The latest M-1 front section is strengthened and streamlined. In fact, it is a back-up machine that will be pressed into service the moment we return it?if we actually do return it. Ours was set up exactly as the ones the top Intense team members receive. Not surprisingly, the newest M-1 is a simpler, faster and better-handling chassis than its predecessors. Now, this monocoque superbike has been totally revamped?packed full of the knowledge and experience that Intense has gleaned from the traveling circus we often refer to as the pro downhill circuit. It has won friends and influenced rivals on the downhill pro circuit for over five years. MBA readers should be well informed on the history of the Intense M-1. If you want to have a lot of fun racing downhill and don?t have a trust fund to cash in, the Iron Horse is the fast lane to the fun factor. If you need to win World Cups, buy the M-1. The SGS DH won?t deliver the performance of the Intense, but all you have to do is flash some cash at your Iron Horse dealer and you could be racing downhill a couple of hours later. Sure, the SGS DH isn?t cheap, but it’s about two grand less than a competitive pro bike like the Intense M-1. Iron Horse decided to produce a turn-key sport-racing machine that carried a relatively affordable $3500 price tag. No wonder downhill racing has been slow to catch on. Because of this anomaly, downhillers have had to cobble up downhill bikes from cross-country machines, or purchase an expensive chassis from a custom-frame builder. Paradoxically, the ones who sponsor heavyweight pro teams are the worst offenders.
Unless you are a serious downhill racer, you?d probably be better off purchasing a complete bike off the shelf?which is where Iron Horse enters the picture.ĭarn few bike companies offer complete downhill racing bikes. There’s no telling how many different hubs, axle diameters and disc brake combinations there are available. The fork and shock damping and spring rates must be balanced the crankset, chain guide, bottom bracket and cogset must operate with your chosen shifting bits. You must choose every component and each system must be compatible. There’s a great deal of time and effort involved in piecing together a custom machine like the M-1. For one thing, the complete Iron Horse can be purchased for slightly more than the sticker price of the Intense’s frame only. There are, however, compelling reasons that we chose to compare the performance of the cost-is-no-object Intense M1 with an affordable downhill racing machine from our friends at Iron Horse. It would be like putting odds on Woody Allen in a title bout against Evander Hollyfield. When you pit an affordable mountain bike against a professional racing model, you can?t really call it a shootout.
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