Following in the tire tread of the V3 Banshee Rune and Titan enduro bikes, the brand’s full complement of Trail and All-Mountain Bikes have received a geometry and suspension kinematic makeover with the KS2 linkage platform. The all mountain Banshee Prime, and the Banshee Phantom and Spitfire Trail Bikes have now landed in V3, with on-trend steepened seat tube angles, slackened head tube angles, and significantly longer reach values. More traction and increased efficiency, we are told, are the outcomes of the redesign. We have the details.
Banshee Prime V3 All-Mountain Bike
New for 2020, the V3 Banshee Prime all mountain bike is, you guessed it, longer, lower and slacker, than the V2. The 29″ wheel Prime retains its 135mm of rear wheel travel, now serviced by Banshee’s KS2 linkage platform with a low 2.45:1 leverage ratio. Sold as a frame and shock, Banshee spec the Prime V3 with a custom tuned Fox DPX2 Performance Elite 185x55mm metric trunnion shock. As with all Banshee frames, the Prime V3 uses a modular dropout system allowing riders to choose between different rear axle spacings, including 142 x 12 and 148 x 12. In addition to altering the axle spacing, the modular dropouts provide scope for geometry adjustment from a compact version to a long version; the head tube angle can be switched between 65.5 and 66 degrees, while the effective seat tube angle is concomitantly switched between 76.7 and 77.2 degrees. This also offers up the opportunity for riders to play about with different wheel sizing.
Of particular note is the increased reach measurement offered by the Prime V3 across the M-XL size range. The medium now stretches out to 450 mm, almost 30 mm longer than the 2017 V2 Prime. The Large frame reach sits at 470 mm while the XL reach is now 495 mm, with the full M-XL size range servicing riders of heights 5 ft 7″ to ~6 ft 3″.
As with the Rune and Titan enduro bikes, the Prime V3 gets a 3D forged shock cage which handles the brunt of the suspension load forces. Instead of the entire front triangle dispersing the load, the new Banshees isolate these forces into the strongest part of the frame. Banshee says forging the two sides of the shock cage allowed them to make this part of the frame lighter, stronger and stiffer than machining it or constructing the cage from several separate pieces.
Banshee Phantom V3 Trail Bike
The Phantom is Banshee’s shorter travel trail bike, rolling up on 29″ wheels with 115 mm of rear wheel travel. The leverage ratio of the Phantom is slightly lower than that of the Prime at 2.3:1, with the travel serviced by a custom tuned Fox DPX2 Performance Elite 185x50mm metric trunnion shock.
As with the rest of Banshee’s full suspension mountain bike range, the shock is housed within a 3D forged cage, and modular dropouts provide various low and neutral geometry options and axle spacings. The Phantom geometry can switch between a “low” head angle-seat tube angle combo of 66 and 76.7 degrees and a “neutral” head angle-seat tube angle combo of 66.5 and 77.2 degrees.
Banshee Spitfire V3 Trail Bike
The Spitfire is Banshee’s longer travel 650b Trail MTB. The KS2 suspension linkage provides a leverage ratio of 2.45:1 over 135 mm of rear wheel travel serviced by a custom tuned Fox DPX2 Performance Elite 185x55mm metric trunnion shock. The modular dropouts again provide geometry adjustments and the ability to run 26″ wheels if you were ever brave enough to hit today’s trails with smaller wheels. The head angle can sit at a slack 65 degrees, steepening to 65.5 in the “neutral” position, while the seat angle can sit at 76.5 or a steeper 77 degrees in “neutral”.
445 mm chain stays accommodate a 27.5″ rear wheel with tyre clearance of up to 2.6″ with the long dropouts.
Pricing & Availability
All Banshee V3 models are frame and shock only and come with a price tag of $2199 USD. The price includes dropouts of choice with axle, seat clamp, and pre-installed headset. All KS2 frames come with a 4-year frame warranty and lifetime crash replacement cover for original owners.
