Intense M9 FRO Review

Intense’s M9 represents 16 years of downhill racing development that began with the game-changing M1. No other brand can lay claim to as long or rich a heritage in World-Cup-level downhill racing. At one point in downhill's heyday, if you weren't on an Intense M1 (or an M1, rebadged and painted to look like another bike brand), then you weren't on the podium - end of story. Downhill as a competitive sport, owes much of its early rise to the M1. Racers on the M1 were suddenly going bigger and faster than ever thought possible, and if you didn't have an M1, you wanted one. It was a king-maker that could (and often did) propel talented no-names to victory against the sport’s heaviest hitters. Intense developed the new M9 FRO to extend the legacy of the M1 – to give the privateer technical superiority on race day against a field of heavily sponsored pro-teams.

November 2010, we did a quick preview of the just-released Intense M9 FRO. Now, after five months of winter shredding in the Pacific Northwest, Pinkbike gives the full rundown on what proved to be one impressive downhill machine.


Inside the Intense M9 FRO
The M9 FRO (For Racing Only) may well be Intense's masterpiece. The welded-aluminum chassis was developed with the input of the number one World Cup team in 2010, as well as many top riders from around the globe. The people at Intense believe that they have created "the best handling downhill bike ever produced.” Intense built the M9 around its second-generation VPP dual-link suspension and then integrated a number of sensible adjustable features into the frame to allow competitors to adapt the chassis to excel at any venue. With its history of international competition, Intense knows exactly what it takes to make a chassis work - from flat-out venues like Fort William, to steeply rooted quagmire courses in the Northeastern US, to Portugal’s maniac street descents, the M9 is the one bike to rule them all.

M9 Frame Details
Pull the M9 FRO out of the box and you realize you have more than just a downhill frame in your hands. The craftsmanship on this bike is second to none. Handmade in their factory in California, Intense isn't your standard mass produced bicycle. The semi-monocoque aluminum chassis has an elegantly simple profile, with each frame member hydro-formed into specific shapes or machined to optimize strength, while eliminating every gram of unnecessary aluminum. The welds are gorgeous, the paint is flawless, and there are details like adjustable geometry, quick-change headset cups and grease ports on the main linkage pivots that you certainly don't see every day. To make a great looking frame even better, the M9 comes in a plethora of rad colors to chose from.
Low Profile design: Intense keeps the front of the M9 as low as practical with a novel internal headset arrangement. The recessed Cane Creek AngleSet cups are held in place with pinch bolts and can be replaced by hand with an Allen Key. Stand-over clearance is excellent for a DH bike, owing to the M9’s curved monocoque top tube.


Suspension notes: Intense and Santa Cruz teamed up to develop the VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) dual-link concept and results of the collaboration can most often be seen on the World Cup leader board. A rigid triangulated swingarm rocks on a pair of linkage arms. The shock and linkage are tucked low in the chassis, with a triangulated section of the lower rocker arm driving the shock. Three positions on the forward shock mount alter the ending-stroke suspension rate, while a reversible “chip” on the lower rocker arm provides travel options from 8.5 to 9.5 inches.
Chain guide limitations: The M9 frame uses a threaded 150-millimeter bottom bracket shell with an ISCG-5 chain guide mount. Intense notes that the only two guides that perform perfectly on the M9 are the MRP G-2 and the yet-to-be released SRAM X0 roller guides. Ours used the MRP G-2.
Some key numbers: The M9 FRO comes in small, medium and large sizes (see frame geometry chart below), with geometry and ergonomics that will fit a wide range of riders. At five-foot, five inches, I fit the small size M9, which, when trimmed in the center of the center of its suspension and geometry adjustments, has a 64-degree head angle, 17.5-inch chain stays, a 14.35-inch-high bottom bracket and a 22-inch top tube. Suspension travel ranges from 8.5 to 9.5 inches. Intense reports the medium-sized M9’s frame weight at 11.4 pounds, which checks out with our test bike’s component selection.

M9 – Initial Setup Guide
At first the M9 may be a bit overwhelming for many riders. There are adjustments everywhere. Some make dramatic differences when changed and others are barely perceptible when riding, but can make a big difference when you trip the laser at the bottom of the track. Intense knows, however, that many riders will want to skip the M9 FRO’s subtleties and hit the chair lift. All of the frame adjustments are designed so that ham-fisted of riders can slam everything to the baseline middle settings, and shred happily. Tuning the M’s chassis and suspension to suit your riding technique and the venue where you will be competing is the sure method to great results. Here’s the step-by-step.
G3 dropouts: The G3 dropout system is a great feature Intense added to the M9. Machined aluminum dropouts bolt to the swingarm with recessed chainring-type bolts. Three positions allow you to fine tune your chainstay length from 17.25 to 17.75 inches, which alters the wheelbase by a total of a half-inch. The G3 dropout is an extremely elegant solution.
Tip: I am used to longer-wheelbase bikes, so I set the dropouts to the longest wheelbase, and despite me trying to turn the M9 into a tractor trailer, it was still lively and nimble through the corners. The longer stays seemed to make the bike more stable and predictable on the faster rough sections. Should you prefer to keep the stays short, and make the bike as quick as possible through the corners, you can slacken out the head angle using the Cane Creek AngleSet headset to achieve more stability on the faster sections of the course.
Head Angle Adjustments: The M9’s integrated AngleSet headset allows for extremely easy head angle adjustments, simply by swapping the upper and lower bearing cups. Intense partnered with Cane Creek on the M9 frame and developed a head tube that features a pinch-bolt on the ends of the head tube that retains the bearing cups. Swapping the cups from a zero-degree to a .5 or 1-degree option is easily done with your fingers and one hex key instead of pressing the cups in and out with expensive dedicated tools. The M9 FRO frame kit includes all three AngleSet bearing cups.
Shock rate adjustment: Once you have your geometry dialed, you can use one of the three forward shock mounting points to adjust the suspension rate to suit your tastes. If you want a more progressive feeling, drop the shock into the lowest mounting hole. If you want it more linear, raise the shock up to the top mounting hole.
Suspension travel and ride height: The final adjustment on the M9 is the suspension travel and ride height adjustment. The VPP suspension design uses a reversible “chip” in the bike's lower link so you can easily change the travel from 8.5" to 9.5" of travel in half inch increments. You get one centered 9-inch-travel chip, and one offset chip that will let you get to the two extremes. Looking for a slightly snappier bike that you can pump easier? Run it in the low setting. Want it to gobble up the rough stuff on a particularly nasty track? Set it at 9.5" and get ready to rock and roll. Although it isn't new, there is no denying that it's an ingenious system and extremely easy to use, requiring only a few minutes and one hex key.

Intense M9 Frame Geometry Chart


M9 FRO Riding Impressions
Once you manage to sort your way through the setup details, the M9 handles like a champ. You can get it dialed for almost any riding style, and any course, so it is well worth the effort time to work your way through the setup process a few times to understand how each adjustment affects the M9’s handling. A little bit of research and some time trying things out, and all will come together. Every adjustment works as advertised. The prize waiting for you is that you can change the M9 to suit your riding style and shock choices - not the other way around.

I usually ride larger frame sizes and although, at my 5 feet, 5 inches, I fit the size small Intense M9 FRO perfectly, I felt its wheelbase was a bit too short. I set the G3 dropouts al the way to the back and immediately liked the extra stability the longer swingarm added to its high-speed handling. That said, the bike still ripped the turns and the steering felt agile.

Intense understands the value of keeping the bike’s weight low and centered in the frame. This definitely helps the M9 rider when the track is rough. It gobbles up big hits and is still sensitive enough to keep the wheels firmly planted to the ground over the quick choppy stuff. While our Fox RC4 shock kept the bike glued to the course through the chop, it also managed to give the M9 a lively feel. It loved to be airborne, and when necessary, I could get air off of even the smallest of hits. Once it does leave the ground, it tends to stay online and straight. There is a lot of confidence built into the M9 FRO.

While on the subject of confidence, the M9’s stand over height is fantastic. This allows even small riders to feel comfortable right away - something that isn't possible with many other frame designs. Up front, the M9’s minimized head tube height gives riders a wider choice of handlebar bends and rises. Many racers switching to lower-rise bars to better weight the front end and Intense builds this option into the frame.

What Could Be Better
The only negative points about the bike were simply nitpicking on our part. The rear axle uses a big nut on the left-side dropout - which is definitely not as elegant as the threaded dropout that other frame designs feature. Of course, there is no chance of stripping out your frame this way, and the M9’s axle and nut are beautifully machined, lightweight aluminum. The other downside is, of course, the price. $2999 is not cheap by any means, but the value added to the M9 FRO by its all-venue adjustability and the integrated Cane Creek AngleSet system should more than eliminate MSR sticker shock.

Pinkbike’s Take on the M9 FRO
The M9 is an incredible ride for the privateer racer or a pro team unburdened by a bicycle sponsor. While it isn't cheap, it can be set up for just about any rider and track, and it comes with a heritage that makes it more than a DH bike. Intense cuts the metal, machines the parts, welds, heat treats, and assembles every M9 in its Temecula factory. That and a history as long as the World Cup Downhill circuit makes the M9 it an easy choice if you are looking for a bike to take to the races and don't have the full support of a big sponsor. The M9 FRO has what it takes to shrug off all doubts and excuses for not making the podium. Intense has gone to extremes to make sure this frame will perform happily for any riding style and over any terrain. The M9 simplifies your job: go win races.

For more information about the M9 FRO and some great edits that show what goes into making an aluminum DH chassis, visit Intense Cycles.

Got an Intense M1 story? Have you thrown a leg over the new M9 FRO? Write down a few sentences, Pinkbike would like to hear about it.