Banshee Wildcard
Pure Awesomeness. Running it in a light FR build - domain, elixir cr mag, hope pro 2 on mavic ex 721 - excellent. I can throw it to literary anything i want, can do a bit of street there, go on dirt later, and then hit some single tracks. Can recommend it to anyone.
Hands down the best bike in it's category that I have had the pleasure of riding, nevermind owning. Climbs like a goat, jumps and pedals as if it were a hardtail, and in the hands of the right rider can easily take on even the gnarliest rock filled DH course.
holy ... just bought this bike and man best fun ive ever had on a bike ! mine came with the new domain fork and the new rear air shock, formula k 18 brakes and i will hit things on this bike that i never would have though to hit on my hardtail. this is really fun on single track and downhill. dirt jumps are easy it handles really well. great deal i got the special edition wildcard and i will be barried with it !!!! 3
I've been on one for half a season... I've progressed faster on this bike than my previous ... it is very confidence inspiring... and is incredibly versatile. I ride mine on all types of gravity trails.. Jump lines, drop lines, rough and tumble trails and fast flowy trails... it is quick, pedals really well and excels at everything it does.
Good price point too.
Good price point too.
just wow. ive been riding my wildcard for about 2month now amd i can pick no faults what-so-ever with it. im 5.11, so i bought a Med, its such a fun bike to ride. so flicky, light and you can just put it where you want. i ride mainly FR, but its just as competent on the DH trails as well as the DJs and 4X tracks. id recomend it to any one who want somthing with a little more tha 4" travel. when set up at 5" it feels like it is alot smaller that it is and its capable of hitting DJs like a hardtail, whereas when it is set at 6.5" it can still take the big hits and feels like it has a lot more travel than some of the bigger bikes. last but not least, it just looks badass.
awsome freeride bike for anything from downhill to big gaps and drops singletrack and dirtjumps.It is a reall nice frame,welds are spot on and the anodised option is very good at no extra cost.
Hndles very well fast tight in the corners and good in the air.Not just for slopestyle but a very good allrounder for more extreme mountaining biking.... top marks.
Hndles very well fast tight in the corners and good in the air.Not just for slopestyle but a very good allrounder for more extreme mountaining biking.... top marks.
Ive had this bike for half a year and ive used it to xc/allmountain dirt/street dh/fr. Recently ive only used it as a downhill bike. On its 6.5 setting and with a 08 66 ata. It works remarkably well in the terrain. Ive ridden allot of bikes over this decade and a half, and must say banshee always surpises me again on the performance part.
It might feel stiff and not plush when you push the suspension down with your arms on the seat. But when you jump on it and ride down the terrain. It shows you its true face. It doesnt flex like many other things. Gives you allot of control in the gnarliest of trails. Trust me ive tried. Ive even developed my skills more on this bike. And that says allot. That it works an does its job. Ive had countles other brands. And nothing has given me such a smile.
Using it on dirt and street, is allso awesome. The low standover and short frame gives you plenty of control.
Pedaling on banshee's has allways been good. Even the scream pedals nice. Doesn bob when your pedaling, siting of course. Very little drag on the gears cuz of the low chainstay pivot placement.
All and all this bike reeks of potensial for those ho realy want to develop their skills and not fiddle with stupid suspension settups and bad geo. This thing can take it all. Id recommend it to anybody.
It might feel stiff and not plush when you push the suspension down with your arms on the seat. But when you jump on it and ride down the terrain. It shows you its true face. It doesnt flex like many other things. Gives you allot of control in the gnarliest of trails. Trust me ive tried. Ive even developed my skills more on this bike. And that says allot. That it works an does its job. Ive had countles other brands. And nothing has given me such a smile.
Using it on dirt and street, is allso awesome. The low standover and short frame gives you plenty of control.
Pedaling on banshee's has allways been good. Even the scream pedals nice. Doesn bob when your pedaling, siting of course. Very little drag on the gears cuz of the low chainstay pivot placement.
All and all this bike reeks of potensial for those ho realy want to develop their skills and not fiddle with stupid suspension settups and bad geo. This thing can take it all. Id recommend it to anybody.
I have been riding a Wildcard for over a year now and it still feels fresh. Probably the most fun bike i have ridden. Handle big drops like champ but still shreds the Djs with the right fork. Mine came with an Evolver 6 way air shock, my first, and it is awesome. Super light. adjustable, progressive good times. Needed one rebuild, under warranty, and she is rocking. I am a fairly aggressive rider and have broke most of the bikes i have owned but this one is still slaying the trails. Highly recommended!
This is a really do it all bike! Dirt jumps, skatepark, freeride, drops to flat, even XC, whatever you want, it will handle everything, especially if using a fork with adjustable travel. What aboun cons? It isn't available anymore, they discontinued it for some reason, maybe because "slopestyle fashion" is gone. So I hope mine Wildcard will roll as long as possible, as it seems indestructible right now
Banshee was in need of a slopestyle bike to compete with transition jamis and now norco. They created the wildcard cause it really was a gamble if it was going to be any good and geuss what its the best bike for slopestyle light freeride they definitely went above and beyond on making sure the wildcard would be exceptional.
Ok so I will be as breif but as detailed as possible!
I bought the bike with the idea of building a good all-around bike without paying too much for parts as I would upgrade overtime since the frame would last me a long time. This theory flew out the window as soon as I got the frame. It was soo pretty and just wanted to be ridden. So I built it up single speed with a Yess tensionner with hubs by shimano on Alexrims FR32 rims, domain 318 U-turn 160-115mm, nx bars and stem, Avid juicy 3, Truvativ cranks and other bits and pieces. Here is my opinion after a season and a half of riding.
Pros:
-The bike looks mean in black anodized paint and is very durable
-7.5 pounds for a frame is best in class
-A true all-arounder at home at the dirt jumps, my skateparc and world class DH courses (Bromont and St-Anne)
-Precise and clean welding and overall quality
-Offer many options of builds from SS to Mini-DH
-Good resale value
Cons:
-Pricey frame but you get what you pay for
-Its a quality bike so its heartbreaking to build it up with cheaper parts (be prepared to pay)
-5 inches may be a little too much for die hard dirt jumpers..although with and air shock you can stiffen it up and it rides just amazingly well
Thats pretty much all I mean im in love with the bike soo just buy one allready!
I bought the bike with the idea of building a good all-around bike without paying too much for parts as I would upgrade overtime since the frame would last me a long time. This theory flew out the window as soon as I got the frame. It was soo pretty and just wanted to be ridden. So I built it up single speed with a Yess tensionner with hubs by shimano on Alexrims FR32 rims, domain 318 U-turn 160-115mm, nx bars and stem, Avid juicy 3, Truvativ cranks and other bits and pieces. Here is my opinion after a season and a half of riding.
Pros:
-The bike looks mean in black anodized paint and is very durable
-7.5 pounds for a frame is best in class
-A true all-arounder at home at the dirt jumps, my skateparc and world class DH courses (Bromont and St-Anne)
-Precise and clean welding and overall quality
-Offer many options of builds from SS to Mini-DH
-Good resale value
Cons:
-Pricey frame but you get what you pay for
-Its a quality bike so its heartbreaking to build it up with cheaper parts (be prepared to pay)
-5 inches may be a little too much for die hard dirt jumpers..although with and air shock you can stiffen it up and it rides just amazingly well
Thats pretty much all I mean im in love with the bike soo just buy one allready!
This bike can absolutely kill it on trails. I can't complain about this bike! Being able to swich from 5" to 6.5" of travel is super handy. Very jumpable for a freeride type of bike. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
super quiet, flowy, awesome bike. never had anything more responsive or fast around corners. average weight.
Banshee Wildcard
(MSRP $1855)
—
The new school rider has the ultimate tool to show-off pulling the biggest and badest tricks. Super low standover means the rider can throw a leg over to style out the flashiest can-can or tailwhip, and with the lightest weight frame in its class, rotational tricks are effortless as you're not fighting with the mass of the bike. You'll be the envy of your friends as you start throwing it down large.
Specifications Compare to other DH Bikes
| Release Date | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,855 | |
| Travel | 127mm or 152mm | |
| Rear Shock | DHX 5.0 Air |
Dimensions
| Size | S | M | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frame Weight | 7.5 lbs | 7.5 lbs | 7.5 lbs |
| Bike Weight | |||
| Headtube Angle | 67 ° | 67 ° | 67 ° |
| Seattube Angle | 73 ° | 73 ° | 73 ° |
| Headtube Length | |||
| Chainstay Length | 426.72 mm | 426.72 mm | 426.72 mm |
| BB Height | 368.3 mm | 368.3 mm | 368.3 mm |
| BB Width | 68 mm | 68 mm | |
| Seat Post Diameter | 30.0 " | 30.0 " | 30.0 " |
| Front Derailleur Width | |||
| HeadTube Diameter | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Top Tube Length | 556.26 mm | 586.74 mm | 617.22 mm |
| WheelBase | 1104 mm | 1135 mm | 1164 mm |
| Standover Height | 722 mm | 724 mm | 726 mm |
i know every body is upgrading to 27.5 bikes, but because of the artificial low prices of 26" bikes you can make high end bike out of this bike. buy 26" and youl have all the bell and whistles of 27.5 if you run new parts but at around half the cost thanks to all the people selling off old 26"s.
got my wild card frame for around 300 and the thing has fox 36, rock shox debonair rear shock and all for a brilliant price.
dont up grade for no reason ppl, 27.5 is a lil better on bumps but not enough for + 2500 $ on the price tag of a bike. you could buy a used car for that.