Despite being a small company, US brand Intense is a big player in the mountain bike scene and has its roots in downhill racing. With the release of the Tazer, Intense presented its first eMTB, and not wanting to do things by half measures gave it full carbon frame and an integrated Shimano motor. To find out if it’s able to mix with the cream of the crop, we took the new bike out for a ride.
The history of the Intense is closely linked to its founder, Jeff Steber, who remains actively involved in the development of new bikes and likes welding together prototypes in his garage. The name of the new bike has a bit of history too. Intense fans might remember the original Tazer from back in the day — a dual slalom MTB. With the new Tazer, Intense joins the ranks of other boutique MTB brands and enters the eMTB marketplace with a high-end offering. We were very excited to be able to ride this new machine ahead of the official announcement.
The Intense Tazer in detail
The Tazer makes its appearance at a time when eMTBs have already become quite refined, and you can tell that the bike has learned from the mistakes of its competitors. Although it’s the American brand’s first eMTB, the Tazer scores with plenty of up-to-date details and carefully considered spec.
Colour matching to the max – the colour scheme zaps you harder than a stun gun
At the heart of the carbon frame is a Shimano STEPS E8000 motor, the compact design of which offers enough space for Intense’s VPP suspension linkage, offering 155 mm of travel. The most striking feature is the external battery from Shimano, which, besides being upside down, is integrated into the Tazer’s oversized down tube. The look won’t appeal to everyone, but Intense deliberately chose the compact Shimano external battery to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible. If you want to replace the battery, you can easily remove the side cover. Unfortunately, you’ll only be able to switch the Shimano system on via the battery, but Intense has solved the problem by creating an opening in the down tube with a rubber cover to keep the internals dry.
The Geometry of the Intense Tazer
The Tazer is currently available in three frame sizes, with an XL version expected to follow in the second quarter of 2019. Bang up to date with modern mountain bike trends, the reach in size L is a generous 475 mm. Thanks to the low standover height riders have more options when choosing the frame size, yet the front is quite tall due to the large 29″ wheel and the long travel fork. The slack 64.9° head angle and relatively steep 75.4° seat tube angle complete the modern geometry.
| Size | S | M | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube | 394 mm | 419 mm | 455 mm |
| Top tube | 577 mm | 605 mm | 633 mm |
| Head tube | 100 mm | 115 mm | 125 mm |
| Head angle | 64.9° | 64.9° | 64.9° |
| Seat angle | 75.4° | 75.4° | 75.4° |
| Chainstays | 450 mm | 450 mm | 450 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1199 mm | 1230 mm | 1260 mm |
| Reach | 425 mm | 450 mm | 475 mm |
| Stack | 610 mm | 623 mm | 632 mm |
The Specifications of the Intense Tazer
Currently, the Intense Tazer is only available in the build and colour shown here; a discreet black finish will be available from the second quarter of 2019. A more affordable model specced with the new Shimano STEPS E7000 is to follow in the third quarter. The price of € 7,499 is no bargain, but in view of what you’re getting, we think it’s quite reasonable. Intense didn’t compromise on the suspension, speccing the bike with a 160 mm travel, eMTB optimised FOX 36 Factory GRIP2 fork and a FOX FLOAT DPX2 shock. The remaining componentry is in the upper middle range.
Fork Fox Factory E-Bike 36 Float Grip 2 160 mm
Shock Fox Factory Float DPX2 155 mm
Brakes Shimano XT 4-Piston 203/203 mm
Drivetrain Shimano SLX / Shimano XT Kurbel
Battery Shimano 500 Wh
Motor Shimano Steps E8000
Seatpost Fox Factory Trasfer
Handlebar Intense Recon Alloy 780 mm
Stem Intense Recon 45 mm
Wheels DT Swiss H1700 Hybrid
Tires MAXXIS Minion DHR II 2.6″ / 2.8″
Weight 21.40 kg
Price € 7,499
The battery compartment has an ace up its sleeve: there is enough space above the battery for a spare tube. In combination with the bottle cage bosses, you’ll be able to leave your backpack at home on short rides.
The Shimano system can only be switched on via the battery, the rubber cover in the down tube will be black on production models yet does little justice to the excellent workmanship of the frame.
We’ve been preaching the advantages of large brake rotors for a long time; Intense has caught on and given the Tazer a post-mount brake mount for 200 mm rotors — clean and functional.
The short 165 mm cranks aren’t everyone’s cup of tea: on technical climbs, they offer more ground clearance but you have to raise the seatpost and subsequently have less freedom of movement with the seatpost dropped
Intense chose to go for mixed wheel sizes, and uses a DT Swiss H1700 hybrid wheelset consisting of a 30 mm internal width 29″ rim at the front and a 35 mm internal width 27.5″ rim at the rear. The Tazer rolls on grippy MAXXIS Minion DHR tyres, 2.6″ wide at the front and 2.8″ wide at the back. It features powerful Shimano XT 4-piston brakes and 200 mm front and rear brake rotors. The SLX gear lever does the job, but it feels a bit spongy and seems out of place on a bike in this price range. All in all, Intense has put together a well thought out build, offering good value for money without compromising performance.
The Intense Tazer on the trail
The riding position on the Tazer is athletic, yet very comfortable. The high cockpit makes for a rather upright sitting position despite the length of the bike. Thanks to the relatively steep seat tube angle, even tall riders will be positioned far enough forward over the bottom bracket for an efficient climbing position. With its long front triangle and grippy rear tyre, the Tazer climbs impressively well. When you’re going very slowly, however, the slack head angle unbalances the bike slightly.
As soon as the trail points downwards, the Tazer reveals its true potential: the modern geometry offers a lot of stability and freedom of movement without being sluggish or cumbersome. The FOX 36 Factory GRIP2 does an excellent job, responding sensitively and offering a lot of comfort while remaining high in its travel and never wallowing. The rear convinces with similar characteristics, making for a very balanced ride.
The Tazer is a lot of fun on the trails, both uphill and downhill.
The Intense Tazer is confidence inspiring through rock gardens and rough trails, the powerful brakes and sticky tyres keeping the bike in check at all times. As eMTBs with mixed wheel sizes commonly do, the Tazer requires you to weight the front, rewarding an active riding style. Especially while cornering, you should avoid having your weight too far back, or you’ll risk losing traction on the front wheel. The MAXXIS Minion DHR tyres with the new, more durable EXO+ casing performed flawlessly, fitting perfectly into the overall concept of the bike.
Our feelings about the 165 mm cranks are mixed. The advantage on technical climbs is obvious, as the high ground clearance allows you to keep turning the cranks through technical sections without fear of striking the pedals. On the flip side, the short cranks require you to raise the saddle and your pedalling cadence increases. Despite having 150 mm of travel, the saddle on FOX Transfer dropper seatpost is still relatively high when lowered, so tall riders will most likely prefer a 170 mm version. Shorter cranks also place your feet closer together, which requires some getting used to on the descents. All in all, the benefits of shorter cranks remain debatable. We recommend them for riders who really enjoy pedalling up technical climbs. Those who mainly climb on forest roads are probably better off with regular cranks.
Our test bike was quite noisy in rough terrain, but the production bikes will come with an improved chainstay protector and foam covers for the internally routed cables. The production models will also come with an E6000 remote, offering a more ergonomic position for the dropper lever.
Availability
As with all Intense bikes, the Tazer can be ordered online and, if available in your location, will be delivered to your door a few days later. The first deliveries are scheduled for the end of November. Intense includes a shock pump and a high-quality torque wrench with matching tool bits with every bike.
Conclusion
Hats off, Intense! With the Tazer, the American brand has succeeded in making a strong entry into the eMTB market. The Intense convinces with excellent riding characteristics, offering loads of stability in rough terrain while being a lot of fun to ride. Active riders will be rewarded with an agile bike, but if your riding style is more passive the Tazer can be a bit of a handful.
Strengths
– balanced geometry
– plush suspension
– good spec
Weaknesses
– short cranks take getting used to
– requires an active riding style
For more info head to: eu.intensecycles.com
This article is from E-MOUNTAINBIKE issue #015
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Words: Photos: Valentin Rühl
