Calling all Sctythe owners......

mxwill63

mxwill63

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Hi guys just wondering if anybody has owned/have a banshee scythe and was willing enough too help me.:)

I have had my scythe for a good few months now though i have barley had much riding time (due to track building :p) but anyways i have started to ride it again and have been finding the rear end quite stiff on the typical rough DH tracks. I know that the bike is better suited to FR but im just finding the soaking capacity over the little/medium hits to be a little crap....

So im running a 2008/09 (forgotten) frame with 2010 boxxer races which are great but with the standard dhx 4.0 fox shock....... which i am finding a bit stiff. So i was wondering what sort of shock set up you peeps are running and if they think its worth the part upgrade.

Cheers, Will
 
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dh1

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hey mate,

first off what settings are you running it in? 7 or 8 inch rear travel? Dh or freeride?

I also had the samer problem when first setting up my suspension. I however run a manitou isx6 air shock and it has a whole lot of adjustments. I ride mine in the 7inch dh setting as it gives the slacker, lower and long angle so it is more suited to dh and in the second half of the stroke I was finding it was finding it was ramping up quite fast and hard. I just changed my high speed compression to make it softer then what i thought I would need it which made it fairly soft and plush through out 85-90% of the stroke and then the bottom out resistance kicked in. If you search and read other threads on scythes you will find that alot of people agree that you need a softer spring to what you intial think and sometimes even softer then the reccomemend spring.

Im not sure about the adjustablitly of the dhx4 but if it doesn't have high and low speed compression or bottom out resistance then you should defiently upgrapde.

It is a good bike for dh once you get the rear end sorted out.
 
mxwill63

mxwill63

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dh1 said:
hey mate,

first off what settings are you running it in? 7 or 8 inch rear travel? Dh or freeride?

I also had the samer problem when first setting up my suspension. I however run a manitou isx6 air shock and it has a whole lot of adjustments. I ride mine in the 7inch dh setting as it gives the slacker, lower and long angle so it is more suited to dh and in the second half of the stroke I was finding it was finding it was ramping up quite fast and hard. I just changed my high speed compression to make it softer then what i thought I would need it which made it fairly soft and plush through out 85-90% of the stroke and then the bottom out resistance kicked in. If you search and read other threads on scythes you will find that alot of people agree that you need a softer spring to what you intial think and sometimes even softer then the reccomemend spring.

Im not sure about the adjustablitly of the dhx4 but if it doesn't have high and low speed compression or bottom out resistance then you should defiently upgrapde.

It is a good bike for dh once you get the rear end sorted out.
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Hi mate thanks for the help, though just wondering if the 7 inch DH set up is the top or bottom mounting slots on the frame. And just wondering also if you could tell me how much the manitou isx6 air shock is, as im interested in how an air shock will run.

Cheers Will:p
 
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dh1

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mxwill63 said:
Hi mate thanks for the help, though just wondering if the 7 inch DH set up is the top or bottom mounting slots on the frame. And just wondering also if you could tell me how much the manitou isx6 air shock is, as im interested in how an air shock will run.

Cheers Will:p
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I have a attached a picture which will show you which is the 7 and 8inch setting and also the dh and freeride setting.

Now in the bottom right hand corner it says that changing the rear travel will not change any other settings, but it does however change the geometry of the bike. I am currently looking for a table on my computer which shows all the geo in the different settings.

All i remember is that in the dh mode with 7inch rear travel it has the best suited dh geo with a 65.5 degree head angle, longer wheelbase and lower BB height and in 8inch rear travel in was 66degress head angle with slightly shorter wheelbase and higher BB

Now if you are already running it with 7inch travel then try it in 8inch. I know the handling of the bike will feel different and maybe not as good but switching the amount of travel at the rear will change the leverage ratio and will become higher. This should change the feeling of the suspension, not just becasue you are getting an extra 1inch travel. Since you were saying it was firm in mid(ish) stroke it should feel a little softer/ plusher.

I haven't yet run my bike in 8inch rear because of the geo but i just finished maching up some head angle reducer cups which will -2 degrees so then I have a 64degree head angle with 8inch rear travel and i can't wait to try it out. it should also make it easier to tune the suspenion so the feel more balanced.

As for the price of the shock, last time i looked which was a while ago it was about $500-$600

The table which Iam looking for also tells me the correct spring for a riders weight for different branded shock so I will post it up as soon as I find it. Or if someone else has it can they please post it up.

cheers, Zeb

Scythe%20Geometry%20Settings.jpg[
 
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dh1

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mxwill63 said:
Umm i way roughly 65kg and run a 500x2.80 spring if that helps???

And thanks a heap for the help dh1 :D
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Still havent found that chart but i originally had a vivid 5.1 shock and i needed a 350pound spring and i weigh 75kg.

Hopefully thats a good indication of the spring weight you might need

do you have any pics of your scythe?

Cheers zeb
 
nic1894

nic1894

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yeh im about 65 kilo and run a 300 pound spring so id suggest investing in a new spring before you buy a shock.... might save you 500 bucks ;)
 
mxwill63

mxwill63

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dh1 said:
Still havent found that chart but i originally had a vivid 5.1 shock and i needed a 350pound spring and i weigh 75kg.

Hopefully thats a good indication of the spring weight you might need

do you have any pics of your scythe?

Cheers zeb
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Cheers it sounds like the 300/250 lb spring sounds the go:D

Thanks TheBug and Nic:D

Here you go Zeb:







Sorry they are so dark:rolleyes:
 
dj3

dj3

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yeah i would say get the 250/300lbs spring, a 500 would be spoiling that lovely looking rig. you will be amazed how much a spring change can do and you will save 500 bucks.
 
mxwill63

mxwill63

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dj3 said:
yeah i would say get the 250/300lbs spring, a 500 would be spoiling that lovely looking rig. you will be amazed how much a spring change can do and you will save 500 bucks.
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Yeah just had a right today with it in the 200mm travel setting...

It was a lot better but nowhere near good enough. Definantly gonna get a new spring.

How much would a 250/300lb spring cost roughly?
 
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ezrider

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I run a 500 in my scythe but I weight about 100kg with gear ,I had my fork and shock tuned to my weight and riding style and the balanced the bike front to rear and it made a huge difference .
 
mxwill63

mxwill63

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ezrider said:
I run a 500 in my scythe but I weight about 100kg with gear ,I had my fork and shock tuned to my weight and riding style and the balanced the bike front to rear and it made a huge difference .
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Thanks mate but im 65kg so i need a different spring.....

And thanks DJ3 ill look into one. Do you think i should go for the 250lb or the 300lb????
 
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dh1

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mxwill63 said:
Thanks mate but im 65kg so i need a different spring.....

And thanks DJ3 ill look into one. Do you think i should go for the 250lb or the 300lb????
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I would go 300 pound. Your only 10kg lighter than me and 350 was good
also if you got 250 pound and than started riding in 8inch rear travel it could be to soft. However it also depends only how much of a ramp your shock gives you when uou change the compression. If it gets quite a bit firmer then you might be able to get away with a 250. But if it only firms up a little then you would need to think about it. You just want to give yourself something to play with


Also your scythe looks made. You should get a direct mount stem to lower the bars cause you can get them real low on scythes. Also does your bike already have an angle reduce headset?

Cheets zeb
 
Barspin Imports

Barspin Imports

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mxwill63 said:
Umm i way roughly 65kg and run a 500x2.80 spring if that helps???

And thanks a heap for the help dh1 :D
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:eek: You should be on a 250lb spring... or 300 tops. Would also recommend an upgrade, when funds permit, to the new Fox RC4 or an Elka. Elka also do a 2.5 shock which makes your Scythe slacker and lower for DH, yet again.

Also, check this for settings: http://www.barspin-imports.com.au/page6.php

Don't forget, we're the official Banshee guys in Australia and we're here to help!!!! :)
 
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