For this week’s Readers’ Rides, our friend Andrew Wiloid from Andrew the Maker Handmade Goods shares with us his fully-loaded full-suspension Banshee Phantom for a week on the Colorado Trail. Check out Andrew’s excellent write up and photos below!

Hey Y’all! My name is Andrew. Some of you might know me from my business (ATM Handmade Goods) or Instagram name (@AndrewtheMaker). I run a little one-person operation making bicycle bags in Kansas City, MO.

Every year I try to get out into the mountains for a few days of bikepacking and trying out new gear. The past few years I’ve been bikepacking upon a custom Ti hardtail I designed but even with its progressive geometry I was never comfortable switching back and forth with my trail bike here on my home trails. After a lap of the Vapor Trail bikepacking route last year I decided I was going to get a short travel full suspension to replace it. I researched a bunch of different bikes and finally stumbled upon the Banshee Phantom. The global parts shortage was in full swing but luckily Banshee had some frames showing up pretty quickly so I jumped on it!

I was able to get it built up only needing a new seatpost which my favorite local shop One Star Bicycles had in stock. I didn’t really know what to expect from the bike and I was instantly blown away by how good it was right out of the box! There were a few shortcomings on my build kit that I wanted to address before this summer’s bikepacking trip and luckily my friends over at One Star Bicycles again got me fixed up. Moral of the story is to have a great relationship with your local bike shop.

I’m getting ready to head out on the Colorado Trail with some friends. Since I have a business and two small kids it’s hard to do the whole thing, so I’ll be joining them halfway and finishing the route back to Denver. Here is a full spec list on the bike build, some of the parts were picked because of availability but it all works great together.

Specs:
Frame: Banshee Phantom XL 2020 in Raw
Fork: Rockshox Pike RCT3 2015 model year
Shock: Fox DPX2
Seatpost: One Up 200mm with a Wolftooth dropper lever and Spurcycles Bell mount
Handlebars: Moonmen custom risers with about a 3″ rise and mid teen sweep and Ergon grips
Stem: GT BMX 40mm 7/8″ clamp
Wheels: Enve AM30(thanks One Star Bicycles!) these were one of the hardest things to get
Tires: Specialized Ground Control Grid 2.35 with Cushcore inserts
Drivetrain: Sram GX Lunar derailleur and shifter. XO1 cassette and XX1 chain. Shimano XT crank/BB with Wolftooth Chainring.
Brakes: TRP Quadium with Sram centerlock 180mm rotors.
Pedals: Shimano XT
Chain dampening: STFU
Bags: ATM handlebar roll, custom TT Bag, custom framebag, downtube bag, and seat bag.

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We’d like to thank all of you who have submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared over here. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!