![]() As the Titan’s owner who let me test ride the bike explained, the Titan is not a bike that you use to attack the climbs. When the trail turns uphill however it’s nowhere near as good as the Phantom. It carves turns with more tenacity, and instills much more confidence in chunky terrain. Once at speed the Titan caries that speed so much better especially in the rough. The Titan feels, and is, more capable in every single way but up, or anytime you need to generate your own speed without the help of gravity. I felt more between the wheels on the same size frame (a large). Not that I felt tall on the Phantom, but the Titan feels lower. I felt more in the bike then I did aboard the Phantom which inspired more confidence, and controll. A thrill ride that bombs the drops, and carves turns even better then the Phantom. If only 115mm of KS2 goodness is this sweet I wondered, wouldn’t more taste even sweeter? That lead me to try a lap on a 155mm Titan. It really does accelerate, and climb that well.Īs great as the Phantom is, whenever I rode it I couldn’t help daydreaming about more. I could even see racing it cross country on technical courses with a light build kit, light wheels, and the dropouts in neutral. Overall, the Phantom is a great bike that could suit you well if your trails are flatter, tighter, twisty, or require more precision then squish. ![]() I thought the Phantom was an excellent descender that is until I experienced the Titan. It soaked up hits and trail chatter while screaming around the trail. I thought the Phantom descended extremely well. The long drop outs aid in climbing, and high speed stability, but detract from the sporty, precise, slot car feel. I tried it in neutral with the long, and compact dropouts. In neutral it climbs better then some cross country bikes I’ve ridden, but you lose a lot the carving ability, and overall technical prowess in the higher setting. With the dropouts in the low position, and some meaty rubber, the Phantom carves turns extremely well, but it really shines in it’s ability to pick a tight line at slow speeds. The Phantom rewards good line choice, and makes sticking to those lines easy with it’s razor sharp handling. Build up speed and any large to medium sized hit can slow your speed. The Phantom doesn’t carry speed as well as it’s bigger Banshee brothers. That stiffness also causes loss of momentum when you stray off line, or the trail gets rough. Feedback is plentiful which is great on most trails, but can rattle your fillings on successive hits like large root networks, or rock gardens. It leaps forward when you hit the pedals. ![]() The thing pedals extremely well, even better with the drop outs in neutral. The Phantom V3 with 115mm is a rocket on the climbs, acceleration, and in the flats. Here’s a comparison of those three bikes, and a few surprises. I’ve now had the fortune of riding three of the 29 wheeled Banshees: The Phantom, Prime, and one lap on a Titan. Want plus sized tires? Install the long dropout. You can pick the frame that suits you from Banshees stable of 27.5, and 29 wheeled bikes, then further customize the geo to fit your needs, or the mission that weekend. These changes aren’t just hype, they really make a difference even a novice will feel. The KS2 suspension design on these Banshees is as good if not better then any design out there, and for a Clydesdale like myself, the leverage ratio is perfect.Īnother cool feature on all V3 Banshees is the ability to change the geo, and wheelbase length by flipping or swapping dropouts. This Spring I built a Phantom thinking “Down Country”, or 115mm travel, just might suit my riding, and the local trails.
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