I was there a couple of weeks ago and all that is said above is true. It is always wet, even after a long dry spell but if you go with the attitude of once your wet you can’t get wetter, the trails are really quite good. Almost everything is on singletrack and there are some really good twisty narrow sections that flow well. The climbs aren’t too bad either.

I’ve ridden there twice now and look forward to going again. Just make sure you weatherproof yourself and your bike as well as you can, and take some warm dry clothes to change into afterwards!

Yep, happens all the time since the bobble on the cable end ferrule thing that’s supposed to lock it in place broke off years ago.

My solution, small cable tie around it.

ultimateweevil – You should of got two volume reducing spacers with your CCDB air. They are blue foam rings that fit in the air can. An easy job, just let the air out, slip off the O-ring and slide off the can. The volume spacer wasn’t to reduce the bucking, but to create a more progressive feel and prevent bottom out at my preferred sag. I reduced the HSC to increase the sensitivity a little at the expense of bob (that’s sorted by the CS anyway). It’s the HSR that sorted the bucking, so that’s what you want to increase. It made a lot of difference when landing jumps to flat.

Bennn – My frame’s a large

That didn’t used to be the case Sui, you specify which dropouts you want when you place your order and that’s what you get + a spare mech hanger

Edit – Here’s a quote from the Blazing Bikes blog

There is no structural changes to the Rune/Spitfire and Prime for 2015. The decals have been updated, the bikes look simpler and pay homage to the Canadian roots of the brand. We have seen a considerable change in consumer demand for 27.5’’ drop outs, so from August/September, all frames will be shipping with 27.5’’ dropouts, unless requested otherwise.

It’s a cracking deal bennn and well worth the pre-order if your set on a Spitty, you’ll save over £400 off list price!

If your going with 650b pikes, as I have done, I’d recomend 150mm travel. The frame was designed around 160mm fox 34’s and they have the same axle to crown length as the 150mm 650b Pikes. If you want more travel in the future, just buy the airspring and make the changes.

And yes, 26″ wheels run just fine in a 650b fork! :wink:

PS, if your anywhere near Cheshire your welcome to come and have a go on mine if you can’t get a demo.

Thanks gamo

Should of done a search before posting. Seems there was a thread on this last week. Balls

Link to the thread I should of seen before posting!

I’ve said it here many times before, but I love my Spitfire. I’ve had it since November and done little to change my original build of 650b Pikes and CCDBA CS with 26″ wheels. If you look at previous threads I’ve put more detail into my build. I got a great deal at the time by pre-ordering through Blazing Bikes near Church Stretton in Shropshire. They were very helpful and did a frame and forks deal for a smidge over £2k. I guess with everything new my build would come in a little over £3k but I used a number of bits from my old bike.

I’ve not had any major problems over the summer and I’ve been riding 2-3 times a week, everything from forest bimbles to full on Ffestiniog downhill. The suspension pivots sometimes work a bit loose and you really need to protect parts of the frame near the chain. Even with a clutch mech and a single ring I found I was getting a lot of clatter on the rough stuff. I does like to collect the dirt as well in all those tight spots. I have never tried to fit a front mech, or a chain device but it’s pretty tight around there so could imagine it being a bit of a pain. That really is all I can think of that’s negative.

The suspension works so well for me. On the CCDB with 15mm (25%) sag and the small volume spacer, I have reduced the HSC by a half a turn and added a turn of HSR. I found it was bucking me a little with the base tune (I guess some like that pop 8O ). Now it’s working great. The Pike I have set with one token and 25% sag, a couple of clicks of compression and the rebound somewhere in the middle.

I have a hope headset that was driving me nuts a week ago with a click whenever I compressed the front end. A nice chap in a LBS suggested that I position the crown race with the slot facing sideways. Well I did this and tightened all back up and all is now silent… result!

Last weekend I rode Penmachno. It was wet and windy but just the perfect trail for the Spitfire. It peddled well and descended even better, proper smile inducing fun! Interestingly there was another chap there with a Rune. Only the second time I’ve seen someone else in the wild riding a Banshee…

oooooh dear, this doesn’t sound good at all.

Can I say with confidence that I made the right decision to stop waiting for the Rocket back in November…?

I’m gonna give my Spitfire an extra hug this evening when I put it to bed.

I look at cracks on a daily basis working in NDT and I’ve got to say I don’t like the look of that one. If you think about the braking forces on that post and what could happen if the bolt pulled out, I’d be taking it back to the shop pronto, hopefully for a bit or warranty love!

I do like the fact you’ve named it Tony…

Also, as an edit, I’m guessing your not using X-ray vision to look for the crack on the inside. When you take the bolt out it would naturally try and close up, plus you’ll trying to look down the thread making it much harder to spot. My guess is it does actually go all the way through…

Hello chaps

I was there last night and rode both the sections mentioned. So much better for them being dry but got stung by those pesky nettles in the second section.

Keep up the good work!

Your not comparing like with like there Greenwood, the Covert has more in common with the Banshee Rune with 160mm travel

I have a Spitfire, it’s a great bike. The equivalent Transition product is the the Bandit and I did give that consideration before I splashed out. I’d say your more likely to get a Bandit second hand as they’ve been around a bit longer than the Mk.2 Spitty, but the older frames will limit you to 26″ wheels where as the Spitfire can run both.

I’d avoid the older Mk.1 Spitfire as it was quite a different design that used bushings instead of bearings for the suspension pivots…

Works for me, and gives a nice bit of mud clearance. At some point I may get some bigger wheels, but I’m happy for now.

tymbian – Amnesty was on in the Chester store yesterday, managed to get a Ground Control grid that should of been £35 and a Purgatory for £40. I traded in a very old pair of fast tracks that we’re no good to man nor beast!

Ok, so I’ve always been a fan of Specialized tyres and gone on about them on here before. I’ve been using a Purgatory on the front for ages with a Captain on the back. Time came today to put some new ones on (there were visible holes in the sidewalls on the rear) so I got a new Purg for the front, and have tried a new Ground Control for the rear. It has the new Grid side walls that are supposed to be stronger.

Best thing about Spesh tyres for me is the ease at which they go up tubeless. I find that I can just pump as normal and they go up, even without sealant (there’s Stan’s in there now).

Oh and an even better thing is that with the tyre amnesty the concept stores have at the moment they only cost £20 each!

I could go on….

Hello all

Been reading with interest as I’ve been thinking of riding these routes later in the month.

I was planning the same, but wondered if there was any merit in going to the top of High Street Fell and defending decending! the roman road towards Troutbeck, before doubling back towards Kentmere via the Garburn Pass?

This would obviously miss Nan Bield, so is it worth the extra mileage?

Loved my spoon but it ate my shorts (and not in a Bart Simpson way).

Switched to a scoop and find it just as good, but without the raised stitching.

So I drive a 4 litre 4 wheel drive Passat… Not exactly economical but it goes well and makes a great noise!

The bikes sit on the roof quite happily.

As above.

I find I go further when pedaling forwards, nothing good ever comes from back pedaling…

Buff

Having just got back from thrashing my Spitfire round some amazingly dry dusty forest trails, and having never riddes a Chilcotin, I of course would say buy a Spitfire… now! (But put 26inch wheels on it for that retro feel!)

monkeyninja – I’m running 150mm 650b Pikes with 26 inch wheels and they feel fine. They have a 10mm greater axle to crown length than the 150mm 26 inch forks so give the bike an equivalent geometry to how it was designed.

As I’ve never run 26 inch forks on the bike I can’t really compare how it feels to ride, all I can say is that the bike works great for me. You just have a bit of extra tyre clearance, and future options…

So, great planning, they shut the blue on half term, nice one guys!

Yeah, don’t think they planned to shut it, and it’s not like there isn’t alternatives… :roll:

Nice to see so much interest in Banshee these past few days. There seems to be a new thread every day.

I have a 2014 Spitfire. Great bike, with a lot of geeky tweaking options. I don’t need to repeat what others have said above and what I’ve put in other theads but it’s worth believing the hype, especially with the CCDB CS and Pike forks. That suspension setup is fantastic. I test rode the Bronson, Rocket and the SB66/SB95 before choosing a Spitty and I’m very glad I did…

It’s no light weight, but that was never a priority for me.

Yeah, 650b 150mm Pikes with 26 inch dropouts and wheels. It works well, with a bit of extra clearance above the front wheel…

Oh, should add that I have 26 inch wheels on mine as well. I have a 650b fork so when I feel the need for my trails to come alive it’ll be an easy swap.

Hello, I’m a Spitfire owner. I’ve posted a bit about it over the last couple of days so if you want to see some pictures check out my previous.

I spent a really long time deliberating before I bought one. I originally wanted a Cotic Rocket and went test riding and loved it. Problem was they went out of stock this time last year and still are now. I therefore looked elsewhere and weighed up between the SB66 and the Spitfire. I liked the SB66 a lot but couldn’t justify the extra cost and favored the Spitfire’s versatility in that you could run either 650b or 26 wheels. The adjustable dropout positions meant tweaking handling as well, which appealed to my geeky engineering side.

So I went for a large 2014 Spitfire with the CCDB CS shock. I got a good deal combined with a new Pike fork, and was really well looked after by the chaps down at Blazing Bikes in Church Stretton.

I wanted the bike as a jack of all, I spend a lot of times at the Welsh trail centers but also get to the Peaks for natural all day rides. To that end it works very well. It peddles well, even with only 1×10 gearing, but it’s downhill that the bike works its best. It’s a long frame and the head angle is pretty slack so everything feels planted. Without doubt though, it’s the suspension that impresses most with the bike. It’s hard to describe but it soaks everything up without feeling wallowy and giving a bit of pop when you want. The CCDB is perfectly matched to the Pikes, and gives endless tuning potential if that’s your thing. If not then the base tune is very good, and if you leave it there for ever it will serve you very well.

The negatives, few thought there are, are that it is a bit on the heavy side (you could call it solid, or substantial feeling), and the complicated rear triangle collects mud and needs a bit of protecting from the chain even with a clutch mech.

It’s a great bike, I could go on about it all day and if I was choosing a new bike again now I’d still get a Spitty. Let me know if you need any more info.

Well I’ll give you that about the Bronson, I test rode before I got my Spitfire and didn’t enjoy at all ….

JCL – sorry but you are just plain wrong. All Banshee bIkes are renown for their stiffness these days. Read any review and it will tell you as much. I am by no means a light rider and weigh in at 15 stone kitted out and my bike is very solid.

As for the frame tubing, look at the pics! The top tube and the down tube are hydroformed and there are all sorts of reinforcements in the rear triangle with internal ribbing etc.

Have you ridden one?

More spitfire love here. The suspensions works so well and as said previously once set up right the CCDB can be just left to do it’s thing. It’s as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. The CCDB also complements the Pikes as they have very similar feeling damping qualities. Mine has 26 inch wheels at the moment but the Pikes are 650b so if I ever feel the need it’ll be a straight swap.

Gotta say, I’ve not found much to be negative about. Maybe it’s a little heavy…

setting your cables so that they don’t touch the crown would be my first step

^^^ This was working great for me, unfortunately it didn’t help when I went over the bars and the forks whacked into a rock. New lowers please…. 8O

Bump for all as today is Thursday

I was at my local Lidl for 08:00 this morning and happily picked up a work stand for £30. Took all my effort not to buy two, couldn’t really think of what to do with a second… Hmmm may go back after work – they’re just such good value 8O

Also picked up a chain cleaning thingy, not sure I’ll ever use it but… well, it was less than 4 quid!

Happy shopping

Pinkbike is full of useful kit today!

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/cane-creek-double-barrel-energy-suppositories.html

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/introducing-20switchinch-26-to-275-conversion-kit.html

:lol:

Thanks for the info, there seems to be a huge price difference. £85 – £600ish! Do you get what you pay for, or is it the law of diminishing returns.

I quite like the idea of suspension but looking at that other thread postierich, the fella with the Burley, is hitting CyB without any!

Awesome possibilities and after seeing those pictures I’m even more keen on one.

I’ve had a couple of Spoons. Good cheap saddles that are pretty comfy but I found the stitching ate my shorts (not in a Bart Simpson way)

I now use a Charge Scoop which has a smooth seat that so far has been kinder to my bum.

Hello all

I’m running 650b Pikes with 26 inch wheels on my Spitfire with absolutely no problems. There’s just a good amount of clearance. As said above, the axle to crown is 10mm more so I went for 150mm travel rather than 160 just to keep things in check. I may change this at some point as the rear drop positions can be played with on the Spitty.

I may also get some 650b wheels at some point…. maybe

My dual air Rebas used to do it. Air was leaking from the negative air spring into the fork leg and when compressed the seal would pop out. An air spring service sorted them out.

But… What does it dooooooo!

Couple of laps of the available black and red on Saturday put a huge grin on my face. Came away with dust, yes dust on my frame.

As said the B-line is closed after some major destruction but all the red is available and the rest of the black runs. Not had so much fun there for a good 6 months…

Lost my one years ago, is it actually important?

Edit – on closer inspection it looks like the cable is going onto the spool the wrong way. Bit of DIY handiwork required to re align.