A bit of a do it all bike?

Looking to replace my 2011 alpine frame with something a bit lighter for enduro races etc

Like the look of the spitfire and seems to be a better peddler….

I will need the new bike to be strong enough to do the races and cope with the odd uplift day and take the odd drop/jump

Any spitfire riders with any info would be great.

My alpine is 20″ and I’m 6’2 so banshee reckon a large is my size at 18.5″?

looking at a banshee prime for similar reasons.

nice tough bikes.

Hope so. Got all the bits awaiting my 2015 frame to land in the uk. Plan is burly adjustable do anything frame to last and cope with moderately fast rocky stuff built up reasonably light as I don,t do big air/jumps but need to get up hills.

In a word, yes! Look at my posting history for many more thoughts on the subject. I’m just in the process of writing a proper review based on our first 7 months together…

I’ve got the Ison demo at the mo, in large. I’m 6″1 and would say the sizing is bang on for me. Ride wise, it descends like my 2012 Meta Sx and feels like it has more travel than it’s actually got. Never felt a harsh bottom out. Due to the anti-squat characteristics it pedals really well, so good in fact that you find yourself putting in pedal strokes where I wouldn’t have usually. It encourages you to ‘give it some’ at any opportunity. Climbing is awesome, as long as you stay seated! Traction is good and no noticeable pedal bob until you stand but I have this with any bike of this amount of travel. It feels really stable in the air and drops are not a problem at all, just seems to soak it all up. Really close to purchasing one. Just gotta weigh up whether hanging on for Codeine 650b might be worth it but I really, really like this bike!

It’ll be reet.

I’ve got its bigger brother the Rune (which is for sale at the mo due to mini me arriving any day now and reducing my riding time) which I use as a do it all bike; trail centre mincing, uplift days, long days in the Peaks / Swaledale and general tomfoolery and it’s great. It pedals like a much lighter bike and loves descending. It felt like it was in its element at Antur (in the slackest setting with so e dual ply tyres). I reckon it jumps pretty well too.

The Spitty is the bike that I probably should have bought but there where in demo bikes available last summering I enjoyed my ride on the a Rune.

Yes, yes, yes. Fantastic do it all bike. Just finished a loop of Cairngorm today and yet again it blows me away just how versatile this bike is. I have done all day xc type riding regularly on it, Trans Savoie was done on it this year and regularly big mountain days out in Scotland and it handles everything so well.

My build is as follows and rarely changes (except the front tyre).

Pikes 150mm.
X Fusion 02 shock
Magic Mary up front with On One Smorgasbord out back. In 26″ 🙂

I have not fiddled with the chips in the rear yet but i have an Enduro at Innerleithen next month and i might just try the slack angle and see how i find it.

All sounds good….

Anyone running 160 forks? Iv nearly new bikes (26″) so just doing a frame swap all being well.

Mines on 160 pikes/26″ wheels. It’s just as happy being slung down the steep stuff as it is at 30+ mile mincy rides.

One of the best things about modern ‘enduro’ style bikes (sorry!) is that they are suitable for being a do it all IMO. My SB66 is just as good on a local 30 mile XC loop as my soul is, to the point that I’m actually having thoughts that I may never buy another HT again. Never thought I’d hear myself say that….

Stripped and sold my HT for the same reason, just didn’t use it after I bought the Spitfire.

Can honestly say the HT didn’t do anything better.

I’m running 160mm Pikes and 27.5 wheels. Over the past few weeks I’ve radically changed how my Spitfire feels through some fairly simple changes – I’d had it set up so it was relatively stuck to the ground, tons of grip and very stable thanks to the Magic Mary SG up front, but not that easy to chuck around or launch high.

After a couple of rides back on my old hardtail (having been on the Spitfire exclusively for 6 months) I realised that I was better at riding that on the ragged edge (albeit at slower speeds) and sending it off jumps, especially gaps. Basically more manoeuvrable on corners and more pop off jumps.

Here’s what I’ve done with the Spitfire over the last few rides:

First iteration: Slightly decreased the shock sag (30 to 28%), sped the HSR up (from 3 back to the base tune of 2), sped the Pike’s rebound up a lot and decreased the Pike’s LSC. Swapped the 1100g Magic Mary SG 2.35 (18psi) for an 800g Trail King 2.2 (22psi).

Result: Way easier to chuck about and corner on the limit. Less stable over the rough but easily stable enough – it felt like a monster truck before! Much more pop off jumps but the back tending to rise more than the front.

Second iteration: Decreased Pike’s sag (25 to 20%), wider bars (711 to 750mm), taller bar rise turned into effectively taking 10mm off stem length by rotating them back a bit, tyre pressures up 10%.

Result: Really balanced off jumps, if anything front rising higher. Wider bars and shorter effective stem quick enough but great to lean on when it’s getting messy and much better fit for my size. Less grip on flat loose corners though, especially up front.

Third iteration: Tyre pressures back down, Pike sag back to 25% but with second bottomless token for more progression.

Aim: Similar balanced pop off jumps as with 20% Pike sag but better grip in corners thanks to more compliance and lower bar height. To be tested when this bloody cold sods off!

It’s a remarkable frame – so versatile that it can be almost anything you want it to be. The only thing it can’t be is really really light but it never feels even close to heavy when you’re riding it.

I think weight wont be a problem….. My 20″ alpine ain’t light lol

So decision is large or xl!!!!

Cheers for the info guys

I use mine for everything as I can only have one MTB and agree with all the comments on here about it climbing great and descending like a beast. I have the CCDBA with CS on mine and it’s a good shock for the frame, a bit fiddly to get set up but once done it’s brilliant.

The only change coming to mine is a new set of forks as the X-Fusion Sweeps I have on mine are just too flexy for my liking so will be swapping to Pikes most likely.

I’m the same as Mac haven’t tried it with the other chips yet as I run it with the neutral ones but I’m contemplating giving the slack ones a try.

Guys…. Nearly ready to stick a pre order in, just can’t decide on size…

Does anyone around 6’2 have a pic of their large with the seat at pedalling height?

Don’t want it to have to be way higher than the bars for my backs sake!!!

Anyone go xl about my height?

hi mate, I spose I can chip in. I have a 2014 spitty in XL. Im 6 ft 2 and a half. Its perfect sizing. At your height I would suggest you demo one to get the sizing right.

I tried a large Rune and immediately felt cramped so decided to get the XL spitty without a demo and am overjoyed with the bike and the sizing.

id put some photos up but I don’t know how to do it. Go on the MTBR banshee page for photos. you’ve asked about body position; the headtube is very very short so I’ve put a load of spacers on. You’ll be able to adjust as much as you want or consider hi riser bars (38mm+) if you want to avoid a time trial hunch position.

with pre- order – I ordered mine in July last year and got it in mid-December?! It was worth it though 🙂

if you want some photos then PM your email address and I can send them. They’re all enduro event photos though so I tend to be in descent position with the saddle down.

if you’ve not demo-ed one then the geometry is modern in the sense it has a long reach and top tube (25.2 inches) with low standover and low BB. Chainstays aren’t particularly short though.

I run in slack position and was concerned about the low (13 inch) BB height. Its not an issue though. the anti squat is excellent so you’re not sagging into the bike. I’ve got a low BB but only the occasional pedal strike. Its perfect! im a bit miffed that I’ll lose it if (and when) I go 650b. Hopefully not for a few years though 🙂

You will never find an xl demo bike. Since it is 20″ like your current frame can you compare geo on paper to get an idea?

Don’t want it to have to be way higher than the bars for my backs sake!!!

The frame size won’t make any difference – the head tube length and stack height is the same on all Spitfire frame sizes. The head tube length on a Spitfire is 110mm whilst on a 20″ Alpine 160 it’s 150mm. So if you’re running the same travel forks and 26″ wheels on both then you’ll need another 40mm of total rise in the spacers, stem and bar on the Spitfire whilst if you’re running the Spitfire as a 27.5 you’ll need less – only about 25mm more due to the longer fork A-C.

A large Spitfire should be about the same length as a 20″ Alpine – shorter headtube makes ETT come up shorter than it really is.

yes, do it. The chief up there gave me some good advice before i got mine and i’m chuffed to bits. I originally thought i was doing the wrong thing not going for a Mojo HDR, but then money was an issue, and since then those that have taken it for a blast have commented on how light it rides! My first ride on it was BPW in xc mode 🙂 the first thing i notice about the bike was it’s ability to track the ground incredibly well, it took some nice gaps and was still very playful in the tight stuff. It’s done plenty of 20,30,40 mile rides as well.

I’m 6′ on a large. I did notice that the bike feels smaller than i was expecting, but then the last bike was a medium g-spot with wildly different geo!

I still run 26″, but have 650b Pikes on “just in case”. Tis superb!

Thanks for all the info guys…..

Finger bang, what sort of weight is the xl coming in at?

aaaaggggghhhh so after much thought it looks like im going for the big brother in xl, the RUNE, just think it may be more suited to my riding and size, the extra bit of travel will help me out on uplifts days and the odd club dh race.

i can always alter the angles for anything a bit more sedate.

and its bound to pedal better than my older alpine…. hopefully lol

thanks for all the input guys

I nearly went with the rune but after an email or two to Keith at Banshee and I ended up with the Spitty. It’s a very capable bike and it’s called the DHers trail bike for a reason.

At the very least I’d try and get a leg over both if you can then make the decision although given your after an XL it might be hard.

and its bound to pedal better than my older alpine…. hopefully lol

I thought the Rune pedalled really well (although the shock was setup for someone heavier than me). If you’re willing to lug an extra couple of lbs up the hill, it’ll be fine.

are you doing anything in the way of bigger drop offs etc on the spitty?

was over in scotland at the weekend and hitting the 7/8 ft drops on the alpine….thinking the 140 may bottom out on this type of thing..

I don’t think most people include 8ft drops in their do it all category…so yes the Rune would be a better option.

Finger bang, what sort of weight is the xl coming in at?

I haven’t weighed it but I understand that the Rune is generally about a pound heavier than the respectively sized Spitty.

I went for the spitty as I already have a DH bike (that I hardly ever use now) and didn’t want 160 travel for the singletrack riding I do.

If you’re unsure about sizing then you should be able to get a demo on a large. As I said, im 6 2.5 but I have long arms for my size. you can always run a short stem though.

A Spitfire with a CCDB Air CS would pedal well and wouldn’t blow through the travel.

kendo954 – Member

are you doing anything in the way of bigger drop offs etc on the spitty?

was over in scotland at the weekend and hitting the 7/8 ft drops on the alpine….thinking the 140 may bottom out on this type of thing..
As long as you’re not a clydesdale and there was a transition on the drops (like the 3 s/m/l ladder drops at Glentress for example), then I would expect any bike to be able to cope.

I took the Spitfire/Prime/Phantom off a 3ft-to-flat drop at Dalby and only the Phantom (108mm travel) bottomed out, but it wasn’t harsh or bad. It had already absorbed 90% of the impact.

yeah the ladders at glentress would be fine…. its more the matador type drops at inners id be worried about on the spitfire….not really to flat but not big transitions either…

….a fair bit of my local trails have flatish landings

The Spitfire would be fine but considering you’re a tall bloke doing fairly big drops regularly, a Rune is going to have a longer service life what with the extra 20mm of travel to reduce the loads and with being built a bit sturdier.

I rode one of these at a demo day this weekend. I wasn’t even looking for a new bike. I couldn’t believe how well it climbed to be honest, was very nice going down also. I think I may get one.

One thing that really does put me off though is the pivot bearings and how there is no protection from the elements of UK riding for 6-8 months of the year. Any slop from the back wheel will go flying into pivots and surely destroy bearings pretty quickly. Coming from a heckler this is a concern.

Thoughts?

Get in touch with Keith at banshee bikes if you have any questions about sizing, geometry or which model is right for your needs?

I worked with Keith for several years, also count him as a good buddy, he is happy to hear from any potential customers.

Regarding the durability of pivots, since Keith switched the bikes to ks link using sealed ball bearings, it’s been solid compared to the old vf4b using igus nylon bushings.

One thing that really does put me off though is the pivot bearings and how there is no protection from the elements of UK riding for 6-8 months of the year. Any slop from the back wheel will go flying into pivots and surely destroy bearings pretty quickly. Coming from a heckler this is a concern.

Coming from a hardtail this was a concern of mine too! However, Banshee originates from the Vancouver vicinity (even wetter than much of England), Keith the designer is based in Scotland (ditto), and the frames are thus designed for wet and mud – tons of clearance and good sealing (I emailed him about this when I was first thinking of buying one). I know the previous generation models with bushings instead of bearings suffered badly without careful maintenance but I haven’t heard of any premature bearing wear with the 2013 onwards models.

I should give Keith kudos for responding very helpfully to all my emails, even after buying the bike – my last one was about how to make it feel a bit more manouevrable and springy like my hardtail. I gave him a list of potential tweaks and he got straight back with his thoughts on what best to try. And he was right! It’s feeling really great now. Just need to get myself preloading the front harder on jumps and the gaps will be mine!

Thanks, will contact him.

I know they can take 26″ wheels, can they take 26″ forks? I would save a lot of money if I could transfer everything from my heckler if I did decide to buy one.

Also, can it take a 150mm fork?

I’ve just (last week) replaced my Heckler with a Rune. I was unsure whether to get the Rune or Spitfire as I wanted it for Enduro racing as well. I probably should have got the Spitfire as the Rune is a little heavy (frame is 1.25lb heavier than the Heckler), but overall weight is 32lb, and it climbs better than the Heckler, so I’m happy. Its also mega solid and has that extra travel for Alps trips. I have it setup with all my existing components except for stem. Everything swapped straight over (inc cables+chain!). I have 160mm Vengeance forks 26″. Looking at changing the wheels next month to 650b as my forks should be able to take them.

Heres a pic from the w/e

The rune looks amazing. I think I will try and demo them both before deciding.

volatilemike – Member

Thanks, will contact him.

I know they can take 26″ wheels, can they take 26″ forks? I would save a lot of money if I could transfer everything from my heckler if I did decide to buy one.

Also, can it take a 150mm fork?
Yes, and yes.
I’ve seen about as many 150mm 26 setups as 160mm setups on the MTBR builds.

Pre ordered the run today, xl in orange….

Just got to make my mind up on either the cane creek dbair cs or the inline

Btw – did exchange a few mails to Keith and can confirm he’s very helpfull…..

Going to be a long 3/4 weeks waiting now 🙂

Can I ask why you decided on the rune? extra travel?

Think im going to test both. but as Ive got a DH bike for uplift days the spitfire would prob be the better choice, maybe! 😀