Company History
Intense Cycles is a company based in Temecula, California. The company designs and manufactures bikes on site, and it is relatively unknown in comparison to other larger bike companies. All bikes from Intense Cycles are made to order and the company is known for its handcrafted, championship-winning race frames.
Intense Cycles began back in 1991 when it consisted of a small group of designers with a big dream. What they lacked in money, they made up for in their passion for bikes and their chosen sport. The idea was born around a kitchen table, and originally the bikes were made in a garage in Lake Elsinore, California. Over the years the company has grown enormously, and Intense Cycles’ bikes are now sold all over the world, but despite this they are still hand-made with great care and attention.
In 2006 Intense Cycles teamed up with distribution companies around the world to bring its bikes to a number of new international markets, including the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and Singapore. Dealers can now be found all over the globe and the company is currently working on its online store as well.
Intense Cycles’ bikes are made in conjunction with products from companies such as Shimano, Fox Racing Shox, Manitou Suspension, Titec and e.thirteen. As well as an extensive selection of bikes, the company also offers a selection of tyres and BMX bikes.
Racing
Intense Cycles claims to be all about racing, and the designers say that their passion for bikes is “the reason (they) strive for perfection in every frame that (they) build”. This is a company that is deeply involved in what it does.
Intense Cycles currently provides bikes for the Chain Reaction Team and Team Sole Adventure Racing, as well as for Canadian triathletes Brent McMahon and Mike Vine. Brent McMahon rode to victory on an Intense Cycles bike, winning a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil.
MS-Racing is the official homepage for the Intense Factory Mountain Bike Downhill, Fourcross and Freeride Team. The team was founded in 2004 and is based in Austria. It is a semi-professional racing team, with all equipment supplied by Intense Cycles.
2008 Range
Intense Cycles’ range of bikes can best be described as small but perfectly formed. Unlike some of the bigger bike companies, Intense Cycles does not have a huge selection of bikes, but you can be sure that the ones available have been carefully crafted by absolute experts.
XC
The XC range is Intense Cycles’ series of cross-country bikes. The bikes in this series are all given the name Spider and are built to be Intense Cycles’ fastest, most efficient cross-country bikes. Intense Cycles describe the Spider FRO as “built for speed”, while the Spider 29 also features VVP technology, a high-tech suspension to eliminate any unwanted compression.
Enduro
The 5.5 29 from the Enduro range is Intense Cycles’ latest bike. In fact, it is so new that it hasn’t even hit the shops yet, and the specifications have not even been published on Intense Cycles’ own website. But it is being advertised as the “do anything ride”, the perfect bike for both trails and MTB (mountain bike) parks.
The other members of the Enduro family are the 5.5 Fro and the 5.5 EVP. The 5.5 Fro is the perfect endurance bike and weighs just 6.5 lb, while the 5.5 EVP is designed as a trail bike with an aluminium frame.
All Mountain
The 6.6 is Intense Cycles’ only bike in the ‘All Mountain’ category. Intense Cycles has labelled the 6.6 its “ride anywhere bike” thanks to the balance of cross-country performance and downhill aggression, which are both perfectly combined in this model. The 6.6 weighs in at 7.25 lb and is available in a variety of build kits.
Slope Style
Again, the Slope Style range consists of just one bike – the SS (and just in case you hadn’t guessed – that stands for Slope Style). The SS is a brand new addition to Intense Cycles’ range of products. Its firm, lightweight frame is specially designed for all manner of tricks and jumps, making it the perfect bike for MTB parks.
DH
The DH range is – as the name suggests – a series of downhill bikes. The series consists of the Socom Fro and the brand new M6 Fro.
The Socom Fro weighs in at just 8.5 lb, which makes it the perfect racing bike. The short, light frame cuts tight turns and allows you to accelerate out of them as well.
The brand new M6 Fro is being branded as the next generation of downhill cycling by Intense Cycles. This bike is so new that the company has not even published its specifications yet.
Road
Intense just have one road bike – a reflection of their passion for mountain bikes. The Intense Fenix road bike is ideal for all kinds of riding – from training to circuit races to competitive club rides. With a monocoque carbon frame, this is a light, stiff bike but still maintains a good level of comfort and a classic design. The Intense Fenix road bike weighs in at just 1125 g.
Intense Cycles will soon be adding a brand new ‘Freeride’ bike to its catalogue as well.
Tyres
Intense Cycles has also designed an extensive range of tyres to suit its bikes. These tyres have been developed in conjunction with the bike models, so there are different tyres suitable for the cross country, all mountain, free ride, down hill, dirt jump/street and BMX lines. The different tyres are also suitable for varying ground conditions, including dry, intermediate, soft terrain and mud.
BMX
Intense Cycles also designs and manufactures a range of BMX equipment. This range includes a wide selection of frames as well as ready-made race bikes and jump bikes. There are also jerseys, hats and tools – all complete with the Intense Cycles logo. Information regarding specifications and dealers can be found on the Intense BMX website, as well as profiles of two Intense BMX riders.