Well the weather sucks here and the Maribor park is closed for today for that reason so I decided instead of making an ass of myself a will write a review of my legend after a season of abuse.
First I want to say Im no pro. Im a mid pack rider that forgets every year to do his cardio in the off season so I ride light in the first part of the day and plow hanging on my bike for the latter part I also crash very often for no apparent reason so I tend to be abusive on my bikes.
Build quality and durability
Out of the box the Legend was mint. No problems with any parts, everything was aligned and the paint looked great. For the most part it stayed true for the whole season. No problems with the pivots and bearings (Im really happy they ditched the bushing idea they tried on the mk1) even after riding for a full month during a flood and pressure washing my bike every day for 10 days. Same for dust - 2 weeks in deep French dust with no problems.
The rear shock is well protected from mud if you didnt notice that on the photos.
Legend is also very durable and dent resistant. Ive ridden in very different conditions including loose rocks and Ive heard many loose rocks hit my frame. I also had a real crash-o-rama in Maribor last year when I had 2-3 bigger crashes a day. I maybe have 1 small dent but that also may be a dent in clear foil I cover all my frames with. I also have a few scratches from rocks on the chainstay that look like the bike was attacked by a hungry mountain lion. It will be easier for a rock to scrach the rear deep than to dent it. Ive also bottomed the frame on a few occasions with no real issues. It is also quite light at just under 4kg w/o shock. My current build weights 16.4kg and its quite burly with saint brakes and a silly 220mm rotor (needed a rotor fast and cheap)
I have one issue with Banshee Legend Quality - the green paint. While the black is very nice and durable the green logos are very easy to scratch and they pale in the sun. If you can Id go for one of the ano/polished versions.
The Ride
The legend needed no adjustment even though it could be a bit longer in the TT area. The bike feels very neutral geo wise. The low bb and frame CoG makes it feel very good in turns. I can lean far more than I previously suspected was possible. The 63.7 (64 on my bike) feels very good and I am really curious to try an angleset to slacken it out to 62 for steeper trails. Still 64 and a 117cm wheelbase make for a very stable bike.
The suspension performs very well. Its a bit more rearward than other non pulley frames so it carries speed over the rough with ease. Pedaling feels a bit strange at first but when you get used to it you realise that Legend pedals really well. There is also no excessive blowing through travel. It has a bit less pop than some other frames I tried but it is still possible to ride light on it.
Though I hear it is a bit too linear for a CCDB. Rc4 performs very well here.
The only bike I would change my legend for would be a large legend with a shorter stem (like Cesar did with his Mondraker). If you want a bike that you will never have to worry about, will take abuse well and will feel better the faster you go go with the Legend. Have in mind though that a Medium Legend feels short for my 179cm when I use a 45mm stem.
btw. Sorry for the lack of quality photos but Ive been having too much fun on it in the last season. Wanted to shoot some today but the weather killed that idea. Will post some as soon as possible
First I want to say Im no pro. Im a mid pack rider that forgets every year to do his cardio in the off season so I ride light in the first part of the day and plow hanging on my bike for the latter part I also crash very often for no apparent reason so I tend to be abusive on my bikes.
Build quality and durability
Out of the box the Legend was mint. No problems with any parts, everything was aligned and the paint looked great. For the most part it stayed true for the whole season. No problems with the pivots and bearings (Im really happy they ditched the bushing idea they tried on the mk1) even after riding for a full month during a flood and pressure washing my bike every day for 10 days. Same for dust - 2 weeks in deep French dust with no problems.
The rear shock is well protected from mud if you didnt notice that on the photos.
Legend is also very durable and dent resistant. Ive ridden in very different conditions including loose rocks and Ive heard many loose rocks hit my frame. I also had a real crash-o-rama in Maribor last year when I had 2-3 bigger crashes a day. I maybe have 1 small dent but that also may be a dent in clear foil I cover all my frames with. I also have a few scratches from rocks on the chainstay that look like the bike was attacked by a hungry mountain lion. It will be easier for a rock to scrach the rear deep than to dent it. Ive also bottomed the frame on a few occasions with no real issues. It is also quite light at just under 4kg w/o shock. My current build weights 16.4kg and its quite burly with saint brakes and a silly 220mm rotor (needed a rotor fast and cheap)
I have one issue with Banshee Legend Quality - the green paint. While the black is very nice and durable the green logos are very easy to scratch and they pale in the sun. If you can Id go for one of the ano/polished versions.
The Ride
The legend needed no adjustment even though it could be a bit longer in the TT area. The bike feels very neutral geo wise. The low bb and frame CoG makes it feel very good in turns. I can lean far more than I previously suspected was possible. The 63.7 (64 on my bike) feels very good and I am really curious to try an angleset to slacken it out to 62 for steeper trails. Still 64 and a 117cm wheelbase make for a very stable bike.
The suspension performs very well. Its a bit more rearward than other non pulley frames so it carries speed over the rough with ease. Pedaling feels a bit strange at first but when you get used to it you realise that Legend pedals really well. There is also no excessive blowing through travel. It has a bit less pop than some other frames I tried but it is still possible to ride light on it.
Though I hear it is a bit too linear for a CCDB. Rc4 performs very well here.
The only bike I would change my legend for would be a large legend with a shorter stem (like Cesar did with his Mondraker). If you want a bike that you will never have to worry about, will take abuse well and will feel better the faster you go go with the Legend. Have in mind though that a Medium Legend feels short for my 179cm when I use a 45mm stem.
btw. Sorry for the lack of quality photos but Ive been having too much fun on it in the last season. Wanted to shoot some today but the weather killed that idea. Will post some as soon as possible
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