Would like to hear more ride reports from Prime V3 owners. As a longtime Banshee fan I have own several V2 frames including the Prime. The Titan looks great and some exciting reviews but may be overkill for my trails. Currently on a Hightower LT but really like the V3 versions plus being able to fit a larger water bottle inside front triangle. My local trails are XC oriented but like some flowy and chunky stuff. I also go to Downy and N* 2-3 times a year.
More Prime V3 reviews please
mtnbikerdude
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Muddin'
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Bent my saddle rails on a nasty crash, but the Prime shook it off like nothing happened 🤙
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20 Posts
May have had a bit of a breakthrough on the Prime!
Ever since I built the bike, the rear shock has seemed ‘off’ to me, requiring maybe 20-25psi less pressure than my Jeffsy to hit sag, despite a much lower leverage ratio and design. My pressures seemed higher than they should, when compared to other weight/pressure ratios I’ve been noticing amongst riding friends and forum posts.
I’m 260, and was messing with volume spacers and pressures to try to get something I was happy with, resulting in around 307-315psi and playing with volume reduction to try to get some shock movement, but always feeling a bit harsh or bucking
long story short: I noticed when filling the shock, that at about 250psi the shock behaved much better but at about 300+ it started feeling like there was a bit of initial stiction to get the shock moving.
performed a full aircan service on the shock, added the 1.0 spacer, and have been able to drop to about 280psi, hitting sag. I was also able to speed up my rebound significantly with the lower pressure, and still have a pretty supportive and pumpable setup. No bottom outs after some pretty big jumps and drops over the weekend! I ran most of the ride with compression fully open, but found that moving the lsc up to about 4 clicks from open (-6 from closed) resulted in a firmer pedal platform for mellow trails, but that’s more of a fine tuning for courses. I got used to riding in open for the majority.
More testing needed on some more of my local trails!
tldr: service the shock!
if you read any of my previous posts about trying to tune the shock, just know that I like this setup better!
Ever since I built the bike, the rear shock has seemed ‘off’ to me, requiring maybe 20-25psi less pressure than my Jeffsy to hit sag, despite a much lower leverage ratio and design. My pressures seemed higher than they should, when compared to other weight/pressure ratios I’ve been noticing amongst riding friends and forum posts.
I’m 260, and was messing with volume spacers and pressures to try to get something I was happy with, resulting in around 307-315psi and playing with volume reduction to try to get some shock movement, but always feeling a bit harsh or bucking
long story short: I noticed when filling the shock, that at about 250psi the shock behaved much better but at about 300+ it started feeling like there was a bit of initial stiction to get the shock moving.
performed a full aircan service on the shock, added the 1.0 spacer, and have been able to drop to about 280psi, hitting sag. I was also able to speed up my rebound significantly with the lower pressure, and still have a pretty supportive and pumpable setup. No bottom outs after some pretty big jumps and drops over the weekend! I ran most of the ride with compression fully open, but found that moving the lsc up to about 4 clicks from open (-6 from closed) resulted in a firmer pedal platform for mellow trails, but that’s more of a fine tuning for courses. I got used to riding in open for the majority.
More testing needed on some more of my local trails!
tldr: service the shock!
if you read any of my previous posts about trying to tune the shock, just know that I like this setup better!
My shock & fork are in for service now after about 60 hours of riding. I'm also getting it back with the fork bumped up to 160mm from 150mm. Very excited to retune and ride.
I weigh about 170lbs so I ran stock volume and settled in the middle of damping as you might expect. I settled on 5-6 from closed on both LSC and Rebound. 6 for regular trail riding and 5 if I was expecting higher speeds and bigger impacts.
Will report back on how the 160mm fork changes things. (Running long dropouts in the low geo setting).
Good stuff, but I'm not surprised you've had no bottom outs running the 1.0 spacer! haha
What sag does 280PSI with a 1.0 get you? I'm about 230 in gear running 257 PSI with a .5 spacer. Definitely a firmer set-up in that 13-14mm sag range for pedalling but doesn't bottom out and still has plenty of traction. Good compromise between local single track and enduro steeps & jump lines I travel to.
Previously I ran it with the .6-.8 and ran it soft with fast rebound but I prefer the firmer feel I've got now. I don't ride too many chunky/rocky trails though where I might want the softer feel.
I’m right at the 13-14mm area for sag, which suits my terrain well. I’ve enjoyed pedaling with the previous ‘firmer’ setting, but was always fighting for suspension feel.
I was able to reach bottom on my last ride but it was new terrain and some pretty sketchy sections, so pretty happy overall with the 1.0
It certainly was a hell of a lot cheaper than a custom shock tune!
First ride with 160mm Mezzer Expert: pretty good!
Had it at a smidge over 21% sag and the front end felt high, stable, and smooth. More travel, upgraded seals, and a fresh 50-hour service had the Mezzer running noticeably smoother. Lower PSI also meant a little less damping required.
Took it down 3 laps at the local enduro hill and I don't think it used more than 80-85% of the travel. I think it moves the front end ahead of the back end in terms of faster chunk performance, but I don't think that's a problem, just something you have to manage as you would with a hardtail, but to a lesser degree. That could potentially be solved with a coil, but that's a 2026 prospect.
The cockpit definitely felt shorter being pushed up & back about 8-10mm; slightly more lifty on steep climbs but not a deal breaker by any stretch. I might consider flipping the stem to drop 5mm, but only if it ends up being a persistent annoyance.
Excited to try it on some slabs. Got the Hope T4V4's serviced and back to their normal excellence. Jumps felt fine but will need more reps to get fully dialed in with the tweaked geo.
The Prime truly embodies the somewhat nebulous All-Mountain category to me. I think the Singletracks review said it best by calling it a mini-enduro bike. Such a good option for someone who rides enduro about once a week but more mellow-grade trails the rest of the time where a purpose-built Enduro bike would be overkill and less fun.
Had it at a smidge over 21% sag and the front end felt high, stable, and smooth. More travel, upgraded seals, and a fresh 50-hour service had the Mezzer running noticeably smoother. Lower PSI also meant a little less damping required.
Took it down 3 laps at the local enduro hill and I don't think it used more than 80-85% of the travel. I think it moves the front end ahead of the back end in terms of faster chunk performance, but I don't think that's a problem, just something you have to manage as you would with a hardtail, but to a lesser degree. That could potentially be solved with a coil, but that's a 2026 prospect.
The cockpit definitely felt shorter being pushed up & back about 8-10mm; slightly more lifty on steep climbs but not a deal breaker by any stretch. I might consider flipping the stem to drop 5mm, but only if it ends up being a persistent annoyance.
Excited to try it on some slabs. Got the Hope T4V4's serviced and back to their normal excellence. Jumps felt fine but will need more reps to get fully dialed in with the tweaked geo.
The Prime truly embodies the somewhat nebulous All-Mountain category to me. I think the Singletracks review said it best by calling it a mini-enduro bike. Such a good option for someone who rides enduro about once a week but more mellow-grade trails the rest of the time where a purpose-built Enduro bike would be overkill and less fun.
I've been loving running the 160mm forked Prime with more sag.
Currently running about 38mm sag on the 160 Mezzer (23.75%) and 15mm on the Float X. Both at the higher end of the recommended range.
It has helped the small bump absorption quite a bit, but I'm still not blowing through travel, especially not in the fork. Dampers are set mid-range.
I might try speeding up rebound a click as it almost feels too slow cycling through compression, but that's a small quibble. The added suppleness has been appreciated on our chunky trails, and the 160 Mezzer adds confidence & stability in the steeps where some bigger impacts threaten to swallow your front wheel.
Will have to get some pics of her with the big fork soon.
Currently running about 38mm sag on the 160 Mezzer (23.75%) and 15mm on the Float X. Both at the higher end of the recommended range.
It has helped the small bump absorption quite a bit, but I'm still not blowing through travel, especially not in the fork. Dampers are set mid-range.
I might try speeding up rebound a click as it almost feels too slow cycling through compression, but that's a small quibble. The added suppleness has been appreciated on our chunky trails, and the 160 Mezzer adds confidence & stability in the steeps where some bigger impacts threaten to swallow your front wheel.
Will have to get some pics of her with the big fork soon.
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2,387 Posts
I'm curious (envious) about this setup, been wanting to try and intend fork for years, but bike industry wages don't quite stretch that far! haha
If you have time, what are the new and fold fork specs, and how would you compare them?
Had a SR Suntour Durolux R2C2 SF21 with enlarged negative chamber, lubricated with Motorex Supergliss. Damper oil changed to Motorex 2,5WT. Worked really good and good enough for me anyway, but...I was USD curious 😬
Both forks are set to 160mm travel, the Durolux has 10mm more ATC, though.
The most obvious effect of the Intend fork (it is the "cheap" Essentials) is suppleness and how calm the bike now is. It works way better in high frequency chatter, like cobblestone @30km/h or root sections. Despite the suppleness it delivers more support in the midstroke, without becoming harsh. It is riding higher by a good amount, despite being 10mm shorter than the Durolux and more static sag.
No stutter while braking hard, just traction. This was irritating, because I always thought the "brake stutter" (front wheel grip / slip) was caused by the ground. But obviously it was the fork - most likely binding, thus losing contact to the ground.
I am still trying different setups, but I think the most linear setup @93 PSI for my kitted ~88kg works pretty good.
To adress the elephant in the room - the fork feels way softer torsionally when you hold the front wheel with your feet / knees and turn the bars. So far though, I don't feel like I missed a line because of this - but I can say that it is way easier for me to actually hold lines.
Short version: It's a confidence booster, buy it.
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2,387 Posts
Are you noticing any downsides? (obvious question that will be asked is if you notice any reduction in latteral stiffness, and if indeed that is a bad thing? (I remember riding a dorado 20 years ago through a rock garden and the lateral mobility really helped in that situation, but it also sometimes struggle on tight steep corners where it liked to twist up and pitch me over the bars... haha)
That's a difficult one. The last time I was sent otb was in a steep rocky section with the Durolux.
I think I have to wait for the next one to elaborate on this 😬
I can imagine that the "twist sensation" won't be beneficial in steep "trials like" scenarios. Maybe the "Edge" or even "Flash" would be a better fit for you then 🤔
BTW: Olli Lowthorpe dropped a bike check on YouTube yesterday, he rides an Intend "Flash" I think.
Question for Prime owners on coil shocks: is this bike a good candidate for the Tigon vs. a Kitsuma coil?
This will be my big off-season upgrade and I am weighing the potential benefits of each shock.
Initially the Tigon seems like a good match for my riding style and the Prime's 135mm of travel. I am not one to haul ass at maximum speed down a trail. I like to pop off features and challenge myself on steeps, drops, & jumps. I am primarily hoping a coil will help iron out the small-to-medium chatter when rolling down chunky trails.
HOWEVER: the Prime's leverage curve is very progressive and could render the Tigon's ramp-up tube superfluous. The second generation Kitsuma coil actually weighs a bit less than the Tigon and sells for about $250 cheaper.
If the suspension is sufficiently progressive for my 170ish lbs on a coil, why spend the extra money, grams, and setup on the Tigon? Will it make the bike appreciably more poppy when I press into it? Will the ramp-up air tube actually add value?
This is the dilemma I am hoping to resolve when the winter upgrade season arrives.
This will be my big off-season upgrade and I am weighing the potential benefits of each shock.
Initially the Tigon seems like a good match for my riding style and the Prime's 135mm of travel. I am not one to haul ass at maximum speed down a trail. I like to pop off features and challenge myself on steeps, drops, & jumps. I am primarily hoping a coil will help iron out the small-to-medium chatter when rolling down chunky trails.
HOWEVER: the Prime's leverage curve is very progressive and could render the Tigon's ramp-up tube superfluous. The second generation Kitsuma coil actually weighs a bit less than the Tigon and sells for about $250 cheaper.
If the suspension is sufficiently progressive for my 170ish lbs on a coil, why spend the extra money, grams, and setup on the Tigon? Will it make the bike appreciably more poppy when I press into it? Will the ramp-up air tube actually add value?
This is the dilemma I am hoping to resolve when the winter upgrade season arrives.
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20 Posts
I think this question has already been addressed above, but If I'm not mistaken, Keith does not recommend the tigon on the Prime. Maybe ask Banshee on this one.
I have a Cane Creek DB IL coil on my Prime and it's really great, I love it: tons of grip and incredible small bump sensivity while still remaining poppy enough for my taste. I use a progressive coil (white model) but according to Keith it's not essential and a classic spring works very well.
Very good info, thanks for the reply!
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