MTB Aussie
Member
Last weekend I had the opportunity to ride the Intense Spider 29er at Bootleg Canyon near Las Vegas. Here is the my mini-review.
At first the bike felt huge, the 29 inch wheels reminded me the first time I sat on a road bike after riding nothing but BMX until I was 17. The upright riding position was also noticeable. I felt more perched on top of the bike that riding it. The cockpit was a little short for me and I didn’t bother adjusting the seat position back since we had limited time and there was riding to do. The frame was a medium. I felt high up while riding, and I related it to a friend as “driving a mini-van” since I was up high and could see everything.
The fork was pretty soft, from memory a Rock Shox REBA air fork that must have been on the softest compression setting and didn’t seem to have much in the way of adjustment. It actually worked well for the rocky sections of trail. The rear shock and suspension action were awesome. Cushy when it needed to be but climbed like a goat without the slightest hint of bob. I had the shock set to pro pedal. I give the bike top marks for climbing, especially since the riding position felt short and upright which would have normally indicated lots of wheelies on the tougher stuff. The 29 inch wheels really do roll over stuff well and tend not to hang up on rocks as much which helps keep the momentum.
There were several switch backs similar to the race course at Ringwood, and the bike (or perhaps just the rider) struggled to get the bike to turn with the big wheels. It seemed off balance as soon as I swung the bars hard. This resulted in dismounts. Some places where I dismounted were due to my fear of falling off the ledges near the switchbacks and coming home in a body cast.
On the downhill’s the bike was pretty good, tracked straight but seemed to wash out on faster corners with lose scree under the tires. It got air well and I hit quite a few of the quick up and down gully’s that you find out there. I felt more comfortable with the air time than I do on my own bike. Perhaps a lack of trees to hit makes that possible.
Opinion: 8 out of 10. The bike wasn’t a dump truck and climbed well. Was it worth the switch from 26 to 29? Nope. But if I had a POS bike now and were buying new I may consider it. Given my next upgrade is frame only and looking to keep my build kit, I’ll be staying with the small wheels.
Cheers,
Tim
PS - my second time at Bootleg Canyon this year, ride it if you get out there. I rented the bike from these guys at All Mountain Cycles. The bike had a slight shifting problem which I fixed for them but otherwise they were helpful. You can learn more about Bootleg Canyon here.
The water in the background of this pic is Lake Mead.
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At first the bike felt huge, the 29 inch wheels reminded me the first time I sat on a road bike after riding nothing but BMX until I was 17. The upright riding position was also noticeable. I felt more perched on top of the bike that riding it. The cockpit was a little short for me and I didn’t bother adjusting the seat position back since we had limited time and there was riding to do. The frame was a medium. I felt high up while riding, and I related it to a friend as “driving a mini-van” since I was up high and could see everything.
The fork was pretty soft, from memory a Rock Shox REBA air fork that must have been on the softest compression setting and didn’t seem to have much in the way of adjustment. It actually worked well for the rocky sections of trail. The rear shock and suspension action were awesome. Cushy when it needed to be but climbed like a goat without the slightest hint of bob. I had the shock set to pro pedal. I give the bike top marks for climbing, especially since the riding position felt short and upright which would have normally indicated lots of wheelies on the tougher stuff. The 29 inch wheels really do roll over stuff well and tend not to hang up on rocks as much which helps keep the momentum.
There were several switch backs similar to the race course at Ringwood, and the bike (or perhaps just the rider) struggled to get the bike to turn with the big wheels. It seemed off balance as soon as I swung the bars hard. This resulted in dismounts. Some places where I dismounted were due to my fear of falling off the ledges near the switchbacks and coming home in a body cast.
On the downhill’s the bike was pretty good, tracked straight but seemed to wash out on faster corners with lose scree under the tires. It got air well and I hit quite a few of the quick up and down gully’s that you find out there. I felt more comfortable with the air time than I do on my own bike. Perhaps a lack of trees to hit makes that possible.
Opinion: 8 out of 10. The bike wasn’t a dump truck and climbed well. Was it worth the switch from 26 to 29? Nope. But if I had a POS bike now and were buying new I may consider it. Given my next upgrade is frame only and looking to keep my build kit, I’ll be staying with the small wheels.
Cheers,
Tim
PS - my second time at Bootleg Canyon this year, ride it if you get out there. I rented the bike from these guys at All Mountain Cycles. The bike had a slight shifting problem which I fixed for them but otherwise they were helpful. You can learn more about Bootleg Canyon here.
The water in the background of this pic is Lake Mead.