[Closed] Banshee Spitfire

Excellent, thanks Scruff

Just bought a second-hand V2 from someone on here. Very excited about it, although I only have about half the bits for the build 🙁

Wilko, what bits do you need? I am going to be stripping down my banshee next week and most of the parts are not compatible with my new frame.

Mac I'm after a 50mm stem, black 150 solo 650b Pikes (or poss 160), 650b tubeless tyres, headset for tapered forks and a 1x11 drivetrain. Fair bit left to get!

I'm pondering a bit of geometric tweakery on mine, not because it doesn't ride great but now I've got used to the lower slacker setting I'm curious about how it'll feel if I go even further...

Thinking of sticking a -2 deg headset in there and dropping the fork to 150mm, which will lower the BB by 7mm, increase the reach by 10mm, steepen the seat angle by 0.9 deg and slacken the head angle by 1.6 deg: 64.1 deg head angle on a 140mm bike, what could possibly go wrong? 😉 I blame Chris Porter and the Mojo Geometron for this crazy thinking!

Ah wilko, sorry i was running 26" wheels and fork so cant help you that way.

Sorry 🙁

Ah shame, never mind.
Chief you'll have to let us know how your ultra slack experiment goes. I'm coming from a Blur LT so the Spitfire is quite a bit longer and slacker even in the neutral setting.

If anyone has spares, I'm after set of neutral dropout chips, for a new spitfire. I assume older ones will fit, email in profile.

Finally built up my second-hand (bought from lobby_dosser who posted on this thread way back on page 1) Spitfire. No photos as yet but I'm very pleased with how its looking. Quite a predictable build though really 1x11 XT, Pikes at 150mm, EX471 rims on 350 hubs, CCDB air.

The only problem now is I'm faced with a bewildering array of adjustments to tinker with! First ride this Sunday morning - wet, muddy DH tracks in FoD 🙂

Anybody had problems with frame alignment? Had my new warranty frame in Oct, about a month later my inline had wear marks on one side of the damper tube, by Dec it was even worse.

So I got a warranty done on the inline. Its been approx 2 months and Im getting worn marks on the same side of the damper tube again. 🙁

I'm sure I read of someone having a warranty replacement because of that. Are you within 2 years since buying your original frame?

Yeah got the original in Oct 2014. Maybe I am just really unlucky with them, they are amazing bikes to ride.

Will take it into local dealer today.

Had the bike checked by Ison, frame alignment is fine. Apperently the shock bushing was misaligned?

Anybody using another shock other than an inline with a spitfire?

Thinking of selling mine

Mine has a CCDBair-CS. Can't fault it! Definitely due a service based on hours and miles but still feels good. Satisfying to notice the warm dry piggyback (and calipers) on an otherwise wet and muddy bike at the bottom of longer downhill runs.

Did they sort out the bushing alignment on the shock when you got your warranty replacement? I've heard the Inline had QC problems on the early production runs that were all sorted now.

@chief - well they said in the notes "was misaligned" so I'm assuming they did.

I'm sure the CCdbair is a better shock by far, this is my 3rd inline pretty much in just over a year and its completely lost all its damping after being serviced by tf middle of Dec.

I was thinking about getting a monarch RC3? or one of the new fox.

thoughts?

bump ^^

If I were you I'd badger the Cane Creek distributor for a heavily discounted CCDBair-CS on the grounds that your Inline is not fit for purpose. If you're on the 3rd shock in so little time and this one has failed again I think you'd be within your rights to reject it and demand a full refund, just as car owners can when their new car is plagued with problems.

Actually it might be Ison who are liable as they're the Banshee distributor and the shock came with the frame.

I've had great service from Ison when I had an issue of my own making.

After some 650b dropouts if anyone has some kicking around.

Once tf sort the shock I will try ison for a refund. In the meantime I've bought one of the new fox dps shocks. Ride report tomorrow 🙂

Has anyone on here got a 2016 in gunmetal? Unless I can get a good deal on a 2015 frame, that's what I'll be going for. Interested to see one built up as not seen one in that colour yet.

I've got a 2015 in Raw, only got it in Jan, bloody weather / holidays scuppered riding. Should have been out tonight in Peaks......lashing it down.....again. Send u a pick Mark if ya like?

Pictures are always welcome Nick!
I've been considering a Spitfire for ages, but it looks like it's finally going to happen.

I'm sure the gunmetal will look good. I didn't think I would like the yellow, but once I got it I thought it looked awesome! So dont discount that! 😉
[img] [/img]

It looks like most people on here are running the CCDB Inline? I'm a bit concerned about the reports of poor reliability, especially as I'm 100kg! Are they better now or is it worth looking at Fox CTD or Monarch?

Fox CTD on mine, was considering changing it straight away for a CCDB Inline. First ride out on Sat, have to say, pretty impressed with the Fox despite the weather, on an extremely slippy wet muddy climb, stuck like sh1t to a blanket in Climb mode. Very rocky techy (& wet) descent, in Descend mode, very plush and a nice "poppy " feel to it, all stuff in between set on Trail mode and to be honest, would have probably been fine in Trail all ride. Old bike had a CCDB Air on it, had to really dial it to get a good all round performance from it. So Mark, if the new bike comes with Fox, you won't be disappointed, if it comes with a CC, be prepared for a fair amount of twiddling to get it right. Either way, get ya cash down pal!!!

Cheers Nick.
I'm torn. I've got the option of a 2015 frame at a decent price, but I would have to add a shock, or a 2016 frame which comes with a Monarch RT3.

I'm a bit ham fisted so like to keep my set up as simple as possible which puts me off the CCDB Inline, but I have tested a couple of bikes with it and really like the feel of it.

Mine has a CCDBair-CS (it's a 2014 model which predates the Inline). It's great! I set it to the base tune, slowed down the HSR after a while, then sped it back up again later and haven't touched it in over a year. Although they appear complex, if you start at the base tune and are methodical and subtle in your adjustments I think they're dead easy to tune. Just don't start randomly twisting knobs and hoping!

Same - ccdb air and it's great so far. I was worried about the amount of adjustments but all I've done is set it at the base tune and changed one thing - slowed down the hsr. I was 'nosing' jumps with steeper lips which is something I've not experienced before. Slowing down the hsr seemed to help, or maybe it's all in my head but I'm flying straight again now which is all that matters!

I was giving mine a once over at the weekend, spotted a couple of bits of white worm and rusting around the bearings, before I contact the shop/Banshee I wondered if any other owners have similar issues.

[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1608/25016984163_54ccab8ef7_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1608/25016984163_54ccab8ef7_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/E7EzPa ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr
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[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1708/25276131699_52044776fe_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1708/25276131699_52044776fe_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/EvyMm8 ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr

Re the Inline question - Just for balance, I've been running one on a Banshee Prime for a year, not a single problem. Bit of trial and error, plus a bit of learning to get it set up, but a great shock.

Demoed the same frame with a DB Air CS, no difference for me, but then I ride mostly in the Tweed Valley, not the Alps.

@momo - aren't they just scratches in the clear-coat, and rust from steel bearing shells?

I can see rust on the exposed bit of outer race of my bearings. Have you ridden it on salted roads?

My raw frame was the same with the bearings...kind of looked like pitting of some kind. I changed the bearings fine though so I wouldn't worry too much.

Some Spitfirey thoughts - I hadn't realised how good the Banshee stealth finish is until I saw the marks already developing on my new stealth hardtail. For the black frames they shotblast the frame with rubberised decals, then peel the decals off and anodise, so the finish is more gloss where the decals were and more matt where the alu got blasted. Incredibly tough, still looks great after two years of abuse. Battery dying, will continue later...

Ordered my Spitfire yesterday. Almost a year of pondering since I did a test ride. Gone for the 2016 gunmetal with CCDB Inline and Halo Vapour wheels. Already have my Renthal cockpit, Pikes and Reverb sat at home waiting. XT 1x11 Groupset to be ordered today.

Still need to decide what brakes, pedals and tyres I'm going to put on it.

My CCDB inline has just come back from TF tuned, full warranty service after a low speed seal fault / chriping noise, had it 4 1/2 months. Works brilliantly now though.

Stupid question time... when installing cranks, do you leave the ISCG insertion even if you're not using it? And what are you doing with spacers?
I'm using XT 1x11 but not sure about spacing to get the right chainline. The cranks didn't come with instructions and can't find them on Shimano website.

I don't use the iscg mount, had to put bb spacers on to take up the equivalent iscg thickness, Otherwise bb was loose.

Thanks. How many spacers do you use on each side?

1 each side seems to give better chainline, running 1x10.

[img] [/img]

Here it is on first ride.
Pikes, CCDB inline, Reverb Stealth, XT 1x11, Guide RSC brakes, Halo Vapour wheels and Renthal cockpit.

The silver wheels weren't planned, I was expecting black rims and spokes with silver hubs, but they were cheap so I couldn't justify sending them back. They're slowly growing on me.

Looks v nice mark88 enjoy. Amazing how much visually lighter and more XC the farm looks in that colour rather than the black ano I have.

Scruff re

My CCDB inline has just come back from TF tuned, full warranty service after a low speed seal fault / chriping

I'm just about to do this. Do TFT reset the shock to the factory spitty tune or leave as is?

Hsr1 lsr10 hsc1 lsc5 from TF, does feel better but I have 200psi for 15mm sag. Tried 3 volume spacers but gone back to 2 for more travel use all the time as can't feel bottoming on drops eitherway.

Some reviews of the 2016 Spitfire:

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/banshee-spitfire-review-2016.html

http://factoryjackson.com/2016/04/11/banshee-spitfire-xo1-bike-test/

I think between them they sum it up pretty well!

Interesting to see that both test bikes came with a 150mm 27.5 fork (which is what the geometry charts are based around). I think most of us are running a 160mm fork and with the even lower BB and steeper seat angle of the 2016 version that extra travel, few mm of BB height and 0.5 deg off the angles would work great for gnarlier riding.

Even more interesting to read in one of those reviews that there are rumours of 'boost' dropouts coming.. Seems like the bike industry can't come up with a standard that Banshee can't 'absorb' with minimal fuss..!!? 🙂

Even more interesting to read in one of those reviews that there are rumours of 'boost' dropouts coming.. Seems like the bike industry can't come up with a standard that Banshee can't 'absorb' with minimal fuss..!!?

I really like the swappable dropouts for that reason!

Also, I think the slightly lower BB height on the 2016 makes the adjustable geometry that much more useful for 27.5 wheels. As mine is set up the BB height is 342mm (in the slack setting) - even lower would be fun for dirt trails but it's already right on the limit for being able to climb rocky trails without constantly smacking pedals or ratcheting to avoid hits. In the 2016 version the neutral BB height is the same as the original v2 in low/slack - obviously that affect the head angle but that's easy enough to change with a different headset.

And the tyre clearance is so huge that you could definitely run the 2.8" plus tyres if you wanted, and with the very low and adjustable BB height the geometry would be excellent.

Future-proof Banshees FTW! 😉

For info, I sent Banshee a message to ask about removing the ISCG tabs. They replied

You should leave the ISCG on, as it is necessary to make the BB 73mm wide.

Nah, it's fine with extra bb spacers.

Guys, anyone try Fox Float X2 shock in a banshee Spitfire v2? Any reviews as compare with CCDB air CS?

I haven't but I can't see why it wouldn't work very well. It's an easy frame to tune a shock for and the X2 is as adjustable as the Cane Creek. Just make sure the air can isn't too small or it'll ramp up too strongly.

I asked Banshee about boost dropouts and got this answer, think it's probably OK to share:

"Oh, don't get me started on all these stupid 'standards' that the big brands come up with to make more money... it's a pain for people who are buying parts, but imagine what it's like for designers like myself who have to keep making changes fo n real reason.... rant over! haha

I don't plan to make 148 boost dropouts for the current frames if I can avoid it due to cost of opening new forgings, however as always, if there is enough customer demand I will supply what people ask for. you will not feel any difference between a well built 142 wheel and a well built 128 wheel. Sure a test machine might spot 3% difference in latteral stiffness, but a rider really will not considering that 1psi difference in tire pressure will have more effect probably."

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thought I better join the owners club.
First ride out. loving the Debonair rockshox can, easy to dial in and rides ace!
Eagle groupset and some Carbon wheels and it will be done.

pedals bloody well and already faster on the descents of Cannock than I was on my old Norco fluid or Stanton switchback.

Looks like my Crane Creek Inline might be bust. Annoying as only 1.5 years old. Might send it to TF Tuned to see what they say, but if £200 to fix, might better to replace. Go with the same as its excellent, reliability aside, or are others now running something different on their v2 Spitfires?

Been having trouble with the CCDB CS Air on my Spitfire since I bought it second-hand. The compression adjustments seemed to make little or no difference to the performance. On many jumps I've been getting bucked and going really nose heavy. Not a problem I've had before although its forced me to question my technique! Anyway sent it to TFT and its got some internal problems meaning I've got pretty much no damping at all. £170 for a full service and to fix the problems. Ouch, but cheaper than a new one and should be good as new once its back.

What happened with your Inline ahsat?

Snapped the little lock bolt on my 142 axle last night! That thing is pretty soft. Better pay particular attention to the torque setting next time as opposed to waiting for my elbow to click 😀

One of my mates had a huge crash in the Alps last year, hitting a 30'+ tabletop - the back end bucked and he went out the front, in a tumble of dust. He had the shock serviced when he got back and found the rebound damping circuit was blown wide open.

Only 3Nm on that little bolt - little more than finger tightness or a hex key the long way around, if you don't have a torque wrench to hand.

Seems the Inlines still aren't all that reliable. My CCDBA-CS has been great and for uplift days I think the piggyback makes sense.

Nice stealth build dbikeguy - sounds like the final version will be very bling!

wilko1999 - I have brand new spare axle if you want it cheap - ive emailed you

You have mail Jingles

Jingles, where did you get your spare axle, as I've "done a Wilko" too!

its still available if you want it Pz

ive emailed you

ygm

Ha ha I've become a 'thing'! As it happens I am the master of stripping threads and snapping bolts. I really must get a decent torque wrench

After making a massive mistake last year selling my spitfire due to a house move that ended up costing me a fortune, I'm now in a position to build another.

I've looked at the competition but I keep coming back to the spitfire, if I'm honest my last one was blue but I'm not that keen on this years colours. I'd probably go for a black one but I'm not sure how tough the anodising is? Can anyone with a black one let me know please? Thanks.

I'd be doing the same - with the lightly tweaked geometry (lower BB, longer reach, steeper seat tube) it looks even better than before.

The anodised black finish is really tough - my also stealth black Bird is a quarter of the age and has done a quarter of the mileage and looks more worn (and the paint on that is at least as good as the paint on my Soul was). And the anodised finish is lighter than paint - plus the decals aren't actually there, they're just a change in the surface texture, so they can't be damaged.

Anodised is far tougher, and lighter as mentioned. I put about 3000k on my Phantom without any frame protection, still looked mint when I sold it.

Cheers lads, much appreciated. Will I get away with not helitaping it? Did it myself last time and it wasn't much fun.

I've just noticed the ctd has gone and we now have the monarch or the inline. Which one is the better of the two? I had the ctd last time but regretted not going for the inline initially but after seeing quite a few people having problems with the inline I stuck with the ctd.

I've never helitaped mine, just a couple of spots of black insulation tape where cables touch the head tube, a neoprene chainstay protector and (this is a bit more leftfield) three chunky cable ties at the BB end of the chainstay where you get chain slap when in the slackest setting. The anodised finish is on the matt side of things with the not-decals being more silk, so helitape might look too gloss anyway.

Mine has the DBair-CS but as that's not an option now I'd go with the Inline. I'm still not 100% confident about the Inline's reliability but they seem to be getting better - I'd only avoid it if you'll be an infrequent or light user and risk not showing up any faults within the warranty period. With the DBair the performance of the rear suspension is sublime.

Just received a warranty replacement for my old Mint Large Spitfire. Shock shaft on the CCDB Inline was being polished on one side - appears that there was a very slight misalignment in the rear end.

I now have a medium black frame all built up and it looks lush. No InvisiFrame this time, just old inner tube on the drive side chain stay and lower seat stay.

I asked for a medium as the new large is larger than the 2015 large and I was now just outside of the recommended size range.

Ison were awesome with the warranty BTW (as Gravitate in Newcastle closed in November), and I received the new one 6 days after posting my Minty one back.

A CCDB may need fixing at some point, but the geometry, KS suspension and my now TF warranty fixed inline CS is absolutely brilliant.

Black ano is pretty tough, mines fine still, riding it since November.

I suspect Helitape would look pants on an anodised finish. The black ano on my 2013 CTD Spitfire is still looking good. I just put a bit of black gaffer tape round the swingarm where the cables go past.

I'd probably have to ride it more to scratch it though, usually end up thinking about a ride and just taking the CX bikeout instead.

Keep thinking of flogging the frame and putting the bits on a steel hardtail.

Off to Morzine tomorrow, gave it a good service and fitted the Shortys and a 36t chainring

[url= https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7294/27211012684_b3d8497115_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7294/27211012684_b3d8497115_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/Hsxy47 ]Alps ready Spitfire[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr

Thanks again, food for thought.

Just looking at the Patrol and on paper it looks very similar to the spitfire. Has anyone here rode the Patrol?

Mate has a Scout, more similar to a Spitfire than a Patrol I'd have thought. Transition seems to dent more easily 😉

I'd say the Spifire sits between the Patrol and the Scout, closer to the Patrol in its downhill behaviour but closer to the Scout uphill - 160/140 travel vs 160/155 and 140/125. More anti-squat than either to help the pedalling. Geometry very close to the Patrol.

Is it worth waiting for the 2017 frame?

Not sure how early the Banshee bikes are usually released?

There was an update to geometry last year so the 2017 is unlikely to be anything other than different colours, so only worth waiting if you don't like this years colours.

Without sounding like a princess that's the only reason.

But the yellow is growing on me.

Princess away! I'm not keen on any of this years colours, love my 2015 raw one though!