Strengths: I am reviewing a '98 uzzi which is amazing. Everything is great. Unlike all the people who got '99 I got a '98 with 4.5"-6" of rear whell travel. The best part is it weighs in at just about 25lbs!
Weaknesses: -seat post clearance just cut it down a bit
Bottom Line:
Best bike ever made that I have tried. I am thinking of putting on a 2002 Jr.t pro. You have to try this bike because it's so good.
Bike Setup: Z1mcr full xtr tioga factory Dh 2.3" syncros stem Fox vanilla tc
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Submitted by
Javier
a Cross Country Rider
from Antelope,CA USA
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2001
Strengths: It's an Intense so you already know it is great. The bike handles well, soaks up the hits and the rear end is stiff. It's light enough to ride up the hill. That means you can smoke that guy on his sub 24lb full suspension Santa Cruz!
Weaknesses: It doesn't come in the same colors as the Tracer. Would look cool in anodized.
Bottom Line:
This is a great frame. I was undecided on which frame I wanted. I decided on the Uzzi SL because it's made in Southern CA, Intense has a great reputation and it looked good.
Similar Products Used: First full-suspension bike.
Bike Setup: '01 Uzzi SL,Z1MCR,Race Face Next LP ISIS,xt/xtr drivetrain,Easton munkylite h-bars,thompson seatpost/stem,ChrisKing headset/dischubs,rynolites,Hope mini's
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Submitted by
alpentalic
a Downhiller
from Bellingham WA
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2001
Strengths: wow where do I start. my favorite thing about the bike is the four bar linkage. I have tried many bikes having worked in a bike shop and to date four bar is the smoothest feel. Also high bottom bracket is a huge plus for this bike. I almost bought a 2001 enduro pro, but the b.b. is almost 2" lower, which sucks! Also the rear dropouts are the most beautiful put on a bike. They are one inch squares that would appear to be more burly than any out other similar bike. Another thing I love about this bike is the adjustability. The seat tower is awesome. It can be set back for hardcore downhilling or can be brought forward for a more c.c. oriented ride or I guess just whatever feels right to you, play around with it and you will dial this bike into a dream machine. Oh yeah you can also adjust the angle of the rear linkage in a three setting adjustment. What this does is effectively changes the amount of travel, sweeeet. any way I could go for days
Weaknesses: only weakness I found was that the mounts that hold the shock on were a little wide and the shock had a little play in there, though a couple microscopicly thin washers cured that problem.
Bottom Line:
This bike is the bomb let me tell you. Though it is not really made for any type of racing, it is the ultimate do-it-all bike on the market. I spend about half the time on trails and about half just moshin the city lookin for 10 footers. I highly recommend a marzocchi 130mil shock for this bike. Any way I love this bike more than my girlfriend and definitely spend more time on it than her, not to say that I don't love you baby but I can't jump on your back and fly down whistler's dh course at 40+ mph. Anyway if you are concerned about the price, maybe try to find one used like I did, by the way got really lucky on condition, a cc rider from kansas sold it to me, yessss. Oh and if you can find one in chrome it is the most bad ass lookin thing you ever saw. So buy one today and have the time of your life. www.intensecycles.com
Similar Products Used: many many many. Ones I would encourage you to compare to would be cove g-spot, s.c. bullit, and uzzi dh "the only ride I would trade for mine.
Bike Setup: marz Z1 bam 130mm, stratos helix pro rear, mavic 517, nokian gazzaloddi 2.6 front and intense 2.3 rear, king head set, selle flite seat, and an xt kit for drive train and hubs.
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Submitted by
Colby
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2001
Strengths: Everything so far!
Weaknesses: Nothing yet.
Bottom Line:
This is a review for the 2000 Uzzi SL. It has an adjustable wheelbase, shock mount, and seat tower. All this for those who like to fine tune in their ride. With my set up, I can ride this thing everywhere. Trails, road, up/down stairs, uphill/ downhill, you name it. At roughly 27 lbs, it's pretty light for a bike that can handle almost everything. The best all-purpose bike! Buy it if you like all type of riding and don't want to be concern about your frame breaking. Don't buy it if you hardcore freerider/ downhiller. That's what the Intense SXL/ M1 are made for. Happy riding!
Similar Products Used: Specialized 98 FSR Sport, 98 Extreme, 98 Elite and 00 Bighit(piece of crap).
Bike Setup: Selle Italia Ti saddle, Thomson Elite post, Bontrager stem, Profile Carbon fiber handlebar, Gripshift 1/2 pipe(sucks), will switch to XTR pods, King headset, Manitou XVert Super, Avid Ti levers/ V-brakes, XTR/ Mavic 517 wheels, Bontrager tires, XTR BB/cranks, XTR front/ rear derailleur, Sram powerlink chain, Avid rollamajig, Xt cassette, M858 pedals.
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Submitted by
Roger Zimmermann
a Weekend Warrior
from Switzerland
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2001
Strengths: First, it's the 2000 Uzzi i'm talking about! Cool look, You can adjust it to your needs, Not too heavy, very good handling.
Weaknesses: The dropout tab ist too thin. It broke after a year. And there is a problem how the shock is mounted to the frame. I think if you do a lot of stairs/drops to flat terrain the bushing of the shock becomes wider, and after a certain time the bushing is to wide and that will kill the shock (it happened to me). And the customer support is a bit weak here in europe.
Bottom Line:
This Frame is way to expensive. It looks cool, rides good, but as i said before, the dropout tab is to weak and if you ride hard you will sooner or later kill your shock. Its good as a "easy" freeride bike, but nothing for the harder stuff. I like the frame but i woulden't recommend it anymore. I had too much trouble with it within the last three months. I spent more time in my workshop...
Weaknesses: way to expensive compared to what you get a bit on the heavy side for a 4,5 incher could have more travel BAD BAD customer support!!!
Bottom Line:
This frame comes whit a bad customer support. When I bougt the frame it came whit a broken bolt. Which I discovered after a while. The reason was they had used some cheep Taiwan ballrings which in turn led to bolt failure..And this was when the frame was still bran new. Impossible to get in touch whith Intense, NO coustomer support at all - kinda strange when you think of the price on this frame.. So the bottom line is that if you are a privateer DON'T by this frame. It's just to pricy compared to what you get. It excist dozens of other better value and performing mountainrigs eg. Kona, Giant ATC's, Bulit an so on..
Similar Products Used: Kona "King Kikapu" Gary Fisher X-caliber GT IDH pluss more
Bike Setup: Hayes, Z1 CR 100mm, Bontrager disc. rims, Tioga 2.1DH in front Huchison Aligator back
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Submitted by
Fred Nau
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO US
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2001
Strengths: Design, construction and feel.
Weaknesses: Support from the Manfacturer
Bottom Line:
Love the bike I have but would never buy another. Trying to get support from Intense is impossible. I wanted to upgrade to Hayes Disc brakes. I wanted to purchase a new rear triangle that would accept disc mounts. I emailed them many times never to get a response.I then tried to go after market with "Brake Thearpy". They kept my new Ringle wheel set for 45 days and never did a thing. Finally after two month my mechanic was able to beg a new rear triangle from Intense to get me back on the road. No one after spending that much money on a product should have the customer service problems I did.
Submitted by
Geoff .
a Weekend Warrior
from Wellington, N.Z.
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2001
Strengths: Super plush rear, great traction for climbing slippery stuff, finish quality, adjustability, a real 'hot rod' of a frame
Weaknesses: no replacable derailuer hanger, cable routing a bit suss (poke thru the seat stay slot wears out cables or zip tie to the outside and the cable hits the inside of leg as it compresses), triple clamps put small dents in down tube
Bottom Line:
Definately the best bike I have ridden, Expensive frame but worth it if you have the dosh, subtley cool, rockstar performance. This bike is for those that don't mind a good grind up and crave the ride back down.
Submitted by
Sherpa
a Cross Country Rider
from Haverhill, MA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2001
Strengths: This 2000 Uzzi SL frame is strong with little or no flex and has great ground clearance. Its adjustable geometry is also a plus for dialing the frame in to your body and riding style.
Weaknesses: The only faults so far are minor. The Cable routing is not great. The cables are wearing the paint at the head tube and at the forward seat support.
Bottom Line:
This is an expensive frame. To get this baby and keep the cost down, I stripped my old bikes for parts. Using whatever would fit and was still in good shape. I figure I'll run with this and as stuff wears out, upgrade the components.
One word....great. I have become a much better rider on this frame while being able to ride all day without being fatigued. This frame is for a XC rider who wants to tackle the more extreme terrain, boulder fields, drops, the works. It absorbs the hits, bumps, launches and drops with ease while being responsive. I've experienced no problems climbing the steeps either. This bike climbs better than my old hard tail. The bike weighs a little more than most but so do I after a few beers. Don't be a weight weenie. Don't sacrifice durability and capability for a few pounds.
If you are thinking about the Tracer, go demo the Uzzi SL. It's a much better setup.
A+ to the guys at International Bicycle and Len for hooking me up with this frame.
I've reviewed this bike in every way possible. (Read my reviews.)
I turned it into a Semi-Downhill bike back in 1998, complete with a 6" Rock Shox Boxxer. In 1999 I swaped all the heavy DH parts for light XC ones and had a blast riding the trails. For 2000 I replaced the light XC wheels for sturdier "freeriding" hoops and threw on a Marzocchi fork with 4" of solid travel. The bike jumped liked a rabbit and landed 6' drops with ease.
This bike is worth every penny. There is no better trail bike on the planet. It has 4.5" of travel that feels more like 6" when you slacken the head angle but then feels like 4" of active travel when you steepen it. The 4-bar linkage combined with the Horst-Link gives this bike superior suspension performance.
Over 50 reviews with a 4.80 overall rating! Buy it.
Submitted by
Greg
a Weekend Warrior
from San Clemente
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2001
Strengths: I am just adding to my previous post. I had trouble with my old 97 Uzzi frame (does not have replacable rr hanger)and Mike from INTENSE and SEAN from Supergo set me up under warrantie and had my bike back to me in 3 days.I want to thank these guys again for helping me get my bike on the road quick and cheap.
Weaknesses: NONE
Bottom Line:
As I said before I couldn't be more pleased with my Uzzi and the customer service provided by INTENSE and SUPERGO.Having a bike building company and a bike sales and service company that care about there customers as much as they do, why would you ride anything else or buy from anywhere else. I am STOKED.
Purchased At: supergo (fountain valley) ask for Sean (he will go out of his way to help you)
Similar Products Used: nothing compares
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Submitted by
Ian Pitcairn
a Cross Country Rider
from Tequesta
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2001
Strengths: Handing! Best handling bike I have ever tossed a leg over. It's a little heavy. Active rear end.
Weaknesses: It's a little heavy. Active rear end.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. I waited 2 years before reviewing it. The fact it is still in one piece says all you need to know. I actual was looking to maybe buy an XC bike to get me climbing and go through sand better, but the thought of giving up the handing of this bike was more than I could bare (yes I've tried the Tracer). I changed the shock set up instead. I now have the ultimate all around bike!! Going to air shocks lightened it up and settled the back end down. Now it can climb like a hard tail (just slide the lever) or stomp like a (almost) down-hiller and any thing inbetween. I now think I could race this bike. But the best thing this bike does is install confidence to the rider! The handling is so solid you will be spoiled when riding anything else. When you blast at speed the extra 2lbs in the frame keeps the bike under you and stearing on line. The BB height is nice and high so clearing logs, rocks, and riders thinking they're having fun on hardtails and XC-bikes easy. Bottom line if you weigh 175lbs or more this is the best bike you can buy for hardcore MtBing, the adjustablilty of the frame set will let you set it up for any local situation. The value rating is a 6 flamer because I don't need 2 bikes to do one job and overall quality. Thanks Intense for making me a better rider.
Similar Products Used: any bike I can get my hands on.
Bike Setup: Before Mar 01: XT shifters, race face crank, M-Z1 fork, Mavic X-land wheels, coil fox shock. After Mar 01: I replaced the 1997 Z1 with a 2001 Z3-100-Air and the fox-coil with a Stratos-Air with remote adj lockout. Suntour XC-PRO remote level on left handle bar.
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Submitted by
Greg
a Weekend Warrior
from San Clemente
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2001
Strengths: I have ridden this bike since I bought it new in 98, and I believe that this bike is the best all round bike that you can own.There is nothing you can't do on this bike,it climbs well, handles the DH ( but is no means a DH bike)and is just a fun bike to ride under any condition.
Weaknesses: Well, I have only had this frame stop me from riding one time. I have just recently broke the pivot bolt that holds the rear swingarm on behind the BB.I called Intense on this and they rushed a bolt to Super Go to get the bike back to me ASAP.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that I love my bike setup.I may consider the new Uzzi SLX but am having trouble justifying 1 1/2" more travel for an extra 1000.00 after I sell this frame for 1000.00.I think I will just keep riding this bike until it falls apart (Yeah right!) and be very happy with what I've got.I can't say enough good things about this frame,buy it and you will not be sorry.FIVE BIG RED HOT CHILI'S FROM ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Similar Products Used: I have tried a number of bikes from hardtails to full susp.I still can't find anything that is as versatile as this bike. I guess there would be other options if I had enough money to buy 3 different bikes,but to own just one bike this is the one.
Bike Setup: 98 Intense Uzzi SL frame,01 Marzocchi Z1 MCR fork,XTR TO THE HILT,Sun Ryno Lites W/ Chris King,Hayes,Pro taper,Azonic shorty,545 shimano,and a set of DH tires to give it that sturdy feel!KILLER ALL ROUND BIKE!!!!!!!!!
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Submitted by
Rick
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenixville, PA
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2001
Strengths: Adjustability, smoothness of suspension action, quality of construction, solidness of frame, Intense stands behind the product.
Weaknesses: Minor stuff - decals peeled in 3 months, cable routing leads to wear marks (be careful & put mylar stickers on the rub points). Medium stuff: collapsed a seat tower "just riding along" which was warrantied w/o question, mounting system for rear shock cause quick wear of bushings & reducers (not enough free movement), '99 didn't have a replaceable dropout/hanger.
Bottom Line:
Love the frame. Wouldn't trade it for anything. There is room for improvement, but it has increased my confidence & abilities w/o a doubt. I'd love to give it a 5, but the few gotchas (a couple of which were addressed in the latest model) keep it at a 4.
