Vital Test Sessions - Intense Tracer 279 12

Intense moves to its own suspension design in the latest mixed-wheel platform that provides a promising foundation for park rats and racers alike.

Jonathon Simonetti
11/21/2023 9:00am
IntenseTracer279A

Intense has a long history of building race-winning bikes and carries on that legacy with the Intense Factory Race team and Tracer 279. With one win under its belt and second place overall in the U21 EWS beneath Seth Sherlock, the Tracer 279 is a very promising platform from Intense and has proven competitive on track. Stepping away from the VPP designs of the past, the newest Tracer uses Intense's own JS link.

Highlights

  • 29/27.5-inch wheels
  • 170mm (6.7-inches) rear travel // 170mm (6.7-inches) fork travel
  • Full carbon fiber frame
  • Carbon fiber upper link
  • 64.5 degree head tube angle (high) 64 degree (low)
  • 77.9 degree seat tube angle (high) 77.4 (low)
  • 505mm reach (size XL high) 500mm (low)
  • 437mm chainstay length across all sizes
  • JS-link suspension
  • Internal downtube storage
  • Internal cable routing
  • Molded full-length downtube protection
  • Molded chainstay protection 
  • Integrated rear fender
  • 12x148mm Boost rear hub spacing 
  • SRAM UDH and T-Type compatibility 
  • 73mm BSA threaded bottom bracket with ISCG05 tabs
  • Price: $6,899 USD as tested (Pro)

Strengths

Weaknesses
  • Very well-balanced weight distribution
  • Thrives on jump trails
  • In frame storage
  • Harsh midstroke support creates a wall of compression
  • E*Thirteen wheels rattled loose after three days of testing
  • Internal storage door rattles

Overview

The Tracer uses a mixed wheel setup with 170mm of rear wheel travel and a 170mm fork. Our test bike was spec'd with the Pro level build kit, which retails for just under $6000, featuring a Fox 38 Float Performance Elite Series fork and Fox DHX2 Performance Elite shock. Braking and shifting are handled by a Shimano XT 12-speed drivetrain and XT 4-piston brakes. E13 components are found throughout with LG1 aluminum wheels, Helix cranks, Race carbon bar, and a travel adjustable dropper. ODI Intense branded grips are a nice touch to finish out the build. 

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Geometry

Our size XL Tracer had a comfortable 500mm Reach paired with a 64.5-degree head tube angle for a relatively neutral body position on the bike. The shorter 1287mm wheelbase with 439mm chain stay length made for snappy handling on trail. The 77.9-degree seat tube angle provided an upright pedaling position. A geometry adjust flip chip is found in the lower link of the bike with a high and low setting. Intense suggests the high setting for more technical terrain and the low for bikepark-style terrain. We kept it in the low setting for the duration of the test. Our primary concern with the fit of the Tracer was stack height. Our size XL test bike came spec'd with a relatively short steer tube that limited the number of spacers under the stem paired with a short headtube. We solved this issue with the tallest handlebars we had on hand, which brought things up to a more favorable position. 

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On the Trail

Pointed downhill, the Tracer had a very intuitive feeling that allowed us to go where we wanted when we wanted, allowing us to choose lines and choose what to pump or jump off of with ease. Our testers felt an excellent balance in weight distribution aboard the Tracer that made for excellent pressure and traction at both wheels. Precision was a standout handling characteristic of the Tracer and allowed us to put the bike exactly where we wanted it. This bike felt right at home in the bike park; it did an excellent job of generating speed and softening what would otherwise be harsh bottom-outs. 

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The primary difficulty we experienced with the Tracer was when things got rough. The kinematic of the rear suspension has a falling rate, which comes on rapidly entering the mid-stroke and through the second half of the stroke. Put simply, the rear suspension became quite stiff rather quickly compared to the initial off-the-top feeling. Unfortunately, this seemed to overshadow the positive handling characteristics we experienced, which made holding lines difficult and some unpredictability when preloading through some transitions. 

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The Tracer achieves the climbing goals of any good Enduro bike by requiring little effort to get back up the hill. This efficiency comes from an upright seated pedaling position that allows for a lower cadence when desired and efficient power transfer when putting down the power. The pedaling capability of the Tracer would work well for riding mellower terrain when necessary when paired with the light feeling it carried on trail. 

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What's The Bottom Line?

The Tracer certainly surprised us during our time testing. Two out of three testers felt right at home aboard it, praising the comfortable geometry and body position in all situations. Geometry wasn't the only surprise; the rear suspension's kinematics felt like a significant departure from the past VPP-driven bikes from Intense. Two of our testers have spent considerable time on current Santa Cruz platforms and anticipated a similar feeling from the Tracer. We were surprised to find a much more supportive feeling from the JS Link platform and deemed it best suited for bike park-style terrain or terrain with heavier compressions. Since our test, Intense reached out to suggest possible solutions to the harsh mid-stroke support we experienced and informed us that some new shock tunes have been developed to create a more consistent feeling. The solution to our issues appears to be simple; with that solution in place, the Tracer is certainly not a bike to rule out if it is on your radar. 

We stayed right at the base of the mountain, courtesy of Visit Big Bear, and couldn't have asked for a more convenient way to spend the week testing bikes. With our condo less than a minute from the Snow Summit village, we could easily head back to our unit between laps to swap bikes and had plenty of space to work on our bikes. Off the bike, we were thankful to have enough room for our whole test crew, as well as a pool and hot tub within walking distance to relax after each day's testing. Big Bear has a wide variety of food options and a great downtown we explored when looking to mix up our dinner plans or just grab some ice cream afterward. If you'd like to explore Snow Summit or Big Bear, California for yourself, visit BigBearMountainResort.com or BigBear.com for more information.​

Big thanks to those who sponsored this test and made our trip possible!

Head here to check out the entire 2023 Enduro Bike Test Sessions Feature

Learn more about the Intense Tracer 279 at intensecycles.com

View key specs, compare bikes, and rate the Intense Tracer in the Vital MTB Product Guide.

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12 comments

View replies to: Vital Test Sessions - Intense Tracer 279

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Faster Than U
1 year ago

How much rear travel does it have? The highlights say it’s 170 and the overview says 165. 🤷🏻‍♂️

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SimonZA
1 year ago

Bought a Tracer 279 to replace my 2021 Enduro (same as one in test).  Was worried as the Enduro was so damn good.

But so far after 25 rides:    I think it's better (for me) in almost every respect.   I am running a 180mm Fox factory 38 on the front, and only left the bike in the HI mode setting,  but the 550 coil is spot on for my weight (92kg) it shipped with (bike is an XL) and do not feel the wall of compression.    

In riding everything in Cape Town first involves a proper pedal up, and the Intense with the steeper seat-tube angle and great anti-squat even with a coil shock has surprised me.  I was worried that the coil and smaller rear wheel would suck going up, but so far it's definitely easier to pedal up, especially the tighter and rougher singletrack climbs.

But we buy these bikes for going down, and my fears that it wouldn't live up to the Enduro proved to be for nothing.   The Enduro is definitely more plow bike in the rougher stuff, but the precision (for me, and my lack of skills LOL) was never there.   The Tracer seems to be alive under you,  almost feeling downhill bike supple (I had an M16C) over the smaller stuff, and quite plush over the rougher stuff.  I've yet to feel the compression wall, whether it's proper rough rocky downhill, drops or repeated braking bumps or big roots.   It just feels "plush" (hate the term, but best my brain can come up with) and to echo the other comment, almost bottomless in it's travel.   But it's the ability to put the bike where you want it that I love most... I feel like I'm very well centred on the bike  and placing it at high speed in more technical terrain is definitely easier than the full 29 Enduro  (friend has mulleted his Enduro, so keen to compare back to back).

It's also quieter than the Enduro was, which I put down to the fact that I think the Enduro suspension and super high-engagement hubs seem to be noisy.    It is an Intense, so you will need to check the linkage (I've got a few LOL) from time to time.    The storage box is superb, I also initially thought it would be rubbish, but the layout and location is really a one handed affair.   The XL takes a large waterbottle without issue, and can take a full dropper insertion (one up 210) whereas the Enduro couldn't (Size S4).  It's also built about 1kg lighter.

All in all, am very happy and as I get used to that ability to move the bike around under me, I think we'll get on a lot better.  Am also keen to ride it in Morzine next year (did two years on the Enduro) and compare it in the L setting.     An interesting thing is that when I was chatting to Intense initially before ordering, the guy on the phone answered a question I had about a progressive spring (had one here in right weight and stroke) and advised against it when I thought it may be a good idea for pedalling kinematics, but said just use a regular one under all circumstances and suggested a Fox SLS if I wanted to save weight.

I've thought about whether I've confirmation biased my feedback as an owner (ie. sell it to myself), but in all respects, I am beyond happy with the bike.

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zdhbike
1 year ago

I bought a Tracer 29 frame at the beginning of the summer, mostly due to the anniversary sale, and I'd never had an Intense, and I kinda like the looks. The negative travel is the main pivot behind the non drive side BB coming loose, it seems to happen every 150 miles, very annoying, but it only takes 5 min to tighten, hope they find a fix, when its tight the bike rides much better and is one of the quieter bikes I've ridden.

Mine came with an X2 and didn't exactly have the wall of ramp up you found but was more progressive than I'd like.  So I put it in the less progressive HI mode, so much better.  I'm coming off a V1 Druid and in the HI mode it feels more supple off the top, equally as plush in the middle and the ramp up at the end of the Tracer is much better, it feels bottomless.

I really like the bike, it's better in every way than the Druid(except looks) when you want it to be a 170 Enduro bike it is, but as my only mtb, on the tamer stuff it doesn't suck the fun out of it, and its a great climber.

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tcmtnbikr
1 year ago

Regressive VPP (call it JS or whatever you want) has always been the problem with Intense trail bikes.

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Adam_Schaeffer
1 year ago

Id be really interested to have you guys try this bike with a stock Fox coil vs the Sprindex. It has a 20% progression built in to each model, and while they (and others) claim that progressive springs only get firmer at the end of the travel, I and some of my customers have not found this to be the case. It seems that progressive coils can definitely affect the midstroke, especially on bikes that already have significant ramp like the Intense (you guys are using the term falling rate). I was blown away trying Cane Creek coils back-to-back on my Banshee Spitfire. A 500lb was a touch too soft/linear, but the 500-600 progressive was nearly immovable halfway through the travel. Standard 550 was the answer. 

Just a thought but this bike was built specifically around a coil shock with a linear spring.

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lkubica
1 year ago

Used to ride with regular springs and with sprindex and they have exactly the same midstroke. I think that testing this bike with a coil was a mistake. Coils in general tend to provide more midstroke support than air, cause air typically is steep at the beginning (cause stiction), then a bit flat, then it gets progressive. Coil will typically provide more force in the midstroke and less force in the beginning and in the end. After 2 years on coil I finally discovered that I prefer air cause midstroke means harshness midtravel (on chunky trails). So if someone designed bike around air to add midstroke, you will end up with too much of it with coil, or you will have to run more sag and not enough rampup.

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TEAMROBOT
1 year ago

It would have been nice to get more time with the Intense and try it with more springs and spring rates. That's one of the downsides of these weeklong events- a week really isn't that much time! That said, the progression built into a Sprindex spring has never been a problem for any of Vital's testers on any other bike, and Jonny tested it with the stock Fox coil because we didn't have a Sprindex heavy enough for Jonny on that bike.

Frankly, I would LOVE to get setup tips from the manufacturers when we test these bikes, but for the most part we just get a bike in a box. Especially for companies submitting a bike with a coil shock, why are they not supplying multiple coil springs? I went all over creation trying to track down a 400 pound coil spring for the Intense so I could test it, but ran out of time before we had to wrap up filming, so I never really got to test the Intense. That sucked, and it impacts the results of the test. If I could go back in time, we would have brought even more springs to the test session, but hindsight is 20/20.

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Glory831Guy
1 year ago

Progressive springs are definitely overkill on modern enduro bikes. I increased progression a bunch on my Reign with a Cascade link, and I experienced the same kind of harshness you guys did on the 279. A straight-rate spring remedied the problem, and has the rear end working better than I ever imagined it would.

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