The bottle bosses on my Banshee Rune are stupidly high up the downtube, so I use a Topeak alt cage mount & a Wolftooth morse cage to fit a full size bottle on it.

I’m on Burgtecs now after running Spank Spikes for years.

They were really comfy & come in 30mm or 33mm diameters.

Only changed because all the other kit on my bike is Burgtec.

I think you can make out the logo here.

I get my mate Stubby to do it. He’s the best bike mechanic I know and he’s only got one hand.

Anyway, to the OP,

Here’s my 27.5 Banshee Rune halfway through a 100km gravel loop.

It was fun, if a bit slower, but who cares. I certainly don’t care about 29ers.

Those SLX chainrings use a T15H(hollow).

I assume it’s to combine steel teeth & an alloy spider, but I don’t why they don’t just use a rivet.

2004 for me, because that’s when I started uni & bought my first computer.

Found the forum after buying issue 8. MBUK started to get really boring around then 7 I’d been reading Chip’s work since MTB Pro & MTB World.

Marin make a kids FS with 24 inch wheels, but can take 26.

A mates daughter has just about out grown hers & daughter number 2 is very keen to get hold of it.

It also benefitted from a few upgrades from mum & dads bikes.

+1 for Burgtec Ride High.
Also didn’t like Renthals.

A V3.2 Spitfire would take all your old parts as long as you can change the rear hub to 142.
Down the track you can still update it with the latest 27.5 parts when you want.
That’s the way I went a few years ago, but started with a 27.5 fork on it.
I’m on a V3.2 Rune now & it is absolutely the best bike I’ve ever ridden.

Here’s my 1995 DBR Axis TT.

I’ve had it for 20 years with various builds. The Fox F80 I had on it recently blew & a mate hooked me up with a period correct P2.

I’ve been using a Fenix 5X for a couple of years now. It was 2 generations old so I got 45% off. Still more than good enough for me.
Newer versions with a bigger screen would be nice as long as they’re sapphire. That stuff is impossible to scratch.
Only used it for navigation a couple of times, not easiest to see but adequate.

Took us over a year to find a builder for our garage.
Too smaller job for them to bother with when there are easy new builds going up everywhere.
Finally got a local one to slot it in between other jobs, because we had plans, approvals & finance all sorted.
He’s been great. Picked up some issues with boundaries from the start and a few details in the plans. We know it’ll take a bit of time, but I’ll soon have a proper shed.

“Touch wood”

Camping mats worked for me to replace my socket set insert. It’s actually better than new now.
Spade bits on the drill make pretty clean holes through it as well.

I gave my Rune a tart up with a Dyed Bros kit and some blue or bronze Burgtec kit.

The Dyed bros wasn’t hard to fit, you just need a heat gun to warm it up a bit.

I’ve got a white board in my workshop to record all sorts of random stuff, cable outer length among other shit.

There are a lot of people printing alternative mounts for the One Up pump because of their popularity.

Diamondback.
I was finishing a ride on the weekend on my 1995 DBR Axis TT, when I passed someone riding up the road on an alloy DBR road bike.
I know it wasn’t new & have no idea what they make now.

Get another Banshee.

The V3.2 Phantom would be perfect, or step up to a Prime.

Weight depends how you build it, but the KS2 suspension design works brilliantly.

The Britten & McLaren have been done, so I’ll go with Blasphemi.

Conti’s never wept for me (Stans)
The Wild Enduro rear never lasted very long, but a part worn front was great on the back for winter.

I never had an issue with 3 sets of Wild Enduros weeping sealant, they all wore out naturally.
27.5 on my Rune are a bit easier to find.
CRC has just delivered me a pair of Michelin Wild AM2’s for this winter.

I was a big fan of Wild Enduros, but due to availability & price rises, I’ve been through Pirellis & now on Continentals.
Argotal front & Kryptotal rear in Endurance last winter. Changed to Kryptotal Endurance front & Xynotal Enduro set rear this summer. Just put the Argotal back on the front because I wasn’t impressed with the Kryptotal front.
I will say the new Continentals are super robust casings for bombing rock gardens. I’ll never ride a Maxxis again.

I picked up a Factory 36 to get the Grip 2 damper for my Z1 coil on my banshee Rune.
But ended up giving it a run & actually preferred it.
At first I tried to run it really plush, but it never felt right.
But then I started again from factory specs & it was bang on when you’re getting into it. Sitting back & cruising is a bit harsh though.

TREE(3)

Just don’t go there.

The welding on that Cannondale makes me sad.

Good race, pretty tight at the top end of all fields.
Great to see local riders Sascha Kim & Dan Booker on the podium.

Lunch today is home grown tomatoes on home made sour dough.

Om to the mother flipping Nom.

My Dakine flannels are getting worn out so I was also looking for a new one.

Got the Enduro one, which is nice, but a bit slim on the fit.

Also have an Oakley one. Very nicely made, but a bit too cotton for riding.

Then I found an Adidas flannel. Heavy weight & technical material. Buttons instead of poppers aren’t ideal, though it does have a stealth internal chest pocket.

I did like the look of the DHB, expensive though.

Wish Dakine still made good looking gear, it’s all a bit meh these days.

Hmmm…

Banshee state the bottom bracket drop for a V3.2 Rune is 10mm in low or 2mm in the high setting with a 170mm fork.

iI’ve got a 180mm fork & run th drop out chips in the high setting, so that should be around 0mm BB drop. A quick measure with a bit of string confirms it.

My V2 Spitfire had a horribly low BB judging by the pedal strikes I got on that.

406 V6.
I test drove one second hand when it was $45k & again ten years later when it was $10k. Still would if I had room to keep it.

I’ve been running the Deore 11 speed group with the 12 speed crank for 18 months.
The deore chain ring wore out first. Replaced with an SLX 12 speed which is lasting better.
Only issue is the stupid little T15H bolts. I’ve lost 2 so far.

If you go for a new lever, Brand X makes one in 31.8 to go next to the stem. It also has cutouts for cables.
I use one on my Rove with a PNW dropper. Makes it easy to swap the post to a standard one for bike packing bags.

They just feel a bit more rigid. The longer pins help too.

I just built a new Banshee Rune & swapped from composite Burgtecs to metal.

Yeah, I ain’t going back. They just feel better.

Don’t come to Tassie. There’s nothing to see here.

The pins in Chromag Synths aren’t threaded. Also come with washers so you can make them shorter.

I think he has invented an entirely new racing format.
Well done that man.

I’ve got the little cordless Dewalt, but it’ll still do a 50x250mm straight cut so trim & floor boards are a doddle.
Very light and portable and accurate. A little magnetic angle finder is great for checking these things.
Mounting it to my work bench with an adjustable stop block makes seated cuts a lot more accurate.

@winston Have you modified your Style PS?

I find it a bit too fat to fit in the narrow link & not enough hook on the end to grip the roller.