[WHALENARD]

Been riding my RFX as a trail bike for five years and it has been awesome. Every year I upgrade components etc. but this year I am tempted to get a new frame. The reality is I simply can not afford a new 5 spot or that would be a serious contender. I am looking for something that may be a little lower and slacker, pedals better with as good suspension performance, and perhaps a little lighter. Anyway the banshee spitfire and rune have my attention. Anybody make the switch from an rfx to one of these? What do you think? Should I just stick to my rfx until it breaks? ( I am on my 2cnd rear tnt now)

 

[rmac]

Renegade and FM made the Banshee jump and have both shared positive reviews (Spitfire and Rune respectively). A search of their posts should yield some reviews.

 

[qbert2000]

i have a spitfire and rune and came off a turner tnt 5 pack and turner horst link 5 spot . i am very happy with both banshees. great bikes. great company. i like the geometry and the design.

it would take a lot to get me back on a turner at this point. both frames together cost a little more than a 5spot would.

 

[atomarc]

Banshee Rune $1675-

5 spot $2495-
Less trade in
(turner for turner)-$600-
5 spot net cost $1895-

Don't get me wrong but if you really want a 5 spot I can;t believe $200- would get in your way. A rune might be more of what you want but a 5 spot with a 36 is a pretty capable bike.

 

[Midle Age Warrior]

RFX to Knolly V-Tach, any thoght ?

 

[FM]

I don't like pushing brand X on brand Y board....
But I have been extremely happy with my Rune and would buy another if I needed a ~6" bike right now.

 

[WHALENARD]

Banshee Rune $1675-

5 spot $2495-
Less trade in
(turner for turner)-$600-
5 spot net cost $1895-

Don't get me wrong but if you really want a 5 spot I can;t believe $200- would get in your way. A rune might be more of what you want but a 5 spot with a 36 is a pretty capable bike.

Point taken and believe me I have considered this. However I can buy a new rune right now for $1200 minus shock which is ideal for me. On top of that I could sell my rfx and shocks to further offset that cost. So as you can see from a purely monetary standpoint banshee is hard to beat. This pains me as I am sure the spot is a very sweet bike and I want to support DT but times being what they are.....

 

[WHALENARD]

i have a spitfire and rune and came off a turner tnt 5 pack and turner horst link 5 spot . i am very happy with both banshees. great bikes. great company. i like the geometry and the design.

it would take a lot to get me back on a turner at this point. both frames together cost a little more than a 5spot would.

Care to talk about which banshee you prefer/why? Which one you would keep for aggressive trail rides and or epics? Thanx for any input on the fence between the two

 

[WHALENARD]

I don't like pushing brand X on brand Y board....
But I have been extremely happy with my Rune and would buy another if I needed a ~6" bike right now.

I can appreciate that but was unsure on what board to pose such a question. Care to compare any pros or cons between the two? Maybe you have elsewhere dunno

 

[Dusty Bottoms]

RFX to Knolly V-Tach, any thoght ?

RFX to Knolly Chilcotin is a more appropriate comparison....

The Knolly Chilcotin will be shipping in April.

 

[unclekittykiller]

Banshee Rune $1675-

5 spot $2495-
Less trade in
(turner for turner)-$600-
5 spot net cost $1895-

Don't get me wrong but if you really want a 5 spot I can;t believe $200- would get in your way. A rune might be more of what you want but a 5 spot with a 36 is a pretty capable bike.

a trade or sale of the rfx would go towards either bike so your math is off.
rune - $600 = $1075 so it's still an $800+ difference between the bikes.

 

[Midle Age Warrior]

I do not want to start a brand war here and it is not the reason of this post, I only take advantage of the original question to ask about my own situation and maybe throw some options to the debate, since I only use my Six Pack to go downhill (1x8, road casette, 180mm 66RC2) and I got a very sweet deal on a Knolly V-Tach, I am thinking about cheating you homers but.......? is hard to let my Six Pack go away although I still have my Flux and 5Spot to make some company

 

[FM]

I can appreciate that but was unsure on what board to pose such a question. Care to compare any pros or cons between the two? Maybe you have elsewhere dunno

Here's the post with my first test-ride impressions from 2 years ago.

Keep in mind the rune comes with a very nice seatpost, seatpost QR, set of replacement bushings and touch-up paint.

Rune cons would be the pivots require semi-annual maintenance/replacement, and coil shocks bring out some chain stretch when climbing in the granny gear. Elka coil shock and single chainring up front with a 36t cassette is a great combo. Run a DHX-air or manitou ISX-6 if you spend a lot of time in the granny.

 

[WHALENARD]

Thanx for the link

 

[thefriar]

I do not want to start a brand war here and it is not the reason of this post, I only take advantage of the original question to ask about my own situation and maybe throw some options to the debate, since I only use my Six Pack to go downhill (1x8, road casette, 180mm 66RC2) and I got a very sweet deal on a Knolly V-Tach, I am thinking about cheating you homers but.......? is hard to let my Six Pack go away although I still have my Flux and 5Spot to make some company

Not clear what you're getting at. I have a Vtach and I think the highline might be the closest contender, but feel like the Highline and Delirium/Delirium T are more similar. The Tach is a beast, if you're only going downhill and doing proper FR or DH, go with the tach, if you throw down serious enduro/am type riding, do yourself a favor and get a new Chilcotin or Delirium, you'll still have = or superior capability to RFX and still have the option for long pedally days.

 

[Renegade]

I owned a 2002 RFX, and still own a 2004 5 spot. Last year, looking for something a little different to add to the quiver, and not replace either bike, I bought a Spitfire. I kept the Spot as an all-arounder [ good at most everything, doesn't accel at anything], and hoped for the Spitfire to be a different sort of bike. I was, and still am, not disappointed.

Here is the bad: the Spitfire, for me and my riding, has some weaknesses. It does not do very slow speed, technical, tight turns with big step-down kind of riding as well as my Spot. It could be the longer wheelbase, or??? It also doesn't do the short, steep, technical climb moves one finds occasionally on a trail. That is not what the bike is marketed at, designed for, and I knew that going inot the purches.

The good: at medium to high speeds, the Spitfire is a Ferrari on steroids. My turners don't even come close, not by a long shot. The Spitfire is a 5 inch travel DH bike, so to speak. I still am so thrilled to ride it, that it's weaknesses, which only show up so minimally on any one ride, are mostly overlooked, and forgotten.

I have recently lowered and slackened my spot via shortening the eye to eye measurement of the rear shock, and put a better fork and shock on it, which has made it a bettter bike for me, and once again a bike that I enjoy riding, so the gap between the two has closed down a little. The Spot is my all-arounder, the Spitfire is my sports-car. I understand the 2011 spot is lower and slacker, and a few owners here who's opinion I respect have described what a better handler it is compared to the 2010 model. I have not ridden one, so I cannot compare.
So, big JC, to answer your question, a Spitfire is not an apples to apples replacement for your RFX. But it doesn't exactly suck either.

 

[WHALENARD]

Here is the bad: the Spitfire, for me and my riding, has some weaknesses. It does not do very slow speed, technical, tight turns with big step-down kind of riding as well as my Spot. It could be the longer wheelbase, or??? It also doesn't do the short, steep, technical climb moves one finds occasionally on a trail. That is not what the bike is marketed at, designed for, and I knew that going inot the purches.

The good: at medium to high speeds, the Spitfire is a Ferrari on steroids. My turners don't even come close, not by a long shot. The Spitfire is a 5 inch travel DH bike, so to speak. I still am so thrilled to ride it, that it's weaknesses, which only show up so minimally on any one ride, are mostly overlooked, and forgotten.

Thanks for the report Renegade that helps big. Hmmm I enjoy the hell out of punchy tech climbs....always makes me feel like a man when I can clear it and my bros can't. When you say doesn't do them do you mean you are getting a lot of pedal feedback in that scenario? Ego aside...you got me thinking about lowering my rfx with offset bushings for the season if I can find any. Maybe the rune would be a better buy for me decisions decisions

 

[FM]

Maybe the rune would be a better buy for me decisions decisions

Since Turner isn't currently making a Rune competitor, I guess I can add more detail

I think the "cons" Rene mentioned are unique to the spitfire. Not sure, I haven't ridden a spitty, but the rune does very well with slow/steep/tight/droppy type stuff. In those conditions it feels more comparable to the 7" highline I owned previously (but with a shorter wheelbase)- both in suspension and stiffness. Until the terrain levels out, then the weight and pedaling performance feel more in line with a 5" bike. The trade-off for all this is, again you will notice some chain stretch especially when climbing with a coil shock.

The rune and spitty are close in weight, so why not get the rune? I think the difference is in geometry and suspension feel. The spitty probably pedals better, and has lower center of gravity to go with less travel. The rune is plush but taller and has more chain stretch. The rune feels more "light free-ride" than "all mountain" to me, but that's probably my build kit...

It's funny that the Runes BB is only about maybe 3/8" lower than my '08 RFX, but the Rune feels way lower. Not sure why.

Lastly I found the Rune feels incredible with the Elka coil shock, but that also brought out more chain stretch, only in the granny gear. Going 1x9 with a 32t, 12-36 cassette has pretty much negated the chain stretch issue, but oh so plush. I couldn't have turned those gears with the TNT suspension, but the banshee squitrs forward with every pedal stroke (I am sure the DW turners do too)...so single ring up front has been great.

With the money you save buying a banshee, you can pick up a paradox, which will spank all these bikes on punchy tech climbs

 

[Renegade]

Thanks for the report Renegade that helps big. Hmmm I enjoy the hell out of punchy tech climbs....always makes me feel like a man when I can clear it and my bros can't. When you say doesn't do them do you mean you are getting a lot of pedal feedback in that scenario? Ego aside...you got me thinking about lowering my rfx with offset bushings for the season if I can find any. Maybe the rune would be a better buy for me decisions decisions

No, I don't think it's the pedal feedback. For 99.9% of my climbing, the spitty climbs better than my spot. No squat, no sagging; it just rolls over stuff. It's just those small, short, steep, choppy sections where I lose it. Maybe it's just me. Your mileage will vary. I'm a 54 year old drinks probably too much kind of high altitude short rides kind of guy who likes to rip downhill... I don't care all that much about the short-commings of my climbing, whether I attribute it to the bike, or me.
The Rune is a different machine. FM has a grip on it, as well as an excellent grip on the ride of an RFX. Take his word as gospel.

 

[WHALENARD]

Since Turner isn't currently making a Rune competitor, I guess I can add more detail

I think the "cons" Rene mentioned are unique to the spitfire. Not sure, I haven't ridden a spitty, but the rune does very well with slow/steep/tight/droppy type stuff. In those conditions it feels more comparable to the 7" highline I owned previously (but with a shorter wheelbase)- both in suspension and stiffness. Until the terrain levels out, then the weight and pedaling performance feel more in line with a 5" bike. The trade-off for all this is, again you will notice some chain stretch especially when climbing with a coil shock.

The rune and spitty are close in weight, so why not get the rune? I think the difference is in geometry and suspension feel. The spitty probably pedals better, and has lower center of gravity to go with less travel. The rune is plush but taller and has more chain stretch. The rune feels more "light free-ride" than "all mountain" to me, but that's probably my build kit...

It's funny that the Runes BB is only about maybe 3/8" lower than my '08 RFX, but the Rune feels way lower. Not sure why.

Lastly I found the Rune feels incredible with the Elka coil shock, but that also brought out more chain stretch, only in the granny gear. Going 1x9 with a 32t, 12-36 cassette has pretty much negated the chain stretch issue, but oh so plush. I couldn't have turned those gears with the TNT suspension, but the banshee squitrs forward with every pedal stroke (I am sure the DW turners do too)...so single ring up front has been great.]

Sweet shots FM, and thanks a lot for the info. Both you and ren have been a huge help. Gotta admit the rune is damn tempting. I guess ultimately I am looking for more of a knarly trail ripper than I am the do it all bike. Perhaps the rune is the ideal bike for that still strying ti figure it out. The low bb on the spitfire has me a bit concerned pedal strikes etc. but am sure it is uber stable as a result. Prolly leaning more rune at the moment. If I do get a rune I will run it with a monarch from push perhaps that will make it more trail specific. Either way really looking forward to owning my first dw esque bike