Banshee Spitfire: Whazzat you say, Schwinn?

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Well here’s a deja vu for U. Banshee is leaking photos and details of its forthcoming trail bike called the Spitfire. Ironies abound. The first being that Banshee has the greatest bike names in the industry, placing first in our recent Top 10 Of All Time list with the Banshee Scream.

08172008034
08172008034 from http://dseelye.vox.com/

The irony: No. 9 on that very same list was the august, venerated and fondly remembered Schwinn… Spitfire. The bike that defined my and many others’ youth. The original Spitfire hasn’t been produced for some time, and the name gradually degraded to children’s starter bikes. Now it’s back with a vengeance you gotta love.

Not like your father's Schwinn
Not like your father's Schwinn!

The question is whether Schwinn, which underwent bankruptcy and sale years ago and may not actually even exist per se any more, will raise any protest or a trademark violation. A search of Schwinn.com turned up no hits under “Spitfire.” Hopefully Banshee’s lawyers have done their homework and the Spitfire will rise from the ashes like … the bike I now own, the Firebird.

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