[kazlx]

Looking for a bike for a teenager. He's probably about 5'9" now. Currently on an old small Banshee frame and looking to upgrade a little bit. I'm guessing it would be right about a medium? Also, any other suggestions for frames to check out.

Back story, not my kid. I volunteer for Big Brothers. We have done a couple biking trips, mainly Mammoth. Looking for a good all around bike that won't break the bank. Older is fine. Has a good group of parts on the Banshee I can transfer if I find just a frame.

 

[MinorThreat]

I had/raced DH on an AS-X a few years ago. I'm 6'-1" and rode a Medium and always felt fine on it; but it may have been a slight bit compact for me. I would say if he's '5-9-going-on-5-10' it would be a good fit.

You might also look at SC Bullits or Transitions like the Bottlerocket for a shorter-travel park bike or the Blindside.

 

[kazlx]

Overall, you liked it? Hard picking a bike that I'm not going to ride and he's only really ridden the bike he has now, so not much to compare it to.

 

[Matchew]

I've been riding one as my trail bike for 5 years now and aside from countless DU bushings, a few bearing replacements and some nasty looking oxidation on the rawish finish it is still going strong. The suspension feels very progressive and runs best with at least a 32t ring as the high single pivot has a lot of chain growth and is really annoying pedaling in a granny gear. I have a 32T single ring and chain guide and I don't notice it. I'm 6'1" and on a Med, which feels a bit too small when sitting and pedaling but is easy to throw around on tight trails. I currently have the stock fox 36 on it but had to do a couple DH races with my 40 (7" travel) on it when my DH rig broke down and handled both well.

It would make a great first do anything bike for a teen. It will defiantly keep him in shape on AM rides and can easily handle DH with a dual crown fork. Mine has worn well and will probably see at least another season or so as I'm too broke to for an sb-66 currently

 

[Iridemtb]

I was not a fan of the bike. I was 16 and owned one that was really pimped out. I think it was a 2008, size medium. I am 5'8" and sometimes it felt too small for real downhill, even though I came from a BMX background. The bottom bracket was high, and he head angle was pretty steep from what I recall. I had a fox 40 on it, mavic 729's, diablous cranks etc... Full Dh setup. It handled pretty poorly at places like diablo freeridepark and plattekill etc where there are some gnarly rock gardens. I had my suspension set up well to the best of my knowledge with a DHX 5.0 on the bike. I couldn't rail berms like I can on my demo 9 or the Canfield Jedi I have now. The bike was great for jumping to me though and I took it on AM rides sometimes.

I then picked up a specialized demo 9 and now I have a Canfield Jedi. They are both very superior bikes for downhill needs. I think a bottle rocket would make a far better choice, as I have ridden/taken some runs on friend's bottle rockets.

I don't post much in this forum, but I am because I want you to avoid a mistake. I remember working since I was 14, mowing lawns and working at a restaurant to buy that bike.

 

[MinorThreat]

Overall, you liked it? Hard picking a bike that I'm not going to ride and he's only really ridden the bike he has now, so not much to compare it to.

I loved mine. I had mine set up full-on DH but I rode it everywhere. I even ran a front derailleur for a good 2/3 of the time I owned it but finally had to go chain guide because its chain growth issues started to manifest more the faster I got on it.

I finally had to let it go to move on to a more DH-specific bike but would have kept it if I could have afforded to at the time.