Bike Test: First Impressions On The New Intense M16 Carbon

We spent a weekend at Mammoth Mountain’s bike park to take in the events of the Kamikaze Games, watch some killer race action and take in a few laps at the bike park. Our weapon of choice turned out to be the all-new Intense M16 carbon. The bike is a brand-new full-carbon bike and is built with the finish line on the steepest downhill tracks in mind and to inspire confidence on the most technical and challenging terrain. We’ve only begun the long-term test period for this race rocket. The full test of the M16 will be featured in the pages of an upcoming issue of Mountain Bike Action. For now, let’s take a peek at what makes this bike special.

Intense commitment: Intense’s Chappie Fiene handles most of the in-field tuning for the Intense crew. We can attest that when a bike is set up by him, it’s going to feel dialed. He’s a former Supercross motorcycle racer and, as a result, knows his way around two-wheeled machines with plenty of travel. The M16c is his weapon of choice as well.

Travel options: The new carbon version features the same size shock and travel options as the aluminum one. With this short- travel setup, the bike gets 215 millimeters (8.5 inches) of travel. By moving that lower shock mount bolt to the lower mounting hole, the travel increases to 240 millimeters (9.5 inches). The bike also gets a new carbon fiber rocker to shed more precious grams.

The menu: The new M16 Carbon is available with two different build kits. The Pro version pictured here gets the SRAM seven- speed X0DH drivetrain paired with Shimano’s Saint brakes. The wheels are Stan’s ZTR Rapid 30 aluminum, and the cockpit is a mix of Renthal and Thomson. The Factory version comes with all the same parts, but with upgrades to ENVE carbon wheels, seatpost, handlebar and stem. The Pro version sells for $8500, while the Factory sells for $11,300.

M-Series history: The M16 is the latest bike in Intense’s M-series bikes, which have long been synonymous with racing. The bike features the “new standard” 157-millimeter rear axle to bolt the wheel to the full-carbon rear end. Even the dropouts and brake tabs are made from carbon. While the M16 is also available in an aluminum version, the carbon one is said to shed significant weight.

Race-worthy, flickable feel: The previous-generation M16 was a seriously fast bike. However, the overall weight kept it from feeling maneuverable. The new M16 carbon sheds pounds off the original weight and makes for a bike that’s not only confident when going Mach speeds in a straight line down the hairiest of chutes, but also fun to get off the ground.

Slick and fast: The internal cable routing is another marked improvement over the alloy bike and features full- length guides inside the tubes to make maintenance easier and keep noise at bay. The routing through the integrated fork bumpers is a nice touch and looks very trick.

Intense Cycles