# Banshee Titan First Impression



## Greg010832 (Mar 15, 2021)

*Back story:*

I ride mostly natural/technical trails throughout the week and more enduro/shuttle day type of rides on the weekends (I plan to do more trips this year to some flow trails with fire road climbs and sweet descends). I have been biking since 2018 and have ridden everything from rigid mountain bikes to full suspension large travel bikes. I have owned 2 Trek Remedy's 27.5 (150mm/160mm) and most recently a YT Jeffsy 27.5 (150mm/150mm). I mostly dig natural trails, flow trails, drops, some jumps, and steep technical stuff.

I really wanted the Prime V3 in raw but I would have had to wait 3-4 months. However, the shop mentioned a few last year models of the Titan that were on sale. I went in to see the red in-person since it's the last color I would want, but it ended up being a really cool color in-person (slightly orange-ish). Because of the sale and because the two bikes seemed so similar I went with the Titan knowing that I could keep the fork at 160 and ride the bike in either low or high setting to keep the bike trail worthy rather than just solely a monster truck descender.

*Details and specs:*

2020 Size Medium Banshee Titan frame (red) with Fox Float X2 and the shorter dropouts

Marzocchi Bomber Z1 coil fork (set at 160mm)
SRAM GX Eagle groupset with 170mm cranks
SRAM Code RSC brakes with 180mm rotors
Industry Nine 1/1 Enduro s wheels
OneUp dropper post (150mm)
OneUp carbon bars (uncut/800mm)
Raceface Affect stem (40mm)
OneUp flat pedals
Ergon Enduro SM saddle
Specialized Butcher Grid Trail 29x2.6 (front)
Specialized Eliminator Grid Trail 29x2.3 (rear)
PNW grips
*First Impressions:*

I picked the bike up on a Friday night and eagerly awaited to ride the next morning (I barely slept). Loaded up, I got from the parking lot and into the trail and man... I was stoked. I had a smile on my face ripping through the local single track and immediately felt comfortable on the bike. I find this surprising for a few reasons: 1) I have never owned a 29er, 2) For how much bigger it is all-around, 3) It has more travel than I've ever had. This surprise of course was great. I kept on flying through the woods, smile and all, with small rock gardens, river crossings, small drops, some sweet root hits (my favorite) until I realized I had hit 10 miles. 10 miles isn't a lot by any means, but I hadn't been on a bike for a good month due to the weather here on the east coast. To the short punchy climbs, to the small descends full of natural/technical features, I was having a blast and riding faster than I ever have (time doesn't matter to me, just the fun factor and speed = fun). I did 13 miles on day one and was thrilled with the new purchase. I got home and immediately jotted down all of my thoughts so the first impression could stay fresh.

The first impressions via iPhone Notes goes as follows:

Planted yet poppy (PP? PP is a great thing to be!)
Extremely stable and balanced (kinda like when your car is brand new and has perfect alignment and you can take your hands off the wheel and let it glide)
Fast in straightaways
Can turn very well (again... stable and planted)
Handles and balances well at slow speeds and technical situations
Pedals very, very well and I rarely found myself in the lowest gear
No bobbing (none...)
Climbs very well when seated (not the best when things get really steep... However, it's day one and I'm still in my winter body)
Very fun and most relatable to a plow, plush bike (another PP, and a good thing to be!)
Handling is superior and I find it easy to maneuver
Fun on the trails but even more fun on the descends and rough/rowdy terrain. As other's say, "It comes alive on the descends." (Others, 2020-2021)
Reach feels great, wheelbase feels great and I do not notice the long chainstay other than the benefit of stability and control
No issues with BB height smacking rocks
*Key words:*

Fast
Stable
Controlled
Precise
Smooth
Confident
Comfortable
Plush
Planted
*Conclusion:*

The suspension just feels right. It's fantastic and through turns and rowdy stuff it just glides with precision, speed, comfort, confidence, and control. No chatter or bobbing or hesitant maneuvers. A predictable behavior that inspires rider confidence (this means I can fly off a jump I normally wouldn't). It's also a quiet bike that doesn't beat you up. It's less of a "feel the trail" bike and more of a comfortable lifted Rolls Royce. If I could afford to have a few bikes, I would. This bike is my do it all bike for now, and it does it well. I will say, for flatter/technical maneuvers (log overs, etc.) I would maybe consider the Prime or the other shorter travel/hardtail bikes from Banshee's lineup. For a fun, fast, steep, long day in the mountain type of bike, this would be a really good option.


ProsConsFunHeavy (I promise you don't notice it when riding and it pedals so well with no bob so who cares?)ConfidentSmall amount of cable noise (easy fix)FastSeat tube insertion (doesn't allow to slam your seatpost... not a huge deal, just a deal)PlantedN/AControlledN/A


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## JimmyC (Dec 19, 2005)

Excellent review. Thanks for sharing.


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## noosa2 (May 20, 2004)

Thanks for the review.


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