First Look: Intense 951 EVO 650B Downhill Bike 11

bturman

4/17/2013 2:37am

The first production 650B (~27.5-inch) downhill bike has just been released and it looks killer. Aside from the wheel size change, Intense took the opportunity to tweak their 951 platform and make a few upgrades along the way. Get the scoop from Jeff Steber and crew in this killer intro video by Suspended Productions, then catch the geometry, complete specs, and some bangin' photos in the press release, below.

Temecula, Ca -- INTENSE CYCLES proudly introduces the next step in the evolution of downhill racing - the 951Evo. Made in the USA with aggressive geometry and eight and a half inches of travel, the 951Evo offers advanced features, patented VPP suspension, and the added benefit of a 27.5” wheel.

Downhill races are won – or lost – by seconds. Our long heritage of building winning race bikes continues by utilizing the larger wheel size for a faster, more efficient race run.

“We have spent countless hours designing, testing and fine tuning the 951evo. The end result is a bike that will shave seconds off your race run… Every second counts when your total race time is sub 3 minutes. The 951evo has consistently dropped seconds from our test teams fastest times.” - Director of Sales, Mike Dettmers.

The 951evo has been designed from the ground up to utilize 275 wheels. We have adjusted geometry and suspension kinetics to create a new ride, ideal for today’s aggressive race courses.

A slacker 62.5 degree head tube angle pushes the front end a bit further out, giving the rider more confidence at high speeds, through steeps and on gnarly rock sections. We have kept the chainstay as short as possible at 17.5”. This magic number keeps the bike stable at high speeds, yet nimble while cornering. Top tube lengths have been increased throughout all sizes to allow for additional room in the cockpit of the bike.

The 951evo will come standard with a Cane Creek Double Barrel coil shock. Our product development team has worked side by side with Cane Creek to create the best possible shock tunes out of the box. The Double Barrel shock has a massive range in tune-ability allowing the rider to fine-tune the shock to match their riding style.

Complete bike spec will include Shimano Zee Components, Novatec Wheels and an FSA Gravity Cockpit. We are also working with Vee Rubber to release our own Intense-designed 275 DH Tire. Also available as frame-only.

As an added bonus, the first 25 complete 951evo’s will be “limited edition” and feature custom Electric Blue Paint, Anodized Gold Links and Hubs as well as a set of matching HT Pedals at no additional charge.