The Banshee Paradox V3 is beautiful + DJI Osmo Action 4 Bike Camera 

I've had a Paradox for the past 6 month and absolutely LOVE it! It's the best hardtail I've ever ridden (I started riding in '90). Lightweight, dialed geometry, manuverable without being twitchy, and the frame's compliance really helps blunt trail chatter. For taller riders, the stack height is a game-changer - I don't have to run a high-rise stem or monster riser bar anymore. I've got mine built up as a "light trail" bike w/ a 130mm Bomber Z2 and Bontrager XR4 2.6/2.4 combo. For size reference - I'm 6' 5" on an XL, which just a bit small for me.

I own both the Scout 290 and the Paradox V3 both in size L. I have put over 90 hours on both frames with the exact same parts and tires and ridden the exact same trails , root sections and jumps. The fact that you rated the Scout higher than the Paradox blew my mind. I do not understand where your rating came from. If something i would rate the Scout a 70 and the Paradox between 95-97. It is a better frame in every aspect.

Agree it’s a bit of a unique/strange bike, but I have the exact same frame and I absolutely love it. The compliance does make it great at chunk, but also really helps make long rides here in MN much less tiring. I think it can jump quite well once you adapt to it, but it did take me some time to get confident and comfortable, and I also went through a number of cockpit adjustments. It likes to be ridden hard, and can feel a bit numb on tame rides/terrain, but I actually like that because then when I get to rowdy sections of trail it doesn’t feel overwhelmed or skittish like a stiffer bike can. For where I live and ride, it’s my primary summer trail bike and it’s so good that it has kept me from replacing it with a full sus for 2 seasons and counting now. I built mine with some reasonably light components, and the result is incredible….it’s a mile munching rowdy XC bike that you can do crazy things with, or a very lightweight speedy trail bike that can take me anywhere and party as hard as I want when things point downhill. I’ve done some jump sessions, big XC rides, and everything in between (including 2 trips to Bentonville) and haven’t ever felt like I was on the wrong bike. The stunning good looks of the bike are just a bonus, but it’s also kinda fun the way people stop and complement me on the Banshee ALL THE TIME. Even parked next to my friend’s 5k carbon full squish, people notice the Banshee more and always ask me about it!

DJI colors look better, the FOV looked better, the picture seemed more…clear. ❤️ I’m still an Insta360 fanboy though. As for the bike, stoked to see you on a Banshee finally! They aren’t for everyone. Maybe a bit too many DH genes in all the models but, once you get your fit truly dialed they come alive. My Enigma feels the same in the rear end, maybe a bit more supple because I downsized which puts my weight further over the rear. Keep up the excellent work Evan and hope to see you at Leatherwood soon!! 🤛

Paradox owner here. I agree with so much you said about this bike. I have never felt more confident and capable on techy climbs than I do on this bike, and it just eats up chunk. But, it does feel a bit over-biked for more tame flowy singletrack. It is easily my favorite bike I've ever owned, I can't see myself getting rid of this until they come out with a V4.

Week 4 of asking Orbea Laufey

Evan, you do a lot of things well, but I must say, you marrying your sponsor segment with relevant B roll footage is genius

Love the hardtail series. I would be stoked for a bike with a more extreme geo like the On-One Wrekker to see how they are across the board. Keep up the good work!!

Where’s the canyon stoic?

Finally the Growler we were talking abou🥳🥳 So excited!!!

The Paradox takes a moment to get used to. It is an excellent frame, and especially when running 27.5" * 2.8" tyres is compliant, comfortable and great fun. Did I hear you right about the frame lacking a water bottle mount inside the front triangle? It absolutely bdoes have them. The frame isn't for everyone, and it would be better if the rear end was size specific but it still is one of my favourite bikes.

Great series! I'm having fun with all your observations on all the different frames, but have to translate then to my tastes, as I love really long reaches (500-ish), don't like tall stacks, and prefer longer chainstays & taller BB's. But the information is there, just have to extract it and interpret for myself. Good job!

Incredible looking bike for sure 👍 I am surprised to hear it didn’t jump well. I wonder if the back end squirms in a weird on off jumps? And I vote for the DJi, that field of view without much distortion looks great 🤠

Sweet Season. Could you do a bonus episode and evaluate a Walmart bike frame to see where it stands and to confirm why you don't want a box store frame. I was thinking of the Ozark Trail Ridge 29 or the Kent Trouvaille.

I enjoy these series sooo much! At the moment I'm super hyped for NPRF Scout!

I would have went with whatever frame size the manufacturer recommended for my height and ignored geo till after I rode the bikes. Its very easy to get wrapped up in the number and let it skew your perception.

I have never ridden a Big Al but I do own the Big Wig and it’s a really compliant frame and really quite going down the trail it is the bike that replaced my Stump jumper. Love it!!

Great looking bike - looks fast standing still. DJI looks way better, natural colours, and excellent exposure compensation in both bright and patchy light. ND filters: Great because it's easy to brighten dark images in post while retaining detail, but impossible to recover overexposed highlights. Variable ND filters are super awesome as they're 2 polarised filters on top of each other - reduce exposure and glare, and only requires the one filter. If you're using a compact camera like a Sony RX~ or Panasonic TZ~ you can use a product like Magfilter to attach them. Have a look at K&F Concepts, kind of like the Polygon of filters - as good as anything else but reasonably priced. If you're using your phone and don't have a filter kit, just hold your sunglasses close to the lens.

Specialized Fuse or Norco Fluid?

Love the series ❤. Can you make a video about clipless and flat pedals??

the color on GP11 is way warmer than it should be... looks unpleasing to me tbh. Love how accurate and true-to-life the OA4 is.

I have one! Won't dissapoint, awesome frame!

You should test the Santa Cruz Chameleon! It is a solid bike, hopefully it will do well in your hard tail quest!

The GP12 is coming in a month. '23 vs '23 Models is the right comparison. GP11 has been around a year and while its the current version, it a comparison to last years model when everyone knows the new one is coming. I'll wait for the GP12 before deciding if the OA4 is the best option this year :)

will you do the ns eccentric

You should test out the canyon stoic! I believe that is a solid bike for the price and i would love to see a review from you. Nice Video!

It could be hard to get but, 715 ind frame made in Chile is so good, it is a trail-enduro frame, and in the same platform you can use 27.5 and 29

Damn I used to have a Banshee and say what you will about the cost but they are some of the highest quality bikes you will ever ride, I had one from 2014 and it's still relevant today with modern geo as they really were ahead of their time Otherwise loved the video and keep up the good work 🙌

Pop a 27.5 in the rear to drop the bb and slacken the seat angle?

Super excited about the growler review! I have a RM Fusion hardtail I just got too!

To be fair, it’s a lovely looking frame

Absolutely love these hardtail videos. Cannot wait to see what you think about my growler. I love mine. :).

Love your videos. Agree with much of what you say, paradox is a ripper bike. But cant help but wonder if they are too subjective. Feeling strange or weird likely comes from fittment. It would be more helpful to work out why so thay more specific feedback can be given.

Ok guys i have to admit while the go-pro does have more saturation and vibrance, it is super distorted while the actions camera does not have as much vibrance and all that, but is super smooth and is very detailed looking like you are the one riding the trail.

​ @EvansMTBSaga any chance to put the Poseidon Norton into the race especially since your channels used to focus on affordability. Norton Frame is suppose to accommodate 650 and 29er…. on paper it’s very close in terms of geo to the Nukeproof Scout. Same frame reach (440mm) and stack is 647 vs 642 on the Scout. Would be interesting to see your opinion … plus it looks like the Norton has internal and external cable routing.

Best Ad transitions on RU-vid

I’ve just ordered a paradox, all of the reviews I’ve read are very positive! Gutted that you didn’t get on with it, I hope I do. I was surprised when you said the BB was high, most forums and reviews say it’s very low.

What camera mount position do you prefer. I want to get back into recording only because my kids just got their first 20” mountain bikes. I think it would be very fun to record our rides.

Really enjoying the series, looking forward to the next one.

The field of view, framerate, and colors look way better on the DGI.

how do you tech climb at 5 yet normal climbing at 3.2 ?

Love the finish and look of it but yeah, those cables are janky as heck.

That steeper seat tube angle should help that paradox 75/76 climb better than the scout 73?, that's weird are you sure it's that bad?, I have a scout and it's the worst bike I've ever had for climbing in my opinion, but it's great when going down. I'm about to swap out the frame for something else that's a better all rounder...........

Are you going to review the commencal meta HT again

So excited that you are testing out the RM Growler! I

I'm sure your sick of me asking but I need to see a 2022 Chameleon on your channel. If mine was a medium id send it to you. But its a large. If you want to try a large, im game. I am excited to see the Growler next!!

try dartmoor Hornet.

7:50, 7:56, 8:27, 8:35, 10:41, 13:47, 14:12, 14:52, and 15:03 CHARLESSSSS

You’ve bloody trashed GoPro there mate, maybe try actually giving it a fair crack next time. Also it’s called a bloody hardtail for a reason, your not supposed to expect small bump sensitivity on single track.

that frame is sick.. close attention to details so you pay more but get a quality frame. innovative features but also really cool banshee still uses the IS bracke tabs... no worries about stripped threads. lol, what's ASMR ? cool vid, love the series

You should definitely keep going on this series and do the commencial hardtail and the canyon hardtail

I think you reviewed the wrong Trek hardtail. The Roscoe is fine, but the Stache is sick, especially if you're building them up.

how about testing a DaBomb sentinal 29?

yeti or santa cruz frame please

Now if you could get your hands on a Marin Team Marin hard tail. That may be a better trail bike but more for cross country. Would love to see you review that one too.

I would love to see you try the Marin San Quentin! It's a pretty good frame.

Happy 3 year anniversary on RU-vid Evan!

Love the raw finish on the frame.

I like the go pro more😊

You need some steel frames. That material just makes hard tails so much better over aluminum.

Babe wake up.. Evan MTB Saga uploaded a video

I’m looking forward to next week. I almost bought the Rocky Mountain Growler but went with the Nukeproof Scout instead.

Try the whyte 429 hard tail

Looking forward to your Growler review as I have enjoyed immensely my 2022 Growler50

great review! Will you test commencal HT?

Hey,I recommned to try dartmoor honret normal or pro frame.It's very interesting because you can put a 180mm fork with no problem

the settings after mtb alan gave you them looked way worse but the DJI did look better than the gopro somehow

Finally an honest, unpaid review on this frame. The Geo is kind of all over the place. Semi steep seat angle but not long enough or slack enough to need that seat angle. A falsely tall stack from an abnormally long head tube limits used Fork availability. Plus the price for an aluminum frame is crazy.

Evan, on the tech climbs, you mention that you were not able to make that climb before. Could it be that with all the practice of the different frames that you are just more experienced and have improved your skills? Fun series to watch though. SO far I still like the Big All 2023 and Scout. Great Value for performance

1:42 had me dying 😂😂😂

For the roscoe, I always thought it’s made to be used with wider tires… Also, isn’t a steeper seat tube better for climbing?

Would you be able to do the Specialized rockhopper after the Rocky mountain? I have a 2021 Specialized rockhopper and it'll be interesting to see what you think about it.

I prefear GoPro but just because I have one, but in one year an a half I never had problem with it, and I like my videos.

Looking forward to the Rocky Mtn. That scout is gonna be hard to beat.

Now you have a matching hardtail from that matches with the frame of your enduro

I'd love to see you review one of the Dawley bikes. They're a pretty small British brand that I think makes their frames custom for each order. Theyre a bit over a grand a piece which i think is pretty awesome considering the product.

Can you do a commencal meta HT sometime?

I just love the DJI osmo clips ❤🎉

I just sold my Nukeproof Scout 290 😢 NB, only cos I bought an Eeb & have too many whips 😎 It's gone to a good home and will get the attention it deserves... NPS-290 FTW!!! 🤘

Not a fan of the flat color on th DJI but I love the idea of the magnetic mount.

I love this quest, but it is been hard for me to keep track on some key details, like the travel on the fork and the wheel size. It would be nice to have a reminder of those details. Love hardtails!

Would love a review of the Canyon Stoic frame and the Santa Cruz Chameleon.

Test out a moxie pipe dream. Honestly the best hardtail I’ve ever ridden!

Loved the video! Could you please test a Giant Fathom? :D

Osmo has the best wide angle. Not too wide like those 360 cams that a lot of guys run that distort everything. But a little wider than the GoPro so that it doesn't feel zoomed in on the bars.

I feel like GoPro was not set to wider FOV.

would of made a move on this frame but no XL option

Have you heard of Rurok Kanlaon? It will give you to modes, Play and the Slay.🔥😎

Nice work Evan!

You should test the Orbea Laufey ! It's a nice bike with a good value for money.

Are the title ah1 bars any good im concerned because I get hand numbness depending on the bars I know everyone is different but I’m definitely having my eyes on pnw range bars is title as comfortable?

I have one a love ir now i have yeti arc and best hardtail for me

I was just sitting outside working on bikes and I was like I bet he just uploaded a Hardtail video and I was right!

A good hardtail quest series would be RSD Middle Child aluminum vs steel vs the ti version. Which is better.

Evan, how bought something with a unique style and slept on like The Hardtail MTBs from Kona like the Mahuna or Kahuna.

Can you try out an NS Eccentric? meets your criteria? Love the content btw.

U should try the giant fathom it comes 27.5 or 29 it’s a good bike

you should test Orbea Laufey

Hi. why there is no 27,5 plus sizes testing? I like them more like most of them.

Try the Marin san Quentin 3 frame, I love mine