So I got some time in on the Banshee Chaparral now and it was quite nice with only a few setbacks about it
Anyone else check one out? I know a lot of you love banshee's so it'd be interesting to see what you guys thought about the Chap
Banshee Chaparral
thats my setup, running a reasonably strong yet light build with an 06 travis triple. bike feels great for some things and not so great for others. very stable on skinnies, logrides and tech sections but I find it leaves alot to be desired on really high speed, rocky descents. maybe I don't have the rear shock dialled in yet, I'm nt sure. it weighs around 42lbs right now, ideally I'd like to drop the weight down to 39 lbs and keep the same fork. I should easily be able to make this happen with a lighter BB, a lighter saddle and a set of folding bead nevegals(I have run these in the past with no problems). I think with these mods to drop a bit of weight, the bike would really be a do it all machine wehn it comes to climbing.
Nice bike . The folding bead nevegal's are about a quarter pound lighter each than the wire nevegals. If you're running the DH casing Nevegal's you should try the wire nevegals before the folding oness unless you're set on running them.
hard to say, but I am running the DH casings right now and the are way heavier than the folding beads I had on my old Bullit. I found that going to the much lighter folding bead tires really made the bike come alive and really helped on long pedals.
Personally I ran the folding bead tires at the same pressure I do the dh casings on the same rocky, fast trails with XC tubes with absolutely no flats. The weight difference was light and day as I believe the folding beads drop nearly a pound of rotational weight off each wheel…pretty damn good!
I am considering swapping the travis DC for a travis SC, but I'm not really decided. I ran a travis SC on my bullit and loved it, and I think that would really really make this bike a versatile beast. Even with 8" of travel up front it climbs well up fireroads but it's horrible on technical climbs-the front end is just way too high.
Yea, the weight is pretty signifigant if you're running the DH casing Nevegal. The DH Nev's i have weigh about 1300g, Wire Nev approx 980g, Folding Nev approx 850g (all 2.5" models). How do you like the Travis? I haven't had a chance to try one out yet (single or dual crown).
If you do a search, you'll see what I think of the travis SC TPC+
in one word, it's amazing…do a search and read my post…
the travis DC with intrinsic is pretty good too, but I only have a few rides on it so far including an 8 hour epic that combined nearly 20km of climbing with around 3000m vertical of steep descents. I think it's a great fork, but I would take the travis SC over the DC for the riding I do, 8" is alot of travel for a "do it all" bike, and the SC's 6" of travel is more than plush enough to bail you out of just about anything.
I am tossing around the idea of swapping back to a travis SC, but it's always a compromise-give up a bit of balls-out confidence that the DC provides, but gain alot of climbability and agility that the SC gives…hard to say, really.
I am considering swapping the travis DC for a travis SC, but I'm not really decided. I ran a travis SC on my bullit and loved it, and I think that would really really make this bike a versatile beast. Even with 8" of travel up front it climbs well up fireroads but it's horrible on technical climbs-the front end is just way too high.
Specing the Chap with a 8" Travis was just silly. The a2c is way too tall and unbalances the geo. As far as DC forks are concerned, the 7"(180mm) Travis would have been a perfect match.
Des
During the Middle Ages, probably one of the biggest mistakes was not putting on your armor because you were 'just going down to the corner'.
- Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey
yeah when I had it built up, the shop only had the 8" travis DC so I went for it, but I really wish that it had a 6 or 7 inch fork instead.
yeah when I had it built up, the shop only had the 8" travis DC so I went for it, but I really wish that it had a 6 or 7 inch fork instead.
After talking with Maverick American about my confusion about their triple (more like 2.5) crown DUC fork, spec'd as All Mountain 160mm, 3.9 lbs.,etc. I thought I'd give it a go with the eventual goal of having a 34lb Chap. I'm not a big hucker, but I break bikes pretty regularly (snap rear triangles mostly), so I thought I'd try this beefy bike building as a light but hardcore AM. The DUC matches up the front and rear travel and feels better as it is breaking in. It is an unusual choice, but Maverick assured me that pro super DHers use the fork, so I could feel confident on my 4-5 (2-3 if we're honest?) footers at speed.
So far the fork is super stiff due to its inverted design, and would probably play off the DHX Air even better. It has recommendations for XC to freeride by changing air spring, rebound and oil…. Have a looky….Front disc was not yet hooked up here
So I got some time in on the Banshee Chaparral now and it was quite nice with only a few setbacks about it
Anyone else check one out? I know a lot of you love banshee's so it'd be interesting to see what you guys thought about the Chap
You didn't mention you had an eleven page review up on your site… http://www.sicklines.com/reviews/2007-banshee-chaparral/
Good review. That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the Chap too.
Des
During the Middle Ages, probably one of the biggest mistakes was not putting on your armor because you were 'just going down to the corner'.
- Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey
Dear Sicklines,
You have a good site!
Marty's Mountain Cycle
Thanks, glad you liked it. I just wanted to see what you guys thought about the Chaparral
I think the Chap is sweet.
One of the few "duallies" out there in XS that does fit smaller people.
Sober
nice setup, looks like a tiny bike
that's a good comprehensive review, nice to see lots of detail there :)
the only issue i had with the review, which was mentioned several times, was that you couldn't get the seat low enough??
its pretty common to trim down seatposts, handlebars when setting up a new bike
every interrupted seat-tube bike i've had (big hit, norco, Scream, Chap, Wraith) i've had to cut the telescopic post to fit properly.
with my new Chap, i cut 45mm off the lower and upper post, which lets me drop the seat way low for getting aggro, yet still gives full leg extension for climbs and pedalling (i'm 5' 10" and ride the medium Chap)
I also run the DHX 5 coil shock, which makes the Chap ride WAY better on higher speed trails and for big drops / hucks
I run 26"/24" wheels so tire clearance isn't an issue, but my buddies here in England with 2006 Chaps running dual 26" haven't had any problems despite the filthy mud we usually ride in
keep up the good work!!
Rob C
Mythic / Da Kine / Esher Shore / Freeborn
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