Banshee Spitfire.....plenty of room in the world for one more!

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dh1

Likes Dirt
So here's what happened....

The Commencal meta am1 was a top all round bike, it is good at going up and down but I found myself wanting to descend that little bit harder and faster but was not feeling to confident and stable while really pushing it. It was also not the most natural jumper, all this due to geometry and the lack of support from the rear shock, again it's designed to be an AM bike and was spot on at beng an all rounder.

I have had a Banshee Scythe for a number of years and have always loved everything about it so I put out some feelers about the Spitfire and Rune. It's pretty easy to say that the Spitfire would climb better then the Rune and the Rune would descend better then the Spitfire. So the question I was asking was which one crossed over the most with the least drawback and after quite a few discussions and some research I decided on the Spitfire with a CCDB Air CS.

This has been a build of quite a few firsts for me;

- First time having bought a brand new frame
- First time using a CCDB
- First time having bought brand new bars
- First time using carbon bars
- First time using Carbon crankset
- First time using Ti pedals
- First time having bought a brand new seat

Very happy with the build! Took it for a quick spin this arvo at my local track. It really is like a mini dh bike with the slack chips in. Looking forward to getting it all dialed in properly.

Thanks to Stu at Defcon for his time and great service, appreciate it.

Spec

Frame - 2015 Banshee Spitfire, large
Rear shock - CCDB Air CS
Front shock/fork - 2011 Fox 36 Van RC2, 160mm
Handlebars - Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon 740mm
Stem - Straitline AM, 50mm
Headset - FSA
Grips - SDG lock on
Saddle - Fizik Arione Saddle with K:IUM Rails
Seat post - Rockshox Reverb Stealth
Front brake - Sram Guide RSC
Rear brake - Sram Guide RSC
Cranks - Sram XO GXP
BB - Sram GXP
Chain Ring - Raceface 34T NW
Chain - SRAM 10 Speed
Crank arm boots - Raceface
Pedals - Nukeproof Neutron Ti
Rear derailleur - Sram XO Type II
Rear shifter - Sram X9 bearing
Cassette - SRAM PG-1050 11-36 tooth
Wheels - Crossmax Enduro
Front Tyre - Mavic Charge
Rear Tyre - Maxxis Adrent
Tubes - None
Total weight - 14.3
 

Attachments

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moorey

moorey

call me Mia
Niiice. Hoping they are 165mm cranks, though, or you'll get a lot of strikes with 26" wheels in slack mode. Go hard, son!
 
Ezkaton

Ezkaton

Eats Squid
It seems yellow wheeled Banshees are the new black around here at the moment.

Looking good though!

Seeing all these Spitfires finished is doing my head in. Mine's still waiting for pay day to roll around haha... soon... soon! :preggers:
 
Mywifesirrational

Mywifesirrational

I however am very normal. Trust me.
Thats a really nice build, black with the yellow wheels looks great on all these builds.

While I am not a weight weenie... surely the scales are wrong, nothing too heavy on here and quite a few light and expensive bits, what am I missing weight wise?
 
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dh1

Likes Dirt
Hey guys, thanks for the comments.

While I didn't choose parts for their weight, more so just to try parts I have never used I was expecting it to be a little lighter. In saying that I'm not to bothered with where it is at, feels light and snappy enough for me even though I have only had one ride. I Have no doubt the feel will improve as I get used to it

These vans weigh in at just under 2.4kg
 
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deletude26

Likes Bikes
Most of your build is pretty light, your Van's though are what is keeping the weight up. A Pike or Mattoc (both around the 1850-1900gram mark) will save you 1/2 a kilo on your Van's, putting your bike at 13.8 kg roughly, if not lower.

Obviously a new fork is pretty high cost, but that's really all that could be improved, even as is, it's a sweet build.
 
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dh1

Likes Dirt
deletude26 said:
Most of your build is pretty light, your Van's though are what is keeping the weight up. A Pike or Mattoc (both around the 1850-1900gram mark) will save you 1/2 a kilo on your Van's, putting your bike at 13.8 kg roughly, if not lower.

Obviously a new fork is pretty high cost, but that's really all that could be improved, even as is, it's a sweet build.
Click to expand...
Gees that is quite a large amount of weight saving, didnt realise it would be that much. I may try other forks in the future but at the moment I love my van's, do everything i want,handle more then I can throw at them and feel just how I like it. I suppose most good model forks would as well but for now im happy with the weight and build. Looking forward to this weekend, might head to stromlo.
 
JTmofo

JTmofo

XC Enthusiast
dh1 said:
Hey guys, thanks for the comments.

While I didn't choose parts for their weight, more so just to try parts I have never used I was expecting it to be a little lighter. In saying that I'm not to bothered with where it is at, feels light and snappy enough for me even though I have only had one ride. I Have no doubt the feel will improve as I get used to it

These vans weigh in at just under 2.4kg
Click to expand...
I had a 2013 Spitty V2 (Slightly heavier frame than the 2015) built to a very similar spec and it weighed in at 13.9kgs.
CCDB, Carbon bars, Hope E4's,XO1 carbon cranks but I had a Pike, 27.5" carbon wheels and Schwalbe HD's.

Its a lot of money to spend to save 400/500gms............

Get out and ride it and enjoy it for what it is! They are an awesome rig.
 
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dh1

Likes Dirt
JTmofo said:
I had a 2013 Spitty V2 (Slightly heavier frame than the 2015) built to a very similar spec and it weighed in at 13.9kgs.
CCDB, Carbon bars, Hope E4's,XO1 carbon cranks but I had a Pike, 27.5" carbon wheels and Schwalbe HD's.

Its a lot of money to spend to save 400/500gms............

Get out and ride it and enjoy it for what it is! They are an awesome rig.
Click to expand...
Oh don't worry I most certainly will be enjoying her as she is!
 
Ezkaton

Ezkaton

Eats Squid
Nearly every person I've seen talk about the weight of the Spitty has said it rides like a much lighter bike anyway.
 
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