MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation

Related:
Prototype
ORTOGONAL555 2/6/2022 1:21pm
2/6/2022 1:21pm
Rear triangle is the current version. Front one is new. Walker is on it too.


ORTOGONAL555 2/6/2022 1:31pm
2/6/2022 1:31pm
Correction. Walker was using a similar bike this year already. (Sorry, phone is acting up and I can't edit my previous post).
BlueSpruce
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BlueSpruce 2/6/2022 1:59pm
2/6/2022 1:59pm
Martin_Prophet wrote:
Cool, intense will make an new Session/Fury...a Copy of Mullaly's custom frame ?!
I haven't even seen a pic/video of Dak with an Intense bike yet. Starting to wonder if he even has one yet.
peecee
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peecee 2/6/2022 2:04pm
2/6/2022 2:04pm
Intense Session ? as the saying goes "if you can't beat them, join them"



Primoz
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Primoz 2/6/2022 2:07pm
2/6/2022 2:07pm
High pivot AF.
Biketechspert 2/6/2022 3:00pm
2/6/2022 3:00pm
peecee wrote:
Intense Session ? as the saying goes "if you can't beat them, join them" [img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2022/02/06/11989/s1200_IMG_5260.jpg[/img]
Intense Session ? as the saying goes "if you can't beat them, join them"



It looks uh
peecee
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peecee 2/6/2022 5:42pm
2/6/2022 5:42pm Edited Date/Time 2/6/2022 7:05pm
Neko leaves Intense as their bike isnt good enough starts his own programme with Frank The Welder, Intense looking over Neko's shoulder in class to copy his homework.



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RiderMikeCheck1 2/6/2022 7:06pm
2/6/2022 7:06pm
Typical Intense. Finally building the bikes Gwin asked for 1.5 years ago... a month before the season starts. Lol. And no, looks like DAK didn't have one as of two weeks ago.
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krabo83
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krabo83 2/6/2022 10:24pm
2/6/2022 10:24pm
BlueSpruce wrote:
I haven't even seen a pic/video of Dak with an Intense bike yet. Starting to wonder if he even has one yet.
I haven't even seen a pic/video of Dak with an Intense bike yet. Starting to wonder if he even has one yet.
already been posted but there you go…
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DH_Speedster 2/7/2022 12:35am
2/7/2022 12:35am
I don't really know what's going on with Intense right now. For about 2 years there is almost no M29 available and it doesn't seem to change. In addition, the whole concept is thrown over and a 279 is developed which will apparently never be available. Last but not least, something completely different is being developed that is exclusively reserved for Gwin. As a potential customer, I feel like I'm being led around by the nose. There is simply nothing new to buy from Intense.
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iRider
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iRider 2/7/2022 3:08am
2/7/2022 3:08am
DH_Speedster wrote:
I don't really know what's going on with Intense right now. For about 2 years there is almost no M29 available and it doesn't seem to...
I don't really know what's going on with Intense right now. For about 2 years there is almost no M29 available and it doesn't seem to change. In addition, the whole concept is thrown over and a 279 is developed which will apparently never be available. Last but not least, something completely different is being developed that is exclusively reserved for Gwin. As a potential customer, I feel like I'm being led around by the nose. There is simply nothing new to buy from Intense.
Why do you want to buy an Intense? After they moved production to Asia they lost all their appeal for me. One of their strengths was that new frames moved from prototype to production quickly and they also implemented running changes. Now with not having in-house production anymore, they are just another bike distribution company.
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Philip_Rossetti 2/7/2022 4:07am
2/7/2022 4:07am
iRider wrote:
Why do you want to buy an Intense? After they moved production to Asia they lost all their appeal for me. One of their strengths was...
Why do you want to buy an Intense? After they moved production to Asia they lost all their appeal for me. One of their strengths was that new frames moved from prototype to production quickly and they also implemented running changes. Now with not having in-house production anymore, they are just another bike distribution company.
These days Intense is basically an expensive canyon…
2
lewzz10
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lewzz10 2/7/2022 4:39am
2/7/2022 4:39am
Philip_Rossetti wrote:
These days Intense is basically an expensive canyon…
That's a bit unfair on Canyon, they make much better bikes than Intense do
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Primoz
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Primoz 2/7/2022 5:01am
2/7/2022 5:01am
Has Intense moved past their "2015" geometries at all?
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iRider
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iRider 2/7/2022 5:22am
2/7/2022 5:22am
Primoz wrote:
Has Intense moved past their "2015" geometries at all?
I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing. Not everybody wants or needs the same geo as EWS and WC riders. Sure, you might lose street cred by admitting your are not as fast, but don't we all know that anyway? Laughing Wink
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ORTOGONAL555 2/7/2022 5:35am
2/7/2022 5:35am
So Gwin was indeed riding a Session and they are now building their own high pivotish bike just a few weeks before the first WC while the competition has already a full year of testing and racing on their new platform. I'm not bashing them in any way as it is clearly they have been trying the last few years but I'm worried they will be a bit behind. I've always been a Gwin fan so let's hope this new frame helps him and Dakota to contend for podiums.
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krabo83
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krabo83 2/7/2022 5:51am
2/7/2022 5:51am
ORTOGONAL555 wrote:
So Gwin was indeed riding a Session and they are now building their own high pivotish bike just a few weeks before the first WC while...
So Gwin was indeed riding a Session and they are now building their own high pivotish bike just a few weeks before the first WC while the competition has already a full year of testing and racing on their new platform. I'm not bashing them in any way as it is clearly they have been trying the last few years but I'm worried they will be a bit behind. I've always been a Gwin fan so let's hope this new frame helps him and Dakota to contend for podiums.
who says gwin wasn‘t already on the proto and j. steber is just building frames for the other riders or posting these pictures belated?
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metadave
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metadave 2/7/2022 7:18am
2/7/2022 7:18am
Primoz wrote:
Has Intense moved past their "2015" geometries at all?
We'll see with the new tracer. I will say that my 2018 tracer was waaaay more fun to ride than both my 2016 meta V4 and my meta AM 29. I hadn't been able top it's fun factor until I got my Slayer last year. It was super playful, something both commencals lacked.
Sonofbovril2 2/7/2022 8:00am
2/7/2022 8:00am
ORTOGONAL555 wrote:
So Gwin was indeed riding a Session and they are now building their own high pivotish bike just a few weeks before the first WC while...
So Gwin was indeed riding a Session and they are now building their own high pivotish bike just a few weeks before the first WC while the competition has already a full year of testing and racing on their new platform. I'm not bashing them in any way as it is clearly they have been trying the last few years but I'm worried they will be a bit behind. I've always been a Gwin fan so let's hope this new frame helps him and Dakota to contend for podiums.
What's to say that a new HP bike will be specifically any better at winning races for the Intense team than a non-HP bike?

Didn't Neko just decide to ride his non-HP bike for the WC this year rather? Also Bruni and Minaar and a host of other racers seem to be doing ok on non-HP bikes?

Undoubtedly HPs DO have certain advantages, but they also have drawbacks/compromises, and I personally don't think they are the determining factor in winning races.
3
Verbl Kint
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Verbl Kint 2/7/2022 8:53am
2/7/2022 8:53am
Sonofbovril2 wrote:
What's to say that a new HP bike will be specifically any better at winning races for the Intense team than a non-HP bike? Didn't Neko...
What's to say that a new HP bike will be specifically any better at winning races for the Intense team than a non-HP bike?

Didn't Neko just decide to ride his non-HP bike for the WC this year rather? Also Bruni and Minaar and a host of other racers seem to be doing ok on non-HP bikes?

Undoubtedly HPs DO have certain advantages, but they also have drawbacks/compromises, and I personally don't think they are the determining factor in winning races.
What's also interesting is that Max has already moved on from the 29er high pivot bike to what the Supreme DH is now: a virtual high pivot mullet bike with a 6-position flip chip.

It'll be interesting to see if the new IFR DH sled will incorporate any innovations from last season's proto Commençals.
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nskerb 2/7/2022 9:16am
2/7/2022 9:16am
Verbl Kint wrote:
What's also interesting is that Max has already moved on from the 29er high pivot bike to what the Supreme DH is now: a [i]virtual[/i] high...
What's also interesting is that Max has already moved on from the 29er high pivot bike to what the Supreme DH is now: a virtual high pivot mullet bike with a 6-position flip chip.

It'll be interesting to see if the new IFR DH sled will incorporate any innovations from last season's proto Commençals.
Based on the last several years I believe it’s safe to assume there will be no innovations implemented on the proto Intense bike.
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matmattmatthew
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matmattmatthew 2/7/2022 9:59am
2/7/2022 9:59am
It's a shame because I used to Lust after Intense bikes. I started riding in 99 and I had posters of all the intense riders and bikes on my wall as a kid. I even loved the Haro team because they were riding rebranded M1's.

I had this poster over my bed:

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bulletbass man 2/7/2022 10:33am
2/7/2022 10:33am
Well gwin has had good results off big changes before. This one maybe within a program but hopefully it goes well for him and intense. I think the frenchies will be tough to beat in France but would love to see gwin on the podium in Lourdes.
2
Primoz
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Primoz 2/7/2022 11:05am
2/7/2022 11:05am Edited Date/Time 2/7/2022 11:07am
Primoz wrote:
Has Intense moved past their "2015" geometries at all?
iRider wrote:
I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing. Not everybody wants or needs the same geo as EWS and WC riders. Sure, you might...
I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing. Not everybody wants or needs the same geo as EWS and WC riders. Sure, you might lose street cred by admitting your are not as fast, but don't we all know that anyway? Laughing Wink
With 2015 I wasn't aiming at the bikes not being EWS capable. For sure not having the fastest bike is not something that should be frowned upon, it should be aimed at by a lot more riders than currently - how many people ski on world cup skis after all?

There are quite a few geometry related steps taken in the past few years that make riding a whole lot different that Intense hasn't seemed to incorporate, mainly the seat tube angle. Granted, that does make the reach fairly long, once you go steep (if you want to have a decent length of the top tube, to have a proper cockpit length, unless you're Privateer...) and that does mean the fun factor suffers, but it makes the climbing in the steeps so much better.

One could argue not everybody climbs steeps, but then if the climbs aren't steep, is a 160 mm endure rig the bike that's needed?

I was looking at the Carbine which does appear to be ye olde though, the Primer is a lot more 'up to date'.
bermslapper69 2/7/2022 11:28am
2/7/2022 11:28am
There seems to be a bigger story behind intense's current state. A total lack of direction and improvement to consumer bikes won't bode well for them. Their heritage and having Gwin onboard will only take them so far before they drop like other brands (Think ellsworth, turner, etc). Painful to watch honestly, especially the weird stunt they did with the new mullet tracer back in august, letting media ride the bike but without giving out any geometry or a timeline for market availability.
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kcy4130
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kcy4130 2/7/2022 11:50am
2/7/2022 11:50am Edited Date/Time 2/7/2022 11:52am
bermslapper69 wrote:
There seems to be a bigger story behind intense's current state. A total lack of direction and improvement to consumer bikes won't bode well for them...
There seems to be a bigger story behind intense's current state. A total lack of direction and improvement to consumer bikes won't bode well for them. Their heritage and having Gwin onboard will only take them so far before they drop like other brands (Think ellsworth, turner, etc). Painful to watch honestly, especially the weird stunt they did with the new mullet tracer back in august, letting media ride the bike but without giving out any geometry or a timeline for market availability.
Yeah, intense has been gradually fading for a while. It is sad. Seems odd to pay a lot to sponsor Gwin without addressing any of the issues that prevent most of us from being interested in buying an intense. I mean, even if Gwin was winning lots it's not like it would make most bikers overlook the old geo, very questionable looks/color schemes, high prices, etc. It does make me wonder if Gwin is being partly paid in owning part of the company, I know there was some speculation about this when he initially signed with them.
1
iRider
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iRider 2/7/2022 1:49pm
2/7/2022 1:49pm
Primoz wrote:
With 2015 I wasn't aiming at the bikes not being EWS capable. For sure not having the fastest bike is not something that should be frowned...
With 2015 I wasn't aiming at the bikes not being EWS capable. For sure not having the fastest bike is not something that should be frowned upon, it should be aimed at by a lot more riders than currently - how many people ski on world cup skis after all?

There are quite a few geometry related steps taken in the past few years that make riding a whole lot different that Intense hasn't seemed to incorporate, mainly the seat tube angle. Granted, that does make the reach fairly long, once you go steep (if you want to have a decent length of the top tube, to have a proper cockpit length, unless you're Privateer...) and that does mean the fun factor suffers, but it makes the climbing in the steeps so much better.

One could argue not everybody climbs steeps, but then if the climbs aren't steep, is a 160 mm endure rig the bike that's needed?

I was looking at the Carbine which does appear to be ye olde though, the Primer is a lot more 'up to date'.
I am old school: I do not mind suffering on the climbs if I have a more fun bike on the way down or rolling terrain. Climbs will always suck, making them less suck-y is not worth the compromise IMO.
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pablo_b
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pablo_b 2/7/2022 2:00pm
2/7/2022 2:00pm
New compound or casing from Conti(kryptotal)??
smelly
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smelly 2/7/2022 6:27pm
2/7/2022 6:27pm
krabo83 wrote:
already been posted but there you go… [img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2022/02/06/11993/s1200_0D50F010_A5A2_48D6_B698_B4AEEB76A526.jpg[/img]
already been posted but there you go…
Seems crazy to me to have a talent pool like IFR does AND the ability to build frames in house, but only give the test mule to Gwin. Once you’re designing the frame and building a single bike, surely it can’t cost much to build a couple more frames.
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