Intend Launches Essential Enduro Fork 6

The Intend Essential Enduro fork expands Intend BC's portfolio with a more affordable upsidedown model. It fulfills the desire to ride an upside-down fork without overstretching the budget. Positioned as a mid-range enduro fork, it is neither too heavy nor too light. It is equally suited for trips to Finale as well as for use in climb-friendly enduro bikes. A modular upgrade program also allows buyers to upgrade to the latest internals at any time. Intend is known as a manufacturer of suspension forks assembled in Freiburg, Germany, and this remains unchanged with the Essential. Each fork is expertly assembled by hand, with every bushing individually calibrated—following the same standards as our higher-end Originals and Blackline models. Despite its lower price, we do not compromise on quality. The Essential meets the toughest suspension fork test program at the EFBE testing laboratory with its E-Gravity certification.

Details

What's the difference?
The Essential uses a simpler internal design. Instead of having an externally adjustable travel like the Travelizer air spring unit, its travel is adjusted internally using clips. It also doesn't include the closed damping bladder from the Optimized damping system. Instead, it features a maintenance friendly, semi-open oil bath that still self-bleeds.

Top Performance Despite More Affordable Production and Assembly.
All familiar adjustment options remain unchanged. The damping system features both high-speed and low-speed compression and rebound damping. The low-speed damping can be individually adjusted for both compression and rebound. Travel, spring rate, and air spring progression can also be adjusted.

The outside counts too:
As always with Intend, the chassis features high-quality, precisely machined components. The crown utilizes BCT (Bonded Crown Technology) and comes with a gray Cerakote® coating. Visually, this distinctive crown is the most recognizable feature of the Essential fork.

Let's be honest:
The Ebonite model, a right-side-up fork, wasn’t a lasting success for Intend. Customers’ initial hesitation toward the upside-down design didn’t translate into strong sales for the Ebonite. And over time, our upside-down suspension forks gained popularity. As a result, some Ebonite tubes remained unused. While technically compatible, their tapered upper section made them unsuitable for our closed Optimized cartridge and our curve-optimized Travelizer air unit. These Ebonite tubes are now used in the Essential, which is why the first production run is limited to just 85 units. That said, future replacements are secured, as the Essential forks remain compatible with the stanchions from our current fork line-up.

Pricing and Specs

• Pricing: 1449€ incl. 19% VAT
• Travel: 150 - 180mm
• Brake Mount: 180/203/220mm, Post Mount Boost
• Dropouts: 15x110mm Boost
• Axle to Crown: 581.5 mm (170mm travel), 571.5mm (160mm travel), ...
• Offset: 44mm
• Weight: 2150g
• Damper Adjustments: LS Rebound, LS Compression
• Air Spring Adjustments: Air spring pressure, 3-Pos Volume Spacer
• Steerer Tube: Tapered 1 1/8" - 1 1/5"
• Conversion Originals Lowers: 150€ incl. 19% VAT*
• Conversion Blackline Lowers incl. Lower Blades: 500€ incl. 19% VAT
• If converted to Originals / Blackline
  • Travelizer: 169€ incl. 19% VAT*
  • Optimized Damper: 229€ incl. 19% VAT*

*All conversion upgrade prices incl. labor costs, limited to EU customers

More information available at intend-bc.com.