JADE SLACKER UPGRADE
JADE SLACKER FULL

If I was doing the spec on the Titan I would either spec the Fox DPX2 air that comes on the shorter travel versions of the V3 Banshee frames or a RockShox Super Deluxe. I reached out to a fair few folks who are familiar with the current Float X2 and I'm satisfied that this is not an experience specific to the example I've been using. I've been riding it with an SR Suntour TriAir and the Cane Creek Double Barrel Coil off my Marin and both are a night-and-day improvement over this Fox. It gave up nothing smashing down Ned's in a straight line and became a much more positive, playful, friendly steed. The Titan is still a truly capable bike with the X2 installed but as soon as I tried other shocks the bike absolutely came alive. Then again, I've had good riding experience with various levels of Fox's Float X2 air shock in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. I'm not an engineer or suspension tech, so maybe I just can't get this shock setup properly. This is despite the new chassis, new damper, new air seals, new shaft finish, and making room for that new independent climb circuit.

It's something that very few customers are going to notice up front, and maybe even long term, but I think it's a detail worth celebrating.ĭoes it seem like during the shortened 2020 Enduro & DH race season a lot of Fox sponsored athletes who were previously all-in on air shocks were suddenly sporting coils? My theory is that the 2021 Float X2, which ' CHANGES EVERYTHING' kind of sucks. Knolly popularized using high quality bearings (INA as well) when they were making their frames in North America, but to the best of my knowledge, Banshee is the only other brand, aside perhaps from some boutique small builders, shipping frames with bearing sets of this quality.

The exit ports are right-sized without requiring massive chunks of plastic to cover them.Ī point I'm likely to come back to is that Banshee could use basic bicycle-grade cartridge bearings like everyone else in the industry, but they use excellent quality INA bearings instead.

Nothing quite matches the tube-in-tube action of a carbon Yeti or Santa Cruz, but this is the cleanest, internally-routed, aluminum frame I've cabled. The headset cups come pressed in from the factory for the competent home mechanic who hasn't invested in a press, and the internal routing is a breeze to set up with zero faffing about with flashlights or dental picks. The build was truly simple even with the extra step of mounting the dropouts. For the record, this isn't something that bothers me in the slightest. It's not a structural concern but they're a bit bubblegum compared to other premium aluminum frames, and in particular other Banshee V3 frames I've seen in photos.

JADE SLACKER UPGRADE

It does limit shocks to some extent, (no Push 11-6, DVO Jade X / Topaz 2, and FAST Fenix) but Keith says the go-to upgrade is an EXT shock and that fits perfectly.Īs nice as the welding is around the suspension system and as good as the alignment is, and as much as I love the satin finish, the Titan has a bit of an Ancillotti-factor with the headtube welds. I thought it might be polarizing, but like me, everyone who has looked at the frame has been very positive about the appearance of the shock-basket layout. After I bolted on the dropouts, the axle slid in so well that I'd give Banshee credit for having at least matched the best-aligned full-suspension frames I've worked on. This means the alignment of the suspension system should be perfect. The Titan and all Banshee V3 frames use an arrangement of two forged and machined sections joined together by dual linkages. I've never reviewed a frame-only setup before and it turns out that has some unique challenges. Even the rear shocks transfer across giving me multiple options to test out with this platform. I bribed my Marin Alpine Trail with a fresh bearing kit and proceeded to steal all the parts off of it in order to get a Banshee Titan frame up and running.

JADE SLACKER FULL

Banshee, a company with strong roots here in North Vancouver, was eager to send in one of their V3 KS-Link bikes for review but a slight problem arose because they needed every part they could muster to get paying customers sorted.Īs it turns out, the sirens call of a 6' travel full suspension bike with a more centred weight balance than anything I've ridden shy of a DH bike (462mm chainstays, 470mm Reach, 1275mm wheelbase for a size large) was too much to resist. As it turns out, that is true both for riders and for bike brands. As anyone currently trying to maintain a mountain bike is undoubtedly aware, getting parts can be more than a little tricky.

Jade slacker