WILL S’S INTENSE TRACER 29 PRO £5,799
Our YouTube presenter’s ride is now lower, slacker and soon to be prettier!
I’ve been really getting to grips with Intense’s matt-black monster enduro machine over the past few weeks. There are a few gripes, but nothing to wipe the huge grin off my face! The suspension is mostly dialled-in (although I’m lamenting the lack of high-speed compression damping adjustment on the Fox Float X2 Performance shock), so I’ve been fiddling with the geometry.
Using the flip-chip isn’t an easy job, as you have to purge all air from the shock in order to access the bolt. This isn’t disastrous, but is an annoying design oversight. Flipping the chip lowers the BB height from 351mm to 341mm and slackens the head angle from an already-relaxed 64.4 degrees to a daring 63.7 degrees. These changes have mostly been positive, making the Tracer feel like a light, agile version of a DH bike. However, it’s noticeably more recalcitrant-feeling on seated climbs, and laborious on flatter trails, where it previously pleasantly surprised me in the ‘high’ setting. This ‘low’ one is great if you want to try DH racing, though, or head abroad for an uplifted holiday. It takes the Tracer 29 fully into the ‘gravity sled’ camp.
Spec-wise, I have a PEMBREE VFS stem to fit, which will save some weight and looks gorgeous. Otherwise, I’m happy with my set-up – although it’s annoying that water gets into the CHAD storage box every time the bike is ridden in wet weather or washed. What next? I have my eye on an Ochain spider system, which could make the suspension feel even more supple. https://intensecycles.com