INTENSE TRACER 279 EXPERT
Delayed but finally here, the Californian brand’s new Tracer shoots for enduro glory
£4,799 • 29/27.5in • uk.intensecycles.com
Intense has always followed an open door policy when it comes to prototyping and product development. While most brands go to great lengths to prevent their next generation models being spotted, Intense has courted the curiosity of the public, usually through social media posts of freshly welded mules at the brand’s California HQ, but also by building complete bikes for pro riders and telling them to go racing.
Back in 2019, the embryo of this radically updated Tracer was handed to Intense’s then-pro enduro racer, Isabeau Courdurier, and ridden to victory at the final round of the EWS in Zermatt, which also sealed the overall series victory.
But the chance to win on Sunday, sell on Monday was not an option at the time as the alloy bike Isabeau rode was a long way from production.
Then, when Covid hit, any chance to capitalise on the success of the prototype bike slipped away. Monday became Tuesday and Tuesday became Wednesday until finally, nearly three years later, the finished carbon bike went on sale.
The most obvious development on the new Tracer is the move to a lowerlink driven suspension layout similar to the one first employed on the M29 downhill bike. Dropping the shock in the frame and lowering the centre of gravity were key goals according to Intense, but in real terms the advantage is minimal – moving a few hundred grams down 20-30cm is less than 1% improvement when taken as part of a system weight that will typically range between 85 and 105kg. So why bother? Well, for answers we should probably look at the other key brand using a similar counter-rotating twin-link design – Santa Cruz. It moved to a lower-link design on its first trail bike back in 2018 (the Nomad), mainly to smooth out the leverage curve and bring a more consistent suspension performance that was easier to tune.
Intense has not made life easy for itself, though. While Santa Cruz uses a lower link that sits just behind the BB, Intense has gone for a link that runs concentric to the bottom bracket. That means it needs massive bearings and a huge forged link, along with some very tight packaging. It does free up more room inside the front triangle compared to the Santa Cruz, but I’d speculate that it’s a heavier solution. What’s more, the lower link has nowhere near as much ground clearance – our demo bike had two big chunks taken out of the swingarm paint at the lowest point. Time will tell how those big bearings hold up in typical UK conditions as well.
With such a radical change to the frame architecture, the new Tracer was always going to look very different to its predecessor. Having said that, there are still elements that will be familiar to any Intense fan. Details such as the seat tube strut, carbon upper link and integrated rear mudguard first introduced on the Tazer e-bike.
One thing that has been dropped, to my relief, is the locking collet rear axle system that made removing the rear wheel frustratingly long-winded. Now there’s a slick retractable QR lever that pulls out of the axle like the one found on a Canyon. Intense has also introduced built-in frame storage. The ‘Chad’ door sits under the down tube and comes with a neoprene wrap for storing essentials. The location is a bit vulnerable to water ingress, but it’s still a useful addition that helps you ride unencumbered by a pack.
While Intense has taken its time moving to the lower-link driven frame layout, it was an early adopter of mullet wheel set-ups, releasing the MX Tazer in 2018 and the Primer 279 in 2019. And the Tracer follows that trend. According to Intense, Aaron Gwin had a hand in developing the geometry on the new Tracer. As such, there are four frame sizes on offer, where the numbers are contemporary but still safely within accepted norms. A flip-chip at the rear shock mount gives two head angles as well as affecting BB height, seat angle,
reach and wheelbase. In the slacker setting I measured a 63.4° head angle, 342mm BB height, 441mm chainstay and 470mm reach. One thing I would like to see is a shorter seat tube. At 450mm it’s at odds with the low-slung top tube, and means the saddle can get in the way at times.
Intense offers two build kits for the Tracer, and thanks to its direct-sales approach, both are relatively good value. The entry-level bike test bike is £4,799 and gets Fox Performance suspension and SRAM NX 12-speed drivetrain with Code R brakes and mostly E*thirteen parts.
How much does Intense’s direct-sales model save you? Well, as a rough guide, a Santa Cruz Megatower Carbon C with very similar parts will set you back an extra £700.
At first glance the spec looks sorted, but dig a little deeper and there are some compromises to hit that price point. Such as the heavy PG-1230 cassette that weighs over 600g and comes with a limited gear range.
The pedal manners are impeccable but there’s no disguising the overall weight