Jupp. Been testing it for a little while now. And come to some conclusions.
The wait was long, but worth it. Just remember taking it out of its box and glazing at it for a long while before doing any buildup. The details is so nice looking and awesome. A lot of thinking has gone in to the design of the bike. Some changes has been done before i got mine. For me it feels just perfect in any way. Size geometry and everything.
PEDALING:And on to the riding. First thing i noticed was how the bike pedaled. I'm used to some suspension bobbing but i got really surprised here. Nothing. Just stiffens up when you pedal. Makes things soooo much easyer. But reacts on the bumps at the same time. Witch is super nice when you want to pedal in the gnarly sections without bouncing of your pedals.
PLAYFULNESS:Second thing i noticed right away was how easy the bike manouvres. It tok me only one run to gett used to the bike witch is really unusual. But in a good way. It had the same playfullness as my 6.5" Banshee wildcard, Witch i will deeply miss by the way. It was easy to throw around in the woods. It did what i wanted it to do. Only thing you need to do is point it in a direction and it shall guide you trough it with ease.Like a good steed..
CORNERING:Here it also performed really well. The low standover makes cornering a walk in the park. Really quick. Actually never ridden corners as fast as now.
STIFFNESS:The frames stiffness is tremendous. Typical Banshee strength, just without the extra weight.
You can really feel it in the gnarly sections, and in fast and bumpy corners. It doesn't show weakness. It really boosts your confidence. Most of the strength in the frame comes from the 2 rear linkages being mounted on the same part. Not several parts welded together in between. (See the photo below for description)
SUSPENSION:
The suspension is one of the key qualities on the legend frame (Vf4b) Virtual floating four bar linkage. Witch makes it something else. Ive ridden other vpp frames and they do not come close. It is active even though it is a polymer bushing system. Just remember to regrease once in a while through the greaseports. So you push out any water or dirt cought inside the links from riding in the mud. The suspension becomes more and more active after a while since the bushings takes longer to bed in than normal bearings do. The advantage of bushings compared to bearing is that it is stiffer. More area to spread the momentums next to bearing that have all the momentum on a small ball bearing inside the bearing. And there is two travel settings 7" and 8.5". The suspension also moves in a curve, backwards and then back in at the end of the travel. Witch minimizes chain stretch that many other frames strugle with.
Photo of the bushing system.
BRAKING:The only thing i noticed sometimes here is that the frame stiffens a little bit on braking. Witch has it ups and downs. The upp is that you dont bottom out the suspension. The down side might be that it isnt that active on the smallest of bumps while braking. But i never brake in the really gnarly stuff anyways. Only if nessesary. Then i use the front brake instead. But what frame is small bump sensitive when locking the rear wheel....
DOWNHILL:Yes to the most important part. The ride downwards is something i have noticed is different on almost every bike out there. There is allot of factors out on play. Different link systems. Lengths, geometry, shocks and forks and the rest of the bike equipment. Small things can do big difference. But the biggest difference is the frame. That's where the biggest improvement can be done. And this is where i think the legend comes in. The downhill riding on this thing is not limited by the bike (with my setup) but rather the rider. It just bombs through anything. Rock gardens, rooty places, speed parts, corners, technikal ns and so on. The angles, the low standover, the length of the frame makes the frame perfectly balanced in any terrain, and roams with potensial. And giving you the confidence you need, that eventually gives the rider a big smile on his/heres face riding down the track.
THE FRAME:The frame is so nicely done with the 1.5" upp front giving it a stiffer front and if you want to go for a zero stack headsett. And with some really nice hydroformed tubes coming from the front to the back ensuring great stiffness and reliability. And the tub is so nicely cnc'd that it makes people just stare with envy. And a little nice thing i noticed is that you can just push the mud down the tub and out of the bottom. Witch makes cleaning easier around the shock area. Witch some frames really lack. And one very important thing is that most of the frame weight is positioned right above the BB area. That makes the bike more reactive to the actions from the bikes pilot. Less weight to manouvre at the top. Just think of it as your arm. You put a weight on your wrist and run around. Then place it afterwards on your elbow. Moving the arm now takes less effort cince it is further away from the area that moves the most, and closer to the center of the movement. A little unusual situation in real life but i think you get my point.
The hydroformed tubes.
The maxle axle in the rear i am not to sure with. It is nice to be able to take it straight of without tools, but i don't like it being so able to move around and being flimsy. Typical Rockshox. But the light weight is appreciated.
The seat tube has a little feature that i liked. Like the seat pin stopper. Witch i think should be a standard on all fs bikes. So when you're in a hurry and forgett to see if the seat pin isnt to close to the shock. You probably know were im getting at. Bent shocks really shhhucks.
The frame is designed around a 38t krank chainring. So keep this in mind to get the right chainline.
Carrying the bike is allso something that is easy. Well balanced frame. Just putt your hand on the end of the toptube near the seatpost and babaam. Ive always been aggrevated by other frames that is hard to carry upp stairs, dh tracks or wherever cuz of bent tubes or sharp links. Many people never think of this when looking for a new bike. But i do:)
The brake mount is typical banshee quality. Massive. But cnc'd where it is needed to keep the weight down. So no need to worry weight weenies :D
Chain stay is also typical banshee quality with the ribbed tubes. (As seen below). Gives the rear end that extra stiffness in the corners and on hard pedaling. And the enevedable crocked landings.
Then ive come to agree with myself that the legend is a true dh frame, that just asks for more and more. The bike just gives you that edge you need to go fast. It boosts your confidence. Pretty easy to maintain. It also light. Witch all banshee's are now. Thats nice for those that care about weight. Its not the extra half or one kilo less that makes you faster. Its mostly you. And a good frame:) Go for banshee. You will not regrett it.
They have totally renewed themselves. I think Banshee has always been an underrated bike brand. People just don't realize how good they are. Ive always enjoyed riding banshee. And always developed more skills on them than on any other brand.
More to come!!!! Just need to gett some photos.
