One of my passions about bikes besides riding is building my bikes from the frame up. I'm not hiding the fact that I've been a part-timer at 2 LBS's for over 25 years. But lets talk about the excitement of building your own ride! I can look at my rides and the places I ride and say "Ya know what, I need a new DH bike" or "I'd like to have a chro-moly hardtail again"... And the search begins!
The Fun Factor!
I decided that I wanted something for places like Kingdom trails and Lackawanna State Park. A bike in between my Devinci Spartan (160mm) and my Ragley Blue Pig HT (150mm up front). Not a race bike, but one that's meant to get you to the top, and be an absolute blast on the downhills! Poppy, can take some smaller drops, and most importantly, FUN! You study the info online about them- Reach and stack, seatpost diameter, headset, dropout widths, what travel fork is recommended and so on. It's exciting when you find the next bike you want!
I found the Banshee Spitfire (BansheeBikes.com) fit the bill perfectly. It has 135 in the back and can use 140-160mm in the front. It could take the abuse, but be pedal friendly on the ups. And most importantly, it's a 27.5!
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Next comes how I wanna build it up. I get to choose which components, brands, which colors, etc... I'm always looking for strength, reliability, ride characteristics, and just as important to me, looks. I always build my bikes as one-off bikes that no one else in the world will have. If it's ever stolen it should be easy for someone to identify.
About 10 years ago I was introduced to Hope brakes. A brand that I only really only knew for making loud hubs. It ends up that their quality is great and when you get to see their components up close, it's on a whole other level of craftsmanship. Really. Their stuff is strong and looks really good too. That's two of the features I look for, so this build I was going with Hope components just like I did with my Ragley Blue Pig and part of my Banshee Legend. And as far as their brakes go, I've never had a better brake than the V4's. I have them on my other 3 rides, so obviously I'm going to put those MONSTERS on this bike too! I've also had a really good relationship with DVO. Keep in mind that I'm not being a salesman here. I'm just telling my story. So I saw that DVO had a big sale on their Diamond fork with even more discounts to be had. These discounts aren't EP's. As we all know that right now the whole industry is on clearance. I purchased a custom tuned DVO Diamond with 150mm of travel. An $1,100 fork for $430 tuned and shipped.
Next will be the wheels. There are a lot of really great hub manufacturers out there right now and a lot are in the USA. Hadley, I9, Chris King, Onyx. Not to mention companies made overseas like DT Swiss and others. Way back in 2010, I found out that Hadley hubs were "fast" engaging (for that time they were. 72poe, 5*), reliable and very easy to work on. That hub from 2010 is still being used, so I know I want a Hadley for the back. Front hubs I don't really care since most of them are an aluminum shell with 2 sealed bearings. But I want them to match. So a front and rear Hadley hub it will be! Sapim Leader 2.0 spokes and brass polyax nips will be used to hold 2- DT Swiss FR541 rims on the hubs. Why DH rims on a "Down Country" bike? Strength and reliability.
As far as the dropper post goes- I've had $99 to $400 droppers and to be frank, I don't think there's a difference in how well they perform. Both are 7 years old and I haven't had any issues with either. But there's something I have to consider about this build- The Spitfire has an interrupted seat tube. After doing my homework I came to the conclusion that I had to run a OneUp V3 dropper that's 180mm and can be reduced to 170mm if necessary. This one is priced in between at $215.
![Image]()
![Image]()
The Fun Factor!
I decided that I wanted something for places like Kingdom trails and Lackawanna State Park. A bike in between my Devinci Spartan (160mm) and my Ragley Blue Pig HT (150mm up front). Not a race bike, but one that's meant to get you to the top, and be an absolute blast on the downhills! Poppy, can take some smaller drops, and most importantly, FUN! You study the info online about them- Reach and stack, seatpost diameter, headset, dropout widths, what travel fork is recommended and so on. It's exciting when you find the next bike you want!
I found the Banshee Spitfire (BansheeBikes.com) fit the bill perfectly. It has 135 in the back and can use 140-160mm in the front. It could take the abuse, but be pedal friendly on the ups. And most importantly, it's a 27.5!
Next comes how I wanna build it up. I get to choose which components, brands, which colors, etc... I'm always looking for strength, reliability, ride characteristics, and just as important to me, looks. I always build my bikes as one-off bikes that no one else in the world will have. If it's ever stolen it should be easy for someone to identify.
About 10 years ago I was introduced to Hope brakes. A brand that I only really only knew for making loud hubs. It ends up that their quality is great and when you get to see their components up close, it's on a whole other level of craftsmanship. Really. Their stuff is strong and looks really good too. That's two of the features I look for, so this build I was going with Hope components just like I did with my Ragley Blue Pig and part of my Banshee Legend. And as far as their brakes go, I've never had a better brake than the V4's. I have them on my other 3 rides, so obviously I'm going to put those MONSTERS on this bike too! I've also had a really good relationship with DVO. Keep in mind that I'm not being a salesman here. I'm just telling my story. So I saw that DVO had a big sale on their Diamond fork with even more discounts to be had. These discounts aren't EP's. As we all know that right now the whole industry is on clearance. I purchased a custom tuned DVO Diamond with 150mm of travel. An $1,100 fork for $430 tuned and shipped.
Next will be the wheels. There are a lot of really great hub manufacturers out there right now and a lot are in the USA. Hadley, I9, Chris King, Onyx. Not to mention companies made overseas like DT Swiss and others. Way back in 2010, I found out that Hadley hubs were "fast" engaging (for that time they were. 72poe, 5*), reliable and very easy to work on. That hub from 2010 is still being used, so I know I want a Hadley for the back. Front hubs I don't really care since most of them are an aluminum shell with 2 sealed bearings. But I want them to match. So a front and rear Hadley hub it will be! Sapim Leader 2.0 spokes and brass polyax nips will be used to hold 2- DT Swiss FR541 rims on the hubs. Why DH rims on a "Down Country" bike? Strength and reliability.
As far as the dropper post goes- I've had $99 to $400 droppers and to be frank, I don't think there's a difference in how well they perform. Both are 7 years old and I haven't had any issues with either. But there's something I have to consider about this build- The Spitfire has an interrupted seat tube. After doing my homework I came to the conclusion that I had to run a OneUp V3 dropper that's 180mm and can be reduced to 170mm if necessary. This one is priced in between at $215.
