2016 Banshee Rune | Now 650b!

oxocube1

***Latest update below***

Had this arrive at work today. Photos and info will be up later.





So I've decided to finally replace my trusty Nukeproof. I love it as a bike but it's on the small side, even for a Large frame, and I figured future proofing now rather than later getting a frame that can take 650b wheels.
I chose a Banshee Rune (XL size) as I love the frame design and have read many good things about them. I imagine the ride will feel quite a lot different to the Mega as it has up-to-date geometry with a long TT, low BB and slack HA.
It's going to be a fairly slow build over the next few months, mainly due to finances as I will have to obtain a new shock, headset and eventually get some 650b forks and rims! I will update as I go along but for now, here are some pics:

oxocube1

So I've finally managed to get the money together to actually start building on this frame. I've had it 'out of sight, out of mind' in the cupboard for a couple of months but now it's out in the daylight with a new Nukeproof headset pressed into it and has been protected in usual areas with heli tape.

I also had this arrive in the post today:



Just waiting on the mount kit to arrive from CRC and will be able to fit the shock. Can't wait!

rockmonkeysc

Nice frame. It's been a while since anyone posted anything interesting on here. Should be a nice bike.

oxocube1

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19755224#p19755224]RockmonkeySC[/url] wrote:

Nice frame. It's been a while since anyone posted anything interesting on here. Should be a nice bike.

Yea I'm really looking forward to it. It's my first brand new frame, always had second hand before. I will be doing one last ride on the Mega then switching everything over as the Rune is now ready!:





Here's the 650b dropouts. You can switch out the chocks where they attach to the frame to 3 different positions; Low, Med, High. I will be running 26" wheels on the bike until I have the money to change the wheels and forks.

rockmonkeysc

I have ridden with a Banshee team rider a couple times, he's running 26" wheels on his. It seems pretty solid, he doesn't hang about on it and sends most of his time in the air.

oxocube1

I nipped into work early one day this week to transfer everything over from the Mega. A seamless transition of parts from one frame to another and have finally finished the Rune build!





And here she is!


A couple of things I'm looking to change over the next few months include; 650B wheels and Forks, new chainset, new pedals, new grips.
I'll be out on a night ride some point this week after work to test her out so I'll report first ride impressions shortly.

oxocube1

I took the Rune out for it's maiden ride tonight and wow was it fun! I noticed two things instantly when riding it, firstly the XL size is spot on so I have plenty space in the cockpit and pedalling seems much easier with the longer seat tube. Second, I can really feel the extra front-end length compared the the Mega. So much so that it felt strange to ride, but in a good way.

Next is to take it over to Stile Cop and give it a proper ride on trails that have a decent gradient. That's where it will really show me what it's made of!

Herdwick

that looks great!!! action shots please!!!
What is your height and got an xl frame?

The Northern Monkey

looks really good!

What frame size is it? front end looks a bit low, but could just be an optical illusion with the saddle up!

rockmonkeysc

What's the reason you want to change to 650b?
After buying a 650b bike I can honestly say an three quarters of an inch on wheel radius makes absolutely cock all difference.

oxocube1

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19760165#p19760165]Herdwick[/url] wrote:

that looks great!!! action shots please!!!
What is your height and got an xl frame?

The Northern Monkey wrote:

looks really good!

What frame size is it? front end looks a bit low, but could just be an optical illusion with the saddle up!

Thanks! It's an XL which is a 20" seat tube with a 480mm reach/640mm top tube. I'm 6'3" so my long arms and legs make up for what looks to be a low front end with the dropper fully extended! It's lightyears away from the large Mega I had which was 18" ST/435mm reach/594mm TT and feels much more comfortable because of it.

RockmonkeySC wrote:

What's the reason you want to change to 650b?
After buying a 650b bike I can honestly say an three quarters of an inch on wheel radius makes absolutely fool all difference.

Buying into the marketing hype I guess haha?? My main concern is the fact that less and less parts are being made in 26" and my current parts are losing value! I figured the earlier I jump on the bandwagon, the more cash I would have to play with to buy new parts.

Twelly

RockmonkeySC wrote:

What's the reason you want to change to 650b?
After buying a 650b bike I can honestly say an three quarters of an inch on wheel radius makes absolutely fool all difference.

Buying into the marketing hype I guess haha?? My main concern is the fact that less and less parts are being made in 26" and my current parts are losing value! I figured the earlier I jump on the bandwagon, the more cash I would have to play with to buy new parts.[/quote]

I started with 26" on my Spitfire (with the 650b dropouts) and then had the wheels rebuilt with bigger rims a few months later. I noticed a difference. Pedal strikes where the most noticable difference but the bike also feels different to ride. Flowy pedally sections are where it has changed the most I think.

oxocube1

Been a long time (too long!) since I updated this thread so thought I would dust off the cobwebs and show a few of the changes I've made over the past 5 months.

The first change I made after Christmas was some new ODI Ruffian MX grips. I loved the half waffle design of the Superstar ones I had on there previously so went for the same thing just in the premium version courtesy of a Christmas present.

The next couple of changes I made back in February was a new saddle (for the first time in 4 years!) to a Nukeproof Vector AM, and a brand new Zee crank.



The saddle is great and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a simple, aesthetically pleasing design. When it first arrived, I was worried the thin profile would be very uncomfortable, but to my surprise it was the complete opposite and I got used to it after just one ride.
The Zee crank is just that, a Zee crank. Well proven, solid design, and fantastic value, I just had to get rid of the silver XT one I'd been running for a few years!

This is how it currently looks:



I've also compiled the parts ready for the 650b switch over. This includes some new 650b Pikes, Spank Spike Race 33 rims, Maxxis Minion DHR 2 tyres, and some Halo spokes. I'm just waiting on the finance side of things then can start rebuilding the hubs onto the new rims:





I will update once the switchover has been completed. For the time being here is some shots from some local jumps:

The Rookie

Looks great, more importantly it looks like you are loving it, and that, at the end of the day, is all that matters!

RockmonkeySC wrote:

What's the reason you want to change to 650b?
After buying a 650b bike I can honestly say an three quarters of an inch on wheel radius makes absolutely fool all difference.

Or even half an inch?

Crazyjenkins01

She looks a beaut! Me jealous much?... Hmm....

oxocube1

The switchover to 650b has finally been completed! I rebuilt my Nukeproof hubs onto the new Spank rims, which are both setup tubeless with Maxxis DHR II tyres front and rear, and installed a brand new 650b Pike. The new rims are 33mm wide external and 28.5mm internal so a big difference to my 21mm internal Mavics from before. They setup tubeless with the DHR II tyres super easy using some Gorilla tape, cut out presta valves, and some Stan's sealant.

I've been out just for the one ride so far and, it maybe just in my head, but it does feel faster and is noticeably different to 26". I will be trying to get out on some trails with a bit of ascending involved to see how it handles with the bigger wheels. I've also managed to shed some weight from the previous setup so should help with any pedally sections!

All in all I'm now very happy with the bike and it is pretty much exactly where I want it to be. Any future changes would more than likely be unnecessary or due to wear and tear.

Most recent pics and Spec:

Frame: 2016 Banshee Rune XL
Forks: 2016 Rockshox Pike RCT3 160mm
Shock: Rockshox Monarch+ DebonAir

Cranks: Shimano Zee 170mm w/32t Raceface Narrow Wide chainring
Shifter: Shimano XT 10spd
Rear Mech: Shimano Zee
Cassette: Shimano XT 11-36t
Chain: KMC Vivid 10spd
Pedals: Superstar Delta Mag

Brakes: Shimano XT M785 F+R
Handlebars: Funn Kratos 780mm
Headset: Nukeproof Warhead
Grips: ODI Ruffian MX
Stem: Thomson X4 50mm
Seatpost: Rockshox Reverb 125mm
Saddle: Nukeproof Vector Comp

Hubs: Nukeproof Generator 12x142mm rear, 15x100mm front
Rims: Spank Spike Race 33 F+R
Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHR II F+R

Twelly

Flip those chips round and get it slack and low! You won't regret it. With the 650 wheels, the BB height isn't as much of an issue so you can get it in the low position without smashing your pedals every ride.

oxocube1

Twelly wrote:

Flip those chips round and get it slack and low! You won't regret it. With the 650 wheels, the BB height isn't as much of an issue so you can get it in the low position without smashing your pedals every ride.

Yeah I'll be doing that ready for my next ride, should be interesting with the slacker head angle!