It's not here yet, but I bought a brand new one, and its built up for 27.5. It's coming with a Pike RCT3, and some garbage rear shock. I bought a DB Inline off a dude on PB brand new for $250. Will be putting a cheap KS eTen i have had laying around new in the box. I have a 40t 10sp Praxis cassette for it. Has x7 shifter and der, should I stick with that or replace it with the Zee short cage der and shifter I have? Also comes with really cheap Avid brakes I'll be replacing with a new set of Formula T1's. Is there anything quirky about the frame I should be aware of? Any suggestions or recommendations in regard to setup? In the future I hope to upgrade the dropper to something better and with more travel. And also upgrade the wheels. I think for now, with the price I paid and all the parts that I won't be using that I'll be able to sell from the new bike and old bike, I'll be coming out pretty good. I'll post pics as soon as I get it
I just bought a 2016 Banshee Spitfire, any suggestions or recommendations?
- Thread starter csermonet
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- spitfires anonymous
my god, I just looked up the rims that the bike comes with and the have an inner width of only 17mm. those are going to need to be changed sooner than I thought. it's labeled as "inner bead width", is that a different measurement than "inner rim width"? 17mm inner rim width doesn't even sound safe
Well first of all, I see that you're clearly not a (fucking) cosmetic dentist, because that is a lowly aluminum frame, which is all but unridabru thesedays. At least it doesn't have a little bitch wheels.
But yeah, thats a killer fun wagon, and strongly endorsed by metamorphic and AngryMetalsmith to name a few monkies. My only advice would be to consider up-shocking to a CCDB CS or maybe a Fox Float X/X2, as it sounds like a fair number of people have detonated the Inlines.
Regarding the derailleur, I think the Zee would be the preferred option, but not sure a short cage is going to get along with a 40 tooth cog.
But yeah, thats a killer fun wagon, and strongly endorsed by metamorphic and AngryMetalsmith to name a few monkies. My only advice would be to consider up-shocking to a CCDB CS or maybe a Fox Float X/X2, as it sounds like a fair number of people have detonated the Inlines.
Regarding the derailleur, I think the Zee would be the preferred option, but not sure a short cage is going to get along with a 40 tooth cog.
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I was quite happy with sram GX drivetrain i had one my recent testbike. Didn't have it for long but some horrible hacks had it before me and it still worked so you may consider that. I hate sram but was pleasantly surprised with that
Yeah, you'd better change those rims to something with an adequately trendy width before you die.
Rim width joking aside, my Spitfire definitely "rides light" because it has carbon wheels. I'm completely hooked on those and don't think I'll ever go back to alloy. Lighter/better wheels will definitely make a difference.
I have a 10sp Zee derailleur on mine, which works great, but I don't think I'd bother swapping out brand new X7 gear. Ride it until it breaks, then upgrade.
It's a super fun bike, ride it like you stole it.
*edit: What travel is the Pike? I thought I remembered some of the build kits specing a 140mm Pike. If that's the case, I'd upgrade to a 150mm air shaft right away.
Rim width joking aside, my Spitfire definitely "rides light" because it has carbon wheels. I'm completely hooked on those and don't think I'll ever go back to alloy. Lighter/better wheels will definitely make a difference.
I have a 10sp Zee derailleur on mine, which works great, but I don't think I'd bother swapping out brand new X7 gear. Ride it until it breaks, then upgrade.
It's a super fun bike, ride it like you stole it.
*edit: What travel is the Pike? I thought I remembered some of the build kits specing a 140mm Pike. If that's the case, I'd upgrade to a 150mm air shaft right away.
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It fucking rips. Put the flip chips in the lowest setting. I'm honestly impressed how well it does everything so far. My only complaint (and not even a complaint for what I paid) is the wheelset on mine. It sucks. Looking at possible carboners.
Such a fun bike. Just parted mine out for a new rig, but that thing was rad.
My advice would be to avoid the CCDBA CS. I spent way too much time dialing mine in, and it still never felt right. The bike was MUCH more fun after I put an Avy'd Fox CTD on it, but I overheated that thing too often. Went to an Avy'd Van RC with a ti coil, and holy shit. The bike was a goddamn rocket.
As kazlx said, chips in the lowest setting for sure. Some people told me that the 26" dropouts rode better with 650b wheels, but I always used the 650b drops and never felt like the rear end needed to be much shorter.
My advice would be to avoid the CCDBA CS. I spent way too much time dialing mine in, and it still never felt right. The bike was MUCH more fun after I put an Avy'd Fox CTD on it, but I overheated that thing too often. Went to an Avy'd Van RC with a ti coil, and holy shit. The bike was a goddamn rocket.
As kazlx said, chips in the lowest setting for sure. Some people told me that the 26" dropouts rode better with 650b wheels, but I always used the 650b drops and never felt like the rear end needed to be much shorter.
i just relaced the wheels on my '15 spitty with spank oozys. 25mm outer width. aluminum. i'm probably going to die.
you wanna know the real kicker? i'm using a crank bros joplin seatpost. it must be fucking magic or something because it still works.
i have a rune with a ccdb cs. The shock feels okay at best. Used to have a vivid 5.1 coil on it and that was amazing. Skip the cane creek overhype bullshit.
Also, lowest, slackest setting and you're off!
I have the Monarch on my 15 and it feels pretty good. Came with that and an X Fusion HLR up front. The combo feels better than I thought it would, although I would like to experiment with some different stuff. The SRAM Roam 30 wheels are way too noodly for my big ass, which I can feel through the rough stuff and in corners. Overall though, the bike is exactly what I want out of a trail bike. This has been my first real experience with a 1x11 setup and a dropper and it's perfect for around here.
the common theme i'm seeing here is: sack up and COIL IT NAO
Whoa thanks for all this guys. Sounds like I made a good decision. I knew a few monkeys on here really liked them, and all the hot shot media places have good things to say about it, pretty stoked for it to get here. Someone mentioned something about the short cage Zee not playing well with the 40t Praxis cassette. I ran that setup on my 6 point for a while, it worked okay, but would probably work lots better with a longer cage. I do have the Lindarets Goat Link on it. Not cool about the Inline. I ride like a bitch these days though so maybe I won't blow it. I'll post some pictures up when I get it in my preferred trim.
I'm 200lbs and have a db inline on mine. No issues no complaints. Although it's already been established that I've been relegated to fat hack rider status.
The bike is designed around a 160mm fork so keep that in mind.
Set your flip chips to the neutral position for the first few rides if you have never ridden a low-slack bike before since pedal strikes are quite common and take a little getting used to. Then put them in the lowest setting.
The Inline is a great shock for trail riding despite the "manufacturing issues". Go on their website and you can find the base settings for a Banshee Spitfire. New shocks come with a little workbook for dialing in the ride. If you're patient and follow the exercises, you'll get the results you're after.
Don't worry so much about the narrow rims right now. But start looking for some wider ones because you'll eventually start riding much more aggressive as you get used to the bike.
Congrats, ride fast, take chances.
Set your flip chips to the neutral position for the first few rides if you have never ridden a low-slack bike before since pedal strikes are quite common and take a little getting used to. Then put them in the lowest setting.
The Inline is a great shock for trail riding despite the "manufacturing issues". Go on their website and you can find the base settings for a Banshee Spitfire. New shocks come with a little workbook for dialing in the ride. If you're patient and follow the exercises, you'll get the results you're after.
Don't worry so much about the narrow rims right now. But start looking for some wider ones because you'll eventually start riding much more aggressive as you get used to the bike.
Congrats, ride fast, take chances.
I rode it with both a 160 and 150, and I much preferred the feel of the 150mm fork with the bike in the low/slack setting.
word, I'll just have to see which Pike mine comes with. How many different travel versions of the Pike are there?
Hey! It works! I didn't do anything either. Thanks for the tip
Before switching my Spitfire over to 27.5, I ran it with a 160mm fork and in the slack position.
It definitely held its own on the descents slightly better, but pedaling it up steep stuff was a bit if a pig.
Now I have a Fox 36 set at 150mm. It feels ever so slightly more steep, but I don't ever question the setup now. It'll be staying at 150.
I've only had a few serious pedal strikes with it in the slack position.
It definitely held its own on the descents slightly better, but pedaling it up steep stuff was a bit if a pig.
Now I have a Fox 36 set at 150mm. It feels ever so slightly more steep, but I don't ever question the setup now. It'll be staying at 150.
I've only had a few serious pedal strikes with it in the slack position.
Has any Spitfire or KS Link Banshee owners ever had of/heard of these problems?
http://forums.mtbr.com/banshee-bikes/2016-spitfire-pivot-shaft-hole-wear-1006634.html
It looks like it could just be user error with torque specs and proper maintenance. I planned on tearing mine completely down before I ride it for the first time to re-grease everything and torque everything perfectly. Sounds like I may be avoiding these problems just by doing that.
http://forums.mtbr.com/banshee-bikes/2016-spitfire-pivot-shaft-hole-wear-1006634.html
It looks like it could just be user error with torque specs and proper maintenance. I planned on tearing mine completely down before I ride it for the first time to re-grease everything and torque everything perfectly. Sounds like I may be avoiding these problems just by doing that.
Mine has a bit of a creek that was quieted for a while by tearing down and cleaning the pivots. I probably should invest in a torque wrench.
Mine is set up with 26", 160 Pike, 175 cranks, and neutral position flip chips. I'd like to run the slackest setting, but that would put the BB at 12.75" which seems just too low.
I'm on my second Spitfire since 2011 and had a Specialized SX-Trail (another low/slack) so I'm used to low BBs and pedal strikes. I've had some jaw jarring strikes and been flung over and under the bars at speed. But like most old DHrs we have to take a few good hits before it sinks in on what not to do. So not so many pedal strikes these days, but enough to know that carbon cranks would not fare well attached to my feet.
Mine is set up with 26", 160 Pike, 175 cranks, and neutral position flip chips. I'd like to run the slackest setting, but that would put the BB at 12.75" which seems just too low.
I'm on my second Spitfire since 2011 and had a Specialized SX-Trail (another low/slack) so I'm used to low BBs and pedal strikes. I've had some jaw jarring strikes and been flung over and under the bars at speed. But like most old DHrs we have to take a few good hits before it sinks in on what not to do. So not so many pedal strikes these days, but enough to know that carbon cranks would not fare well attached to my feet.
Yeah, I've had enough bad pedal strikes in my day that I am pretty aware of crank position. I think I'll just go with 170's like I had on my old trail bike.
I'm running mine with the X-Fusion Sweep RL2 that came on it. Pretty sure it's a 160mm, but I'm thinking about going to a Pike just for a little more burl for my size. I can definitely feel the front end move around, but I think most of it is wheels/tires. Sram Roam 30s and single ply Nobby Nics don't exactly inspire confidence. They are fine for pedaling, but start getting fidgety in the fast rough stuff and corners. BB is low, but man, the bike feels so good.
Is that the wheelset and tires that came with the bike? And yeah I bet the 21mm inner width combined with single ply tires can get sketchy lol I had single ply minions on a 21mm inner width rim on my 6 Point and I had to run atleast 35psi to keep them from coming off the rim. That was a shitty combo. Why do they even make aggressive offroad tires in singly ply? I can't see how those things can hold up under anyone. I am definitely upgrading my wheels. I run Hadley's on everything so I just need to decide on rims. I am just trying to decide between carbon or aluminum rims. If I go alu, I will go with DT EX471's. But for ~$120 more I could go with Light Bicycle's 24mm(the 471's are 25mm) inner width carbon rims, and would save ~120g per rim.
Yea, wheelset with tires as purchased. Every time I've tried to run lighter tires I end up going back to a Minion DH. I'm really tempted to try carbon wheels, but there's also the appeal of just running Hadley's/823s light I have on literally every other bike I've owned.
Yea, I don't worry too much about having the lightest of everything...just want stuff to last. Just looking for balanced. The bike climbs and descends exceptionally well for me. I never thought I'd be on a 140mm bike and not worry about just pounding on it. It just wants to keep going faster. I've got about a dozen rides on it or so and I'm extremely happy, but now I'm getting more comfortable with how it handles and can tell more about the things that need to change...wheels and tires.
I had good success with the Exo sidewall Maxxis tires on my previous trail bike. That was a 26" 6 Point. My friends have had good success with the Exo on their 27.5 bikes too, so when the time comes for new tires I'll be going with those I think. If you've only ever tried the DH casing and singly ply, you should try the Exo. I definitely run the DH casing on my big bike, but I know some guys even like to run Exo's as front tires on their big bikes. I just got rid of my 823's on my DHR in favor of some DT FR570's. Saved a little weight(the weight of the 823's didn't bother me though), but more importantly got a little wider. I'm not a proponent of this 35mm inner width trail bike rim non sense, I do believe wider is better to an extent though. The FR570's are a sensible 27.5mm wide, versus the 23mm of the 823's. I really don't think I'm fit enough to have fun riding 823's will dual ply tires on my trail bike.
The weight isn't the main reason for the interest in carbon rims. Actually, I would probably ask them to make me a set with a heavier lay up, just to make sure they are bomb proof. One of the things that I was interested in are the ride characteristics, with the rims being so much stiffer and all. But the main reason is the maintenance, I've read that if you get a good wheel build that the spokes stay tensioned and the rims stay true for much longer. I've read instances of people not having to touch a spoke in over 2 years, and I like that.The way this bike likes to be ridden,i wouldn't worry about having the lightest wheels.It loves to take a beating.
I ended up going to 823s with dual ply wire beads on my Chromag Stylus because I kept just having issues with everything else. The Banshee has been fine, but I haven't been pushing it on the downs just because traction is sorta sketchy. That's why I'm leaning on the cost/benefit of some carbon wheels with a burlier tire to kind of even things out and not end up with heavy ass wheels. Pedaling the Spitty has been pleasant.
I like that aspect as well, the maintenance, but it's super appealing to have the stiffness and durability of a dh rim with the weight of an xc rim. Pretty sure I already have a few loose spokes from this last ride on the Roams.
That's been exactly my experience.