Build: 2010 Intense Cycles 951 FRO
Intense 951
Earlier this year we did a preview on the latest Intense 951 frame. Inside we take you through the complete build.
The 951 is Intense’s newest downhill offering. Gone is the Socom for 2010, but the 951 easily can fill its shoes and then some. Competitive Cyclist set up our 951 frame and made sure everything was good to go right out of the box. All the pivot bolts were loctited and the bottom bracket, seatube, and headtube were all checked over and chased/faced if necessary. The alignment was also checked. They include a check list of everything they double checked as well! Top notch service for every one of their customers without any additional charges.
The 951 features G3 dropouts (which lets you adjust the geometry between three dropout positions). In the shortest chainstay setting, we noticed that there is not much clearance for a 2.5″ Maxxis tire. Our Minion DHF comes very close in this position to the top brace. If you’ve got a bigger tire (or are running a spike) the shortest setting might not be usable depending on your setup. The other two dropout settings really help open the bike up to be quite different and its nice to see all this adjustability as all courses are not the same.
The 951 has a standard 1.5″ headtube. In addition to a traditional zero stack headset, we also used a K9 ARC headset in the 951 which is an offset headset. The K9 ARC offset headset can be used to slacken (or steepen) the bike’s head angle. In the middle dropout position with the K9 cups, the geometry yielded a 63º HA, 13 3/4″ BB, ~47 7/8″ wheelbase. With a traditional zero stack headset the geometry in the middle dropout position is 64.5º HA, 14 1/8″ BB, and a 47″ wheelbase.
K9 reducer cups (click to enlarge)
For suspension up front we opted to use a 2010 Rock Shox Boxxer World Cup. The fork matched up well with the frame and the new adjustments on the fork as well as additional chassis stiffness over the previous Boxxer was great. The fork has a lot of adjustability (air pressure, bottom out adjustment, beginning stroke rebound, ending stroke rebound, low speed compression, and high speed compression) and can take some time to get all the settings just right. The air chassis allowed for easy spring rate tuning and fine adjustments that a typical steel spring setup can’t do as easily. The fork is really lightweight out of the box. Overall the fork performed well after some maintenance and tweaking (replaced rebound cartridge and overhauled). Paint on the white fork could’ve been a bit better as well, it quickly becomes scuffed and worn.
2010 Rock Shox Boxxer World Cup (click to enlarge)
To handle the rear suspension we installed a Cane Creek Double Barrel. The shock performs really well with the frame after getting the shock settings lined up. There are a lot of adjustments with the CCDB as well so setting it up can take some time (LSC, HSC, LSR, HSR) but Cane Creek gave us some good starting points. The new changes done to the Double Barrel have been a treat as it has quite a few things done to it. The new hardware (Norglide bushings and new shock hardware) in the CCDB worked great. It has a slop free feel and is quiet.
Cane Creek Double Barrel (click to enlarge)
The black protective sleeve on the shock we’ve noticed can be a bit annoying in dusty situations as the spring can rub on this and make some annoying noises at times.
In the 8″ setting, initially we used a 550lb spring on the CCDB as recommended (for an 180lb rider) and it worked fine but wasn’t quite as supple as it could’ve been. After some use we ended up with a 500lb spring on the CCDB and that allowed it to progress into the travel a little bit easier. The 951 is a pretty progressive bike and it ramps up quite a bit compared to the M6.
For the stem we installed a 42mm Sunline direct mount stem to the bike to try out as well as a Persist 50mm direct mount stem.
cockpit (click to enlarge)
For the handlebar, we used one of Race Face’s new Atlas FR bars that are quite wide out of the box at 785mm and in a half inch rise. We cut it down a little bit to suit our tastes. It comes in a wide variety of colors too, so be sure to check out the wide color spectrum they offer if you’re in the market for a new handlebar.
For the grips we used some Sunline Half Waffle grips. They feel great and offer a good amount of cushion and thickness. They can wear out a bit fast in our experience but we like them just the same.
Sunline Half Waffle grips and Saint brakes (click to enlarge)
For shifting duties we opted to run a XTR rear shifter as well as a custom short cage XTR rear derailleur. Both worked great and the derailleur tucks in quite nicely behind the dropout staying protected.
Custom Shimano XTR rear derailleur
For brakes, we used the new Saint M810 levers and used a m810 4 piston caliper up front and a two piston m800 in the rear. Tons of power and good modulation when needed.
Saint M810 front brake (click to enlarge)
For the seat post we opted to use a Thomson Masterpiece seatpost. Thomson makes one of the best seat posts around and they’re our go-to seat post it seems. For the saddle we used a WTB Silverado. It has a good amount of cushion to it, has a nice slender feel, doesn’t hurt your thighs when you need to grip it, and overall it worked well for us.
Thomson Masterpiece seatpost with WTB Silverado saddle (click to enlarge)
For the wheels we opted to use the new Deemax wheelset. These wheels have taken a beating for the most part and keep coming back for more. They’ve lightened them up compared to previous models and for 2010 they have an even racier version called the Deemax Ultimates. The rims we’ve setup tubeless with Maxxis UST DHF’s with relative good success. Mavic knows how to make rims quite well. These Deemax rims are not quite as beefy as previous versions (or the 823) that can potentially cut through tire sidewalls but we suspect these still could be even less beefy. Denting these rims isn’t an easy task and they could stand to be a little bit softer in our experience for a racer. For everyday riding, they hold up quite well and we’ve had no major issues with them. The rear finally has a small ding in it but that was after some pretty good riding throughout the entire summer. The revised rear Deemax freehub has been ticking perfectly (and has more engagement at 48pt than previous versions).
Mavic Deemax wheelset with Maxxis UST DHF tires (click to enlarge)
For the cranks we chose to use some Atlas FR cranks. The tooth blue color matches the Atlas FR bar as well, which gives the bike a little bit of color. The cranks have held up well and installation was fairly easy. The Race Face crank setup is a little bit different than Shimano. The chainline is adjustable which is nice should you need it. The driveside crank arm attaches to the non-driveside crank arm that holds onto the axle. Getting a chain guide setup with these cranks takes a bit more work as you have to snug up the entire system each time since the driveside crank arm bolts to the spindle and isn’t directly connected to the axle.
Race Face Atlas cranks with e*13 SRS+ chainguide (click to enlarge)
For the chain guide we used the new e*thriteen SRS+ in the 32-36t size. It bolted up quite easily along with a 36t e*thirteen guidering. The 951 has some nice robust ISCG-05 tabs that are welded fully around the BB shell that is reminiscent to the M6. The ISCG tabs could be rotated a bit more but the SRS+ bolted up easily to the tabs and is one of the easiest guides to setup nowadays.
For the pedals we bolted up some of the new Point One Racing Podium pedals. They’re lightweight, thin, and have a unique look to them. They sit pretty close to the crank arm and we’ve been quite pleased with them so far. They have a nice feel to them and the axle although visible, isn’t felt by your feet. The hardened pins have proven to be resilient to bending and the body overall has taken a beating and keeps on ticking. The downside of the pins however is that they use an English sized allen tool. Overall these pedals are great and are a nice finishing touch to the bike.
Intense 951 (click to enlarge)
This wraps up our build on the 951. Total build as you see it above - 37.3lbs. Stay tuned to see the review next week!
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Amazing bike !!! 63º head angle? Pretty slacken, isn’t it?
Why don’t you set up the upper pulley on your rear derailleur a little closer to the cassette? It will shift faster and your drivetrain will last longer if you do.
this is the style of intense,u could take a look on other intense bikes,their drop out setup is like that.
Agreed - I’ve started to thing this whole excess chain tension thing is over rated
Is there a reason you guys opted to bypass the last cable stay on the downtube? perhaps for smoother transition to the rear triangle?
I dont know why replaced Intense the M6 for this frame … I had a Socom witch has the same leverage curve as this frame (progressive as hell) 203 mm travel 76 mm shock travel and the leverage ratio changes 2 ( 3.3-1.3 ) so you must use a hard spring for 33% sag and in dh course you get like 150mm travel … and if you runnin with 40% sag you havent got enought travel … I had an M3 it has 240mm travel ist has 2 leverage ratio changes too , but you can use 40% sag and you have enough travel for the track … Now i have an M6 and i like it the most
So i think 951 suspension is’t good for Dh but good for mig jumps 
The Socom doesn’t ride anywhere near the same as the 951 in our opinion. The suspension is quite a bit different even though the average leverage ratio might be the same by rudimentary equations. By that same thinking, a single pivot would ride the same as a VPP / VPP2 / DW / linkage actuated single pivot provided they had the same total amount of travel and the same size shock! The leverage curve on the Socom is not the same as the 951.
The 951 isn’t a M6 replacement…
what do you mean when you say that 951 isn’t a m6 replacement what is the main difference from the two bikes , if we do not count weight and travel????
It means just that, The 951 doesn’t replace the M6 in the Intense lineup. Here’s an example. If Intense were to stop making the 951, but started making the new SlopeStyle 2 would you say that the SlopeStyle 2 replaced the 951? No. Just because a bike goes away in any manufacturers lineup doesn’t necessarily mean it is replaced by the next frame they make.
The main difference between the m6 and the 951 if you don’t include weight or travel would be that it has different static geometry, the ability to change the geometry on the 951 (with the G3 dropouts), and it has different suspension characteristics compared to the M6. They don’t ride the same.
Gee willikers, thats so freaking sweet. I really really want one. The white is hot!
When are you guys going to put together a bike with a ten speed sram powerdome and an xx shifter mated to a force derailleur? I would be interested to see if it works.
It should work but why on a DH bike? For an XC / AM / Trail bike I could see using a 1 x 10 setup. 10 speed will probably eventually trickle to downhill but what’s the benefit in this scenario?
Word…that’s what I’m waiting for. I’m even rockin a 32 by 9 for practice in the meantime on my Blur LTc. Great for trail…DH? Nah
Whats the name of the computer mounted on the handlebar?
It’s a timer. DMC Moto-Trainer - http://www.sicklines.com/reviews/dmc_moto_trainer/
who sells the K9 cups in the US? I tried callng/emailing them off the website, but no luck…
Jim @ Obtainium Performance Products. Try calling for best results, he can be hard to get a hold of at times.
i’ve been running a 951 since they were first released. i must say i am thoroughly impressed and happy with the frame. i’ve ridden many different types of terrain and it has proven worthy on all of them. it did take a little time to dial it in but now its perfect for me. wouldn’t trade for anything else thats out there at this time. if i had to choose something to pick at. i’d say the ability to adjust head angle without affecting chain stay and BB height. but those cups take care of that now. this is definitely a bike that is comfortable at high speed. also i have had several hard crashed and tossed the bike into rock with no damage to the frame. it has so far been very durable
I would love to read a review of this beauty!!!!!!
check back later this week then!
ok. sorry. i never scroll down on homepage.. now i’ll start streamin’ over here..LOL. Nice build. like the shimano.
nice RD. i’ve piddled w/ swapping older durace/xtr before. Knowing shimano, one is probably available now. they always pull that stuff. so that’s a new saint cage. why not just run the saint? weight?? hmm.
thought all along yours was going to be black. Nice look w/ the White frame and “other” decal kit.
Since you mention adjustability as an advantage, what type of “course” would you shorten &/or lengthen your chainstay from your chosen position 2?
Is all this talk about the bikes travel/ramp up valid??
one thing is for sure, i know many riders getting a 951 set up for 2010! Maybe i should wait for the review?? LOL..
Still hung up on the HT thang.. If the V10 spec is 67 and the new DHR is 63.5? its all over the place.. thought around 64/65 is what builders had settled on. Will your 951 be sluggish in Tighter/Techy terrain..Or is it just a small trade off for open/faster advantages??
BTW. i read on XTR der stream or above about something dealing w/ new Sram XX 10 spd not being used or not good for DH. Minaar ran the 10spd 2009 on his v10.
kewl. Bryan
heh, a lot of stuff to address there!
The black frame was used for pictures and initial testing. Intense does bikes in batches and not every color is available at all times. The white frame was the final build and the one’s you’ll see pictures of in the review.
There’s no set definition of where the shorter setting would shine necessarily but think tighter corners, quicker sprints, less high speed, a decent gradient but not steep or benefiting a lot from a slacker head angle. Imagine this. Take your XC bike on an XC trail. Then take your downhill bike on the same XC trail. The XC bike will turn quicker, be more responsive, etc. Does it mean you can’t ride the trail as fast on the DH bike? maybe, maybe not, it depends on the rider a good deal. Add some elevation, drops, and other characteristics found on a downhill and you can see where a slacker, lower, more stable ride can be desired.
The v10 isn’t 67º necessarily. Once sagged, and once the fork is adjusted it can get quite slacker relatively easy. Riders can adapt to different setups and being comfortable with your setup is what matters. What works for some doesn’t work for all. The thing is, think outside the box. Try different things and you might find a setup you like more. Nothing more, nothing less.
A longer, lower, slacker bike can be slower in tight terrain but it depends more on the rider a lot as you can snap these bikes around, it just will take more effort. Every change is a tradeoff of some sort. Pick your poison
The XTR short cage was done, mostly because we wanted to try it (the spring isn’t as firm as Saint) out and its lighter.
just because Minnar or anyone tested out 10speed doesn’t mean much in our book. Nicolas Vouilloiz ran a smaller cluster ( 5 speed setup I believe) on some courses when he was racing DH. Minnaar is paid to ride the equipment he is on. Perhaps they just want a downhiller to put a 10spd drivetrain through its paces to make sure it was durable or able to withstand a more rigorous environment. I wouldn’t read too much into it. The steps inbetween a road cassette is tiny already so adding another inbetween gear might be a little bit too much. It would be more interesting if they were able to design a 10t cog into a mtb application for downhill. Sure you can put a bigger ring up front but then you loose clearance, etc. But that’s a whole different story of issues.
You’re awesome. Sorry ’bout the volume, thanks for the infor..
Yup. is the clearance of a 36 ring worth loosing 38??
just noticed the 08 saint Calipers..
i have a similar brake build but w/ goodridge lines and they are impressively strong..
How’d you get the other Decal/Graphic kit??
review is up , so i may wind up over there.. LOL..
thanks.
What was the approximate cost of this build (would like to compare it to the “4951″ SRAM build that is offered now.
all the parts can be bought, it depends on your dealer / shop. We don’t typically add up prices when we build bikes. Contact your local dealer and send them your spec wish list. You might be surprised. The Sram build kit is a lower spec throughout but is still a good setup considering the price.
Review is up -
http://www.sicklines.com/issue1
Hello. I just want to know… Do you have informations about the 951 standard version. I don’t ride in downhill competition so i prefer to have the standard version and not the FRO. Thank you.
To our knowledge, the 951 (standard/non FRO edition) was delayed for now as the popularity of the current 951 is high so they have delayed producing it.
Ok! And do you know when could it be available?
No. With the new SS2, the 2951 project, and other things they’re working on we wouldn’t be surprised if the non FRO 951 doesn’t come out at all (or if it does, we think it’ll be some time.) Ask Intense, they can give you a better idea.
I want to know if it is a strong frame? If I buy a Fro version (if intense don’t produce the no Fro), I want to be sure that it last in times.
The frame has been strong enough for us. Whether it’s strong enough for you really depends on where you ride, how often you crash, how you crash it, etc. We can’t answer that question for you. Maybe visit your local riding spots and see how they are holding up for a better gauge.
I am disappointed that you did not review a standard 951 with the original intense geometery.You should have maybe put the k9 head angle kit into an older bike like a Socom than compared the old geo. with the new geo.
Any way I own a socom and have replaced the rear dropouts to aftermarket slackers ,the head angle is now 1 degree slacker at 64 and bottom bracket is 13.75 inch . Next mod is a Double Barrel.
We did try it with and without them. The build article we chose to highlight the K9 cups though. Read the review itself and not just the build for more information.
http://www.sicklines.com/issue1
About to pull trigger..
Besides the SRS+, any other chainguides you guys tried? When you discuss the location of the ISCG tabs, i’m assuming you mean they could be rotated more ‘clockwise’. I’d rather not order a guide that isn’t going to work well, but like the LTS or G2 type guides better..
I’m assuming your rider weight of 180 includes gear.
thanks.
Debatable obviously if it’s worth it… depends. The issue with clearance isn’t so much the chainring, but chainguide. Most of them now come in two sizes 32-36 or 36-40. This means if you’re running a 38t you’ve got a bigger bash setup too..
The rear is an 08 saint caliper, front is a 2009/2010 4 piston Saint. Works great.
The older 36t e13 chain guides could squeeze up to a 38t chainring, the newer ones are maxed out at 36t.
Competitive Cyclist got us the other Decal / Graphics kit.
kewl. got it. last time i bought came in 32-36 and 38-40.
yup . 08 saint calipers good..
I’m aware of the changing of the curve and requiring stiffer spring rate, but if you run in 8.5 travel setting, does it make the later part of the travel more plush. lesson “ramp up ” @ end stroke??
thanks.
I’m aware of the changing of the curve and requiring stiffer spring rate, but if you run in 8.5 travel setting, does it make the later part of the travel more plush. lesson “ramp up ” @ end stroke??