[Banshee Rider]

I ordered this frame last week and just got it built up yesterday afternoon. I won't have any chair time on it until the weekend, only some short hike runs this morning. Here some pictures and specs until then.

Frame weight with axle, complete headset (with spacers and top cap), seat collar, and chainstay guard come to 9.80lbs. Measurements based on the set up in the photo are; static BB is 14.0" (lower than listed) and WB is 46.5" (longer than listed), sorry, I dont have an angle finder. Complete weight is 40.0lbs (not rounded, actual).

2010 Session 88 DH frame, Medium
Fox RC4 shock
2010 Boxxer Team
Industry Nine wheelset
Avid Code 203mm brakes
SRAM X9 Derailleur
SRAM X9 Shifter
SRAM PC971 chain
SRAM PG 970 12-26
E13 SRS + Original Evil Supercharger
Gravity crankset
E13 Ali stem
Easton EC90 post
30" Chromag fubars
Time ATAC pedals
Michelin cut comp 24 r + comp 16 f, 2.5
Sunline half waffle grips

 

[in the trees]

Nice!!! I love new bikes!

toby

 

[John P.]

Whoa. Wait a minute.

1. That's an old mother f'in bashguard. Nice.
2. If I'm not mistaken, that pic was taken at the top of Bradbury Mountain; about 5 miles from my house?? I thought I was the only Freeport-area Monkey!!??!??

 

[norbar]

HA looks way slacker than what claimed. I also like the new graphics for 2010. Much better than the semi polished look.

 

[Banshee Rider]

Whoa. Wait a minute.

1. That's an old mother f'in bashguard. Nice.
2. If I'm not mistaken, that pic was taken at the top of Bradbury Mountain; about 5 miles from my house?? I thought I was the only Freeport-area Monkey!!??!??

Your right on both accounts. I ride xc at bradbury every wednesday morning, and will be on sundays when the lifts close. We should get together and ride if your into pedaling. I recently moved to south portland but make the trip up there often. I figured the top would a good place for pictures, and a few runs down switchback to hold me over until sunday.

 

[RMboy]

Look very nice bud! thats a bit heaver that most peoples.. did they use thicker gauge walls in the end?

 

[Ithnu]

HA looks way slacker than what claimed. I also like the new graphics for 2010. Much better than the semi polished look.

Look at the drop crown and where he's got the stanchions. That's REALLY slacked out and the front ride height is higher. A bit too much maybe, it may have problems cornering if you make the axle to crown height longer than the bike was designed for. It also raises the bottom bracket when you do that, another negative to cornering.

I had my Commencal slacked out with the stanchions just clearing the top crown and the front washed in the corners, lowered it a bit and the balance was more even. Of course for a slacker head angle I just changed the head tube sleeve, one benefit of Commencal

Anyway, nice bike!

 

[norbar]

Look at the drop crown and where he's got the stanchions. That's REALLY slacked out and the front ride height is higher. A bit too much maybe, it may have problems cornering if you make the axle to crown height longer than the bike was designed for. It also raises the bottom bracket when you do that, another negative to cornering.

I had my Commencal slacked out with the stanchions just clearing the top crown and the front washed in the corners, lowered it a bit and the balance was more even. Of course for a slacker head angle I just changed the head tube sleeve, one benefit of Commencal

Anyway, nice bike!

Is session 88 tapered or full 1.5? If full 1.5 he still can buy an angled reducer

 

[TWeerts]

is that a carbon post i spy? if so, your crazy

 

[Ithnu]

Is session 88 tapered or full 1.5? If full 1.5 he still can buy an angled reducer

Yeah yeah, and there I went thinking I was unique.

 

[Banshee Rider]

Is session 88 tapered or full 1.5? If full 1.5 he still can buy an angled reducer

Its tapered.

The bar height does look deceivingly high in the photos, but its a combination of the camera angles, and the fact that the metal pole in the picture is at a low point. (There is a slight rise in the rock on each side where the front wheel is if you look closer)

 

[Commencal-guy]

Nice. I thought you were getting the 2010 Glory? what happened too that?

 

[RUFUS]

is that a carbon post i spy? if so, your crazy

Why is he crazy if he had a carbon seatpost? I ran one for a year and a half and it worked really well. Great weight savings and used sparingly.

 

[Ithnu]

Seat posts on DH bikes are just for sitting down riding from the truck to the lift. I can't see how a carbon seat post would make a difference either way. Carbon bars on a DH bike now that's a no no.

 

[IH8Rice]

Its tapered.

have they replaced the horrible headset that came with the 2009's?

 

[Banshee Rider]

Nice. I thought you were getting the 2010 Glory? what happened too that?

Giant didn't fill my order from the first batch of frames. With a solid month left in the season during my favorite time of year, having that frame wasn't important as not riding.


The carbon post will be fine. Its only a problem when your shredding binary.

 

[skyst3alth]

Photoshop

 

[RUFUS]

Dreamweaver

Sorry, thought that we were just blurting out random adobe products.

 

[skyst3alth]

Sparky's dreamweavin all right if he thinks he's gonna stay on that bike for more than 4 months

 

[Wilson]

Does the headset come with the frame ? Any idea if they had some left in medium ?

Thx

 

[Banshee Rider]

Does the headset come with the frame ? Any idea if they had some left in medium ?

Thx

Headset comes with the frame. I'm not sure if its the 'horrible 2009 headset'. There were 6 framesets left when I ordered mine, but that was a week ago. You should head to your local dealer and have them check online for you.

 

[Wilson]

Thanks alot! Currently running the 09 and I'm about to sell the frame so would like to get my hand on one of those 2010 to see how the new shock perform before the end of the season...

Pretty solid build btw!

 

[schwaaa31]

Really nice looking ride Sparky. Enjoy.

 

[chillindrdude]

is the drop crown supposed to be used with that length headtube? i used the low drop crown on my large session88

 

[karpi]

interesting that the bike came at that weight when it used to be advertised for a lot less with similar specs, I hope trek made the alu tubes thicker and not from beer cans like for this season

 

[norbar]

interesting that the bike came at that weight when it used to be advertised for a lot less with similar specs, I hope trek made the alu tubes thicker and not from beer cans like for this season

The problem for them was that the weight was their main marketing angle. I remember first posts with their super light ~42lb build and them claiming it's possible to build a dh bike in that region. Without the low weight it just becomes another good looking bike with pretty standard geo and quite nice suspension. Wonder what Trek PR guys will think of to fight it as the team this. Minnaar?

 

[worship_mud]

Wonder what Trek PR guys will think of to fight it as the team this. Minnaar?

 

[slyfink]

So.. tell us... how's it ride?

 

[frorider]

Look at the drop crown and where he's got the stanchions. That's REALLY slacked out and the front ride height is higher. A bit too much maybe, it may have problems cornering if you make the axle to crown height longer than the bike was designed for. It also raises the bottom bracket when you do that, another negative to cornering.

!

his reported 14.0 BB height ain't bad considering the slacked out fork position.

given the wheelset and build kit overall, i was expecting a lighter weight.

 

[Banshee Rider]

I've got some time on the bike. Several chair days and a collegiate race. Not enough to carve anything into stone, but enough to make some generalizations.

I wish I had taken sagged measurements of my V10 prior to selling it, because the Session feels strikingly similar underneath me with regards to geometry and handling. I didn't feel like there was a distinct adjustment period with the Session. I had no gripes with my V10, so the familiarity was welcomed. As for the concerns about bar height, I did lower the crowns 5mm after a day of predominately bermed trails. Prior to my local mountain closing for the season, I found the set up pictured comfortable on steeper, more natural terrain.

As far the suspension goes, I'm still playing with the RC4 so I'm going to be alittle vague. I'm not sure if the suspension design compared with the V10, or the difference in travel, but I am noticing I can run less compression on the Session to achieve the same controlled feeling in turns while still remaining supple at the beginning stroke. The ride overall is unmistakably more firm (less deep) on the Session though.

As far as the weight goes. It's a 40lb bike. Heavy wheels, cranks, brakes, steel coil, coil fork, and heavy rims. Had I ran a WC, Ti coil, 721s, elixer cr's, lighter cranks, and other high end bits I'm sure it would be the weight everyone expects. Personally, after playing the sub 40lb game for several years, its not really worth it in my opinion. The biggest advantage of light frames (to me) is not the overall lighter weight, but the easily achieved lower weight with a durable build kit that holds up. Ti bolts that sieze, tubeless kits that suck to change in hotel rooms, crank brothers pedals that fall apart, 6 speed set ups with extra clicks in the shifter, and an overall pain in the ass are sort of a thing of the past for me as I step back from racing every weekend and enjoy riding cranked at 11 when I get the occasional day off.