CARBON FIBER VS. ALUMINUM: 298 CC C0

MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION

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THE EXPERTS WEIGH IN

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• FEBRUARY 2016 • www.mbaction.com • CARBON OR ALUMINUM? THE DEBATE RAGES ON

KNEEPAD SHOOTOUT:

FEBRUARY 2016

SO LIGHT YOU’LL WEAR THEM

INTENSE M16

CARBON

FOES’ RADICAL NEW BIKE:

A COMPROMISE THAT REALLY WORKS

INTENSE M16

ALUMINUM

BEST LOOK FOR THE LEAST MONEY SEE PAGE 68 $5.99

ORBEA RALLON

CHUMBA URSA MAJOR

Attn retailer: Please display until February 4

BIKE TEST / INTENSE M16

Race-ready: You want a crazy-fast downhill race bike? You want something that’s purpose-built and ready to plow DH racecourses to shreds? Look no further than the M16 Carbon. This was a tough bike to send back to the Temecula, California, factory.

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INTENSE

M16

CARBON The fastest Intense to grace our test fleet

W

e tested the M16 aluminum a few months ago, and it proved to be one of the fastest gravity bikes we’d ever been on. The new-school geometry, combined with the Jeff Steber-tuned, dual-link suspension design resulted in a downhill sled that could make mince meat of rough terrain. The carbon version is based on the same M-series pedigree but takes it to the next level with a new material Intense has never used for the gravity crowd: carbon. We put it to the test here.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?

The M16 Carbon is a pure-bred downhill race bike designed to withstand the rigors of the World Cup-circuit elite and satisfy the demands of the fastest privateers. This is far from a beginner’s downhill bike. Instead, it is built for riders who know that sometimes a little technology can mean more speed, something that every fast downhill rider simply can’t get enough of. The sculpted carbon chassis is built for performance but also takes the aesthetics to another level when compared to the previous aluminum version.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?

The M16 is the longest-travel bike in Intense’s lineup. It sports an adjustable dual-link suspension design that Intense dubs “Steber-Tuned” after the company’s founder, Jeff Steber. The bike boasts two travel settings with 215 and 241 millimeters (8.5-9.5 inches) of rear wheel travel. The bike is built with the newest standards, including a 12x157-millimeter dropout system fastened by a custom collet-style axle. The suspension rides on cartridge bearings fastened by a similar collet system in the links and custom-machined linkage bolts. The M16 has been criticized for looking too similar to other VPP bikes on the trail; however, the M16 carbon is its own beast. The carbon tubes boast a hexagonal shape that lends itself to weight reduction and improved stiffness. The suspension, while similar to VPP suspension, is 100 percent designed and tuned by the mad scientists at Intense.

FEBRUARY 2016 / MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION

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BIKE TEST / INTENSE M16

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?

The Intense crew has custom-tuned the build packages with many of the components that they have used as riders for years. Our test bike came equipped with the Pro build, which sports a seven-speed SRAM X01DH drivetrain matched to Shimano Saint brakes, Stan’s wheels and a Renthal cockpit. None of these components disappoint; in fact, we could almost call them “downhill standard.” If you really want to throw your wallet at this bike, Intense offers its “Factory” kit, which has most of the same parts but upgrades to a carbon ENVE bar, stem, and wheels. Intense claims this will shed a couple pounds from the bike but will also nab an extra $2800 from your bank account. Suspension setup: Plan to spend some time with this one to find the right setup, because it’s much more involved than setting up a typical bike with an air shock. The bike ships with

Nice touch: A slim built-in fender keeps dirt and debris thrown up by the rear wheel from going straight onto the shock. It looks trick too.

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a size-tuned spring and a baseline shock tune, but we swapped the spring right out of the gate and adjusted the compression and rebound as well. Our bike came with a 450-pound spring mounted to a RockShox Vivid shock, which proved too stiff for our 175-pound test riders. We swapped to a 400 and increased the compression adjustments slightly to split the difference between the two springs. Fortunately, the Boxxer World Cup fork has an air spring to easily match the sag of the shock. We also found it helpful to add two of RockShox’s Bottomless Tokens to the air spring. The tokens are basically little screw-together plastic pucks that go in the air chamber to take up volume. They allow for a more progressive spring rate that’s suppler on small bumps and also handles big hits better. For a bike like this one, it should be pretty much mandatory. Descending: The bike sports a fairly rearward bias for a bike with this much travel, which puts the rider in a position that’s ready and dialed to handle the steepest chutes and obstacles with ease,

Big axle: Intense uses a 157-millimeter-spaced rear axle. The axle itself is fastened using this clever collate system with an expandable wedge on one side. The wedge keeps the axle from coming loose unless you want it to.

Carbon throughout: The new M16 not only has carbon construction in the front and rear triangles, but also in the rocker system. The new frame shaves 3.3 pounds off the weight of the aluminum version, according to our scales.

Fun and flickable: The point-andshoot nature of the previous M16 is toned down noticeably with this new iteration. The bike still sports the glued-to-the-ground feel that most downhill race bikes have.

but we expected that. Point this bike downhill and it practically shoots out from under you; it’s that eager. The suspension has a very plush feel that tends to ride deep within the travel, meaning the M16 has plenty of negative travel to track the terrain. With the bike set up with 35–40-percent sag, the rear wheel has a glued-to-the-ground feel that will be appreciated on most trails. Don’t expect this bike to be a dirt-jumping park bike, but with the right tuning techniques, this machine can exhibit several different personalities for handling the descents. With a firmer spring or slightly more preload to decrease the amount of sag, the bike begins to feel a bit more playful. The bike can be tuned many different ways to handle a wide variety of descents. Climbing: Sorry, Charlie. The suspension is relatively efficient, which is a good attribute for any downhill bike. There are few downhill trails we know of that don’t have at least a little pedaling in them; however, if you’re even considering climbing long steep hills with this thing, you’re crazy. Cornering: Compared to the aluminum version of the bike, this

Carbon sculpted: The M16 may look somewhat similar to other carbon downhill bikes on the market; however, Intense has set the bar high with their incredibly beautiful tube shapes and attention to detail. Rather than using simple round tubes, Intense chooses the optimum tube shapes for a balance of weight savings, stiffness and durability.

is where you will see the biggest difference. Whereas the aluminum M16 feels like a point-and-shoot sled, the carbon version is considerably lighter and more nimble. It also doesn’t lose the high-speed confidence thanks to the awesome suspension and geometry.

TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?

The Stan’s wheels will ship with tubes installed, but every M16 rider should plan to convert to tubeless right out of the gate. Our test bike came equipped this way, and we never had an issue with burping air pressure or squirming side walls. The travel adjustment is a nice thing to have on paper, but we saw little need for it on the trails we rode. On the steepest terrain, it could be an advantage, as it does shift rider weight rearward, and unless you swap springs to compensate, will provide the bike with even more sag and an even plusher ride. If you’re riding World Cup-level tracks, go for it. For everything else, plan to leave this bike in the 8.5-inch travel setting.

The new standard: SRAM’s X0DH seems to be the favorite new drivetrain among the downhill crowd. The seven-speed system has large jumps between gears, meaning riders have to shift less to feel a noticeable difference in gearing.

Steber-tuned: The M16 Carbon uses Intense’s newly redesigned suspension platform that bears the name of the founder, Jeff Steber. The system uses two counter-rotating rockers to deliver between 8.5 and 9.5 inches of travel depending on where the shock mounting bolts are positioned.

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BIKE TEST / INTENSE M16

Shred-worthy: We noticed the biggest difference between the carbon and aluminum versions is in agility. This is no featherweight bike, but for a downhill sled, it’s impressively nimble. Our test riders had a blast throwing it around the trail.

BUYING ADVICE

This is the fastest bike Intense has ever built. Intense took lessons learned from the bruiser aluminum version and shed over 3 pounds by going to the carbon version. As a result, the bike simply rides better. When we tested the aluminum version, we noted that it felt fast and confidence-inspiring but also like it was most capable as a point-and-shoot bike. The carbon M16 is no less confidence inspiring but also adds nimbleness and agility to the mix. The suspension and geometry are still right on point, but the bike rides better, thanks to new material. Some die-hards will probably still go for the aluminum version, but for us, the decision is pretty simple. This is the better bike. In fact, it’s the gravity bike that all others will now have to live up to. Nuff said. ❏

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INTENSE M16 Price Weight Frame tested Bottom bracket height Chainstay length Top tube length Head tube angle Seat tube angle Standover height Wheelbase Suspension travel (front) Suspension travel (rear) Frame material Fork Shock Rims Hubs Tires Saddle Seatpost Handlebar Stem Brakes Chainguide Rear derailleur Shifters Crankset Chainrings Cassette Pedals

$8500 35.7 pounds Large (18”) 14.4” 17.5” 24.25” 63.5º 60º (actual) 32” 49” 8” (203mm) 8.5–9.5” (216-241mm) Carbon RockShox Boxxer World Cup RockShox Vivid R2C Stan’s Rapid 30 Team Stan’s No Tubes 3.30 Maxxis Minion 3C (27.5 x 2.5”) WTB Volt Team Thomson Elite Renthal Fatbar Lite (780mm) Renthal Direct Mount Shimano Saint e13 LG1 SRAM X01 DH SRAM X01 SRAM X01 DH Carbon SRAM Narrow/Wide (36t) SRAM X01 DH 7-speed (10-24) None (weighed with ANVL Flats)