Doh. Stripped all the pivots, greased the bearings (needed it, and some will need replacing soon). Still creaking. Tightened and cleaned shock bolt, still creaking. Rear dropouts next. One of the bolts was very loose!! great! why didnt I start there lol! Threadlocked now 🙂
I used some PTFE tape instead of locktite on rear dropouts. Never had a problem with creaking. Just gotta make sure you tape it correct way so it doesn't unthread when tightening bolt.
Love the rear mudguard above, handy if you ride past a nice lake in the summer and fancy using an impromptu diving board to go for a dip.
This thread has taken off since I last visited!
[b]Chipbutty[/b] inspired me, and I've been trying to source a 2015 XL Raw all week, but no-one seems to have one, and the distributor hasn't a date for re-stock of raw frames.. 😥
The raw does look nice. Hold out or get a different colour. Totally worth it. Took mine out on a second ride yesterday and got up two climbs in one I normally stop on and the husband is convinced my descending is quicker (can't check strava atm). So impressed. Thanks all for convincing me (in particular Chief) and thanks Alan for selling me your old frame!
Getting dirty now.
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Good news on the banshee, as you could probably tell i absolutely love mine.
What shock has it got? if its a CCDB Inline then it really is worth a bit of fiddling. Patient fiddling 🙂
I was very sceptical with such a huge amount of adjustability but it actually works very well if you take the time to play with it. There is a couple of set up guides on the cane creek site to follow.
Regardless, i really think you made a great choice 🙂
Thanks Mac. Yes it's got the Cane Creek. Damn good. Haven't played as yet but slowly getting my head round the manual and will have a fiddle but at the moment no complaints at all. And like yours the stealthy black looks cool.
Just digging up this thread to say after living with my bike now for a few weeks, I b****y love it. I am so impressed. Well done all for convincing me again! Still a bit to learn with it, but sure I can go faster again!
Should be riding one next week all being well, albeit on demo.
Let's see what all the fuss is about 😆 😉
Ben.
Nice one. Sure your enjoy it.
When I demoed the Pedals one the gearing wasn't right for me and had way too wide bars for my womanly shoulders so have to say I love mine even more now it's set up for me.
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had it about 5 months now. Its awesome.
Running mine in the slack setting now. feels more or less the same climbing so cant fault it. Running dual ply 2.5 minions at the moment so its heavy. I will be going to exo once these run down though.
Im getting a warranty inline from cane creek as mine is leaking air.
Yep i am running mine in the slack position as well. I have not noticed any ill effects to the climbing but its that wee bit slacker and more playful on the downs.
Bloody love this bike 🙂
First day riding mine going of stuff I've never tried before [URL= http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx19/geoff1_photos/288A1B43-B07F-4049-B367-9D8394DF7E4A_zpsablwowxs.jp g" target="_blank">
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that is sexual...!
[b]volatilemike[/b] & [b]soap[/b] what size are your frames, and what're they weighing in at?
Look like similar builds to what I'd be thinking of..
By the way, have y'all seen the Banshee app?
30.6 and a medium. Just doing the app now.:)
heres mine - awesome bikes
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@bennn - Mine is Large frame, Im 6ft and feels good to me.
I haven't weighed the bike. I would guess mine is a bit more than SOAP's just due to the dual plys.
A Banshee app? Is it just full of settings for the CC shocks?
A Banshee app? Is it just full of settings for the CC shocks?
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/banshee-3d-viewer-app-2015.html
Pointless geekery really! Though it's good if you're shopping and want to see what the less common sizes look like (even the XLs don't look like gates). Keith said they'd like to add the different fork lengths and dropout positions in the future (so you can see how that changes the geometry).
Ah, looks interesting although not sure what use I'd have for it myself.
Here's mine at the back o'Skiddaw. Love it! Have recently fitted shorter XT cranks to help with pedal clearance and a set of 650b pikes.
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Has anyone gone from 26 to 650 and if so was it worth it?
Mines still 26, sooo tempted to try 650 but would mean new forks/rims/spokes and tyres.
Mines still 26, sooo tempted to try 650 but would mean new forks/rims/spokes and tyres.
If you like your current forks/wheels/tyres then it's a lot of money to spend. I wouldn't and I really like my 27.5 Spitfire!
Running it 27.5 with the same fork travel will make it feel as slack as the slackest 26 setting when it's in the steepest 27.5 setting but the BB will be as high as the steepest (tallest) 26 setting when it's in the slackest (lowest) 27.5 setting... If that makes any sense to anyone other than me? 😉
The re-emergence of this thread made me go and clean up the bike for a proper photo.
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8688/16781062618_86d786119a_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8688/16781062618_86d786119a_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/ryTkgQ ]IMAG0020_1_2[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/57829889@N00/ ]ahsatb[/url], on Flickr
Spec 150mm pikes, XT 2x10, Hope brakes and hubs, Reverb stealth.
I've got a 650b fork with 26" wheels at the moment. I am thinking I will go 27.5" just to get the extra bit of ground clearance as am finding far more pedal strikes than the Nicolai (unsurprisingly). As said above, very very happy with it. Also need to sort out the one braided hose at some point.
Me likey ahsat, again your's looks so similar to mine. Saying that i have not even tried to get mine that clean for a while. Good effort 🙂
On a sidenote and sorry to hijack has anyone got a link for a replacement rear axle for a banshee?
Had to do a trailside repair and completely forgot to refit the wee screw to the axle after refitting. I doubt ill die but there seem to be about 5 different types.
Cheers
Yes considering I was riding a demo when I saw you, my finished product looks scarily similar!
Unlucky on tiny screws.
What did your hubby go for in the end?? was it a transition he was trying out?
He was acting as my pack horse. I was trying both. He already has Liteville 301.
Ah, good lad 🙂 everyone needs a packhorse now and again 😯
Looking sweet ahsat, Mines never been that clean since I had the frame in the box!
@mactheknife - check [url= http://www.ison-distribution.com/english/product.php?part=FMBESASK&PHPSESSID=a3fjhbcqiv9vfvtsuv0qbsku93 ]here[/url]
Ta. To be honest I needed to re heli-tape it hence the proper clean.Looking sweet ahsat, Mines never been that clean since I had the frame in the box!
Speaking of frame protection, what is everyone using for these frames?
I see invisiframe do a kit, but no option for an XL frame, and it's eye-wateringly expensive!
volatilemike, you are a star. Cheers 🙂
No matter how i googled i couldn't find that 😀
No prob mate!
I kind of wish I had protected frame in some way as the spitfire decals are starting to rub off, but meh its a bike, and Im too lazy. 8)
I had some 3M heli tape on the fork but thats come off. Areas like that are ones that concern me as the cable is literally eating into the metal on the upper crown.
I've just put some £10 ebay stuff round things like the headtube, top of the forks etc. Its not the prettiest looking job I've done (the stuff on my Cotic looks really good), but like volatilemike I worry about cable rub. I used a hairdrier (such a girl!) to seal the edges, seems to have done a decent job. Only time will tell!
Mistaken for a Santa Cruz yesterday, and today a Yeti:
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Now with less mudguard!
I had some funny looks from people in the pub trying to work out what mine was in stealthy black today!
Mistaken for a Santa Cruz yesterday, and today a Yeti
I hope you gave them a chinese burn and put them right?!
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Quick couple of hours out this morning, horrible thick fog as I left home. Got up above it a few miles down the road 😀
8lb is alot. Its over 1lb more than my beefy SC alu Butcher. Im still looking to replace my Butcher frame but the competition isn't looking enticing.
My medium is 8lb 6oz with CTD/dropouts/axle (to be precise)!
Have you thought of riding one to see whether the weight of the frame has any bearing on whether it is fun to ride and suits your style?
I have a phantom and rode a spitfire quite a few times. Can't say the weight of the frame bothered me. Or more accurately I didn't notice it in the slightest. They certainly go uphill quicker than my lighter (internet weight check only) Heckler did. The solidity of the frames however can be felt going downhill, and much appreciated it is too.
I agree with Shackleton. My Rune is no lightweight but it climbs far better than it should....the geometry is good as is the shock and suspension linkage. These are far more important than shaving a pound or two off the frame.
There's sone great looking bikes on here....makes me think thst a Spitty would have been a better bet than the Rune.
Mindmap3 would you consider a swap for a medium spitfire, I have a 2012 and wonder whether a rune would suit me better. I'm not 100% set on this just putting the feelers out.
Looks like I have a bit of play in my upper pivot linkage. Had it about 6 months, so not great but about the going rate for a linkage thats quite exposed. Probably get it through till May then change them.
Do I need a bearing press for this? Anyone done it on a spitty?
Has anyone been able to ride both the Spitfire and Phantom? I am torn between the two.
I like the idea of the Phantom and it would suit the majority of my riding. All the reviews are fantastic and say how capable it is, but the main reason for me wanting to move away from my current hardtail is because I notice it holding me back on visits to anywhere steep or rocky.
I'm not regularly sending big jumps or drops so I'm not overly concerned by the lack of travel, but I don't want to buy a new bike and find it still struggles at enduros and visits to BPW and the like.
I have been able to demo the Spitfire and Prime, and much preferred the Spitfire, unfortunately no Phantom demo in my size.
mark88 - where are you based and what size do you need?
All strictly IMO and based on being a Phantom owner, etc:
From having ridden both; the Phantom is the better tough trail bike but the spitfire is better if you need/want the extra cush or have a habit of riding full on DH tracks on a regular basis. Both bikes were awesome but the phantom had the edge for all round usability.
The Phantom handles better (subjective I know, I just couldn't stand the floppy, vague feeling from the front wheel of the spitfire), particularly uphill, but you obviously don't have the get out of jail free suspension that the spitfire will give you. If you don't stay focussed on the Phantom you could get into trouble, I didn't find that riding the spitfire needed as much focus. A bike guide mate had a go on mine and said it was a "riders bike". He thought it was the kind of bike an experienced rider could have huge amounts of fun on but would put newcomers to the sport off for life. I'm inclined to agree (and not wanting to sound like an arrogant cock); to get the best out of it you have to be able to ride a bike relatively well, but if you can do that then it is hilarious fun.
On the other hand the Phantom feels more taut and responsive and constantly feels more engaged and fun than the Spitfire. I've chucked mine down some pretty nasty stuff that I couldn't ride on my old heckler and it has had no problems at all. On slower, steep tech the short travel and big wheels actually help more than long travel. I have yet to find a situation (other than big drops) where I though "I need more travel".
The prototype Phantoms were ridden in the EWS so I suspect that they can cope with rockier, nastier terrain than any of us could put them through!
I'd say all of the online phantom reviews hit the nail on the head. There is a very recent review of phantom here if you haven't seen it:
[url= http://wideopenmag.co.uk/2015/04/long-term-test-our-29-banshee-phantom-review ]Wideopen Phantom Review[/url]
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Midway through my spitfire build, for some reason the postman is taking the piss and stopping me completing it... Hopefully finish it this weekend and give it a blast.
I have to say, I have never felt this, in fact I commented how planted it was compared to my old bike!(subjective I know, I just couldn't stand the floppy, vague feeling from the front wheel of the spitfire)
However, I am unable to comment on the phantom. I just decided our lives were too set up for 26" that 29er wasnt for me.
Russyh - looking good 😀
(subjective I know, I just couldn't stand the floppy, vague feeling from the front wheel of the spitfire)
I have to say, I have never felt this, in fact I commented how planted it was compared to my old bike!
I suspect it comes very much down to what you are used to. I'd been riding a 2004 26" heckler with 150m forks and a 29er Swift with 100mm forks. Both felt more "direct" in their handling than the 650b Spitfire and the 26" spitfire was about the same as the Heckler. The 650b spitfire felt like pedalling a whellbarrow as the front wheel felt miles away and then I could feel the wheel wanting to flop over through the bars on slow corners. To be fair this is what all slack 26"/650b bikes feel like to me.
The Spitfire pedalling uphill always reminded me that it was more about the downs because of this, whereas the Phantom pedalled uphill with much better manners and then tore the downs apart with equal aplomb. I'd lusted after a Spitfire for ages and was then disappointed by it's non-downhill front wheel manners when I tried one (downhill it was brilliant, awesome, fantastic, etc. and uphill pedalling through the KS link is phenomenal). Hence why I ended up with the Spitfires clown wheeled brother. But with a sample size of 1 it is hard to come to any firm conclusions about how my experiences impact on anyone else!
Very much want a stealth black Phantom at the moment but dare not press the 'buy now' button without throwing a leg over a bike or at least looking at the frame in person.
Plus I need to run it past management first 🙂
Just checked with the dealer nearest to me and they don't have them in store and won't be renewing Banshee in their product line up 🙁
KoB - if you are anywhere near Dundee you are welcome to throw a leg over mine.
I got to ride the Phantom a couple of times on a recent demo day with Nirvana. It was amazing what it was capable of. Perfect trail bike for most of the Surrey Hills. Although all of their bikes impressed me actually. Both the Spitfire and Rune were great fun.
Cheers Shackleton, unfortunately not, being Leeds based.
Although you're still probably closer than Pedals in Edinburgh or Blazing Bikes in Shropshire as these are the only two I know of with demo bikes.
I might have to do some ringing around this weekend.
So shes done...Just waiting for my Stealth Pike decals. Taking her for her first shakedown this weekend! Woohooo
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logo to valve alignment needs to be addressed. I'll reserve judgement till then.
Shackleton, I'm in Hampshire at the moment. Thanks for your description, very helpful!
I know the Phantom is what would suit my needs best 90% of the time, but essentially the reason I'm looking for a new bike is for times when the hardtail doesn't cut it, which brings me to the Spitfire.
What sort of riding do you do Shackleton? Would you be happy with the Phantom for enduros and uplifts?
I know they've been used in EWS, and Pat at Ison said he would use one in UKGE but road bike party proved there is no point in trying to use top riders as a barometer of what can be done on a bike!
Don't know exactly how to describe my riding.
I rode the innerleithen and local DH tracks on mine without issue (apart from the stupid big drop that I wouldn't even do on a DH bike 😕 ). I've ridden a few Enduro courses (Tweed valley, Perth and Dunkeld) but not raced as I don't like racing! I've ridden it in the Lakes, Torridon, Peaks, Colorado and the Alps and live in Scotland. It so far has never missed a beat. Certainly gets me down more stuff than my heckler ever did.
If you are tired or don't pay attention then you don't have the safety margin but I think it rides better overall than the Spitfire so long as you commit. In the end, if you want a bike that gives you the confidence to go bigger than your hardtail, then get the Spitfire. The Phantom will have more overlap with your hardtail but doesn't give anything up to the Spitfire IMO unless you need the extra travel to absorb a drop. Both bikes share the same tubeset so there are no issues over strength differences. The Phantom will do exactly the same trails just as well as the spitfire, but it sounds like you don't believe that the Phantom will do it so you won't have that confidence!
And in fairness I wasn't sure either. I knew I liked the suspension of the spitfire but didn't like the front wheel handling. I knew I liked 29er wheels and wanted a more engaging ride than the spitfire and have an active riding style from riding rigid bikes over winter for the past few years. I also wanted one bike that would do big mountains and rocky mess yet still give me fun in woody singletrack. From that point of view the Phantom made more sense to me.
Really it comes down to your mindset: If you want something that will plow through chunk, have a safety net and be very different from your hardtail get the spitfire and just accept that it is less of a do everything bike. If you like placing and working your bike through terrain with precision and want to feel engaged all the time get the Phantom.
Man, I go on a bit sometimes..........
Ha thank you. Now I'm still going round in circles at an even faster rate!
Were you happy with it in the Alps or ditd you find yourself nursing your arms dreaming of 150mm pikes? I'm at least a month away from buying so plenty of pondering to do before I pull the trigger.
Shackleton, have you tried the different dropout positions on your Phantom yet?
I've been riding my Spitfire for a year odd and it's built up pretty burly (160mm fork, 27.5 wheels, CCDBA). For months I kept it in the neutral setting. Then tried it slack/low and found that made it a proper downhill bomber (at the expense of some climbing finesse), so kept that for uplift days and enduro races. Recently I've been riding it in the steep/high setting and I love how that behaves on my tight and twisty local trails - much more nimble, much more pedal clearance (our natural trails have a lot of pedal catching roots/stumps/foliage).
The difference in character between the slack and steep settings is surprisingly large - 1 deg of head/seat-tube angle and 12mm of BB height combine to make a big difference. From enduro bike to trail bike (or just leave it in the halfway house).
[b]mark88[/b] - No problems whatsoever in the alps, although it wasn't bike park stuff I was riding. I use 130mm MRP Stages, only 4mm longer a-c than a 120mm pike. If you are able to ride a hardtail over most terrain but want a bit more encouragement/confidence then the riding style of the Phantom would probably suit. If you always flat the back on a hardtail then maybe the Spitfire is the way forward for its rock plough ability. Whichever one you get will be great, just remember - get the CCDBinline. The monarch just isn't worth it! (also <50mm stem and wiiidde bars, particularly if you go for the phantom 🙂 )
FWIW the spitfire and phantom are more similar to each other in riding style than ether is to the prime (big dull monster truck when I tried one around Innerleithen, you would have to be riding some truly epic nastiness for the prime to feel like it was stretching it's legs).
[b]chiefgrooveguru[/b] - I tried the steep but not the slack as it would be generally too low for my lumpy trails. The steep was good but didn't change things dramatically in terms of handling compared to medium. It did make clearance better but it felt a bit less stable. All as you would guess I suppose but not as big a difference as I expected. I'm sure I read on MTBR that someone with a spitfire and phantom said there was a more noticeable effect on handling with the spitfire. Wheel size effects? Who knows. I'm tempted to try the slack around some trail centre stuff and the local DH track, I just think for natural stuff that I usually ride it will be too low. Thinking about it now I'm rather keen......would probably be a monster!
I'd fully agree with the Spitfires rock plough ability. I got nervous about tails of rim dinger at BPW but the Spitfire just saw it off. Im not the most graceful rider.
Kob, you have mail...
Given the knowledge on this thread I thought I'd resurrect it rather than start a new one.
I want to get a Spitfire frame but don't have the money for a new set of 650b wheels and forks so want to run it old skool with my existing 26 inch stuff. In theory this should be a doddle, in practice not quite so as I can't find any 26 dropouts. Which leads to a couple of questions:
1) Has anyone just put 26 inch wheels in the 650b dropouts? If so what is it like and what are the preferred positions for the flip chip things?
2) Has anyone got a set of 26 inch dropouts they no longer need and are prepared to sell on?
hi, im surprised to hear there are no 26 dropouts available. Have you tried Blazing Bikes in Shropshire?
or perhaps contact Ison distribution directly.
I don't think running 26 wheels in 27.5 dropouts would be too much of a big deal but no first hand experience of it (im still running 26 wheels in 26 dropouts on my spitty)
Ison have them in 135 and 150mm, not 142 though.
here: http://www.ison-distribution.com/english/product.php?part=FMBESASK
Thanks intention was 142 and is proving problematic but I suppose if needs must the hub (Hope Pro2) could go to one of the others. Still be interested in other answers the questions.
.
You can run 26 wheels in the 27.5 dropouts or 27.5 wheels (apart from the very biggest tyres) in the 26 dropouts - the 27.5 ones just increase the chainstay length by 10mm, no other changes. So that gives you 427/429/431mm chainstays or 437/439/441mm chainstays, depending on whether you're in high/neutral/low positions.
I've ordered some 26" 142 ones just to see how the different length feels - think it might be nice next summer on my twisty local trails. When it's more slippery or I'm on faster trails I think the longer ones will be better. LBS are waiting for Ison to get them back in stock - I imagine it's due to the model year changeover (a few subtle changes for the 2016 version).
Thanks Chief, does it not also affect the BB height?
It would be good if the distributor could give a straight answer to the question about 142 availability, but they seem reluctant to do so.
Too easy to get caught up in the numbers and facts, but if you just run the 26" wheels the difference is going to be 7-8mm on BB and a couple other areas. In practice, I doubt you'd notice, and of course there's no physical problem with doing so.
I'd buy it, build it, run it then worry about all that never.
I'm inclined to agree GD ref the numbers game. What I was trying to avoid was doing as you suggest but finding the thing was rubbish no solution to the problem. I'm getting a feeling that would not be the case.
No change to BB height with the different dropouts - but whichever you use you can then change the BB height by +/-6mm and the angles by +/-0.5 deg by changing the flipchip position.
Bullroar, i have a set of 26 dropouts on my spitfire that i wod be happy to swap for 27.5.
I am changing some kit out bit by bit before a probable frame change next year so if you want them drop me a line.
Cheers
Funny that this thread has popped up, I'm demoing one this weekend and rather looking forward to it 😀
I only ran 650b dropouts with both size wheels, loved it most of the time but the back end did feel long on those corners where you want to keep a tight or high line. Now I'm on a bike with shorter chainstays I seem to be hitting inside lines much more often which gives the confidence to push harder.
I run 26" dropouts with 650b wheels.
Tried both and found it more nimble with the 26.
Have some 650b dropouts for sale.
Be careful of the stupid little bolt on the axle. Just Snapped mine.
Hopefully it's not needed. 😉
Anyone ordered a new axle and know the cost?
