Intense Cycles

Hard Eddie Expert Complete Mountain Bike - 2015

While Intense Cycles was long known for its American-made aluminum bikes, the carbon frame at the heart of the Hard Eddie Expert Complete Mountain Bike is demonstrative of the shred-happy brand's gradual ascent to the hallowed halls of carbon fiber. While the frame's material may be Hollywood, its workman Shimano XT groupset, Stan's NoTubes wheels, and suspension-free hardtail design eschew flash in favor of brute force. Racing, training, recreational noodling — whatever the application, the Hard Eddie Expert is an XC club built to pound the trail into submission.

Given that it's known for manipulating metal, we're not surprised that Intense initially partnered with consultants from composite experts SEED to make the best possible use of the material. The Made in USA ethos still stands though, thanks to the fact that all the dropouts and hardware are machined in Temecula, CA 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.

Rather than bonding the frame together from sub-assemblies, it's laid-up as a single-piece from high-modulus carbon fiber. This construction method not only cuts weight by minimizing material, it also maximizes the frame's strength by eliminating seams and artificial stress points. All told, the precise construction method keeps the claimed frame weight at a feathery two-and-a-half pounds for a size medium.

Low weight doesn't come at the cost of comfort, though, as the Hard Eddie's bowed tubes serve to dampen vibrations and dissipate impacts before they travel up the seatpost. The frame is finished with Intense's G1 replaceable dropout system and a modern 12 x 142mm 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. It's also got the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can replace your hanger should your derailleur meet a particularly grisly end.