries were going flat?
got home kinda muddy.....
the only hassle is cleaning the bike, well a few buckets of water and some muc-off takes care of that! then you have to clean yourself, your shoes, your pads and clothing, mud everywhere
its all good though, the buzz of a good ride is always worth the wear and tear to your bike and all the cleaning afterwards
if you are contemplating going riding in the Winter, my heartful advice is just to get out there and do it regardless of the snow /rain / winds! such a good buzz...
happy winter trails to all Mythic and Banshee riders!
Rob C
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wildcard in action at Esher
my riding buddy John "Jesus" Holme is a hardcore rider for sure, if he's not commuting to work on his fixie, he's out in Swinley Woods at night, on his own, blasting around on his Mythic Viento
On the weekends, he usually comes down to Esher Shore on Sunday's - Sunday past he brought his good friend Dan Maran, who did some photos of John riding in the bike park
John has a Mythic Wildcard for play-time, and its a killer choice for somewhere like Esher Shore with its big mix of trails
thanks to Dan for the cool photos!
Rob C
On the weekends, he usually comes down to Esher Shore on Sunday's - Sunday past he brought his good friend Dan Maran, who did some photos of John riding in the bike park
John has a Mythic Wildcard for play-time, and its a killer choice for somewhere like Esher Shore with its big mix of trails
thanks to Dan for the cool photos!
Rob C
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Virtual pivot maintenance
The Rampant, Rune, Pyre and Legend have virtual pivots which are very easy to maintain using the clever axle and grease port system
From time to time, its good maintenance practise to flush the grease through the bushings on the axles, to keep everything running 100% sweet.
The IGUS bushings are made from a self lubricating polymer but since mountain biking is a dirty, wet environment it makes sense to do a little preventative work from time to time
Its very simple to use, and you can re-grease your bushings in less than 5 minutes using simply a 2mm allen key, grease gun and a rag
Stage One - remove the plastic cover from each of the grease ports, as seen in the image above
I have labeled the main pivots 1,2,3 and the smaller pivots 4
The main pivots have the grease port flushing system as these pivots take most of the load and have axles running through the frame.
The smaller pivots 4 do not need a grease port but its probably a good idea to disassemble it from time to time to clean it up and check everything is 100%
Stage Two - remove the set screw. Each pivot has a small set screw which is removed using a 2mm allen key - in the image above I am using a Park AWS-10 multi tool but in the workshop I would normally use a seperate 2mm allen key as its easier to rotate in a confined space
Before you get the grease in there and make things messy, its worth checking the pivot bolts and axle head are tight, take your allen keys and snug them up just to be sure
Once the set screw is removed from the pivot, you are ready to use the grease gun
Stage Three- greasing the pivot. I am using a Dualco grease gun with high quality waterproof bicycle grease. Push the gun tube into the pivot and pump the gun a couple of times, until you meet resistance and grease starts backing up
Replace the set screw, wipe excess grease with a rag and replace the plastic cover
Repeat this procedure for each of the main pivots 1,2 and 3
After the procedure, you will see dirty / old grease working its way around the pivot axle edges, this is normal and means your new grease has flushed your pivots clean, give this dirty grease a wipe clean otherwise it might end up on your nice riding pants :(
happy trails!
Rob C
From time to time, its good maintenance practise to flush the grease through the bushings on the axles, to keep everything running 100% sweet.
The IGUS bushings are made from a self lubricating polymer but since mountain biking is a dirty, wet environment it makes sense to do a little preventative work from time to time
Its very simple to use, and you can re-grease your bushings in less than 5 minutes using simply a 2mm allen key, grease gun and a rag
Stage One - remove the plastic cover from each of the grease ports, as seen in the image above
I have labeled the main pivots 1,2,3 and the smaller pivots 4
The main pivots have the grease port flushing system as these pivots take most of the load and have axles running through the frame.
The smaller pivots 4 do not need a grease port but its probably a good idea to disassemble it from time to time to clean it up and check everything is 100%
Stage Two - remove the set screw. Each pivot has a small set screw which is removed using a 2mm allen key - in the image above I am using a Park AWS-10 multi tool but in the workshop I would normally use a seperate 2mm allen key as its easier to rotate in a confined space
Before you get the grease in there and make things messy, its worth checking the pivot bolts and axle head are tight, take your allen keys and snug them up just to be sure
Once the set screw is removed from the pivot, you are ready to use the grease gun
Stage Three- greasing the pivot. I am using a Dualco grease gun with high quality waterproof bicycle grease. Push the gun tube into the pivot and pump the gun a couple of times, until you meet resistance and grease starts backing up
Replace the set screw, wipe excess grease with a rag and replace the plastic cover
Repeat this procedure for each of the main pivots 1,2 and 3
After the procedure, you will see dirty / old grease working its way around the pivot axle edges, this is normal and means your new grease has flushed your pivots clean, give this dirty grease a wipe clean otherwise it might end up on your nice riding pants :(
happy trails!
Rob C
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