[ride red]

Hey gang, the box opening jitters are gone, I no longer neal down in front of the frame waving my arms crying "Im not worthy", now its time to build her up and see for my self if the black beauty can hang with the white 575.

There are alot of trail Spots on the boards here built up to handle everything that a fun seeking guy would encounter in the woods or on the mountain, mine will be built up the same way. As zilla mention in another post, he would not want to be without the stiffness of the 20mm TA front end and I agree, though my QR Z1 FR is stiff, the TA feels great, so I will start off with my 03 Firefly.
Other parts that I can use are:

stems:
Raceface Dues stem 15 deg rise x 90mm
FSA FR 200 stem 0 rise X 70mm Because of the longer top tube on the medium frame, I will probably start with the shorter stem.

handlebars:
Easton Monkeylite carbon bars with 1.5" rise, 26" wide
Easton Monkeybars AL with 2" rise and 27" wide. Tuff call here, I love the wide DH bars, just dont know about the rise yet.

drivetrain:
X9 trigger shifters
XO med cage rear der.
XT front der. (still need to purchase)
XTR cassette, 11-34 Easy now, Im old so I need the tall 34-OK!
FSA platum cromo bottom bracket
FSA V drive extreme crankset with bashring, might be a bit over kill for this frame, I dont really use the big ring, I see it as a weapon that the bike might attack me with someday.
PC99 chain

Wheels:
I have a missed match wheelset right now, Hope Bulb rear with DT Supercomps and a 819 rim.
fornt is a DT Hugi FR mounted to a XM321
Wheels I want on the other hand are Kings/supercomps/819's, or I might try Hadley hubs inplace of the Kings. Any comments will be appreciated.
heavy Maxxis 2.35 Minion tires, grip like Jordans on hardwood, I might look for a lighter set.

brakes:
Hope Mono M4, have to use a 200mm front rotor for now unless I use a standard mount like on a Marzocchi.
rear 180mm rotor
I can also use Mono Mini's if I want something lighter, I just perfer the extra stopping and modulation of the M4's

other items
WTB Laser saddle
Thompson post
ODI grips

I think that covers what I have to build with, any comments or parts that I should change?
I was thinking of going with some colored hubs and headset combo like gold, blue or green, I guess I would loose the stealthy ninga look status though.

 

[Flying Wombat]

I think the 26" monkeylite would be nice. On the wheels, if I were doing it over again, I would go for King or possibly Hugi freeride hubs, and Mavic XM819 rims (although for a bigger guy the EX823 might better depending on your riding style. I have had great luck with the Geax Sturdy UST tires, they are HUGE for a 2.25 (as big as some 2.5 tires) and have good grip in almost all conditions (I dont know about mud).
Go with a few colour accents, even Ninja's like to throw some color in their outfits!

 

[BanzaiRider]

My 2 cents! it's fun to provide opinion of a build...

Hey, here is what I think. I do maintenance and mechanic stuff myself so keep that in mind, I usually try to get the easiest stuff to maintain. If you have yours done in a shop then some of my pics may not be as appropriate to you. So, here are my comments:

- Stem: I have the RaceFace Deus, this thing is a beauty, period.

- Handlebar: think about the Answer Protaper, nice and light 2" riser with a choice in color and plenty large...

- Crank: Man, the new XT or RaceFace cranks are soooo nice to setup and maintain it's almost criminal to choose something else. The RaceFace is certainly the nicest looking of the two.

- Wheels: I'm sold to UST rims with UST tires. I will never, ever go back to tubes. Crossmax wheels are nice looking but I'm sure a CK hub with a UST rim is a very good performer.

- Brakes: Avid Juicy without hesitation. These are sooo easy to setup, power and modulation is amazing. I will never, ever go back to a system with those frickin little washer shims... If you don't like the Juicy's, I'd go with the new Shimano XT.

Hey, have lot's of fun with your shopping. This is the best part of mountain bikes, lot's of options, plenty of headaches choosing which is best for our money...

Hey gang, the box opening jitters are gone, I no longer neal down in front of the frame waving my arms crying "Im not worthy", now its time to build her up and see for my self if the black beauty can hang with the white 575.

There are alot of trail Spots on the boards here built up to handle everything that a fun seeking guy would encounter in the woods or on the mountain, mine will be built up the same way. As zilla mention in another post, he would not want to be without the stiffness of the 20mm TA front end and I agree, though my QR Z1 FR is stiff, the TA feels great, so I will start off with my 03 Firefly.
Other parts that I can use are:

stems:
Raceface Dues stem 15 deg rise x 90mm
FSA FR 200 stem 0 rise X 70mm Because of the longer top tube on the medium frame, I will probably start with the shorter stem.

handlebars:
Easton Monkeylite carbon bars with 1.5" rise, 26" wide
Easton Monkeybars AL with 2" rise and 27" wide. Tuff call here, I love the wide DH bars, just dont know about the rise yet.

drivetrain:
X9 trigger shifters
XO med cage rear der.
XT front der. (still need to purchase)
XTR cassette, 11-34 Easy now, Im old so I need the tall 34-OK!
FSA platum cromo bottom bracket
FSA V drive extreme crankset with bashring, might be a bit over kill for this frame, I dont really use the big ring, I see it as a weapon that the bike might attack me with someday.
PC99 chain

Wheels:
I have a missed match wheelset right now, Hope Bulb rear with DT Supercomps and a 819 rim.
fornt is a DT Hugi FR mounted to a XM321
Wheels I want on the other hand are Kings/supercomps/819's, or I might try Hadley hubs inplace of the Kings. Any comments will be appreciated.
heavy Maxxis 2.35 Minion tires, grip like Jordans on hardwood, I might look for a lighter set.

brakes:
Hope Mono M4, have to use a 200mm front rotor for now unless I use a standard mount like on a Marzocchi.
rear 180mm rotor
I can also use Mono Mini's if I want something lighter, I just perfer the extra stopping and modulation of the M4's

other items
WTB Laser saddle
Thompson post
ODI grips

I think that covers what I have to build with, any comments or parts that I should change?
I was thinking of going with some colored hubs and headset combo like gold, blue or green, I guess I would loose the stealthy ninga look status though.

 

[ride red]

Thanks guy's, hey Mario how are you liking the Devinci? I havent seen much of you since the new forums setup. I finally took the plunge to get a Horst Link to check it out for myself. I would've liked to have seen the new Devinci's, but looks like I will have to settle for the lowly 5 Spot

I do like what you BR and FW has said about tubless tires, I would like to really ckeck in to it.

 

[BanzaiRider]

I like it for performance...

The Banzai is very nice with the Swinger air 3way. With the original Talas Propedal shock I did not like it. The platform was too stiff for me at 150lbs. The frame is very well built, it will take a lot of abuse with the heat tube extra plates and the rear linkage is extremely stiff with the needle bearing design.

However, next year I'll add some suspension "flexibility" to my setup!! I'll keep my current Swinger Air and my Talas fork but I'll get myself either a Fox DHX or Romic for the back with either a Fox 36 or RS Pike in front. That way I think I'll have the ultimate!! Swinger air rear with Talas front combo for XC and light trail days. DHX/Romic rear with 36/Pike front combo for tech trails and some DH. Hiha!

Have fun with the 5-spot. This and the Moment are still my favorites. My Banzai is probably very close in terms of performance but in terms of looks I'm always looking at pictures on this forum!

Cheers.

Thanks guy's, hey Mario how are you liking the Devinci? I havent seen much of you since the new forums setup. I finally took the plunge to get a Horst Link to check it out for myself. I would've liked to have seen the new Devinci's, but looks like I will have to settle for the lowly 5 Spot

I do like what you BR and FW has said about tubless tires, I would like to really ckeck in to it.