Intense M16c Pro Review
words by Olly Morris / images by Jacob Gibbins
So the time has come to take my pedals off the Intense M16c Pro and give it back to the guys at Saddleback.
If you read my first look words, you’ll know that when I got hold of this bike I compared it to a Ferrari. It looks like the Ferrari of DH bikes but the question is; did it live up to the comparison?
Are you a plougher or skipper?
A Plougher is a bike that will go through any rough terrain and skipper is a bike that skips over the top of the rough stuff. Both have their benefits, but what is the top-of-the-line Intense M16c Pro ?
When you look at bikes like the M16c I think they give off the image that they will plough through anything. Sometimes the downfall of this is that it makes the bike feel dead and doesn’t move across the trail very well. The positive is you can ride faster though rough terrain without knowing it.
There are 2 settings to this bike. You can set the rear shock’s travel to 241mm or to a shorter 216mm travel. Now for me, travel isn’t the important thing. What is important is how it works. So when I first got the bike I rode it on the more conservative 216mm setting.
On the trail I was really surprised to find the bike to be incredibly lively; I was leaving corners noticing that the bike was coming off the ground without much effort. This made placing the bike on a line nice and easy. It may be the fact it is pretty light, but I think it is mostly down to the way the suspension works. So in this setting, it is certainly showing signs of being a skipper.
Next up I moved the bike to the longer travel 241mm setting which transformed things completely. On this setting it gives a different leverage ratio which translated to a less progressive movement through the travel. Normally I would look for more progressive suspension but it gave the bike a new lease of life. It made the rough stuff feel flat; which was possibly dangerous as you don’t realise the speed you are carrying! Did it then feel dead and lose its ability to skip through sections? The simple answer is no. It wasn’t as lively as the 216mm setting but with the right tune on the shock, I think you could fix that.
So is it a plougher or skipper? I would put this on a sliding scale. In the 216mm travel it is very much skipper and in the 241mm travel I would say it has huge ploughing attributes whilst still feeling lively like a skipper.
The glory of having 2 settings is you can easily change it for different tracks. If you’re riding a slower and smoother track, then chuck in the 216mm but if the track is fast and rough, then go for the 241mm.
Long-low-slack vs short-high-steep
This is generally the next question people ask when buying a DH bike. Some people really want the bike to be super-long, low to the ground and with a slack head angle (which is the current trend) but other people look for a shorter bike that isn’t quite as low to the ground and has a steep head angle.
I tested a size large and I’m 5’10. They do a full range from small to XL. On the geometry chart this bike doesn’t come out as long or low as other bikes. I race a lot of DH on big tracks, so if I was to own one I think I would go for the XL. That said, the large is a realistic size for someone of my height, so try and demo a bike before you buy just to be sure.
The bottom bracket is a spot higher than some other bikes. I wondered why Intense did this but after riding it for a while it made sense. On the 216mm setting, the bike felt a little far away from the ground for me; I am used to a very low bb. To fix this I decided to run a softer spring and then to properly fix this I went to the 241 setting. This meant it sat deeper in the travel and therefore lower to the floor when on the bike, giving it an effective lower bottom bracket. I was filled with confidence when I went to this setting as it gave me more grip in the turns. This is obviously personal preference but if you get on one then try both settings for sure.
Putting it in the 241mm setting also made it feel a little slacker, as it was lower in the rear travel. For me this refined the front end making me feel happier getting my weight over the front wheel. Do I keep going on about the longer travel setting? Sorry, it really does change the feel of the bike, so is important. Won’t mention it again.
Quiet and solid or loud with flex?
Some bikes look solid and others don’t. As you can see in the pictures, the Intense M16c Pro certainly looks like it can stand up to whatever you can throw at it. I found it didn’t flap around behind me and was very positive on the trail.
Being a test bike you always assume they will be a little noisier than normal. I didn’t really think about the noise until the photographer mentioned that it just wasn’t making any. It really is quiet! I always say a quiet bike is a fast bike. A quiet bike helps you concentrate when it isn’t rattling away and gives you more confidence in your rig.
Maintenance
I didn’t need to do any specific maintenance but did remove the shock to change a spring. It was really easy to remove. You do need to remove one of the linkages to get the shock out but this was not a problem. I am not the best at working on bikes but the main thing I noticed is how everything just clipped and bolted back together. There was nothing fiddly, which was refreshing. I’m generally racing unsupported as a privateer so this would be a big bonus when I’m racing and keeping my bike running well.
Wrapping up
I would say that Ferrari analogy was just about right for the bike. It looks amazing, it’s very tune-able and it’s fast on track. It also – of course – has that unmistakable X factor that you get with bikes like Intense. The one that makes people stop you in the car park, ask questions, bounce the suspension and look at you wondering if you’re fast enough to justify it. Be warned!
I have really enjoyed testing the Intense M16c Pro; it seemed to transform as I made adjustments. I would love to try the extra-large and spend some more time tuning suspension to see what this bike can really do.
… and the price tag
The M16c that I’m riding retails at £7500. Will people pay that much for a push bike? Many won’t, some will. This isn’t really a bike for the masses though is it? It’s a formula 1 bike that shouts “look at me!” and makes big bold statements. You might buy it because of quality and performance … but more likely because you want a Ferrari you can razz round the woods.
For people that are looking to spend a little less, Intense have built the Intense M16c Expert. It’s still a phenomenal bike but is made from slightly lower grade carbon meaning that it’s a pound heavier and has ali, rather than carbon, linkage. The US has an aluminium version available – the M16a – but we’re not getting to see that here in Blighty.
The M16c Expert is listed at £5000. Still lots of cash but most DH bikes are around that price now and by lower grade carbon, it is still a very high end bike. Worth a look for sure.
