2011 Intense - Eurobike 2010

The main man himself sat in front of the new Tracer 2. Intense might not be the biggest brand in terms of sales, but they are at the top of many riders wish lists of bikes, with an illustrious history, a successful present, and a promising future. It was in 1993 that Jeff first made an M1 frame, the M standing for monocoque, and it was this frame that started it all for them in the downhill world. Originally fitted with a Mac Strut design, it was several years before the swing link made it onto the bike, and Shaun Palmer started bringing the success with it. It was Mike Metzger who originally introduced the pair who went on to shake up the world of downhill, with Palmer's distinctive style of bright motocross clothes, tattoos, flat pedals and full on riding style - only to lose by the slimmest of margins at the World Champs to Nicolas Vouilloz. It's hard to understand the full impact he had on the scene for those only just getting into the sport, but it is one which is still being fully felt today. Plans for the continued success of Intense include three carbon bikes within the next few years, ranging from an aluminum/carbon mix for downhill, through to two all carbon bikes for the markets looking for a little less travel - all are exciting prospects!

The Tracer 2 is a fully revised bike that is using fresh hydro formed tubing, a direct mount front derailleur, and a 67 degree stock head angle with a 160mm fork. Being a 1.5" headtube though, this is adjustable with either some fixed angle adjusting cups or the Cane Creek Angleset which was seen fitted to a huge number of bikes throughout the week. Whilst the performance is surely there, we will need to wait until some ride time has been put in before actually being able to come to a decision on that point. Which means for now all we can do is tell you the specs and also just how good looking this is!

This photo shows where you can adjust the travel from 150mm to 160mm with the simple repositioning of the rearward shock bolt on the Fox RP23 unit. Coming in at 6.75 lb, the frame should be a tough beast while still being able to ride the climbs and take you on the big trails that still fit under the All Mountain moniker. The photo prior to this also shows the G2 two-way adjustable dropouts. These are a slimmed down version of those seen on their bigger travel gravity bikes and allow the rider to alter the wheelbase by half an inch as well as mildly tweaking the bottom bracket height and head angle.

The fun loving Tazer has been around for many years now with a long line of evolution leading to this current model, the VP. A 4x/light slopestyle frame with 3.5"-4.0" of rear travel, adjusted by similar means to the Tracer 2 above. With updated tubing that is aimed at improving stiffness, strength, and reducing weight (the three key aims it seems of every updated bike regardless of manufacturer), there are larger, stiffer dropouts and ISCG05 chain device tabs. A 1.5" headtube not only allows for a larger weld to increase strength, but also gives users the option of altering the head angle and front end height using full height cups and angled reducers like the Angleset mentioned above. A bottom bracket which sits below the axle line should keep handling razor sharp with a low centre of gravity allowing it to really attack the turns if previous iterations are anything to go by.

There has been no shortage of coverage surrounding this, the latest in a long line of top flight downhill frames from Intense. Following on from where the M3 and latterly the M6 left off with VPP technology, the M9 has been in various stages of prototyping for several seasons on the World Cup scene and looks like a seriously slick evolution. With all the aforementioned coverage we'll keep it simple and highlight just a few of the really neat features that caught our eyes. This was the first feature and it was a good'un because it is possibly the neatest integration of the Cane Creek AngleSet that we have yet seen. Why? Well a standard frame will require you to press in and out the upper cup to change the angle, a job that requires special tools and knowledge. Here, a simple pinch bolt enables the upper cup to be simply popped out and replaced. clever!

Following on from the easily adjustable AngleSet cup, the feature that really defines the M9 is the way in which everything can be tweaked to suit a rider's personal preference and terrain that they have chosen to ride. And not only that, it is the ease with which everything is adjusted. Here you can see the G3 three way adjustable dropouts which allow the chainstays to be adjusted to 17.25", 17.50" or 17.75" and in doing so alter the head angle and BB by half a degree and a quarter of an inch per hole respectively. Its interesting to note that alongside the introduction of the M9, the 951 has received modifications to produce a Mk2 version. Simpler & cheaper, it does away with the adjustable dropouts and is set in what was the most common arrangement on the original. With a $450 lower asking price and RC2 Fox shock, it sounds like a killer deal. And for those of you who have wondered where the 951 came from, it's the area code for the Intense factory!

These holes at the front end of the shock enable it to be mounted into one of three positions which offer alterations to the progression of the stroke, from almost linear like the M6 to a more severe ramp up more akin to the 951 and beyond.

The rest of the adjustment is at the lower end of the shock. A reversible chip arrangement in the lower VPP link allows travel to be adjusted between 8.5" and 9.5" with a midpoint of 9.0" available with a separate set of chips. Just about visible is the revised grease port, being updated from a press fit unit to screw in which means that should one get clogged or damaged its an easy job to replace. They also look to be easier to reach than what was used on the M6. Deliveries should start in October - have you got your order in?