Intense Carbine SL Released

Jan 16, 2012 at 21:10

Introducing the Carbine SL: the newest addition to Intense Cycles’ exciting line of carbon fiber frames. Weighing in around the 5 lb. mark and offering features like titanium bolts and a carbon fiber shock link, the Carbine SL delivers an exceptional ride for racers and enthusiasts alike.

I have personally had the pleasure of riding this bike for 3 months now, and loved every minute of it. It is my 'go to bike'. The SL gives me the ability to charge up steep, technical hills and then bomb the downhill. - Intense Marketing Manager, Scott Sharples

Intense designer, Jeff Steber, chose higher modulus carbon fiber to save weight and retain strength. He also added dedicated 135 QR dropouts and adjustable 4.75 - 5.25 inches of plush efficient VPP suspension. The SL hits the aggressive XC/Trail segment with 68 degree head angle, low stance and light weight. Once again we joined forces with German design & engineering specialists SEED Engineering to create another Carbon Fiber masterpiece.

Available as frame or with Shimano XT / Fox build kit. This bike is stately, fast, light, responsive and most of all – it has the exceptional ride quality of an Intense. The Carbine SL starts shipping April.

*RC had a first look at the Carbine back in July, read that here.

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100 Comments

Score Time

+ 80

machaut (Jan 16, 2012 at 21:49)

This might just be the sexiest bike I've ever seen. Thank you Jeff Steber for this masterpiece!

suicidedownhiller (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:01)

I agree, it looks amazing!

- 30

mtnbker395 (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:17) (Below Threshold) show comment

and Intense is made in the USA! no outsourcing that I know of Smile

+ 44

fraserbritton (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:19)

Their carbon bikes are made in asia.

+ 13

rhiwfawrdirt (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:55)

made by giant most probably

mtnbker395 (Jan 16, 2012 at 23:06)

ah my bad. shame Frown

+ 47

Wa-Aw (Jan 16, 2012 at 23:07)

WHYYYYY!? Would ISCG tabs be so hard!?

+ 13

ScandiumRider (Jan 16, 2012 at 23:46)

@Wa-Aw I agree. Sexy as fcuk, but no ISCG tabs is a major oversight.

progression (Jan 17, 2012 at 0:10)

Soo sick. When do we get a Carbon M6?? Big Grin

yetidj (Jan 17, 2012 at 0:11)

A thru-axle rear end would be welcome as well; idk, maybe Intense thinks it's stiff enough?

deeeight (Jan 17, 2012 at 2:00)

Exactly why does a 5.25" travel bike meant for the XC Trail category require ISCG tabs or a thru-axle rear end? They are clearly trying to compete with others in that category such as the Ibis Mojo SL (5.5" travel) which has no ISCG or thru-axle either.

Icculus19425 (Jan 17, 2012 at 4:10)

I can live without the thuraxle on a bike like this, however with the growing popularity of 1x10 drive trains it makes no sense not to have ISCG tabs.

deeeight (Jan 17, 2012 at 6:55)

1x10's popularity isn't growing as fast as you seem to think. Fat bikes for snow riding are growing in popularity a LOT faster than the desire for trail riders to go single ringing their 5" travel full suspensions. Also with the new shimano shadow plus technology beginning to trickle down to the lower groups... the need for chainguides at any time just dropped significantly.

ScaryGerry (Jan 17, 2012 at 7:07)

Hey, Fraser. Why do you say Intense buys these frames from Asia? I don't see any evidence of that... I heard Intense manufacture the molds and ENVE composites takes care of the rest... I checked shipping records for Intense and they seem to purchase accessories and perhaps aluminum extrusions from Taiwan only.

ScaryGerry (Jan 17, 2012 at 7:13)

They would not be aloud to have the Made in the USA>; sticker on them if they were made in Taiwan... There is a difference between Made in the USA> and just USA> when it comes to stickers...

deeeight (Jan 17, 2012 at 7:22)

Sure they would. As long as the final assembly and paint is done in the usa, its "made in the usa" under trade regulations. Same way hondas and toyotas assembled in the USA with all the parts sourced from japan are considered "made in the usa" to get around imported car duties.

ScaryGerry (Jan 17, 2012 at 7:29)

That's true! But... I think 10% of the value of the product more or less has to be built in the USA for you to be able to say Made in the USA...That would be some expensive paint job. I still don't think they are made overseas...

wallheater (Jan 17, 2012 at 8:07)

"The Carbine is reportedly made at an elite factory in Asia where the available materials and manufacturing technology is arguably the best in class for composite cycling products." From the original Carbine article linked above.

ScaryGerry (Jan 17, 2012 at 8:15)

well... hard to argue with that!

David-S (Jan 17, 2012 at 9:14)

Per Intense Cycles Blog - http://www.intensecycles.com/engage/

The next generation of intense “Part 2″
October 30th, 2011 by Mr_Intense

Part 2 ” Pass me a cry towel ”
Believe me when we decided 2 years ago, as we started seeing carbon pushing high end aluminum down stream, my first goal was to produce it in the USA. My good friend Jason from then ENVE and I thought we could do it and what a great story that would be for both of us. 6 months later the hard facts as our made in America Carbon frame would have to retail for $1000.00 more than the competition to cover the costs of the middle man doing the manufacturing.The decision was made based on the domestic trends and new buying habits that this would not work.
It would work if we produced it ourselves in our factory as we do with our high end aluminum but we had $ invested years into building our facility to produce aluminum and the casts to tool up for Carbon well forget it.
I decided to try an lobby for any programs avil to help us capitalize such a venture and set up a production cell for producing Carbon frames in our factory. Remember my brain says build not buy , but thats another story.I started local , chamber of commerce, county EDC, State , Federal, pretty much a waste of time for small companies our size. My wife & I even sent several letters explaining our dream & situation to President Obama, very frustrating not getting a response not even from an intern, time for the cry towel.
During all this we had decided we could make our aluminum factory work if it could become more efficient and started to introduced LEAN manufacturing principals
to improve capacity , QC, overhead etc. and this has been working well and is a process of constant improvement. We have started seeing the fruits of this direction and as stated earlier our Aluminum $ MSRP’s are in line or better than most in our class.

fraserbritton (Jan 17, 2012 at 9:54)

Gerry, I say this because I know it for a fact. They are made at YMA in China. Even the link and dropouts on this one are made in China. (Some of the carbine parts were made in Temecula, but not so on this one.)

hampsteadbandit (Jan 17, 2012 at 12:43)

I was looking at a Trek Remedy 9.9 frame in my workshop today, also carbon fibre like the Intense in this article

the frame sticker proudly said "Made in Wisconsin, USA" and underneath in very small print "from domestic and foreign parts"....lol

paint, decals, cable guides, finishing touches like facing/reaming can add the bulk of value to a "blank" frame, allowing the manufacturer to claim country of origin where the actual hard part (manufacturing the blank frame) has been done off-shore

ScaryGerry (Jan 17, 2012 at 13:54)

Sad but true...

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davidstuartkelly (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:11)

That is a thing of beauty, some carbon fibre bikes are just bikes. But this looks out of this world, it looks like it has been grown rather than crafted. The lines seem organic, another instant INTENSE CLASSIC...Just need a Lottery win now...

gavlaa (Jan 17, 2012 at 1:00)

Just to clarify- I think you'd have to be the only winner of the Euromillions when there was a double roll-over.

jimmy-buckle (Jan 17, 2012 at 3:18)

I think the frame is a thing of beauty but tin the first picture the cable routing, intense amount of linkage, front derailleur in the middle of the bike etc makes it look scrappy and not as good as it could

kev-roberts (Jan 17, 2012 at 6:40)

unfortunately their isn't really another place to put a front derailleur other than where it is (due to its job of shifting the front rings!) but I do agree about the cable routing, maybe some internal routing wouldn't go amis, on pretty much all bikes now ?!

jimmy-buckle (Jan 24, 2012 at 1:52)

i know what you are saying about the front derailleur but it just looks like it sits next to the frame and not in line with it like other bikes so i reckon it loks a bit more conspicuous than on other bikes (could possible be the lighting) and yes internal cable routing would improve the aesthetic of the frame greatly

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bobsaget (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:45)

@ summit800, you know, you say they are the same bike, but the geometry is slightly different EVERYWHERE, which makes them two completely different bikes, 1/4 inch on the chainstays is a LOT. Slight and subtle changes across the entire frame make one frame MILES better than another. After riding two bikes that were "the same bike" but from intense and santacruz, I can tell you that they most definitely are NOT the same.

That being said, someone can ROYALLY screw up the feel and all the hard work someone put into designing a bike by setting it up like an idiot.

WAKIdesigns (Jan 17, 2012 at 1:46)

Your last paragraph is one of my main arguments for removing Downhill bikes from amateur zone, at least from beginner area - why do you want to have so much travel when you cannot manage it properly. If you buy a DH bike as one of your first bikes and you don't know anyone who can set it up right then you have a very high chance to have travel working against you, not helping you out. Most amateurs tend to set up their suspension as soft as possible without bottoming out, a.k.a. next to no low-compression damping, or oversagged with lots of compression. People notoriously drown their lack of skill in lots of soft travel that also applies to XC riders on AM bikes.

RobbyBriers (Jan 17, 2012 at 10:15)

Bullseye

WAKIdesigns (Jan 18, 2012 at 2:40)

I mean, people whine about 29ers being bikes for poor XC/AM riders, at the same time they roll on DH bikes on A-Line kind of trails... hello! Someone likes bikes forgiving mistakes and letting the arse hang out way back instead of working the trail with the wole body

RobbyBriers (Jan 18, 2012 at 8:27)

True.. So many trails can be done on a XC bike with 100mm of travel while you see some riders using their 200mm suspension bikes. Sure one is more technical than the other, but at least you learn. With 200mm of travel, you just have to do big stuff and go really fast else it's pointless. I know a guy here who bought a Kona Stinky because he can now ride a bumpy trail just sitting instead of standing...

I'm willing to buy a decent budget FR/DH bike just to fool around. I can't get it over my heart to abuse and hurt my Nomad... I work her good on rough stuff though!

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georgy291 (Jan 17, 2012 at 2:59)

people still use front gears? I Thought it was chain guides and rollers for long time now. Atleast i havent seen more than double front geared bikes for a long long time now.

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phatsmoker (Jan 17, 2012 at 5:59)

Pretty decent advertisement, I guess...Interesting how the pinkbike demographic has changed over the years. I just want to quote this from the above commercial: "This bike is stately, fast, light, responsive and most of all - going to cost a second mortgage." I kept scrolling through the marketing hype and full page catalog shoot, wondering where the 5 figure price would pop out.

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T1mb0 (Jan 17, 2012 at 2:24)

@deeeight
"The vast majority in fact"... would love to see your source for that.
Around me its the vast minority. And most ride this kind of bike apart from a few die hard tailers. Wink

Of those almost all are dual setup.

I believe most people how but this will buy it as a frame only option (even if they get the rest shop assembled) so at least give folk the choice of what to put on it.

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devanish (Jan 17, 2012 at 21:28)

I'm a fat dude who predominantly rides the interior of BC, for my sake the triple ring is a must. For now I'd be better off loosing 15lbs and staying on my 8 yo Heckler, than forking out (who knows how many G's for a new carbon frame?). However, if I do loose 15lbs I would likely reward myself with a new Carbine, that's one swweeet arse looking frame.

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curtykills (Jan 19, 2012 at 8:29)

Does anyone know who Scott Sharples is? If you dont you may want to look it up. He knows his stuff and has great vision in regards to the future of the industry. I know Scott was involved in the completion of the bike and the target market. If you look around out there not to many bikes have ISCG guides because they werent ever supposed to be bashed into anything in that area. If you want a chainguide run the E13 XCX or something similiar. They lower roller and bash isnt necessary on a lot of these trail bikes. I have been using one for over a year on a Carbon Nomad, along with multiple bikes I have set up for customers. They are less weight and with the new Shimano XTR Shadow + it seems this enduro type trail bike has come around full circle. Quit living in the past w/ old guide setups and pieces these new bikes didnt need. Kinda like the single crown 160+ travel forks. Get on board or dont complain about something you wont ever ride anyways. Intense also is aware of making bikes over seas isnt the way they want to keep selling bikes but if you have to keep making parts ahead of the competition you have to make sacrifices. I dont see anyone complaining about the Carbon V10 which is completely made overseas. Also Trek only makes the top Road bikes, Fuels and Remedy models in the USA. All other carbon bikes are made over seas. Keep the rubber side down

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deeeight (Jan 19, 2012 at 0:04)

I take it nobody bothered to read the link to the Carbide model review from July, which is their carbon Trail/All-Mtn model... but in it, there's a quote on the lack of ISCG tabs from intense cycles themselves...

"Intense Cycles Inc
Hi Joe, fair question given the volume of unqualified postings. [Sharples here,] its not a down hill bike, it was designed to be the best all Mountain/trail bike. It goes up, and it goes down. Front chain rings are needed for a good ride, I personally have never lost the chain. That is - NEVER. I actually have a Carbine, I ride it very hard. I dont live on the internet making reference to things I may not actually have any real knowledge about. The biggest causes of chain derailment is - poor set up, wrong chain length, worn out or low quality rear derailleur, bad chain or chain rings, bad suspension design, bad suspension set up, or rider error. Chain guides are a solution to a problem that can be fixed many other ways."

And another thing that should end this discussion about this NOT being a Trail/AM but an XC Race/Trail bike.... bikerumor's review gave a lot more frame info with such additional comments as pointing out that the 68 head angle is based on using a 150mm fork but that they provided numbers for running a 120mm fork also... so clearly they intended a fork like the Talas 120/150 for the thing, not to mention that the Carbide is a 5.5 to 6" travel model while the Carbide SL is 4.75
to 5.25" travel, The SL is also a half pound lighter in frame weight, There's also titanium bolt hardware used extensively.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/01/17/new-intense-carbine-sl-adds-carbon-fiber-trail-racer/#more-38945

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carbonlite (Jan 17, 2012 at 16:40)

didn't they just release a video saying they didn't know of any plans to go to carbon because they would want to keep all of their production in the US? i mean it looks like a sick bike, and currently ride a carbon fully so I'm very interested in this one... but it seems like a big PR mix up.

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Corinthian (Jan 17, 2012 at 3:51)

Um, no ISCG tabs because they appear to have instead opted for the BB90 (Version 6.72, MK.III "standard" etc....) frame design (larger downtube/seat tube junction = greater lateral frame stiffness when pedalling hard or out of the saddle)? Seems you can't yet have both with this BB set up. Quite a few companies have been doing something similar on road bikes for a while to maximise frame stiffness, Trek Madone 5 or 6 series for example. Still a fair number of people on triple setups out there I guess, quite a lot on 2x10 now, 1x10 makes more sense to me but, you know, whatever...!

terashred (Jan 17, 2012 at 7:21)

so it must be time for E13 or MRP to make at least a top guide that mounts to the high direct mount front derallieur tab. the bottom... still F'ed

jaybird951 (Jan 17, 2012 at 9:44)

E-13 XCX chainguide Direct Mount, 1 x 10 shimano xtr crankset with 10 speed xtr cassette and the SHADOW PLUS XTR REAR DERAILLEUR with spring tension "On" and you have your super quiet and improved single rig setup on this bike..............

INTENSE, LET THE POPULATION KNOW THAT THEY CAN RUN THESE BB90 bikes as a 1 x 10.

Schhhaaawiiinnnnnng!

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piketeam (Jan 16, 2012 at 21:45)

If only I had the money..

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specializedp2boy (Jan 17, 2012 at 6:04)

i think the no iscg thing was done to make a point, obviously it would have crossed someones mind to put one on when designing the frame. set your gears up correctly and you wont drop a chain, also if someone can afford this frame, they can also afford the new xtr mech with the clutch system, meaning more chain tension = no need for a guide. frame looks sick

hampsteadbandit (Jan 17, 2012 at 14:17)

my 145mm all-mtn (devinci dixon) came without ISCG mounts for 2011...for 2012 they have put them onto the frame

no problem, recut my 2011 aluminium alloy frame to 71.5mm in the BB shell by taking 1.5mm off the driveside face with Park facing tool

this allowed me to install an E13 ISCG adapter plate between the BB shell and Shimano HT2 BB cup, add some HT2 shims, without messing up either the chain device spacing (chainring to back plate) or the chainline, my E13 runs perfect in each gear without any chain rub

not sure I'd want to be width reducing / facing the BB shell on a carbon fibre frame like the Intense though...

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deeeight (Jan 17, 2012 at 5:27)

This site is a small bike forum site... it doesn't have the membership or even active readership of a place like mtbr, no matter what some might want to believe. By the same token, the number of people riding bikes with chainguides or double-ring setups is also very small. Most riders I know, even former pro/elite DH riders run triple rings on their XC trail bikes. And manufacturers know this because they continue to spec bikes that way.

suicidedownhiller (Jan 17, 2012 at 14:36)

Um...no? MTBR has 350,000 registered users and only 36,000 active...PB has close to 500,000 users and probably more active as well...so that part isn't true. As for the rest of it, I haven't seen a triple ring bike in a LONG time.

talderson (Jan 17, 2012 at 15:14)

I don't see many triple rings anymore, but I see all mountain rigs with dual rings ALL the time.

deeeight (Jan 17, 2012 at 16:51)

But once again, for the learning impaired... This bike is NOT an all mountain rig. It is an XC-Trail rig. There is a difference between the two even if the travel ranges overlap and the geometry is close together. Just like the Ibis Mojo SL is NOT an All-Mtn rig... that's what the Mojo HD was built for.

And sdh... you're dreaming that PB has more users (active or total) than mtbr. If there's sooo many active users, why are the forums hardly ever used and the same people are always commenting on these bike/product reviews ?? Right now....prime evening time period where people are off work / not in school... 7:46pm EST there are 698 registered users online here on PB. Over on mtbr...

Currently Active Users: 7675 (2829 members and 4846 guests)
View Who's Online
Most users ever online was 39,135, 07-06-2011 at 01:29 PM.

When you read the active users at the bottom of the forum lists... the 34, 090 number (showing right now) is the daily average, not the actual total still using the place..

T1mb0 (Jan 17, 2012 at 20:26)

No offense then, but why are you even here?
:S

WAKIdesigns (Jan 18, 2012 at 0:41)

@Deeeight: if there was a forum that would grant membership only to people who frequently shift chain on the third 40+ T chainring on full suspension mountain bike, it would have a very very short list of members worldwide. There is more nostalgy to it than practicality, it's great for fire road racers, as anyone riding in more technical (more MTB) terrain would simply smash this chainring way too often. But most of all I want to apologize as I am a sour person of weak faith - I see tripple chainring setups mostly on poor riders bikes, and I doubt their fitness level to be able to make use of it (thy shall not judge...thy shall not judge... forgive me father for I have sinned on bike forum)

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jas231 (Jan 17, 2012 at 8:40)

holy moley i just had a heart attack... most beautiful thing in the world.... red accents.... mmmmmmmmm carbon mmmmmmm o sorry illl keep it civil.... i just jizzed me self

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loganflores (Jan 17, 2012 at 10:57)

Nevengals are some of the best tires out there xC dh am trials try a pair before you talk smack there also over 100 dollars a set which matches the xt build

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stikmanglaspell (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:23)

Came out so unreal! gorgeous! What kind of weight vs Carbine? A medium carbine vs carbine SL, how many grams we talkin?

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Bullitproof (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:10)

uhm, all that bike, and throw nevengals on it? i mean come on...

chris (Jan 16, 2012 at 23:16)

Didnt notice that until I read your comment.

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XxJ0SEPHxX (Jan 17, 2012 at 6:12)

Beautiful...Now, thats intense!

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enrico650 (Jan 17, 2012 at 14:26)

No chainguide?,68 deg. Angle?,
This is a cross country bike not a
trail bike.

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deadatbirth (Jan 19, 2012 at 7:40)

no iscg, no care. not everyone wants to run shimano and their shadow plus read der....especially in 1x10 or 1x9 setups

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betsie (Jan 17, 2012 at 5:06)

Anyone spot the naked woman in the pictures..... no... me neither, that bike is just too good looking.

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Karpiel073 (Jan 17, 2012 at 2:54)

Everytime I see the word carbine, I have to say it like FPS Russia! Smile

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mondo82 (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:48)

That was my first thought- Kendas.. really??
Beautiful pushie

wildwood (Jan 17, 2012 at 0:55)

friends don't let friends ride Kenda.

timmyelle (Jan 17, 2012 at 6:11)

haha. for the realz

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beeboo (Jan 17, 2012 at 8:46)

This bike is stunning! I love the paint job on it Drool

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jason745 (Jan 17, 2012 at 14:18)

Looks great. Someone must really like the Specialized Venge McLaren.

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averymorin (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:39)

Ohmygosh.......

cikudh (Jan 17, 2012 at 0:37)

yeah!! OMG!!!! ... just fix a dropper seat post and you're unstoppable!!!

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readingracing (Jan 17, 2012 at 4:59)

ISDG is overkill on this frame and with the new Shimano rear derailleur with tensioner simple and sweet.

samblagy (Jan 17, 2012 at 13:28)

its ISCG... also i wont harm anyone to weld three holes onto the bb will it...

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johnnif (Jan 17, 2012 at 0:40)

I think it's ugly, which is weird for me because I've always thought intense bikes looked great. Just...ugly. And since when do high-end "SL" bikes come spec'd with XT kits? It must be so expensive that they can't even show it with XTR!!

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sup3rc0w (Jan 18, 2012 at 0:13)

I don;t give a shit who made it, it's stunning

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wolt (Jan 17, 2012 at 11:27)

There is a missing spoke? near the valve?

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jimao (Jan 17, 2012 at 17:46)

看起来不错

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sofarider1 (Jan 17, 2012 at 20:47)

BB mount chaingude.

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jiangzhen (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:56)

it looks so beautifull.

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michael-douven (Jan 17, 2012 at 8:25)

very very nice

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LiamDawson (Jan 16, 2012 at 21:45)

thats light....

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lionsphinx (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:13)

so nice~

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georgy291 (Jan 17, 2012 at 0:41)

...and costs over 9000

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downhilltom2010 (Jan 16, 2012 at 23:51)

nice i wonder why they stopped selling socom Smile

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mrcrazy (Jan 17, 2012 at 0:30)

i love it !!!!

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kanter (Jan 17, 2012 at 6:59)

No ISCG tabs ruins it for me too. I have 2 Intense bikes and wanted the Carbine. No Carbine for me.

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UncleCliffy (Jan 17, 2012 at 0:04)

No size XL? No ISCG? NO BUENO!

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psyickphuk (Jan 17, 2012 at 2:20)

Looks awesome, I wonder where they will all crack...

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GermanyFreeride (Jan 17, 2012 at 4:30)

reminds me a bit of the Stumpjumper

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summit800 (Jan 16, 2012 at 21:56)

blur carbon pretty much

ColetrainLeGrillz (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:02)

How? VPP and Carbon Frame is the only similarity i'm picking up on...

summit800 (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:17)

and thats all you need to pick up on is that not similar enough? their both oriented around the exact same style of riding. they both even use collet bold axel systems, when comparing specs for a medium blur lt carbon and a small Carbine we get practicly the same headtube angle same seattube angle super similar top tube length and super close wheelbase. http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Intense-Carbon-Carbine-First-Look-2011.html, http://www.santacruzmtb.com/blurlt_carbon/#geo.php have a look. its pretty dam close to similar bike if you ask me.

woolin (Jan 17, 2012 at 5:12)

It's closer to a blur TR http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/blurtr_carbon/ and you can build on a whole lot cheaper http://www.redhousebikes.com/

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T1mb0 (Jan 16, 2012 at 21:54)

Triple chainset. Really?

Stunning frame though. Smile

dydanz (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:43)

yep, 2x10, then add dropper post and ISCG, done.

dydanz (Jan 16, 2012 at 22:43)

I meant 1x10.

b1k35c13nt15t (Jan 16, 2012 at 23:14)

Haha... sure you did.

deeeight (Jan 17, 2012 at 1:55)

Yes....a lot of REAL riders still use triples... the vast majority in fact. This bike isn't being marketed as anything other than a lightweight XC trail bike. Its not filling an All-Mtn slot, nor a slopestyle slot, nor a full on XC race slot.

T1mb0 (Jan 17, 2012 at 2:28)

"The vast majority in fact"... would love to see your source for that.
Around me its the vast minority. And most ride this kind of bike apart from a few die hard tailers. Wink

Of those almost all are dual setup... and a few of us on single

I believe most people who but this will buy it as a frame only option (even if they get the rest shop assembled) so at least give folk the choice of what to put on it.

PS. sorry for double post

pimpedaline (Jan 17, 2012 at 6:46)

Triple ring riders are in the majority by a long shot, but with the advent of 2X10 that will change over the next few years. Freeriders and and the likes are a relatively small group in the cycling word, but I will admit to seeing more and more double ring setups on the trail in this area. That is because the terrain isn't the greatest for big ring hammering. too many short ball busting climbs with equally short descents and not much in the way of flats inbetween.

David-S (Jan 19, 2012 at 14:08)

Another vouching that the 3X10 set-up is the majority and makes sense. Remember Intense is located in Southern California, meaning lots of fire road climbs and unfortunately sometimes even fire road descents to get to the best downhills. Much of the single track in the Santa Ana mountains (located right by Intense) have tons of trails that dictate long pedals, but don't require much travel, nor chain ring protection (bash guard). A perfect example would be the San Juan Trail or Skin Suit. Skin Suit in particular rewards a relatively slack/stable bike without the need for much travel.
I'm not saying I disagree with those who feel it should have ISCG tabs. I personally like to run a double with a bash, most rides being a long meander uphill to a payoff downhill reward. I'm just giving the 3x10 crowd a lil back-up. Remember, here (Southern California) we don't have any where near as many rocks/roots/logs or mud as most of the rest of the world. I know Intense bikes are sold worldwide, but Jeff Steber and crew seem to design bikes that rock on the terrain right on the terrain right at home. Intense caters to their home market, just as Morewood, Orange and others do theirs.

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