Preview: 2010 Intense 951 FRO
Intense Cycles 951 FRO
When it comes to downhill history, Intense has most every manufacturer beat. 951 is not only their area code, but is also the name they chose to call their latest downhill bike. The 951 is a reflection of what Intense has learned with VPP technology and applied it here. The 951 is not designed to replace the M6, but is a downhill bike that shines in its own light. Details inside.
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Intense prides itself on being made in the USA and all of the CNC machine work, welding, heat treating, and assembly of the 951 is done in-house at the Intense factory based out of Temecula, CA. We’ve checked out the Intense M6 previously and Competitive Cyclist has the Intense 951 in stock so we felt compelled to check one out for our latest build.
Included when you buy an Intense 951
- Intense seat post collar
- shock (DHX RC4 standard)
- Zerk grease tip
- Axle adapters and clips (no axle is included)
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Perhaps one of the more noteworthy implementations Intense incorporated in the 951 is the amount of adjustability they have packed into it. The 951 offers a useful amount of adjustability in the G3 dropouts as well as offering two travel settings (8” or 8.5”). The G3 adjustments efficetly allow the frame to become longer, lower, and slacker to suit the rider or course.
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The G3 dropouts offer 3 positions for the user to move the rear dropouts. According to Intense, the three G3 holes yield the following
- forward hole yields a 65º HA, 17.25” chainstay, 14.5”bb
- middle hole yields a 64.5º HA, 17.5” chainstay, 14.125”bb +.5” wheelbase over forward hole
- rear hole yields a 64º HA, 17.75” chainstay, and a 13.75” bb, +.5” wheelbase over middle hole
The rest of the 951 geometry can be seen on the Intense website. The 951 frame offers two shock mounting positions for the 9.5 x 3″ shock. The lower hole offers 8″ of travel, and the upper hole 8.5″ of travel. For our build we’ve selected a Cane Creek Double Barrel for the 951.
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Cane Creek is always trying to improve, and this latest Double Barrel has seen some revisions. These new CCDB’s feature altered valves internally that allow the shock to open up a bigger range of “low damping” than previously available. They were able to do this while keeping the high range of the Double Barrel the same. It means that “all out” on any damping setting will produce less damping force than before the changes while “all in” will be exactly the same as “all in” on previous Double Barrels. Effectively, each click does more because there are not any more clicks, but a bigger range so each click is more pronounced. Cane Creek says that they have maintained the linearity of the adjustments with the parabolic needles in the shock but reshaped them for the new orifice sizes.
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The VPP2 system is refined and integrated into the new 951. VPP2 was implemented with the Tracer VP and the Uzzi VP. The 951 also gets the VPP2 treatment. VPP2 is said to reduce chain growth, pedal better, offer refined suspension curves, and more.
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To aid in easing maintenance, Intense has implemented zerk fittings in most of their frames along with angular contact bearings. Greaseable zerk fittings are found at the lower pivots that allow riders to re grease their bike without having to worry about disassembly of pivots or bearings.
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The 951 bottom bracket shell and lower frame bulges around the the frame in a robust manner reminiscent of the M6. Stiffness shouldn’t’ be a problem with this frame given the stout construction. Unlike the Socom, the 951 offers a 83mm BB shell that is more synonymous with downhill cranks (83mm) & wheelsets (150mm x 12). There are some benefits here as well such as stronger wheels and cranks can often be used but there are also some compromises in terms of wider q-factor as well as a little bit more weight in parts.
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The 951 has beefy ISCG-05 chainguide mounts. It is welded fully around the wide bottom bracket shell but we’ve noticed that fitting chainguides onto the frame is a bit harder than it should be. The ISCG-05 tabs appear to be clocked improperly making it harder to mount any chainguide, namely the e.thirteen LG1 and MRP G2 chainguide.
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The 1.5” head tube offers multiple options for users seeking to run various forks and headsets easily whether it is a zero stack headset or a 1.5″ headset.
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Weight:
| Manufacturer | Model | Year | Real(g) | Desc. | Pic. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intense | 951 Large Frame Only |
2010
|
3623 |
 |
 |
| Intense | Seat Post Clamp 34.9 |
2010
|
27 |
|
|
| Intense | 951 Shock Bolts |
2010
|
61 |
|
|
| Cane Creek | CCDB 9.5 X 3 Damper Only (no spring) |
2010
|
478 |
|
|
| Cane Creek | 550 x 3 Steel Spring |
2009
|
695 |
|
|
| Cane Creek | Shock hardware |
2010
|
24 |
|
|
Price
MSRP $2760
Stay tuned for our 951 build down the road. If you’re interested in finding out more about the 951 or purchasing an Intense 951, contact Competitive Cyclist.
Interested in seeing more on the 951 and how it was made? Check out the videos below Intense created to tell the story of the 951 a little bit more.
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Reminds me of a 19970’s Firebird with T-tops.
C’mon, can’t you see it’s a total rip-off of Ferrari’s styling cues (red “body”, golden/yellow rims, black-”creature”-on-a-yellow-background logo…)?
The only cue they’re missing is the green-white-red stripes - but guess what… the lettering is *black*-white-red! Original…
Makes the american flag look almost out of place, there.
Still, can’t wait for the porsche-specialized, lambo-konas and subaru-yetis…
I have the small size and the frame is Half pound off from the medium,I put a MRP b.b.mount guide to avoid runing the iscg mounts,using the aluminum washers i put a 150 by 12mm quick relase made by Ironhorse.
Also protective clear plastic for motocross bikes works great on the lower downtube wich will become prone to dents.
You already know what I am going to say…
something along the lines of “I hate you” i’m sure!
Question about the G3 setup, you say the “rear hole yields a 64º HA, 17.75” chainstay, and a 13.75” bb, +.5” wheelbase over middle hole.” How do you think the bike will feel with such a long chainstay? Do you think it will be noticeable over the M6’s 17.25″ chainstay?
It will certainly affect the way the bike handles. It depends on the terrain, rider, and speeds as well but it will most likely feel longer and should be noticed over the 17.25″ chainstay of the m6. We’ll be trying it out (and possibly some offset headset cups in the frame too… )
Thought about buying one of these via their “direct buy” program.
Actually the SRAM build you are talking about as their “direct buy” can be bought through Intense Dealers. It is not sold directly through Intense to the customer. Competitive Cyclist can get you the 951 SRAM Intense build (and can help you pick/choose different parts should you choose). MSRP on the 951 SRAM build is $4951.
“The ISCG-05 tabs appear to be clocked improperly making it harder to mount any chainguide, namely the e.thirteen LG1 and MRP G2 chainguide.”
So… Have you guys found a solution to this?
i have one already built up with an LG1+. yes they are slightly off but it still fits fine
Yea they bolt on the bike, but can’t be rotated as nicely as they could be.
The dremmel is your friend.
I took to a LG1 guide with a dremmel to make the slots longer to rotate the guide further around. when the bike sat into it’s travel the top guide would rub. Works mint now.
well i already broke my LG1+ guide. put on an MRP G2. it fits much better. no clearance problems and sits within a good range of adjustment.
It doesn’t seem to fit any better without using a bottom bracket adapter. The G2 lower roller still isn’t in an ideal position (clocking wise).
The stickers on the TT just by the HT are upside down, send it back under warranty
The thing I don’t understand is the zerk fittings. I am replacing the bearings on my m3 and all there is in the lower pivots is two outside bearings with an aluminum sleeve between them that floats between the bearings and accepts the pivot bolts. Intense told me on the phone this week to put together everything dry without grease on my m3? Those zerk fitting will shoot grease into where on the 951? The aluminum sleeve? Is it a totally different setup? On another note….that bike is sexy as hell! I want one.
Little bit different setup. Basically the zerk fitting / sleeve will direct grease into the backside of the bearing (its not the same as your M3 style bearings).
Hello SIcklines,
I m a proud owner of a med 951(Fox RC4 shock) I weight 80 kilos so the stock 450×3.25 spring was way to soft.I had a chat with Mojo suspension and got a Ti 550×2.8 spring that works better than the stock but i find it too soft again.My pedals touch the ground most of the times when i turn or sprint .What is the spring you use on the CC?
Cane Creek recommended a 550lb spring for 180lb / 80kg to us. Not sure why you got a 2.8″ spring though. The shock is a 3″ stroke. If there isn’t enough freelength in the spring, you might get binding in the spring.
Hmm,
the guys sent me this one and had to deal with it cauz i was racing the nationals.it was ok though i got 3d but i suppose the 2.8 stroke is the reason my rear end feels so soft..
Thank you, i appreciate your help
keep up the good work
Not sure what you’re trying to say exactly. The 951 takes a 3″ stroke shock & spring.
Same thing here, I’m at 32% sag But the BB sits so low when in sag I can touch the ground with the heal of my foot and this is with 165mm cranks.
Sorry about that post. I just measured the sag incorrectly.
[...] When it comes to downhill history, Intense has most every manufacturer beat. 951 is not only their area code, but is also the name they chose to call their latest downhill bike. The 951 is a reflection of what Intense has learned with VPP technology and applied it here. The 951 is not designed to replace the M6, but is a downhill bike that shines in its own light. Details inside. Read the rest of this entry » [...]
I have a small black 951. It should be built in about 2 weeks.
just built a small black 951 just under 36Lbs.
Fun. Small bikes are easier to build up light but don’t fret ours won’t be too portly. Where’s the pics/spec’s?
823’s w/Hope pro 2s, Sapim spokes
chunder tires
Fox 40
sunline bar
Shimano Saint Disc Brakes M810
SDG I beam seat & post
XO shifter & derailure
KMC chain
Wellgo
Saint cranks
Don’t know how to post pic’s LOL
I started with 170mm cranks but the bottom braket sits pretty low in its sag. so I am going to try 165mm cranks
fun stuff. pics you can easily upload at http://imageshack.us/ then place a link
THX, try this http://yfrog.com/3odsc00290rkjx
I wish adjustable frames like this 951 could have certain geometries adjusted independently from each other. I would love to be able to slacken a head angle, while keeping a shorter chainstay. Not every one who wants to have a 64 HA wants a near 18″ CS. Same for some one who may want a one degree steeper HA at 65 (which is by no means “steep”) may not want the 14.5″ BB. I understand the geometries do go hand in hand sometimes, but it would be nice to tune just certain aspects alone. I think that will be a big step in the right direction.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but is the evil revolt’s HA independently adjustable? I’d love to see you guys build one of those up, since its hard to find a whole lot of info on them right now.
-Matt
Matt you are right as far as the 951 not having independent geometry adjustments. One little thing we’re trying with our 951 are some adjustable headset cups so that we don’t have to lengthen the chainstays to achieve a slacker/lower setup. These offer just what you’re talking about for the most part as we wanted to try the bike slacker without lengthening the chain stays. The wheelbase will be slightly longer with the slacker headset cups, but the chainstays won’t grow which is what we were after.
The Evil Revolt’s HA is adjustable via a sleeve (much like a set of adjustable headset cups) that doesn’t affect the rest of the geometry quite as drastically. One day we might build one up if they come ask, but for now it would be a ways off.
When I first started looking for a new frame the revolt cought my eye. Because of the ajustable head tube. then i found the offset headset cups. I too would like to lower the rear end and keep a 64 head angle. I have a sunline zero stacker head set. If I use the offset cups can I find a zero stacker 1 1/8 Head set? Thx
Stuff can get buried quickly so it’s important that you read sicklines at least once a day
You can get these in a +/- 1º or +/- 2º
http://www.sicklines.com/2009/09/14/spotlight-k9-industries-angled-reducer-cups-2%C2%BA-headset-cups-arc/
I’m going to try it out. I might loose my mind W/all of the adjustability (o: I think I may try to keep the chain stay short and slacken the front.
Looks like there is not one yet for a small frame. The HT is 4.5 and it seem K-9 only has 4.625, 5, and 5.25
I have a large 951 that I’ve been riding since June. I wanted a lower/slacker setup without longer chainstays so I took a trick from the world cup teams and had my shock eye to eye shortened just slightly. Under 5mm doesn’t effect the clocking of the links Steber says. My bike sits at 64, 13.6, 17.5. Love it.
How much rear sag do you have on the 951 ?
Is the 951 built yet?? Follow up? Are the 1 deg. angular reducers available yet? I assume if you use the angular reducers you plan to leave the G3 in position 1. thanks. Bryan
Yea its been built already and it is sexy. No we haven’t left it in position 1 of the g3. More on it soon (we’re working on some new stuff).
I mostly see it in position 2. Which is probably where i would run it w/ out the angular headset thang.What’s the situation w/ the ‘angular headset thang?? it was sort of implied that the reason you wanted the angular reducer headset was to keep the chainstay short(G3 #1). I look forward to updates since i’m strongly considering this bike. The angular reducers of 2deg would seem too much IMO. The V-10 spec is 67 deg. but w/ proper sag i’ve been told by GM it sits around 64/65. How much slacker than 64 would someone want?? the Turner is spec’d @ 63.5. Since i brought that up, are other bike spec’s listed w/ a built/sag or is the V-10 supper steep??? sorry about all the chatter..Bryan
The V10 is a bit steeper (even with sagged) compared to a lot of bikes. Our M6 was slacker for example and has over 9″ of travel.
The angled cups set the headtube to 63 degrees int he middle G3 setting. We did this so we didnt’ have to lengthen the chainstays to accomplish a slightly slacker headtube. Slack headangles do have their benefits (certainly not for everyone) but try it out if you get the chance and see if you like it. The true test is when you’re riding it down a hill as parking lot won’t tell you how it will handle turns, drops, steeps, stability, etc. Updates should be soon, just got to get it all typed/worked out (lots of stuff in the works).
Sicklines. I don’t test bikes in Parking lots. DH bikes are meant to be slack. Speed. is the key.
are your angled cups the K9 2deg? Spec above in your writeup says G3 in mid is 64.5 deg. so, w/ cups it should have become 63.5?? 17.5 chainstay is magic #? Independently, what is the pos/neg of changing chainstay length? Your 951 is a large, so Wheelbase is long especially w/ the Slacker headtube.
back again. i took some time to scroll up and read all the previous chatter. Ironically, the M6 is gone. Yea, the 951 definitely replaced the Socom, w/ needed improvements and durability. All previous chatter did make it sound as if Intense was going to continue w/M6 as a ‘different bike’. What about the talk about a “lower price point” frame w/ different down tube?? Intense really gonna do that? Also found the shorter eye 2 eye thing interesting. What does sicklines think about that as the answer?? It must affect the travel? definitley will affect the feel of the travel from begin to end w/ a shorter shock. What about the Travel adj on the 951. Does this affect geom? why even have an option w/ only a .5″ (published) difference in the first place? It would seem better to run in 8″ in order to use a lower leverage ratio.. Sorry. I get carried away. Very interested in the thoughts about these topics… thanks. bryan
the lower price 951 to our knowledge is on delay (or not coming) as the popularity of the 951 in its current form is keeping intense busy. I suspect if sales / #’s for the 951 weren’t so high they would come out with the cheaper version but that doesn’t seem to be happening soon. The shorter stroke i2i won’t affect the amount of travel assuming the stroke is the same but it does pose the ability to alter the geo (and suspension action). hard to say if it’d be better or worse, but depending on the amount might not really alter it too drastically. We found the 951 was more than capable in the 8″ setting. Putting it in the 8.5″ requires a heavier spring (or you’ll be running a lot more sag, alters the suspension curve, etc).
James said he wanted to alter the geo, slacker, w/out using the G3. it sounds as if the designed i2i is the preferred.
Sicklines just made my point. Why have 8 or 8.5? especially if adjusting it on the fly doesn’t really work because of the altering of the suspension curve thang.. 8″ provides lower leverage ratio as well, correct? lower lev ratio makes travel feel more consistant from Begin to end of stroke/axle path. this is also part of the ’suspension curve’ thang.. it looks like intense has made most of their ‘upper links’ w/ two shock mount options. but this is something that most riders don’t really understand when it comes to changing the ’suspension curve’ etc.. Really, 12.7 mm difference (if it is a true .5″) why?? most specs are rounded up, so it is probably under .5″. Rider wouldn’t know difference as long as ’suspension curve’ was set up same…Why not make the bike 8.25″ travel..LOL..Bryan
I would like to find off set h/s cups to fit a small frame. when it sits in its sag (32%) the BB drops really low and and the H/A is way slack. I want to steepen the H/A and keep the dropout at G2. I any Ideas would be appreciated. Thx
Try emailing K9 and asking them? They might fit (but give you less of a difference in headangle change for example). Outside of that you’re sort of limited to the G3 setup or sourcing some angled headtube cups). I suspect a machine shop could also rework some angled cups for you if you found the right one.
I thought i saw once that the E13 reducers could be positioned in either a +or- .5 deg?? couldn’t vince just use the K9s and spin ‘em 180 deg for the steeper effect vs. slacker…?? if it is really the goal..
e*13 did make some for their pro athletes (I believe it was 1º) but I am not aware of them making any for consumers.
yea, you can spin them for +2º
rear spring was too soft, and I didn’t measure the rear sag correctly. On the rite path now, I ordered a 400#. I had an old steel 400# spring laying around and tried it out. Sweet the bike turns now. I probably had about 50% sag before. No wonder it wouldn’t turn and I got hung up on rocks. Live and learn.
Ah yea that’ll do it. Makes all the difference to make sure you have the right spring
(would also make sense why you wanted steeper cups)
Figured out I need a 400# spring and have one ordered.
this is why It wasn’t turning for me. can’t wait to try the new spring.
Back to my shock mod that Bryan was asking about, I got the idea from Duncan Riffle. He told me that when he rode for Cannondale he and everyone else on the team had their Vivids shortened 10mm to get the bikes into “race geometry,” he also said that by changing it by that much(10mm is huge) it was ineveitable to shorten eye to eye without shortening stroke too. You lose travel, but completely worth it to get it low and slack. He said its a super common mod and just about everyone does it. Ideally you can shorten eye to eye without changing stroke length, but not always possible. I only shortened my 951s shock by 3.5mm. Stroke was barely affected and therefore travel and spring rate was not changed. Dropped the bike just under 1/2″ and slacked it .5 degree and kept the 17.5 chainstay length. Maybe not for everyone, but I love it.
James - how did you manage to shorten your shock by 3.5 mm? Was a tear-down necessary or was it a bushing/shock mount adjustment? Also, you mentioned that anything <5 mm will not present negative effects, can you explain further what those effects are?
I’m very interested in a 951 as my next race bike and am also wondering if there are any riders who are on a small frame and weigh less than 150 lbs (what spring rates? sag? settings, etc?).
Thanks
Review is up -
http://www.sicklines.com/issue1
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/2720/dscn0249c.jpg
my bike
Ah yea, wasn’t implying that you did tests in parking lots
However people will jump on a bike and quickly try and assess it in some way/shape. Just making a point of saying that you need to ride it to determine if it’ll work for you.
The cups are the K9 2º. As i’m sure you’re aware, different forks have different Axle 2 Crown measurements. This, in addition to various headsets out there (zero stack, 1.5, etc) have cause variations. Moving the stanchions up/down on the crowns can also alter the head angle. head angle on a downhill bike is something sort of hard for a manufacturer to put down on paper without listing the complete build, axle 2 crown, etc.
17.5 isn’t a magic number by any means but it does afect the nibleness of the bike as well as changing the relative rider’s mass to the rear axle that can aid in snapping the bike around quicker. Nothing says you can’t go to 17.75 and it not be a problem or 17.25. The wheelbase is long but that doesn’t mean it has to have long chainstays.
Kewl Sicklines….I realize what ya mean.. sorry.
first, where’s the 951? C’mon man. Let’s get the update..:0)
According to what i read @ K9 site, the headset parts are integrated and CAneCreek.
On a Large frame i was assuming you would run your stancions out, thus making the slacker HT angle more appealing…but if you shortened them you could steepen your HT.
Yup, Yup to all the other stuff.. Just meant that you guys like the 17.5 best?? thought another pursuit of the K9 headset would have been to slacken the HT w/o lengthening the G3 chainstay setting…
I ride a large frame so i’m trying to absorb some wisdom and avoid some trial/error if i go w/ the 951. YOur info on the travel adj. was huge…
I’m really interested in using this K9 headset if it is the way to go??
Doesn’t matter what size frame you run in terms of being able to move the crowns up/down. Smaller frames typically are easier to do this with to some degree as they usually have shorter head tubes. Another tip is to consider using the tall crowns (the Boxxer and most every other fork comes with a short crown, and a tall crown) if you want to slacken you bike out more (use this with some reason though as you will raise the bars as well).
Yes you can effectively do the opposite as well (but make sure you have the minimum stanchion below the crown so that you still get all your travel!
Yes the K9 ARC’s allow for HA/BB/WB adjustment instead of extending the G3 dropouts is one reason I think we mentioned above as well but it probably got buried (being able to keep the chainstays shorter with the K9 cups). It’s not like 17.5 is a magic number, but it does keep the rear end short and can help in keeping the bike a bit more responsive in our experience.
What is the head angle of your current DH bike? Its hard to just “guess” if it’ll work for you as it depends on you, your riding style, where you ride, how fast you ride, etc. Can’t really answer that question for ya.
True. But what i see is smaller frames, smaller riders, usually mo stancion up top..
large frames have longer headtubes so mo height up top already, so as you stated.. gotta watch bar height…
no worries.. yeah. all bikes diff. etc… I run a 888 WC on a Large DHS mono. flat crowns, but LOW stack height hdset (Crankbro) and stancions maxed out. frame has a long headtube. I always keep everything low up top..I was even planning to go w/ a flat bar on the 951…& run either new 888WC or 40.
I’d be weiry of step down crowns raising up the BB…
Not fast enough!! but usually as fast as i can.
When i see yours, I’ll make more analysis,, Where’s it @?
Uh, ours is on the home page if you missed it?
http://www.sicklines.com/2009/11/23/build-2010-intense-cycles-951-fro
The review will be posted this week if that’s what you’re asking. Nothing wrong with using the drop crowns to help get a little bit more stanchion. Obviously i’d err on the side of caution as you wouldn’t want to go too nuts with dropping it too low, but lots of people do it with great success.