Banshee Wildcard Slopestyle

Could you explain how the different leverage ratio effects the ride? I mostly ride hardtails so this is somewhat foreign to me.

sure thing…

first of all an explaination of what the ratio means

if you were to have a leverage ratio of 1:1 this means that the rear shock would experience the exact same compressive force as the rear axle experiences vertical force.

If you have a leverage ratio of 3:1 (probably the most common area of leverage ratios for modern bike suspensions) the rear shock will experience 3 times as much compresive force as the rear axle does vertical force.

hence a lower leverage ratio is desired for a number of reasons such as reducing the pressure on shock seals, reducing shock loading on frames at bottom out etc etc…

I high leverage ratio in a linkage design will result in a softer squishier feel than a lower leverage ratio using the same shock and spring weight.

Each bike has a general leverage ratio (say 3:1) this is a ratio of…

vertical rear wheel travel (mm): Shock stroke length (mm)

However in reality the leverage ratio constantly changes under compresion. The general leverage ratio is not a good way of looking at a suspension design because although the general ratios may be the same, the instantanious leverage ratios through out the travel may differ vastly.

The banshee scream as seen in my previous post has a progressive leverage ratio, this means that the leverage ratio starts high (about 3.05:1) and continually reduces as the suspension is compressed to end at a low of 2.37:1
This means that the suspension will be soft and supple when riding under light compression which makes for a smoother ride with goos small bump absorption, but as the bike aproaches bottom out position the suspension will become increasingly stiffer to resist bottoming out. Most bikes, especially freeride bikes use a progressive linkage to create a more bottomless feel to the travel.

However the kona shown in the graph above starts low and ends high, so is stiff to start with, then gets easier to compress as it moves through its travel, which is not desireable for the reasons mentioned above.

However… this can be controlled using very progressive rear shocks… but the price you pay to make this design feel good is a very high loading on the shock and frame under bottom out.

hope that helped a bit?

Keith

i am digging the look. Very informative post ^^^^

can't wait to see what the colours are for these.

True…Keith - now this is really informative. I really like my scream's plushness…even if I should buy a new spring. Oh and get the "eyes" of the shock redialled (i.e. where the bolt goes through)…they are blown I guess. They make funny noises.

PS: The :scotland: men do not only wear skirts…they drink some nice stuff too. :)

True…Keith - now this is really informative. I really like my scream's plushness…even if I should buy a new spring. Oh and get the "eyes" of the shock redialled (i.e. where the bolt goes through)…they are blown I guess. They make funny noises.

You just need to lubricate the pivot points, they can get a little squeeky after riding in the wet and cold weather, it is mainly the pivot that goes through the seat tube, but I just lube all the pivots. Just use light oil or some TriFlow chain lube.

sometime during 2006, did Banshee change the material used for the white plastic spacers that sit between the pivots?

my 06 Scream squeaked in the wet, as does my friend's Chaparrals that were all early 06 like my Scream, my new Chap (late 06) does not squeak in the wet?

problem we found with lubing the pivots is that it attracts dirt / sand and accelerates wear…

..we then found that the plastic spacers (grey colour) that Devinci use on their freeride frames were the same diameter as the Banshee ones and fitted the early Chap's perfectly, and removed the squeak….

You just need to lubricate the pivot points, they can get a little squeeky after riding in the wet and cold weather, it is mainly the pivot that goes through the seat tube, but I just lube all the pivots. Just use light oil or some TriFlow chain lube.

thanx for the feedback…but i doubt that these are the pivot points. everytime i push on the saddle i can hear some weird noise as if the bolt has play inside the eye of the shock it is going through/turning on.

thanx for the feedback…but i doubt that these are the pivot points. everytime i push on the saddle i can hear some weird noise as if the bolt has play inside the eye of the shock it is going through/turning on.

sounds like DU bushings have worn out maybe?

..we then found that the plastic spacers (grey colour) that Devinci use on their freeride frames were the same diameter as the Banshee ones and fitted the early Chap's perfectly, and removed the squeak….

interesting… I'll look into that!
thanks!

sounds like DU bushings have worn out maybe?

if the bushings are in between the shock and the bolt…yes.

he's a scot? This is the first I've heard of this non-sense.

if the bushings are in between the shock and the bolt…yes.

thats where they are! cheap to replace, altho can be fiddly!

and yes I'm a scot, hence the flag in my sig…

The best thing about the Wildcard is that the first few prototype frames are coming straight to the little state of South Australia for testing by Grant Allen and Allen Hepburn! Meaning I will get to see one for real :rocker:. So rest assured that they will be tested to the limits and tweeked to perfection… and that i will get to see one(and maybe even ride one :dizzy: ) and you guys wont.

The best thing about the Wildcard is that the first few prototype frames are coming straight to the little state of South Australia for testing by Grant Allen and Allen Hepburn! Meaning I will get to see one for real :rocker:. So rest assured that they will be tested to the limits and tweeked to perfection… and that i will get to see one(and maybe even ride one :dizzy: ) and you guys wont.

I will, I'm getting 2! haha, one to be test ridden, one the be tested in other ways. but it should be sweet. (bear in mind that the prototypes will not have the easton tubsets, as it takes a while to set up the machines to make them. so protos will be slightly heavier, and possibly not as strong. but the way i see it that helps with the testing, cos these should be easier to break, so if they break we can redesign parts before proper production takes place.

Any idea on a release date?