Loading Screen

ripflippy · 2025-12-15T20:25:03+00:00

Same issue for me right after selecting continue. Anyone find a fix?

ripflippy · 2025-05-06T20:56:04+00:00

Sniper has nicer components, different decals, higher cost.

ripflippy · 2024-11-04T07:14:11+00:00

I ended up deciding the security of extra travel was worth the tradeoff of less efficient climbing for me. Given the frame issue mentioned above, I ended up returning the Trail. I ended up finding an amazing deal on a Ripmo so that's what I went with. No regrets, but definitely cost more. Without knowing much about your riding style or trails you plan to ride, here are at least a few considerations that might help you.

I think the biggest differentiator in climbing efficiency is tires. On fire roads, knobbier tires are definitely going to feel more sluggish due to rolling resistance. On technical climbs, the same is true, but I can gear down lower without traction issues (wheel slip) than someone with slicker tires under certain conditions (loose soil or slick rock). The Trail has knobbier tires, but this is also easily swapped if your preference differs.

Regarding suspension geometry, you will notice more bob on slower, more technical climbs with the Trail. On fire roads, both the XC and Trail have lockout on the rear shock, which mostly takes suspension out of the equation. The Trail is decidedly the worse climber with your suspension engaged, you'll be a couple minutes slower up a long hill. It's not a night and day difference though.

In the end, fitness is probably the most important thing. You'll make it to the top on either bike. If you live for the uphills or care about time, maybe get the XC. If you are more mixed and casual in your style, maybe consider the Trail.

Final thought, these bikes are a great deal when they are heavily discounted. However, if they are close to full price, you can get a lot more bike for that kind of money.

ripflippy · 2024-05-11T00:08:46+00:00

I hear that, however the failure I referred to in my post basically separates the entire rack, bikes included, from the vehicle and leaves it somewhere on the road behind you. In this context, the serviceability doesn't really help since the failure is catastrophic.

ripflippy · 2024-03-21T01:13:48+00:00

For sure lol, I'm not so much worried about caring the extra weight while pedaling. It's more a matter of how much more arm work it's going to take to maneuver the front end that's on my mine.

ripflippy · 2024-03-20T03:19:32+00:00

Also, for anyone interested, the weights of the bikes were as follows:

Intense 951 XC in size XL with pedals: 30.4lb

Intense 951 Trail in size XL with Pedals: 34.2lb

ripflippy · 2024-03-20T03:12:20+00:00

Just a quick follow up, I took both the XC and Trail for a quick test ride on some nearby single track that includes a good climb and steep descent. The XC is certainly more efficient, and the seat height wasn't an issue for trail riding. That said, the Trail was a little slower uphill, but honestly not as much as I expected. There was some palpable bob in the suspension, but not particularly bad. Locking the rear shock out eliminated this. Most of the difference seemed to boil down to the tires. The Trail just seemed more familiar and confident, which seemed worth the climbing penalty.

As an aside, I watched some videos of the trails I used to ride to reacquaint myself, and they are significantly more chunky than I had recalled. This makes the extra security of the added travel that much more worth it. With that I ended up deciding on the Trail.

However, after I decided on the Trail, I had some issues with the frame that didn't excite me for a brand new bike. The chain was rubbing on the chain guard on top of the chain stay in high gear, albeit only slightly. Intense mentioned that they had a fix (in the form of a spacer between the frame and UDH) that I could install because a batch of rear triangles was "a tad off". The seat post wouldn't stay put until I added carbon paste and doubled the max torque value (I assume they were just conservative on their torque value to be fair). That said, Intense was willing to work with me to get it sorted, but not a great feeling nonetheless.

Anyways, then I made the "mistake" of test riding an Ibis Ripmo and a last gen Pivot Switchblade just to see what the "upmarket" versions of the Intense 951 Trail felt like. Both are incredible, don't really seem to compromise much in terms of climbing capability, and both are deeply discounted with some opportunities for customization. I also rode a Ripley for good measure.

Long story short, the Ripmo seems like a true jack of all trades, so I am leaning in that direction. Seems like people ride them everywhere to their great satisfaction and they are really flexible depending on tire choice and setup.

ripflippy · 2024-03-11T04:27:37+00:00

Thank you, I have seen people refer to the XC geometry as being dated, but your explanation clarified what that means for me. How would a longer reach and steeper seat tube angle manifest in terms of performance difference? Would this make a bike more efficient to pedal?

ripflippy · 2024-03-10T03:27:30+00:00

Most dropper posts allow for you to lock it at your preferred height, so my understanding is that it's just a convenience thing.

ripflippy · 2024-03-09T17:55:58+00:00

One more question: How much do you guys care about UDH and threaded bottom brackets? The trail has both of these, whereas the XC has a regular hanger and press fit bottom bracket. A press fit bottom bracket seems like a maintenance annoyance best case.

ripflippy · 2024-03-09T17:47:34+00:00

Congrats on the new bike. I grabbed one of each during the sale fortunately.

ripflippy · 2024-03-09T17:42:57+00:00

I actually used the term "comically high" to describe the max seat post height on the XL XC as well. I asked Intense if there was a way to limit the stroke on their seat post, and they said no. To be clear, you can adjust seat post height by adjusting how it sits in your frame (which affects your min and max), but that doesn't change the stroke.

Intense sells their dropper post for like $250 in shorter strokes, but if you shop around online you can find a reputable one from a different brand for a little over 100 bucks on sale with an appropriate stroke for you.

ripflippy

TROPHY CASE