Banshee Scythe - Built for burl and hurl

Source: Ryan Kuhn

Midway through the 2008 season, the DH race beast sunk its fangs deep into my blood. I suddenly had a burning desire to get on the track as much and as soon as possible. However, the limiting factor was I had dumped all my cash early in the season on a new “all mountain” ride more apt to the single track of my hometown of Rossland, B.C.In order to fix my craving, drastic measures were called for. I decided the only option was to delve into the line-of-credit (all-mountain bike for sale…anyone?) to build a race-capable bike, along with a little help from my friends. However, I had a few prerequisites: I wanted to keep it local (as in a B.C./Pacific Northwest company), simple and sturdy enough to handle the day-to-day abuse freeriding in the Kootenays of British Columbia. This is in addition to the performance necessary of a competitive race machine.

Here’s what my debt built:

Frame:


Banshee Scythe – If you haven’t checked out Banshee (bansheebikes.com) in a while, you’re in for a big surprise. Under new ownership and with a list of new designs, Banshee is poised to claw back some of the North Shore/freeride market of which it once played a more dominate role. Synonymous with being very beefy, the older Banshee models such as the Scream were gradually becoming relegated to the sidelines as riders of today demand lighter weight and performance in addition to durability.

Banshee design engineer Keith Scott (and co-owner with Jay MacNeil) recognized this trend as he was an avid North Shore rider himself. He developed the Scythe as the bike he wanted to ride with same characteristics I was looking for – durable, light, no-fuss and race potential due to the geometry’s adjustability and light weight. If you want to see Scythe’s sexy new race sibling, check out the Legend Mk1 at http://www.bansheebikes.blogspot.com/.

The Scythe is adjustable from 7” to 8” of rear wheel travel, with two shock settings in each for downhill and freeride applications (the latter having a higher bb and steeper head angle). The linkage is a simple but stiff faux-bar (effectively a single pivot with the rear pivot point on the seat stay) linkage with a full compliment of sealed bearings handling the pivot points. The head tube is 1.5” and most of the tubing is hydro-formed with gusseting seamlessly melded into the frame. I received the small size in the finely finished anodized grey. It came with a Fox DHX 5.0 coil shock, spare bearing/bushing parts, seat post and a 12mm Maxle rear axle – a nice touch.


Fork:

2008 Fox 40r – with rebound and compression cartridge installed. The Fox 40 is one of two truly competitive racing forks for the mass market (the other being the Boxxer World Cup). I got a great deal on the 40r from Revolution Cycles and Service (revolutioncycles.ca) and ordered the rebound/compression upgrade cartridge. With a remarkably simple swap, the budget model was transformed into the high-end model.


Other bits:

Brakes: I’m waiting on a set of the Formula Ones, but in the meantime my old Hayes Stroker Trails (see previous review) are keeping things in line. While not really a race brake by any means, I am still impressed by the Hayes feel and adjustability.

Wheels: I am pleased with my Mavic 823 UST rims, so they earned their spot on this build. I laced them to pewter Chris King 20mm front hub and a new Hadley 150mm rear hub, joined by DT Swiss spokes. Finally, to keep things rolling fast yet versatile for the sloppier stuff, I put 2.5 Maxxis Minion UST front-specific tires on both wheels.

Drive Train: up front, sturdy Shimano Saint cranks with Shimano PD-MX30 pedals turn a versatile 36-tooth chain ring encased in a Gamut P30 (ISCG05 compatible) chain guide. This is my first experience with Gamut, but its light weight, simplicity and clean lines are impressive. In the rear, a SRAM 9.0 short cage derailleur gets the duty, along with a SRAM racing (corn cob) race cassette, linked by a SRAM chain.


Topping it off: Ole faithful ODI Ruffian Grips grab an oversized Chromag FUBAR zero rise bar (28” wide) with a stylish Chromag Cutblock 002 stem and an X9 shifter. I opted for a light WTB Thinline saddle.


Final spec: Fully built, the Scythe comes in at a respectable 39.5 lbs. – light as a freeride bike that is race capable. And on top of that, it’s a made-in-BC head-turner, especially in the durable stealth grey ano and matching bits.



Up Next: I’ll be riding this in several races to finish off the season, just finished the Crankworx events and heading to Sun Peaks, as well as the many new trails we’re digging in the Koots. Stay tuned for a full review of the Scythe this fall.

Happy Trails!

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