2023 Intense

TRACER 29

Intense’s Tracer 279 is an impressively capable big-hitting enduro bike with enough of a pedal platform to make it a daily driver option for riders who can put its 170mm of travel to good use on the descents.

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First, I want to get some facts on the ground. At 16.33kg the Intense Tracer 279 Pro is a ballpark weight for one of the best modern enduro bikes with a coil shock and Maxxis EXO+ casing tyres. And for some perspective here, the Yeti SB160 T1, which is £3k more expensive, is only slightly lighter at 15.91kg.  With an air shock and some carbon components fitted, the Tracer could easily sneak below the 16kg threshold and start encroaching on trail bike territory – giving bikes like the Specialized Stumpy Evo Elite Alloy that I tested recently a real run for its money. Intense Tracer 279 – Need to know Carbon enduro frame designed around MX wheels JS Tuned enduro link provides 170mm travel Fox Performance Elite suspension, with plush DHX2 coil shock The Fox 38 Performance Elite fork matches travel at 170mm Shimano XT gears and 4-piston brakes SRAM UDH, so T-Type drivetrain compatible CHAD integrated down tube storage, includes tube bag Boost quick release axles front and rear But even in stock trim, the Tracer 279 Pro rides light and feels remarkably agile. So much so, that I had to double check on the Intense website just to see which category it had been shoehorned into. Enduro it is, then. In fact, the ride quality reminded me of the Trek Slash 9.8 XT Gen 5, which was also extremely versatile for an enduro race bike. Suspension travel and geometry And the numbers certainly reflect Intense’s intent. Travel on the rear is a whopping 170mm, which is matched precisely up front with the 4-way adjustable Fox 38 Performance Elite fork. The geometry is on point too, the frame delivering a slack 64º head angle, generous 478mm reach in size L and a 343mm BB height in the high geometry setting. Simply flip the adjustable chip in the shock eyelet to slacken and lower the bike further. Ride height adjustment I say simply. Because the high/low flip chip in the rear shock mount is obscured by the uprights of the triangulated carbon swingarm, so dropping the shock out of the trunnion mounts in the front triangle is the easiest way to get at it. And in addition to using the flip chip as a straight up geometry adjuster, it also gives you the option to run a firmer spring in the low setting or a softer spring in the high setting, retaining the same dynamic geometry, but with slightly different suspension responses. Handy, given that the standard Fox springs come in 50lb jumps, and don’t offer the same degree of adjustability as an air-sprung shock. MX wheels for party laps Nothing out of the ordinary for an enduro bike then, and the dimensions are nigh on identical to the Tracer 29 in all but one key metric: chainstay length. On the 29er it’s a stable 450mm, while the Tracer 279 is 13mm shorter at 437mm. Now, 437mm isn’t crazy short for an MX wheel bike, and there are plenty of full …Continue reading »

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The combination of lightness and pedalling efficiency will far outshine slight compromises in rider position on the Intense Tracer 29.

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