Intense Cycles

Carbine 275 Foundation Complete Mountain Bike - 2014

Do you have carbon envy? You know, that feeling in the pit of your gut every time someone rolls by on a next-generation wunderbike? If you know what we’re talking about, you’re not alone, but thankfully, the fine folks at Intense have put your dream bike within arms' reach with the Carbine 27.5 Foundation Complete Mountain Bike. Built on an incredibly fast carbon fiber mid-wheeled frame, the Foundation relies on a build kit that offers enough value to put plenty of more expensive steeds to shame. And since it’s an Intense, all of the stunning machined parts are made in-house, in Temecula, California. If this isn’t enough to cure your carbon envy, we suggest you get yourself checked out.

Like the rest of Intense's lineup, much of the Carbine's controlled ride can be attributed to its VPP suspension. It's a suspension platform that's widely beloved among riders in-the-know for its blend of pedaling efficiency and trail-erasing smoothness. VPP employs two aluminum counter-rotating links to achieve this balance. The upper link provides most of the rotation as the bike compresses into the sag point. This yields a vertical wheel path, which you'll notice in the form of a firm feel during acceleration. As the bike compresses deeper into the suspension, the lower link activates, moving the axle path rearward. The rearward axle path enables the rear wheel to travel out of the way of square-edged impacts. If it sounds like an ideal blend of characteristics, well, that's because it is, and countless riders agree.

While Intense is best known for its American-made aluminum bikes, the Carbine is built from carbon fiber. Knowing that carbon fiber can be finicky to work with, Intense brought in consultants from the composites wizards at SEED to make the best possible use of the material, and then handed the manufacture to one of Taiwan's finest composites manufacturers. The Made in USA ethos still stands though, thanks to the fact that all the links, dropouts, and hardware are built in Temecula, alongside Intense's aluminum models. This ensures that your bike benefits from the best of modern composite construction, and maintains the soul you'd expect from an Intense.

Both the front and rear triangles are constructed as a whole, rather than bonding them together from sub-assemblies. This construction method not only minimizes unnecessary material, and accordingly weight, but it maximizes the strength of the structures as well. That's because the fibers are uninterrupted by seams, which happens with bonded constructions. Weight is minimized as excess epoxy is squeezed from the frame prior to curing, and this ideal degree of compaction optimizes the strength. Plus, it keeps the frame weight at 5.8 pounds for a medium frame. The strength and stiffness are further enhanced by the oversized collet-style hardware, 12x142mm thru axle, and tapered head tube.

The asymmetrical rear triangle is built to withstand aggressive riding, despite its modest weight. By using an oversized upright on the non-drive side, the drive side of the rear triangle is able to be lightened, while simultaneously improving drivetrain clearance. And it gets Intense's G1 replaceable dropout system, with a modern 12x142mm thru axle. By using a replaceable dropout, rather than a replaceable derailleur hanger, you get a stiffer mount for the derailleur, and accordingly, crisper shifts, with the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can replace your hanger should your derailleur meet a particularly grisly demise.

For the Foundation build, suspension duties are handled by an X-Fusion 02 RL rear shock, and an X-Fusion Sweep 34 fork. While X-Fusion is relatively new to the scene, the California brand has proven that it can provide competitive suspension components that offer a ton of value. SRAM contributes most of the build kit, with Elixir 3s controlling your speed, and an X7 drivetrain, punctuated with an X9 rear derailleur. The cockpit consists of Intense branded items, with house branding found on the saddle, seatpost, stem, handlebar, and grips. The wheelset consists of SRAM hubs laced to DT Swiss 533D rims, and they’re wrapped in Kenda Nevegal tires.

The Intense Carbine 275 Foundation Complete Mountain Bike is available in three sizes, from Small to Large, and in the colors Naked Carbon and Naked Yellow.