If you like motocross looks and American flair, Intense has always been the right choice. Massive, partly hydroformed, partly half-shell welded aluminium frames are the hobbyhorse of Intense boss Jeff Steber. Just like the VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) rear triangle, which is designed to minimise the influence of chain pull. On the trail, the Tracer shines above all with its lively, playful handling. It is in its element on tight singletrack passages, no switchback is too tight for it. The suspension is soft and comfortable and offers a lot of usable suspension travel. Long uphills, on the other hand, are not necessarily the strength of the American bike. The offset seat post means you sit quite far back, which makes the front end light and a little nervous. The suspension works quite hard when pedalling out of the saddle and the rear end dips a long way despite the correct sag. The heavy frame raises the total weight to well over 13 kilos - which makes it less fun on the climbs. The new Tracer is only available in Germany as a frame kit, importer Shocker has customised the € 2200 chassis for our test with a reasonable, inexpensive spec. 4500 euros is fair for this small series bike.
ConclusionUnusual chassis, lively handling on singletrack - the Tracer is a lot of fun, but is not trimmed for performance.
+ Driving fun downhill
+ Great made frame
+ Equipment as required
- Heavy chassis
