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Intense M1 |
For years, I've been looking for a full-on downhill machine so I could finally realize my full potential as a rider. Until recently, however, the undeniable allure of bikes like the Intense M1 have been the stuff dreams are made of, simply because I refuse to sell a body part on the black market to pay for my ride.
That all changed today, when, as a thank you gift for some favors done in the past, I was the lucky recipient of one of the Californian wonder bikes, absolutely free of charge, through the mail.
While I appreciate the gesture, when the bike arrived, however, I was a little dismayed at how little it lived up to the hype it's generated over the years. "The best descender ever!" some magazines say, while others have raved about its "superior handling on all terrain, no matter what the obstacle!"
Now, I've been riding for a while, and have been know to hit the odd Shore obstacle with as much speed and abandon as the next guy, but I have yet to figure out how the .091 inch rear and .068 inch front suspension travel is enough to absorb World Cup DH mayhem, never mind Shore trails. I've seen more travel on Costco bikes! (Albeit just slightly.)
Stepping over the bike, I noticed the rider compartment quite small, which they obviously tried to compensate for with the garishly (almost Freudian) long stem. Come on, folks: this is supposed to be a world class DH/Freeride bike, not a lesson in penis envy.
Aside from the petty complaints about the sizing and component spec, I found the suspension to be as good, if not better than most other bikes on the market. I did find the Phillips-head screws holding the pivot junctions together a little cheesy, and the tolerances on the rear suspension bushings seem to be a little sloppy. Something you'd expect from a high school kid's shop project, not a world-class frame manufacturer.
Click photo to enlarge
The Race Face cranks, however, are a complete departure from anything I've ever seen from the New Westminister component manufacturer in the past, but I must say, though metal tests have yet to come back, I believe them to be a cast white metal design, which relies on a similar construction to the old Bullseye crank from days gone by. I have a call into the folks at Race Face to find out more about the design, and if we'll be seeing more of the crank in the future. After about the 20th unreturned call, for some reason, a bailiff showed up at my door with a restraining order, so I guess this is a top secret project, and I'm likely risking prosecution just mentioning them.
I had similar trouble when contacting the Hayes Brake people when looking for the lines that were not supplied with the bike. For some reason, these folks don't seem to stand behind their product…surprising considering the reputation they have made for themselves in mountain bike circles; ESPECIALLY on the Shore.
Once the brake lines show up, I'll take her out on the trail, but only after I replace the resin pedals with some nice CNC'd ones…again, something I'd never have expected from a company with the reputation of Intense!
Overall, though, the bike is quite light for a full-on DH rig (about 75 grams) and it seems to have a unique anti-puncture system on the tires that should put up with just about any abuse, which easily justifies the bolt-on hubs. This bolt-on system seems to add a lot of rigidity to the Boxxer forks and FSR linkage rear end, which is good, considering the shoddy pivots I mentioned earlier.
In general, I'd suggest a larger size for my 6-foot stature, and a shorter stem. Given the reputation of RaceFace and Hayes, I'll assume their parts will work fine should they ever decide to speak to me again, and with the addition of and Axiom telescopic seatpost, Intense could have a very strong contender for the Shore.
Unfortunately, I just find the sizing a little off, so I can't recommend the bike for taller riders.
Overall, though, I'd have to say the limiting factor is if each of the bike's parts manufacturers are going to slap every curious customer they have with a restraining order, I don't see them going too much further, which could make the already-weak customer service weaker.
It does look damn cool, though.
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