Cornelius Kapfinger does nothing without a reason. Even if it is not always immediately obvious to outsiders why he does it. Take his idea with the cleaning sponges, for example: Those little yellow-green blocks that flutter around the edge of the sink in every student flat, slightly mouldy. Why does he buy them in large quantities? "Saving packaging material" is the answer. Instead of buying bubble wrap, which the end customer then throws away, Cornelius buys dishwashing sponges. You don't have to throw them away, you can clean with them. For quite some time, in fact, because an Intend Infinity DH fork arrives at the customer well protected by almost 20 such sponges.
You can call that eccentric or clever. Clever fits better, we think. After all, you have to be really good at what you do to get a brand like Intend up and running after work: Designing a suspension fork yourself from scratch, producing the parts and then plugging everything together so that it works and doesn't fall apart at the first bump? Okay, you can study something like that and Cornelius did it. But still. Let's be honest. An upside-down suspension fork? Is there anything more complicated? Unthinkable for us normal people, who shrug our left eyelids in panic at the mere mention of "bleeding the brakes".
As hardened FREERIDE riders, we don't even bat an eyelid when we get our hands on the thing (2353 grams, 2049 euros). We don't care about the looks. The thing has to work! Feather like a duvet! Be as sensitive as a Swiss watchmaker! Cushion like a cell in a mental hospital! And, of course, look cool - although we don't care about that. Did we say that already? Anyway, we bolted the blue piece to a Canyon Sender in a matching colour (pure coincidence, the colour thing, we promise!) and compared it with an identical bike and Fox 40 Float FIT fork (2650 grams, € 2269) on various downhill trails. In other words, tough competition.
Before the test comes the set-up. And this is just as simple with the Intend as with the competition: the specifications in the detailed manual recommend just under 75 PSI air pressure, a full turn of rebound from fully open and 5 clicks of compression from fully closed for our test rides. Rebound and compression are low-speed adjusters. The high-speed compression stage can only be accessed by dismantling. But this is possible and is also explained in detail in the manual. The Intend is extremely sensitive from a standing start. We know and love this from the Manitou Dorado and a Fox 40 can't do this, even if it is perfectly run in and well lubricated. The Infinity really irons out all the little bumps. Great: The sensitive handling of bumps is maintained even at high speeds. No compression damping, no bumps that are passed on to the rider. At the same time, the rebound harmonises well and the grip is excellent. The Fox is a little firmer. It does not achieve the hoover feeling of the upside-down fork, but is also extremely effective in terms of grip and control.
Both forks are on a par here. Sporty riders like the slightly more direct and "harder" feel of the Fox, while occasional downhillers will tire of the firm damping sooner. The very soft ride feel of the Intend suits them and helps to avoid fat forearms. However, the set-up of a fork is always a compromise. The sportier Fox offers more counter-pressure than the Intend when braking and on steep terrain and is therefore higher in its travel. This is good for the geo and thus the feeling of safety, as the steering angle remains slacker and the smoothness of the ride is increased. This sporty character can also be achieved with the Intend by tuning the compression stage internally with other shims. Racers can therefore raise the fork to the same level as the Fox, but without losing the super-sensitive response behaviour that is reserved for an upside-down fork.
That leaves the issue of stiffness - always criticised in forum discussions as the shortcoming of the inverted design. As I said, we love the Dorado - also and especially because of its slightly lower torsional stiffness and the resulting "smooth" ride feel in rough terrain. A pro might lack the precision to always hit the line with millimetre accuracy. For us test riders (70 to 80 kilos), the stiffness of the Intend was completely sufficient.
CONCLUSIONS: Cornelius Kapfinger (we love this name!) competes with the top dogs of the big manufacturers from a standing start. The fork suspension is on a par with a Fox 40, but surpasses it in terms of response behaviour. The damping is designed to be more comfortable and needs to be tuned internally for racing, but this is possible and effective. A great product made in Germany.
Weight2353 grammes. Price2049 Euro. www.Intend-bc.com
PLUS High comfort, top response behaviour, workmanship, exclusivity
MINUS Compression tuning requires screwing, somewhat fiddly impeller installation
TESTERS' IMPRESSIONS
Dimitri Lehner: I really liked the Intend with its sensitive response behaviour. For me, it can keep up with the Fox. It is also lighter and cheaper. I like the fact that engineer Kapfinger is assembling the thing in his flat-sharing community. A smart alternative to the US standardised mash.
Laurin Lehner: "I liked the standard set-up of the Fox better: more stable in the stroke, more counter-pressure - and the Intend is also very low. On the other hand, I liked the sensitive response behaviour of the Intend. Nevertheless, there is no reason for me to prefer the Intend to the Fox.
Christian Schleker: "I like the handling of the upside-down fork. With my 70 kilos, I don't notice any precision disadvantages, but I do feel the very smooth ride. I think the fact that you can tune the Intend effectively and that it is so exclusive is mega. I would give my € 2000 to Mr Kapfinger.
Interview with Cornelius Kapfinger, designer and owner of Intend: MADE IN GERMANY
Cornelius, why should I buy an Intend and not a Fox 40 or the Worldcup from RockShox?
I'm not saying that my fork is better. It is different. What's more, you get an exclusive product made in Germany that is also 200 euros cheaper.
You are a one-man show. How many double bridge forks have you sold so far?
Status at the beginning of February: 15 forks, 13 have already been delivered.
How long is the waiting time?
Around three months.
Does the customer have the same warranty claims with you as with large manufacturers?
Clear. Two-year warranty. If the fault lies with the product, I will also repair forks that are more than two years old.
To what extent do you cater to special customer requests?
I already prepare the fork for the rider's weight. If the customer has special requirements, I also cater for them. With an air fork, however, you have fewer options than with a steel spring fork.
Did you buy the typical top dogs like Rock Shox Worldcup and Co. to build your double-bridge fork?
No, I haven't ridden one of the forks for a long time. When I go biking, it's with my fork.
Really? You would think that if you want to build a better product, you need a direct comparison
It certainly wouldn't do any harm. But to be honest: I simply don't have the time. And then you'd have to buy all the different forks - that's not worth it for me.
Your forks are praised by magazines and forums. You are rumoured to have already received generous offers from the industry. Is that true?
Yes, at Eurobike, a German living in the USA asked me if I could deliver 500 forks - he would buy them from me immediately. But that wasn't for me. Then others would have to assemble my forks, and I don't want that. At the moment, I like it the way it is.
