The Banshee Goes Full XC: Swapping the Pike for a Fox Step Cast 34 - Hardtail Party

[@Rusty-Metal]

Cross country tire and wheel test, now cross country bike build! Uh oh. Someone's going all cross country on us. Next up... Why gravel bikes are fun followed by this is my new road bike! 😊 Even here in flat Michigan, many people ride Banshees with 120mm forks and love 'em.

[@mellissanash7517]

A Salsa Fargo & Cutthroat are ht plus tire gravel bikes with 100mm of travel...

[@ElevationEveryWeekend]

A little bit (cross) country and a little bit rock ‘n roll! Keep ‘em coming!

[@shaunroach7829]

Another great video, great explanation on geometry and how it changes the bike!! Can’t wait for the next one, Steve your a KZbin machine pumping videos out like no tomorrow!!! Great job 👍👍👍👍

[@Oh_Sully23]

Got my Kona Big Honzo CR built up last weekend. 34 StepCast 29" 120mm, Reserve 30 wheels, Minion DHF 2.5 on the front and Aggressor 2.3 with Cushcore on the rear. Wicked fun aggressive XC hardtail for my local trails. Once the tyres wear out I'll move to some lighter 2.6 tyres for more cush.

[@grug440]

I did the opposite of this on my Rocky Mountain Soul hardtail going from 120mm fork to 160mm ,67 degree head angle to 65 so more stable,wheelbase went from 1190mm to 1245mm,still steers fine and can handle much more ruff terrain.

[@markhagopian3257]

Did the bike feel more twitchy with the higher bottom bracket?

[@grug440]

@@markhagopian3257 not at all twitchy,I think the extra wheelbase stabilized it.might drop the travel to 140 one day.

Have you tried it with a longer fork, but the stem on the lowest place? It might be a good mix of both worlds...

[@stevencole7331]

First XC race I got a flat and did not finish . My second race I crashed and broke some ribs but finished . The third race which was interesting as I did it with a 3 man team which was fun as I ran the third leg with not a big wave as you see at the start and that was fun . What i learned Is not having any expectations and don't blow yourself up early in the race . Ride for fun and comorbidity with others . In most races there are only maybe 10 good racers that the regular folk and majority will never keep up with . Our 3 man team won first place but we were the only 3 man team in the race . Most were 2 . It makes for fun stories to talk about with the grand kids when the riding days end . I like your mad scientist exploration into the unknown Steve . You may discover something that just blows your mind

[@hardtailparty]

That's the goal. Hopefully i stumble upon something really special with these experiments.

[@adamrossi7010]

Can't wait for the ride review!! Im thinking about building a paradox with either a 120 or 130mm fork, 35mm rims and 29x2.6 tires. This will help me decide!!

[@hardtailparty]

It definitely will! Tomorrow you'll have your answer.

[@bikerdhill]

Steve, that banshee frame looks so cool, the color is awesome

[@nathancouse3596]

Once I retire my dv9, I'm pretty much sold on getting the paradox v3 with a 120 sid fork. Especially after watching your video testing this setup

[@yamahschector]

I need your darn service🤣 I can not decide how to build my paradox bought used with parts that need changed.

[@uselesstire]

Awesome video! Would love it if you could do a review of the Spot Rocker!

[@hardtailparty]

Me too. I've only ridden one around a parking lot. I really want to demo one on the channel. Head angle is a little old school, but I love the ss belt drive concept.

[@superspecky4eyes]

I'm thinking about doing something similar with the Ragley Mmmbop, I like the reach on the Mmmbop but that 63* head angle puts me off as I like climbing. I'm thinking of using a 130mm fork instead of 150mm.

[@michaelh5967]

Cool idea! You've totally got the Paradox V3 on my brain since your initial review of it. Wish they were easier to come by for demos! Interested to see how this set up will behave..

[@hardtailparty]

They're almost completely sold out. Word is out, and demand is high. I sure love mine. Fingers crossed this xc setup doesn't totally ruin a good thing.

[@michaelh5967]

@@hardtailparty According to their website you're in the clear. Enjoy it! The rest of us just have one more reason to be painstakingly looking forward to 2021!

[@_Ciiitron_]

You could steepen the headtube angle with an angleset to move it further into XC territory. A bit more work to switch in and out, but I think it would make for another interesting and informative video.

[@eillord]

I love your channel bruh! I'm a HT fan!

[@hardtailparty]

Party on!

[@yamahschector]

26.3 is light. My paradox came out at just over 29. I was hopping for lighter but under 30 was the goal.

[@JayMulford]

Love your videos! Getting back into mountain biking. Are you trying to get your hands on a Kona Big Honzo to review?

[@nategadow4482]

What size front cog are you using?

[@hardmtnbiker]

Tires make a huge difference! I agree XC racing is not for me either and the best times I’ve ever had at an event was the 24hour races with a group of friends doing relays. My SS is a lot lighter than my hardtail with gears. Both have wide rims with fat tires. I value that too much to consider narrow (sub i30) with narrow tires sub 2.4”

[@246Drew]

Hmmmm... this has me thinking of the 120mm vs 130mm consideration I had for the Chameleon. Went with the 120mm fork in the end.If I had the info I have now, from your vids, I would have gone with the 130mm and not worry about it at all.... I definitely prefer a more trail oriented bike setup but still not so heavy that it is bogs down during accelerate or climbing. All of these effects are part and parcel of having a bike setup that will handle what/where one rides... it all depends 😎

[@hardtailparty]

Totally. I don't feel a huge difference between 120 and 130 on the chameleon. It's very subtle.

[@246Drew]

Coming from a more XC bike with a HTA in the 70s, anything in the sub 70's would have been an improvement for me. Wasn't sure how much would have been "too much" and be a huge initial shock.. No massive down hills here. So I figured I'd be just fine with the factory spec geo. Watching your Chameleon reviews and seeing the terrain considerations for you, the Chamaleon would be a beast for me. Mind you, I am now curious as to what a slacker HTA would feel like...

[@maxwitek6203]

Actually Banshee says 120-150mm :) I am going to build my paradox somewhat in between your setups... 130mm Fox34 and light 25mm 29" Wheels with 2.3 Maxxis Minions (DHR2/SS) for quickish Trails but also eine tech stuff... Should sit a Touch below 28 pounds with pedals :)

[@hardtailparty]

Ah, thanks for the correction. For some reason I swore I saw 130-150 last time I looked.

[@gabrielgarcia367]

Awesome!!!!!!!! Waiting for next episode!!!! (Like the Last Dance🤣)

[@AZRob.]

When I was consulting with you through patreon, I was leaning toward the Team Marin 2, but did not make a purchase. I have since changed my mind because the stack height is super important to me. Knowing that this bike has a real high stack, and the glowing review you gave it after testing in XC mode, I am leaning toward the Banshee Paradox. So, my question is, after installing the step cast fork, what is the new stack height?

[@hardtailparty]

I don't know, but a 120mm fork will have a 20mm lower stack height than a 140mm. You should be able to calculate it that way.

[@AZRob.]

@@hardtailparty Thanks Steve! It looks like I am going to do a custom build, so, I will hop back on patreon this week to get your recommendations on parts and suppliers.

[@ryanwhite3174]

Have you done any enduro races? Planning on taking my Silverback Slade Trail hardtail to a few here in South Africa when we are allowed out again!

[@hardtailparty]

No, I've never raced Enduro. I have attended a few. I sound like a grumpy old man (maybe I am) but racing costs a lot, eats up an entire day, and just isn't as fun as riding with friends. I get why people do it, but it's not really my jam. I'm not fast either.

[@ryanwhite3174]

@@hardtailparty Haha not at all, I definitely lean more towards your view but I want to at least experience it. I was more wondering if you have any idea as to what its like to ride enduro on a hard tail. Do you have any friends that do it?

[@kaiserdd6623]

Great video. I’m considering switching my chameleon’s fork to the 120mm fox stepcast. I’m in the Midwest so my trails are more XC and boring lol. What do you think, could be a great weight savings as well. I also have the slacker installed which I like but don’t think I need a super slack hta for my trails. I do run a set of 29 x 2.4 and also a set of 27.5 x 2.8’s. Thanks for your help!

[@hardtailparty]

Yeah, go for it.

[@tjay_mac]

Watching this video while I patiently wait for the Fuse review. 🤪😁✌️ I think you can still enjoy 2.8 size tire on that bike without too much weight penalty. Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.8 weighs 770g (not the 3.0 model, the 2.8 has taller knobs than 3.0). It's going to have more traction and suspension than what you have now. You can find a used Roval Carbon 38 for $500-700. Those weigh sub 1600g with DT hubs. Sram 11 speed XX1 Cassette are only 250g. Specialized makes lightweight dropper post although they're not infinite adjustment. Still 100g lighter than the PNW Bachelor I replaced mine with.

[@hardtailparty]

Coming soon. I'm putting in some good rides on the fuse to make the review accurate.

[@mellissanash7517]

So then if I have a 490mm a to c fork(51mm offset) & go with a 120mm fork(like that fox 32, what offset is it, couldn't find info on it) then that would slacken the head angle a bit? So that would make a 69* hta to 67* since it be about a +40mm change. Maybe it's time I go from rigid to a suspension fork. Have you ever tested an x-fusion fork? Thanks

[@hardtailparty]

I don't have enough info. I need to know atc of both forks. Putting a fork with a 40mm larger atc will raise the stack, slacken the seat angle, raise the bb, and slacken the head angle. Sometimes it makes a bike ride really well, sometimes it throws everything off.

[@mellissanash7517]

@@hardtailparty Good to know cause the max I travel I can run is about 140mm on my Surly & this had me thinking about going 120mm. It currently has the Salsa rigid fork(got the bike off CL) on there. I guess I will have to try it with 120mm as I've heard good things from the KM folks running 140mm of travel.

[@iceman228dog]

Need to review the Sonder transmitter. 👍😁

[@hardtailparty]

I tried, but they haven't gotten back to me.

[@kevinmedina2254]

So if i go from a 130 to 140 travel on my hardtail its not gonna change my angles? I want a little more travel and a better overall fork but want to keep my Head angle at 66 and Seat tube at 75.

[@hardtailparty]

It's definitely going to change your angles.

[@kylew7234]

What style of shainstay guards are those?

[@hardtailparty]

It came with the frame. Very nice chainstay. For something similar check out the Santa Cruz chainstay protectors. A lot of people have been modifying them for their bikes lately.

[@hardtailparty]

What do you think? Is it going to ride better, or worse?

[@Fishconcierge]

You are going to tell us hope that rides sweet and fun. I was about to do that experiment with a meta ht Frame, commencal says 140-150 at least but I don’t need much travel and i Climb 50% and downhill 50%. How negative do you think will be for a meta ht if I go with a 120 fork. What do you think about the marzochi bomber z1 and z2? Still thinking about the experiment, before buying all the stuff. I have a Scott scale which I love but I want to try something more playful, I’ll never race 🤣

[@christianholmstedt8770]

Yes it will. :)

[@THOELL2737]

How much lower did the bottom bracket get

[@hardtailparty]

No idea. With some trigonometry you could figure it out.

[@kiznile123]

You know you got my attention with this title 😂

[@hardtailparty]

That was just for you Kyle.

[@kiznile123]

@@hardtailparty lol well thanks Steve!

[@angel-leonhontiveros4816]

I think an ikon rear 2.2 and an ardent 2.25 front will play well with sedona dirt lol down country hardtail? Hahaha

[@dennismiller1602]

I love it!! keep up the tech bike experiments(;

[@hardtailparty]

Always

[@markhagopian3257]

I like it. I would do the same just to try it out if i had all those spare parts lying around. Maybe some 165-170 cranks for pedal strikes and my short legs.

[@hardtailparty]

I've been wanting to try 160-165 cranks for a while, but I don't have access to any. It makes sense in my head for shorter legs to have shorter cranks

[@markhagopian3257]

@@hardtailparty i used to run them racing BMX years ago. I could pedal faster with the shorter cranks. Rotation diameter was smaller. I didn't miss the leverage.

[@ognyc6522]

I see you clamp your dropper,are you comfortable doing that with all dropper brands? Thanks!!

[@hardtailparty]

Yup

[@fedeleon1172]

I have a SC 32 100mm for a epic carbon and really it is crap, I like a lot fox suspension but this Sc 32 flexes a lot, it is crazy the amount of flex, avoid it please

[@hardtailparty]

This is a sc34, which is stiffer. My least favorite part of this fork is the super delicate rebound knob shaft.

[@fedeleon1172]

@@hardtailparty I have a trance advanced with a normal 34 and it feels good, I want to try the pike ultimate soon just for curiosity

[@seanglysing6913]

It look better with that fork

[@Rusty-Metal]

And yes XC racing sucks as you say. Takes all the reason out of why I ride. Unfortunately, Michigan is full of XC races.