Intense Cycles

Hard Eddie Carbon Mountain Bike Frame - 2014

Intense is best known for its suspension bikes, and with two decades of building them, it's easy to see why. This makes the Hard Eddie Carbon Mountain Bike Frame a noteworthy departure from the norm. And while there's an obvious lack of moving parts, Intense has considerable insight into building bikes that go really fast. At roughly two and a half pounds, it's the perfect platform for building a super-light 29er XC rocket, but the neutral handling and smooth ride make it ideal as an everyday trail bike, too.

While Intense is best known for its American-made aluminum bikes, the Hard Eddie is built from carbon fiber. Knowing that carbon fiber can be finicky to work with, Intense brought in consultants from composite experts 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 dropouts and hardware are built in Temecula, alongside Intense's aluminum models. It ensures that your bike benefits from the best of modern composite construction, and maintains the soul you'd expect from an Intense.

The frame is laid up as a whole from high modulus carbon fiber, rather than bonding the frame 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 a feathery two and a half pounds for a medium frame.

The Hard Eddie 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.

With a name like Hard Eddie, you'd expect it to be responsive when you get on the pedals. Thanks to the PF30 bottom bracket and large diameter down tube, that's undeniably true. However, the bowed top tube and seatstays enhance the vibration damping characteristics of the frame. In other words, you'll be surprised how fresh you feel after a long ride, especially compared to some of the other XC featherweights in its class.

The Intense Hard Eddie Carbon Mountain Bike Frame is available in three sizes, from Small to Large, and in the colors Naked Carbon and Naked Carbon/red.