Well, it can when the bike is this light. It really encourages you to hit the climbs full gas and give it everything you’ve got.Īnd why not, when climbing is this much fun. You just find yourself going faster and faster until your legs are spinning fast and your heart is pounding hard. Oh boy, does this bike climb - REALLY climb - like there’s a small motor tucked away down in the bottom bracket, or you’ve constantly got a tailwind pushing you up the hill. One very neat detail is the concealed lever for the rear axle, which saves getting a tool out and also provides a clean aesthetic. There’s also titanium hardware and noise-reducing pads on the chainstay and downtube, which also serve as a protector for the thin carbon pipes. Other details include internal routing for the rear mech, brake and dropper post. How it would stand up to a full mud-bath treatment is anyone’s guess, but the limited clearance could be an issue when fitting more aggressively treaded tires. Thankfully, it wasn’t that muddy during my testing, and what mud I did encounter cleared easily enough. There’s minimal clearance around the 2.25-inch Maxxis Rekon tires. I had no problems throughout the test I hasten to add, and for a bike designed for absolute performance over everyday workhorse durability, the choice can be understood even if its lack of threads is not appreciated by everyone. Look away now if you despise press-fit bottom brackets - the Sniper has a BB92 setup. Eliminating the front mech' has benefited the frame's stiffness, with wider-spaced swingarm pivots and a larger diameter down tube and seat tube. Intense has also "nailed its colors to the 1x mast," so there’s no fitting a front derailleur to the Sniper. I’m not sure it’ll be a deal breaker for the sort of person buying this bike - lots of XC bikes don’t sell with a dropper post at all. The seat tube, however, could be a bit shorter to allow for a longer dropper post than the 125mm model spec'ed on the large-sized test bike. The low-slung top tube provides plenty of stand-over clearance too, which is good for agility in tight turns. The suspension arrangement provides space for a water bottle to be fitted inside the main triangle (an essential provision for XC racers and trail riders). Underneath the love-or-hate-it paint job is a carbon fiber frame, swingarm, and linkage, which keep the bike's overall weight low. Looks are wholly subjective of, course, but I’m going out on a limb and saying the Sniper is drop dead gorgeous. Intense Cycles has, in my opinion, done a stellar job in producing a bike that looks fast and light. It’s a model that I suspect will appeal to PB members, and anyone who doesn't race but still enjoys a fast and light trail bike. Along with the Sniper XC models there’s also the Sniper Trail range, with more suspension travel (120mm at both ends) and a burlier build kit. There are another three models, including the $6,499 XC Elite model tested here, and topping out with the Factory build at $8,499. Make no mistake, these aren’t cheap bikes, but with prices starting from $4,499 USD for the Expert build, they’re more attainable than before. Weight: 23.04lb (Large tested, without pedals)īy moving to a “Rider Direct” sales model last year, Intense Cycles is now able to be more competitive when it comes to pricing. Frame construction: UD carbon frame, carbon/magnesium links.
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