ROAR BANSHEE PARADOX V3

teK--

Eats Squid
I’ve read that those dropouts have flex engineered into them, as do the hollowed out sections at the top of the seat stays, to provide vertical compliance to the rear end while still maintaining lateral stiffness... or something like that.

Awesome build @Scotty675, make sure you wear a mask when riding it too. Not to be covid safe, but because you’ll be grinning so much you’ll want to keep the bugs off your teeth!
Makes sense, it would be stiff laterally but flex up and down, like a spring. Very nice.
 

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Couple of small updates, new chromag stem and new 2.1 damper to install. @moorey owns the oven shot so I'll have the saw shot seeing as bike was at work today. Will be ride update soon.
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I'm interested to hear how much you notice the updated damper. It's probably the only thing that annoys me on mine, and they're stupid expensive to replace, presuming they're even in stock. Did you go RC2 or RCT3?
 

Scotty675

Cable thief
I'm interested to hear how much you notice the updated damper. It's probably the only thing that annoys me on mine, and they're stupid expensive to replace, presuming they're even in stock. Did you go RC2 or RCT3?
Went rc3 cause they were in stock. Haven't fitted yet. Will update with ride report when done.
 

Isaakk

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I'm interested to hear how much you notice the updated damper. It's probably the only thing that annoys me on mine, and they're stupid expensive to replace, presuming they're even in stock. Did you go RC2 or RCT3?
Hope you don't mind if I throw my 2c in. In the last year have ridden a Revelation 35 with MC, same Revelation 35 with C2.1 RTC3, and most recently a Pike Ultimate with C2.1 RC2 (all with SKF seals). Whilst incremental, the improvement was definitely there. On flatter flowy trails there probably isn't much between them, but point down something rocky with repeated hits & the C2.1 is much more composed whereas the MC seemed to get overwhelmed and choppy. Between the RCT3 and RC2 I definitely prefer the latter, though i'm on the lighter side and the RCT3 had too much HSC out of the box. Being able to wind it back helped a good deal with getting a tune I was happy with.
 

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Hope you don't mind if I throw my 2c in. In the last year have ridden a Revelation 35 with MC, same Revelation 35 with C2.1 RTC3, and most recently a Pike Ultimate with C2.1 RC2 (all with SKF seals). Whilst incremental, the improvement was definitely there. On flatter flowy trails there probably isn't much between them, but point down something rocky with repeated hits & the C2.1 is much more composed whereas the MC seemed to get overwhelmed and choppy. Between the RCT3 and RC2 I definitely prefer the latter, though i'm on the lighter side and the RCT3 had too much HSC out of the box. Being able to wind it back helped a good deal with getting a tune I was happy with.
I've 3 Lyriks now, an older set with RCT3 which I really like, a new set of RC2 which I love only 2 rides in so it has yet to really open up. And then a New Select Plus and that damper leaves me wanting. It's just LSC and Rebound it doesn't seem to make any difference between full open or closed on the compression circuit. Rideable and supple, adjustable, no. Aside from with spacers / air.

Good to hear you're noticing the difference between them too. Based on my ride with the RC2 I'm tempted to spend extra for the better damper, or just change the Select Plus fork altogether.

Anyway, back to staring at the OP's Paradox!
 

komdotkom

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Time to get the paint stripper and pressure washer out. Your to can be raw. How are you liking the paradox.
I sort of lost my way a bit when building it so it's not exactly what I set out to build. I find my Optic a bit of a slug when doing long rides because it is not a fast bike on the flat/up hills so I wanted to build a fast playful hardtail. Then I ruined that by putting a heavy set of wheels/tyres on it, but having said all that I actually find myself riding the Banshee more than the Optic particularly for rides over 30km. It is also faster down hills than a hard tail has any right to be and constantly makes you jump off every trail feature 'just because'.

There are a few things I don't like about it, all of which are very minor irritations
  1. Never should have gone with the C1 air spring on the Pike Ultimate, it just doesn't have small bump feel of the 2020 one (which I have on the Optic)
  2. Paint is terribly thin, if I look at one spot on the frame too long the paint chips it's that fragile
  3. Can't get the creak out of the renthal stem
  4. Seat tube height is too tall (or I'm too short) for a 200mm dropper

Maybe I should get it vapour blasted then hard anodised.
 

Scotty675

Cable thief
Updated specs on first page. The paradox is getting a rebuild. Have gone Shimano 12 speed and loving it. Just fitted new mezzer pro and will be trying it at 160mm, also trying some formula cura 4s (it’s like they made them for this bike). Swapped a few bits on different bikes so wheels are an odd set at the moment. Front is a rotor hub, laced to dt xm421, rear is a cheap Shimano mt500 because I needed a microspline wheel quickly. I ordered a tairin shogun hub to try from Canada, already had a spare spank ozzy trail rim, because of what I thought would be a long wait time I bought the cheapest wheel I could. As my luck goes the hub turned up the same day the wheel did. Will build wheel soon. Long term wheels will be box components stealth (pre ordered but they can’t give me a definite date for manufacture of next batch) on spank vibracore rims. Won’t get to ride this for another week I recon as I’m waiting on matchmakers to run Shimano ev shifter and dropper lever. A couple of shitty photos but will get some better ones when it’s all back together.
 

Attachments

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Updated specs on first page. The paradox is getting a rebuild. Have gone Shimano 12 speed and loving it. Just fitted new mezzer pro and will be trying it at 160mm, also trying some formula cura 4s (it’s like they made them for this bike). Swapped a few bits on different bikes so wheels are an odd set at the moment. Front is a rotor hub, laced to dt xm421, rear is a cheap Shimano mt500 because I needed a microspline wheel quickly. I ordered a tairin shogun hub to try from Canada, already had a spare spank ozzy trail rim, because of what I thought would be a long wait time I bought the cheapest wheel I could. As my luck goes the hub turned up the same day the wheel did. Will build wheel soon. Long term wheels will be box components stealth (pre ordered but they can’t give me a definite date for manufacture of next batch) on spank vibracore rims. Won’t get to ride this for another week I recon as I’m waiting on matchmakers to run Shimano ev shifter and dropper lever. A couple of shitty photos but will get some better ones when it’s all back together.
I'm loving this! And they ride beautifully on 160mm forks.

Very envious of the brakes too. Top choice.
 

Rorschach

Didnt pay $250 for this custom title
Looks epic. I’m interested in running one at 120mm - any experience in a shorter travel fork? Am after a more XC trail feel and only have a Hardtail Party video to go on, and he loved it.
 

Scotty675

Cable thief
Looks epic. I’m interested in running one at 120mm - any experience in a shorter travel fork? Am after a more XC trail feel and only have a Hardtail Party video to go on, and he loved it.
I haven’t run shorter than 140. Started 140 then changed to 150, I enjoyed this thing more at 150 but that may have been a lot to do with the progression of the updated air spring. New fork feels even better on the bounce test with more support through mid stroke. That’s only with the technical bounce test though. I think it would ride fine at 120 for xc
 

dirtdad

Wants to be special but is too shy
Keen to see better raw frame and silver LE mezzer colour pics. I originally was thinking black frame with silver forks. But now I see theres probably enough difference in colour to go raw. And the raw frames are just so sweet.
 
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