photo: Mike Crane Camp of Champions

www.bansheebikes.com

catalog: ryan daugherty

nucleus of our business. Jay, Keith and Jon are always an email, PM or forum thread away and are thrilled to hear your questions, comments and ideas. Everyone involved with Ban-shee loves bikes just as much as you guys and we’re incred-ibly passionate about getting you the best ride you ever had.

BANSHEE TODAYWe’ve come a long way since our start in the early 2000’s and we’re still forging a new trail with new frames that blur the lines between. Peo-ple thought our bikes were unorthodox when we started bolting them together but what happened was the Scream became one of the most iconic freeride bikes of our genera-tion. Since we opened our doors in 2003 we’ve created some of the most forward thinking designs in the in-dustry. In 2007 we scrapped our entire line of frames and started from scratch. Enter Keith Scott, Engineer, rider and Master Magician. Keith’s no BS approach to design resulted in a new range of frames that propelled Ban-shee into the modern cycling era. We continue to develop frames for what riders ask for.

We don’t keep secrets, hide prototypes or just give our pros exclusive rights to test-ing, in fact our testing phi-losophy is pretty unique. First of all we run models in the computer world, test prototypes in the factory, then give frames to our pros and customers. Yes, our cus-tomer. With the Legend and the upcoming Prime we pro-vided fifty frames to actual riders that would provide crucial feedback on the de-velopment of our frames be-fore they land at your lo-cal bike shop. Your input is always considered in the development of our frames even if you aren’t one of the fifty selected. It’s easy to do, simply start a thread on the banshee portion of MTBR.com. We’re on there and actively participate. Being visible to our riders is in reality the

- Jay

photo: Mike Crane Camp of Champions

owner & general manager

downhill race8” TravelHydroformed 7005 AL TubesMega low center of gravity Internal Ribbed Stays150 X 12 Hub Spacing1.5 HeadtubeISCG2005

weight: 8.59lbs

engineer & mastermind

photo: jacob gibbonsrider: adam brayton

Adjustable Tavel: 7” or 8” Hydroformed 7005 AL Tubes

Front Derailleur CompatibleFull Compliment BearingsAdjustable Geo: FR of DH

Full Length Seat TubeInternal Ribbed Stays

Maxle Compatible 12mm X 150

1.5 HeadtubeISCG2005

Weight: 8.8lbs

freeride/downhill

photo: Mike Cranerider: Jack FogelquistCamp of Champions

photos: Devon Balet, www.devonbaletphoto.com rider: Linden Carlson

Travel 6”Hydroformed 7005 AL TubesFront Derailleur CompatibleFull Length Seat TubeInternal Ribbed StaysBushing PivotsGrease Ports1.5 HeadtubeISCG2005

Weight: 6.22lbs“Keith got it right the first time. Seems like the rest of the bike industry is struggling to make a bike as versatile as the Rune.”

- Scott SmithRune Owner

all-mountain / light fr

photo: Devon Balet

The Spitfrire rips trails up and down and is always pushing me for more. This bike will ride anything so long as you have the lungs and the balls.

- Geoff Holt spitfire owner

trail

photos: Mike Crane, Camp of Champions photos: Devon Balet, www.devonbaletphoto.com

4” TravelHydroformed 7005 AL TubesFull Length Seat TubeInternal Ribbed StaysSuperlow StandoverBushing PivotsGrease PortsISCG2005

Weight: 6.09lbs

4x/slope

it’s the slalom bike for dh’ers. the geo is relaxed but not lazy and it cor-ners like a demon! The suspension has a great feel and can be tuned to the ends of the earth! photo: Devon Balet

rider: Graeme Pitts

photo: Mike Zingerrider: Alan Hepburn

- Graeme Pitts

photos: Mike Crane, Camp of Championsphotos: Devon Balet, www.devonbaletphoto.com

Gussets Formed into the TubingHydroformed 7005 AL TubesSingle Speed or Gears Internal Ribbed StaysSuper Low StandoverHorizontal DropoutsInternal Headset

Weight: 4.5lbs

dj/street/4x/slope

“shut the front door...”

photo: Laurence Crossman-Emmsrider: Mike Montgomery

My amps have taken such a beating in the past that I know other bikes can’t take. My amp just takes everything I throw at it with no problems at all and every time I ride I know I’m on one of the greatest hardtails in the world! - mike montgomery

“It’s stiff, precise and fun”

-Lynx trail

photo: Devon Balet

Name: Keith Macagan ScottAge: 27Education: Masters in Mechanical Engineering, Durham University, UK

How did you get involved with Ban-shee? Initially I did a part time summer placement with Banshee in Vancou-ver (part time was ideal as it meant I got lots of great riding in). I’d kept in touch with Jay, and so when I was choosing my thesis topic, I figured I might as well design a DH race bike for Banshee (which has evolved into the Banshee Legend). Then one thing lead to another, and as I came out to spend a year living in Whistler, I also walked into the role of Banshee de-signer with the challenge of rede-signing the entire range.

What makes makes banshee’s frames unique? Hmmm, hard to say if there is any-thing unique about the whole range, as it varies a lot from bike to bike. I guess in terms of features the in-ternally ribbed stays to increase stiffness to weight ratio are maybe unique, other than that, they are frames designed to be the best they can be for whatever discipline they are designed for. The devil is in de-tail, and they add up to one hell of a fun range of bikes to ride...even if I do say so myself.

Tell me about your design process from inspiration to concept to ready for production. Concepts for new bikes don’t really come from inspiration too much, they come from a lot of feedback from customers, forums, and people I meet

on the trails, as well as what I know I want from a bike. Once I know the ge-ometry, and specific suspension char-acteristics I want, then I spend a lot of time dialing them in with a design that allows for them This means fit-ting everything together in a small space, allowing for component com-patibility, ergonomics and aesthet-ics. without compromising the per-formance is often the hardest part of a design, and this is where That is where inspiration is most need-ed. Once a concept design is ready, then prototypes are always made and tested in machines, under pro rid-ers... and what I call real world rid-ers (like myself and the many other test riders we regularly use). These riders might not be super fast or smooth, but will likely stress the bike to a different degree and bet-ter represent the average Banshee rider. Feedback and data is then fed back into the design to make maybe a second or third (all the way up to 6th for the legend) stage model be-fore the frame rides the way myself and all testers want it to, and passes all structural tests with ease... and only then will we start production and start selling to the public.

What is VF4B and what does it do that other suspension systems don’t? VF4B (Virtual Floating 4 Bar) is just a name, We try to avoid marketing gim-micks whenever possible, as we don’t believe in them. The only way to know how well a bike rides and if it suits your riding style is to ride it, and that is why we always recommend to people to have test ride. But, I guess you could say that VF4B

sensitivity too much. This was really just a bike that could take abuse, would put a smile on your face, and let you have fun on the trail with minimal maintenance requirements and confidence. More than likely you would break before the bike would. I rode my wildcard prototype for two full summers in Whistler and loved it.

What has been you favorite frame you’ve designed so far? Why? Ah, it has to be the legend... that bike is my baby. I spent 5 years of my life working on it, and it is also the bike that landed me this job, so it has sen-timental value I guess...plus it rips!

Where do you see the future of frame design heading? Tough one to call. Personally I think that suspension designs have plateaued more or less. Any signifi-cantly new linkage you see now will most likely be for gimmick effect rather than performance... although I’d quite like to be proven wrong on that! I really think that the future is more in the materials, and manu-facturing processes being used, as they develop, then the bikes will get stronger and lighter, and profile shapes may change too. I’ve always thought about how cool it would be to have a bionic bike, that reacts to high stress areas by strengthening itself in those loca-tions, whilst losing weight in other areas, and can repair itself if dam-aged (a bit like living bone)... al-though this may be a while off yet! haha!

is a short link 4 bar linkage with virtual pivot. Don’t for one second think that because it may look simi-lar to some other linkage designs, that it will ride the same way... this is where those little devilish details are most apparent. Moving even just one pivot a couple of mil-limeters, can make a massive impact on ride characteristics. Each VF4B bike is different, and designed spe-cifically to excel at whatever riding discipline the bike was designed for. There are many characteristics such as, leverage ratio, chain stretch, axle path, anti-squat etc. that all contribute to the overall feel and performance of a bike, so I take huge care in every linkage and each bike has it’s own linkage really... VF4B is just there because people always asked what the linkage was called. Future designs will run the KS link... but it’s just a name. What you really want to pay attention to is the riding performance you get from each bike.

What was the first frame you de-signed? What was the thought behind it? The first frame I designed was the Wildcard. This frame was designed to be a playful bike that could take the abuse of riding any trail you point it down. I wanted it to be a single pivot bike for the strength and simplic-ity the design offers, as well as the predictable jumpability (yeah, new word to add to your dictionary), and used a shock actuation linkage to get the progressive feel. I wanted the Wildcard to take big hits smoothly, without sacrificing smaller bump

FROM THE HORSES MOUTH >>KEITH SCOTT BANSHEE ENGINEER

What part of the bike (aside from frames) would you like to see fur-ther developed and why? Drivetrain and gears... I’d like to see the end of derailleurs and chains one day. I’ve smashed too many rear derailleurs on rocks and roots to count, and each one comes with a pretty hefty price for something that may only last one ride if your unlucky. I’ve often consider spend-ing time to properly design an in-ternally geared rear hub with 6-8 gears that is strong enough for DH abuse, reliable, easy to maintain, not too heavy compared to current set up (hub + cassette + derailleur + extra chain) and because of lack of cas-sette will allow for stronger wheel build due to wide flange design... but has to come in at a reasonable price point, which is the hardest part. With a hub like this then you don’t need a chain, and can use a lighter carbon belt setup... and killing derailleurs could be a thing of the past. What were you riding before you started designing frames?I had a 54lbs Banshee Scream with Monsters. 3” wide front tire 24” rear wheel, and lots of heavy but strong parts... I couldn’t afford repair bills, so just bought stuff that didn’t break. It may have been heavy, but once it got going... it fairly plowed through things! Dur-ing this time a bike of this scale was not uncommon in BC, but things have changed (improved) A LOT now. If you had to pick one trail to ride the rest of your life what would it be and why? That is a very hard one... hmmm, I

guess it would have to be a long trail with a lot of variety in it. erm... perhaps 19th Hole in Squamish, as it starts mainly natural, with a couple of bridges, and gets fairly tech and steep, and has some optional gaps as you get further down with some fun hips and step-downs. Although my favorite trails other than 19th Hole are probably PHD, (for it’s steep rock rolls and natu-ral terrain) and Cream Puff (for the flow)... if you don’t know where these are, then you haven’t earned them yet, but you can always search youtube for footage...

If you had to pick one bike to ride the rest of your life what would it be and why? Oh man... this is almost impossible... hmmm. I think I’d probably pick the Wildcard, because I can ride every-thing from XC to full on DH on it, and it loves to jump and can take any-thing I could throw at it. If not the Wildcard, then the Rune maybe... it isn’t quite as big hit or DH friendly, but can handle most things and ped-als really well for those epic days. (of course this choice does not in-clude future designs that are in the works...)

What are your plans for the Summer? Any riding trips planned? I think I will be making my normal pil-grimage to BC, and probably living in Whistler again. Nowhere else can you ride the quantity of varied ter-rain in one day. I also have so many good friends out there now, that it feels like my second home... in fact sometimes it feels like my first home!

Plus for me it is great to see what everyone is riding, and talk to people about, so from a work point of view it makes a lot of sense in every way.

Have you ridden Black Rock or Post Canyon yet? If not…. why? HAHA. Haha... one day mate... one day. the riding there looks great and I’m defi-nitely keen to sample it!

Any new projects in the works? I heard about Ti axles and 29er’s.... Always several projects in the works! Yeah I’ve designed some Ti axles that will fit most frames (not just Banshee) an have further devel-opment plans down that route… and I’m always designing new frames for the future years. The 29er I suspect you are referring to is the Prime, which promises to be a very versatile and fun prototype to ride... but pro-duction bikes will definitely tick all boxes... keep and eye on our blog and mtbr as things continue to develop.

photo: Devon Balet

geo charts

detailed info at www.bansheebikes.com

SNEAK PEAK >>29” ALL-MOUNTAIN

photo credit: Rob Dunnet

photo: Mike Crane Camp of Champions bansheebikes.com