Intense DVO Recluse Limited Edition

May 16, 2017 at 0:06
by Richard Cunningham  
Intense DVO Recluse Limited Edition 2017


Intense launched the Recluse nearly one year ago and the sporty-handling,140-millimeter travel carbon framed trail bike has since become one of my favorite do-anything ponies. Intense recently collaborated with DVO suspension to produce a limited-edition version color matched to DVO's signature green fork and shock. The new bike was debuted in Sedona, Arizona, where selected press had a chance to burn in some red rock laps. Only 100 Recluse DVO Limited Edition models will be built and each will be shipped with a certificate of authenticity.

The bike's $7999.99 MSRP includes a 150-millimeter stroke DVO Diamond fork with its lowers painted to match the Limited Edition's military green and gloss black highlights, and a matching DVO Topaz T3 air-sprung shock. Key components also include a SRAM X01 Eagle 12-speed transmission (a first for the Recluse) and Magura's new MT Trail brakes. Weight savings in the form of its SL high-modulus carbon chassis, titanium hardware, and Intense carbon wheels further sweeten the deal.

bigquotesWorking on special edition bikes allows us freedom to explore different scenarios with spec, colors, graphics and overall outcome of the finished build. Limited edition bikes are always fun projects to work on, and this one has been one of my favorites.Intense COO, Chad Peterson
Intense DVO Recluse Limited Edition 2017
DVO Diamond sliders painted to match the Recluse chassis. Intense 30mm inner width carbon rims.

Fans of Intense's original Tracer 275c will love the Recluse. It shares similar suspension kinematics, but its top tube has been lowered to adapt longer dropper posts, its front center is lengthened, and the seat tube is steeper. The Recluse rides better than the original Tracer 275c in every way, and with DVO suspension and the accompanying upgrades, the Limited Edition moves that bar even higher. For full specs and more information, visit Intense's Recluse DVO page.

Intense DVO Recluse Limited Edition 2017
DVO Topaz T3 shock and matching anodized hardware.

Intense DVO Recluse Limited Edition 2017
Magura MT Trail brake with a sturdy aluminum lever.
Intense DVO Recluse Limited Edition 2017
MT Trail brakes: four-piston front caliper and a two-piston rear.






Author Info:
RichardCunningham avatar

Member since Mar 23, 2011
974 articles

145 Comments
  • 124 12
 Bob: "Damn it, I just can't work out what colour to paint this new bike."
Frank: "ACHOOOOO!"
Bob: "Ewww, it's all over your han.... wait a minute, that's the perfect colour!"
  • 33 11
 Haha, but real talk though that thing looks sick
  • 100 5
 Now just wait for it to pop up on the PB monthly online deals page.
  • 80 1
 You think that's funny, but really it's snot
  • 13 5
 @maxlombardy: Hey bro, really sorry but I accidentally neg propped you. I just wanted you to know that I don't really feel that way. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me and accept this post as positive props.
  • 16 19
 Why can't they just make bikes Black then I can put whatever colored parts on it I want. Stupid colors
  • 28 1
 @tblore: do you actually struggle to find a black bike frame?
  • 13 2
 I would actually consider owning one if it had a cool name like "Intense Booger"
  • 17 5
 I like the florescent green. I like the army green. But... they just don't go together very well.
  • 1 2
 @dthomp325: Sup-port-ed!!!!!!! Frown
  • 8 6
 I think the model name is quite apt for such a paint job. If that were my bike I'd be a recluse too!
  • 15 8
 Phew this bike is as ugly as sin!!!

I was just in an LBS and they had two of the previous special edition Intense Tracer builds, from two years ago...

They were $4,000. Roughly half of what they originally msrp'd for. And they still had trouble selling them.

Intense, I'm not sure anyone wants THAT much attention out on the trail.
  • 15 0
 Intense SnotRocket would be apt.
  • 4 0
 @maxlombardy: There's only 100 being made so probably not with this build!
  • 1 0
 lol I walked right into that@VwHarman:
  • 2 0
 Gesundheit Frank.
  • 1 0
 @tblore: or I missed sarcasm....one of the two.
  • 4 1
 I like the frame color combo ...a lot actually. Lose the rim decals....easy. Done.
  • 1 0
 intense pun something with a clean cut rim...bike looks so massy..pakkkk pikkkk pokkkk rim ugly duckling
  • 1 4
 Walmart called. They want their bike back.
  • 2 2
 @MasterSlater: I have one of those DVO Tracers, but I run a Marzocchi 350 on the front. Better fork and less matchy-match attention grabbing. Oh and I replaced the Jade with a Topaz. Much better for that frame.
  • 1 0
 @herzalot:

Don't get me wrong... that crazy green and black Tracer is a sick build that I would be happy to ride. When I saw the price I was like "i can deal with the color!", but then failed to adequately rationalize another $4k bike purchase. I need to work on my reasoning skills...
  • 1 0
 Sponsored by my mucinex
  • 48 2
 Couldn't find some green brakes?
  • 40 2
 Well..... They probably don't want too much green
  • 12 14
 Ze Germans decided to vork outsidez ze box. Sey are bringing ze Himmelblau zu Amerika.
  • 4 0
 It's funny, because the Magura MT7s would have matched this bike perfectly. Function over form, I guess - but a little extra power never went amiss?
  • 6 9
 @Bluefire: personally it would be hard for me to talk function over form when it comes to Magura brakes... there's quite a lot going on there in order to make them look special. Caliper looks sweet but the master cylinder is a rather failed attempt though at both form and function, it looks like sprayer from window cleaner. There are certain things that are ok to be made of plastic when it comes to an expensive bike item, like shifter body, or downside of a saddle, or fkng fender. But master cylinders of things that your life hangs on...
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: They seem to be using that same plastic stuff for the brakes they are making for Campagnolo.
  • 1 1
 @WAKIdesigns: Nothing wrong with plastic bodies...probably a thinwall-metal sleeve acting as a cylinder in there. Brake master assemblies are throwaway items anyway today and there is no slave cylinder on bikes. Calipers really look nice and 4 plus 2 makes sense on this xc bike - or not - I prefer 4 and 4 for a little more durability.

The LE theme on paintjob makes me cringe everytime I see one of those bikes.
  • 45 6
 Mid-life crisis bike. Only you think it makes you look faster.
  • 5 37
flag bapsmurphy (May 16, 2017 at 7:25) (Below Threshold)
 lol such a a retarded comment Those wheels look awful though
  • 14 0
 Actually a pretty spot on comment. At least around here.
  • 37 0
 So they made a bike to match the fork, and then painted the fork? What's the point
  • 23 1
 Master Chief is that you?
  • 26 6
 I wish had two more hands so I could give this 4 thumbs down
  • 4 1
 The milks gone bad!
  • 1 0
 Or a job, so you coud afford it!!!!
  • 18 0
 None of these greens really match up. Frame, fork and wheels are all different colors... they certainly should have gone with something else for the frame, no?
  • 10 4
 And the anodized parts are a fourth color. Another testament to Intense's lack of attention to detail.
  • 5 2
 I thought it was like a collage of greens, nothing wrong with that. I learned how to choose colours in post secondary school architectural technologies that work together in different ways, and there's nothing wrong with what they've done.
  • 2 1
 its $1000 for each shade of green on the bike.
  • 1 0
 This is like the bike version of an obnoxious F-350 pickup truck with American flags, bad paint job and loud music blaring. Not my cup of tea.
  • 16 1
 why they put reverb? on DVO spect bike?
  • 23 0
 Well.....they probably don't want too much DVO.
  • 4 0
 all the Garnets were sold out
  • 2 0
 Especially with the old style remote, though I have yet to able to find one for sale...
  • 7 0
 "Intense: Hey guys, since we're able to make a custom design, we can do whatever we want!!! Like mixing shades of green that will never, in any scenario, go well with each other! Great!" Or not. I'd rather go for the "Faces-of-Nicholas-Cage" edition than be seen on this chromatic nightmare. My Uzzi is black, though, luckily... Smile
  • 12 3
 Man those rim decals are awful..... Everything else is OK I guess, but those clown wheels are lame.
  • 2 0
 Test rider blew chunks on em i guess.
  • 7 2
 'The Recluse rides better than the original Tracer 275c in every way'
How disconcerting to know that after I blew my wad on a T275C a couple years ago that couldn't be dumped for half the price today, apparently a new revolution has come along that makes my dream boat obsolete.
I might as well scuttle it along with all those old navy war fleets like the dreadnought and watch it sink below the sea with the other rust heaps.
BTW... does carbon sink or float?
  • 17 2
 Float. Unless it's a 26er, then it sinks.
  • 2 0
 Sorry there woodentop. I guess the only choice you're left with is riding it until stuff wears out... Such a sad fate for a (still) really rad bicycle.
  • 1 3
 Yeah, that must be why I had to sell my unridden T275C frame for less than 1/2 it's "MSRP."
  • 6 0
 @skelldify:
After you filled the internet with anti intense shit talking.
You also want good resale value?
Lol.
  • 1 1
 @skelldify: tehllama's comment made me go back and look...you sold a Tracer frame cause you were fed up with problems, and then bought a Bronson?! You do realize you just bought the twin brother to the bike you trashed right? Bit of an oversight it seems.
  • 1 0
 @jflb: Hah, yeah you're right. Didn't expect that I could single-handedly drive down resale value, but I did talk a lot of shit.
  • 1 1
 @TheRaven: Umm, no. They might both have VPP, and similar geometry, but Santa Cruz is certainly a level above Intense in terms of frame quality.
  • 1 0
 @skelldify: Howdy bro. I have to defend Intense a little bit here. You had an oooooold a$$ frame, the carbine, and Intense's newer stuff is much better. My Spider 275C was solid. I could tell the quality was better than your old bike. Another example of a company righting its wrongs is Evil. Their quality and warranty/customer service was crap. Now that they found a better manufacturer, that fixed half the problem.
  • 7 1
 Can't wait until these are on Cambria bikes intense sale when pb shows us next months deals! Haha
  • 4 1
 All the freaking bikes out there to show us...and yet another $8000 paint explosion Intense. I am surprised no Pinkbike Special Edition yet. Makes me appreciate my Al SC Tallboy in one - color yellow for $2600 all the more.
  • 6 0
 pretty sure magura could've come through with their green brakes
  • 7 1
 Dentist bike special edition??
  • 4 0
 I just knew the comments were going to be people complaining. "Bah, a new nice bike in the world, not on my watch!"........Personally the brakes look pretty good.
  • 3 0
 While we are here. I have talked to a couple folks running the DVO fork and they all seem to like it but I havent been able to hear much about their rear shock.

Anyone spent some time on one?
  • 2 0
 I have one fitted to a 2012 Intense Tracer 29, took awhile to get everything dialed between the positive and negative air chambers but once I had that done, it's phenomenal, I never new a rear end could track like that, on any suspension kinematic
  • 1 0
 It'll take a week or two of thoughtful riding and tinkering with the main air spring pressure, bladder air pressure, volume spacers, and rebound to find something that works, but once dialed, the Topaz is an impressive shock.
The biggest reason to run DVO is still the company support, but at sale pricing, Topaz performance is hard to touch. The Diamond, only reason you can get to the same performance/dollar is because of how many Pike/Lyrik forks SRAM puts out.
  • 3 0
 @phdotd: Thanks buddy, glad the shock is working well for ya!
  • 2 0
 I loved the Topaz on my 2015 Tracer from day 1. I was coming off a Cane Creek Inline, which also worked well on that bike. It needed servicing, so why not buy a Topaz? The freshly serviced Cane Creek is waiting patiently for its turn. It'll be a while.
  • 5 1
 Why?

DVO = excellent suspension
Intense = excellent bike

But why do we need this fanfare?
  • 2 0
 I'm kinda with you: what would be disappointing about black, dark gray, and pops of matching green anodized parts? I mean, other than how fast they'd sell out.
  • 3 2
 'top tube has been lowered to adapt longer dropper posts'...Call me stupid but this makes no sense? Only one thing dictates how long a dropper may be used and that is the uninterrupted/unkinked seat tube length. Intense and Santa Cruz are two of only a few who actually get this. I can use a 200mm dropper on my Large T275C which is awesome.
  • 1 0
 But in fact the seat tubes are too long compared with equivalent sized bikes!!!
  • 1 1
 @Murfdog: That is true. Intense seat tube runs at least 1" longer than SC. That said, the comment in the article was about lowering the TT...which doesn't effect dropper capacity in the slightest.
  • 2 0
 lower top = lower seat tube junction = lower seat tube collar = lower bottom position for saddle = more capacity for travel.... some bikes can't handle long travel droppers because the bottom position is not low enough to allow full extension for riders inseam.
  • 3 0
 Just get the green 2018 tracer frame and put a topaz and green diamond fork it would look better than this bike. Finish it off with some deity kit and less ostentatious rims.
  • 2 0
 the topaz is fantastic...
  • 1 0
 Nailed it
  • 2 0
 Having 4 different shades of green makes this thing look like something built by a guy with no taste at home. If you are gonna colour match you need to colour MATCH, not colour sort of like, pick roughly the same thing.
  • 5 1
 Rode a Recluse for a week in Sedona earlier this year. It was excellent!
  • 4 1
 You either drive John Deere or Massey Ferguson .. In this case it's John Deere
  • 1 0
 Saw a nice fat bike in that exact colour scheme and it was actually quite fitting! Nothing saves this intense colour scheme though
  • 6 2
 1988 called and they want their obnoxious color scheme back
  • 4 0
 That would be the purple ano version.
  • 2 1
 they would sell more if it were all ano'd purple the same color. not 50 shades of green
  • 4 1
 Haha....only 100 models shipped with a certificate of authenticity.....a true collectors piece?
  • 4 0
 $7999.99? " .99"? Seriously ?
  • 1 0
 If they sell out, that's $99...
  • 3 0
 I think I'd even pay a bit extra to get rid of that nostalgic front mech mount.
  • 3 0
 recluse
rɪˈkluːs
noun
1.
a bike so ugly, it lives a solitary life and tends to avoid other people.
  • 1 0
 Those wheels are what really makes this ugly and loud, if they just toned down those stickers it would look decent, also five different colors of green makes my eyes not know where to go..
  • 3 1
 Clean up on aisle 3, some ones baby just shit on a snot rag...No cancel that is just the new Intense !
  • 1 0
 When I first saw the bike I immediately thought "Salad Fingers would have this". That's probably not a good selling point for this bike though.
  • 7 4
 Perfect, except flashy rim stickers.
  • 2 0
 agreed
  • 4 1
 Man Pinkbikers are brutal!! Personally, I love the mean army green!
  • 3 0
 So sad. So sad. The real Tracer is dead.
  • 2 0
 The only army green bike allowed:
ep1.pinkbike.org/p6pb13892914/p5pb13892914.jpg
  • 3 1
 Why not Magura MT7 breake ???
  • 4 2
 I wonder if it comes with spare linkage?
  • 2 1
 Is there another carbon bike in this travel region with sub 420 mm chainstays?
  • 2 0
 New Jekyll & Trigger are 42cm. Also Stumpjumper 650b....
  • 2 0
 Not carbon but the Canfield Riot
  • 1 0
 @ceecee: none of those are 29er though
  • 3 1
 This is the cycling equivalent of driving a Range Rover 'Kahn' edition...
  • 1 0
 Whats with all the "intense" propaganda. Of the 30 some odd locals i see on the trails every week not one rides an intense
  • 1 0
 Go down to San Diego. Seems like every MTBer down there rides Intense. Here in LA I've never seen even one Intense out on the trails.
  • 3 2
 I love all Intense bikes but this is the first one with strange colours I don't like.
  • 2 0
 I almost like it.. but then the greens clash...
  • 4 1
 Dope ride nuff sed.
  • 2 0
 Looks like someone road the Bike through AutoZone!
  • 3 0
 *snaps at the headtube*
  • 1 0
 intense pun something with a clean cut rim...bike looks so massy..pakkkk pikkkk pokkkk rim ugly duckling
  • 1 0
 They sure know how to make limited bikes, do they. Is anyone even considering buying this?
  • 1 0
 Like summat david beckham or Jay Zed would buy. Only Troy Lee could do a sh1tt3r paint job
  • 2 0
 No more NEON!!
  • 2 0
 Yuk
  • 2 1
 Then the brakes would look like Hopes
  • 2 2
 Hey Richard, when are y'all going to publish your review of the Recluse? We know you have been riding it...
  • 9 7
 Pile of shit
  • 2 1
 I WANT YOU in the army, indirect but quite directly ha!
  • 3 1
 Barf
  • 1 2
 Aahaaa! That green frame colour was copied off a 1977 Ford Granada! Lame car......and does not belong on the bike or in this industry?
  • 2 2
 This color scheme is the equivalent of one of those new Bro Rompers. Just don't do it.
  • 1 0
 Nice bike. Shame about the rear tyre clearance, or lack of...
  • 1 0
 Wow colour matched. That's revolutionary.
  • 2 0
 Surprise surprise, more shit talking from this guy.
  • 1 0
 Green green grass of home.
  • 1 0
 And those wheels look...hideous
  • 1 0
 er... no DVO post and a fucking awful colour scheme, ,
  • 5 5
 intense = terrible customer service! Worst bike company.
  • 1 1
 I have had excellent service from intense.
  • 2 1
 who's makin the rims?
  • 22 0
 China
  • 2 3
 That is hot. However, I'm more interested in what other things might be in Sedona.
  • 11 2
 Middle aged new age bitches ready to shag anything with a pulse, probly even RC
  • 3 2
 i like all the parts.
  • 1 2
 4 piston brakes... dontcha ya know that brakes just slow ya down? Stop being silly guys
  • 1 1
 They should paint the SRAM Eagle with green though
  • 1 2
 DVO Should recuse itself from the ugly recluse build. Sorry, Trump has ruined me.
  • 1 1
 My buddy GheyJ would definitely be interested in this bike.
  • 1 3
 Somewhat the Klein's of today
  • 1 0
 Other end of the scale!
  • 3 6
 Wait a second, the bronsan came out more than a year ago
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