Description:More than 2 years in the making, the M3 combines the future of mountain bike technology with years of experience at the two places where it matters most in the factory and on the mountain.
With it’s all-new monocoque design, lower stand-over height, patented VPP suspension, and Manitou shock system, the new M3 is poised to be the next benchmark in downhill racing.
Submitted by
van hellsing
a Downhiller
from cape town South Africa Date Reviewed: September 7, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Tokai
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$2500.00
Strengths:
Crazy smooth over the rough stuff,corners like nothing else on earth ,handles beutifully and is just awesome to ride .
Weaknesses:
difficult to ajust back shock ,but other than that nothing at all .
Similar Products Used:
Azonic recoil ,foes fly
Bike Setup:
888 ,manitou 6 way-swinger,hayes nine ,e.thirteen cainguide ,ringle hubs .
Bottom Line:
Hectic bike and nothing else comes close to it .Super super fast ,and rides like it wants to rip up the trail .Its also great to look at .
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
cptkirk
a Weekend Warrior
from uk Date Reviewed: October 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:
the hills of aston
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
new from ,nwmtb.com
Strengths:
its light for a big frame can chuck it around very easy,ive had it off some biggish drops 15 to 20 foot and its know trouble for it, i had down the 4X track and it was wicked over the jumps for a dh bike and it looks the nuts in black. The best dh bike i've had and i've had alot of bikes.
Weaknesses:
black is hard to keep looking clean, rear end has a bit of flex but its nothing major, not good for dirt jumping but not alot of dh bikes are.
Similar Products Used:
sc v10, orange 222, kona stab, rotwild rdh03, spooky motorhead.
Bike Setup:
fox 40, saint cranks hope 6ti brakes fox dhx.
Bottom Line:
i recommend this bike if you like your dh and big drops and if you see someone riding one just ask them.
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Submitted by
tom
a Downhiller
from united kingdom Date Reviewed: July 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
anywhere in south of england
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
ebay frame only
Strengths:
not a lot
Weaknesses:
bends on big jumps not suitable for new dh courses. frame walls are really thin which means you will get loads of cracks if bike is used well. it also wont last more than one season
Similar Products Used:
specialized big hit morewood
Bike Setup:
intense frame fox dhx shock 88 forks bombshell wheels deity bars and stem saint cranks nd 50/50 pedals
Bottom Line:
frame is crap loads of flex cracks easily DOES NOT LIKE BIG JUMPS (ANYTHING OVER 15FT) basically save the money and get a morewood or an orange
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Submitted by
Gregg LaBrecque
a Weekend Warrior
from Enfield, Ct. USA Date Reviewed: May 19, 2007
Favorite Trail:
any steep rocky trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1700.00
Purchased At:
on line
Strengths:
Best all around dh bike on the market, period!!. Besides being smoking hot looking, it's stiff, strong, corners like a slot car, jumps & drops with ease. Peddles very well. This bike is designed to put you where you should be over the bike, combined with it's low profile, you'll be hard pressed to find a bike that will make you faster.The only people that don't like an M3 are the ones who can't afford one. Sucks being you.
Weaknesses:
Very low to the ground, smack my peddles all the time and broke two. Bring spears with you. Just takes a little time to adjust, if you can ride well it's not a problem. Noisy,that's it.
Similar Products Used:
Ironhorse SGS dh, Sinister R9, Azonic
Bike Setup:
M3 small with a Manitou Travis fork, swinger 6way 300lbs. spring. Hope 6pot brakes,Sun double tracks, race face cranks, Kanda tires 2.7 front&back. Lots of goodies.
Bottom Line:
I'm 48, this bike made me faster then most of my 20 something friends I ride with. No joke, they don't like getting their asses handed to the by someone my age and they were slaying me before I got that bike. This bike will make you silly fast from the first ride. If you wan to ride though anything and corner like a pro, Though down on an M3 you won't be disappointed.
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Submitted by
matt kuys
a Racer
from Laguna california Date Reviewed: May 16, 2007
Favorite Trail:
telonix
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$2250.00
Purchased At:
Bike Attack
Strengths:
Stiff rear end, endless travel, smooth on everything, corners great
Weaknesses:
LOUD!!!! Pedals bad, but once you get it set up with pro pedal, you will be able to get a lot better pedaling out of turns
Similar Products Used:
v10, glory, sunday, 2:1
Bike Setup:
Fox 40 DHX 5 saint avid
Bottom Line:
Great race bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
F T
a Downhiller
from uk, london Date Reviewed: September 20, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Mont Chery
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$2800.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Very plush 9.5in of travel. rides rough tracks sooo well. truely is the best looking bike period! handles so well. holds its line on any surface. very chuckable when pointing down. Super stiff rear end. Low BB (CofG) for truely great performance. Very well engineered VPP design, with attention to race geometry and weight placement. Simple Awesome as a race bike!
Weaknesses:
Finding Cranks to fit, especially if tyou have the 73mm shell BB version. Adjusting the shock on the bike. No rear shock mud protection, like SC V10.
Similar Products Used:
Santa Cruz V10, Iron Horse Sunday, Intense Uzzi, Ellesworth Dare, Santa Cruz VP Free
Very good bike, is easy to ride fast and the rear end feels more lively than the SC V10 which can feel planted but lacks rider feedback. The bike feels lighter to ride than an Iron Horse (easier to bash the pedals on the ground)
The bike does have some annoying design flaws (crank fitting etc.) but these can be solved by getting the correct products. After the first ride you will realise that the bike is worth every penny, simply the best 'privateer racer' entry again!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Downhiller
from London Date Reviewed: September 5, 2006
Favorite Trail:
anything big
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$5000.00
Purchased At:
all over
Strengths:
Light and fast
Weaknesses:
BB very low
Bike Setup:
Large M3, Fox 40s, race face diabolos, hadley hubs, saint brakes, dura ace rear mech and cassette etc etc - full on racer build
Bottom Line:
FOLLOW-UP POST
This is a follow-up post to my previous one which is 2 below after 4 months of tinkering.
After my last stack I was about to ebay the frame. However, I took one last stab at it and decided to try and raise the BB height by about 20mm to a more 'normal' height. So I rang round just about everybody who could help to see if: a) they knew about the problem b) to get ideas into raising the BB height via changes to suspension settings and options such as having new rear dropouts machined with a lower axel height.
Firstly, everyone in the industry I talked to knew about this issue. Every one had the same matching solutions.
Apparently the problem often occurs when pedalling hard on ground where there are shallow and low amplitude compressions. Apparently the M3 (and many VPP bikes) have a tendency to 'pack' into the faces of these compressions which can result in the pedal hitting the ground.
The solutions to this were as follows: 1) Used a super drop crown on the Fox 40s to enable me to raise the lower crown by about 16mm (the manual says not to do this but I have been assured that it is safe for this amount) 2) Adjusted the Fox 40s based upon settings provided by Mojo Suspension to increase the average ride height (as opposed to just the sag as they are different) 3) Wound on as much preload as I could to the Manitou Swinger 6 way rear shock 4) Increased the air volume 5) Adjusted the low speed compression damping to make this firmer 6) Speeded up the rebound 7) Adjusted the high speed compression damping to make this firmer
Having done all of this and adjusted this up to my liking: - I have NOT hit my pedals on the ground since - I have raised the BB height when riding by about 18mm - Greatly improved the stability of the bike at high or low speeds - Got a harsher ride (but not one that causes problems
I have now decided to keep the M3 and my confidence is back on the bike and I am starting to enjoy it again. I think I’m now riding much faster than I was before – which is good.
Lastly many thanks to Tim Flooks of TF Tuned Shocks, Rowan Sorrell at Mojo Suspension and Andy Kyfin at North West Mountain Bikes for their advice that resulted in the above changes and me keeping the M3
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
matt kuys
a Racer
from mammoth Date Reviewed: July 23, 2006
Favorite Trail:
sunset ridge(secret trail)
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$2332.00
Purchased At:
my sponsor BIKE ATTACK
Strengths:
you must be joking. you can float through corners like a hot knife through butter. you can basically hit a huge jump and overshoot it to flat and feel like your landing on the landing.
Weaknesses:
hmmm.... kinda lound through rough sections. thats all though
Similar Products Used:
M1 303 v10
Bike Setup:
888 doubletrack profile fox dhx5
Bottom Line:
best bike i have ever ridden. extreme boost of confidence and is extremely reliable
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Downhiller
from London Date Reviewed: May 15, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Anything big
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$5000.00
Purchased At:
all over
Strengths:
Light
Weaknesses:
BB height too low for a big guy
Bike Setup:
Large M3, Fox 40s, race face diabolos, hadley hubs, saint brakes, dura ace rear mech and cassette etc etc - full on racer build
Bottom Line:
OK, I'm 6'4" and about 220lbs.
The first day I rode this bike I noticed that the BB height was low so I adjusted the sag, rebound etc so that I would not pack the shock too much when peddaling etc and corrected my riding style to keep the pedals level a bit more.
The second day I smacked a root real hard with the crank at 45 degrees - I went over the bars at full speed into a tree. It kept me off the bike for a month and a year later I still have the scar on my right thigh from the liquifying haematoma I collected from that accident
I had a look at the bike, took advice from friends and then rang Tim Flooks - for those of you who know him he's about the best suspension tuner in the world. In talking to Tim, we agreed that the spring rate and sag specified by Intense are incorrect for a large rider on a large frame - it seems to be about 100lbs light. I therefore went for an upgraded spring (550lb) and tried again.
This changed the sag to about 30% and of course changed the rebound charecteristics which meant I had to spend a few more rides dialling ths shock in again.
Since then I have been plagued with the nightmare of having to run a spring rate and shock settings that cannot deliver the ride that is attainable for a lighter rider using this bike. I either have to run to high a rebound or face the nightmare of packing and not knowing when this can cause things to go wrong.
I have ended up having to be so careful where I pedal on a run for fear of clipping something that it has actually slowed me down even though the bike is without any doubt a faster than anything I have ever ridden (provided that you don't come off)
Following two more serious stacks (one involving fractured ribs) I have decided that, on the basis of three strikes and your out, to sell the frame and go for something with a higher BB height - the intense seems to be about 0.6" lower than just about anything else.
The bottom line. If you are a light and small rider then this bike will be truly awesome. It is not designed to cope with a big rider - this I feel is a design flaw. Sorry
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Submitted by
Jorge Arredondo
a Downhiller
from Santiago Chile Date Reviewed: April 29, 2006
Favorite Trail:
la parva chile
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At:
Recycles Chile
Strengths:
All. Every thing wih this bike is 100% much better than other Bikes. This Jump very well, cornering is out of the world. his bike Will increase your confidence and DH capacities. I just use it for a race, and I won it.
Weaknesses:
No one
Similar Products Used:
Intense M1, Intense Uzzi DH
Bike Setup:
Shiver Fork, Manitou inger 6way Shock, race face BB, Protaper Handlebar, Selle Italy Seat, hayes Brakes Sun Rims
Bottom Line:
This is a amaizing bike, when you ride it, you feel like downhill over street. This bike is a must for the real DH
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tyler Gilsdorf
a Downhiller
from Sammamish, WA, USA Date Reviewed: April 4, 2006
Favorite Trail:
A-Line and In Deep
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$7000.00
Purchased At:
frame was purchased at Downhillzone in Seattle, WA
Strengths:
This is a truely amazing bike. I have ridden it for 3 months now and i am pushing myself to go faster and harder every day. This bike makes it easier to push yourself harder because it is perfectly balanced and handles like none other, compare an F-1 car's handling to a civic's handling, this is the M-3 compared to every other bike. The pedalling is unbelievable, the suspension design does not allow for pedalling forces to affect the suspension, but once you hit a bump, jump, any obstacle the suspension becomes alive and eats that crap up! Who ever says you can't jump or freeride this bike doesn't know any better. I have done some fairly massive jumps on this bike with no problems, it jumps beautifully, perfectly balanced in the air. Basically this bike has no flaws............at all!!!
Weaknesses:
are you kidding?
Similar Products Used:
everything. i looked at bikes for 2 years before throwing down some serious coin on this bike. i tested everything!
Bike Setup:
2006 Intense M3, 2006 Fox 40 RC2, 2006 Fox DHX 5.0 w/ RCS Titanium Spring, RaceFace Diabolous Cranks (165mm)w/ RaceFace DH X-Type BB, E-13 SRS 36T, Sram X.O shifter and micro cage rear derailleur, FSA K-Force Light Seatpost, FSA Orbit X-Treme Pro headset, WTB Devo Carbon saddle, Bombshell Wheels, Intense Tires and tubes, Funn RSX direct mount stem, Funn FatBoySlim Bars, Formula ORO Puro brakes, Braking Wave Rotors, ODI Ruffian Lock-On grips, Crank Brothers 50-50XX pedals, Sram 990 Hollow Pin Chain, Sram 970 tight ratio cassette, no compromises on the build
Bottom Line:
This is the best downhill bike on the planet, you can not get any better than this. No BS, No jive, just the best... PEROID!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Yaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Israel Date Reviewed: February 14, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$7000.00
Purchased At:
Paul Gross comp Israel
Strengths:
very light (about 17.5kg),much faster than I am, sticks to the ground as if you were on rails.
Weaknesses:
extremely noisy,every little chain hit sounds as if the rear end is being hit with a heavy hammer,even if you touch the frame with a coin it sounds very loud.
Similar Products Used:
SC VP free ,RM7,Specialized Big Hit.
Bike Setup:
M3 size Small,Fox 40 rc2, DHX5 Ti spring,Hadley hubs ,Thomson, Saint brakes etc'
Bottom Line:
This is a very fast and stable bike around corners and if you're looking to be the fastest you can then this is the way, just don't forget your earplugs, otherwise you'll become deaf after some runs. I'll give it 4 for value because there's no way a bike should be that expensive (most of us are working people). 5 overall because it's the fastest bike around and that is all it meant to be.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Raj
a Downhiller
from Europe Date Reviewed: November 25, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
8000
Strengths:
Very very high quality frame, strong, responsive and very very fast, tunability to fit flat/fast/superrough courses, no need to choose lines cos you'll be making your own!
Weaknesses:
Absolutely NONE
Similar Products Used:
Fisher Y bike, 99 Intense M1, Specialized Bighit etc
Bike Setup:
No expense spared; light but super strong
Bottom Line:
The review just below should be disregarded completely, obviously submitted by someone who knows nothing or very very little. This is simply the BEST; WORKMANSHip, STRENGTH, fantastic HANDLING, flies over the roughest of conditions and is right at home with rocks and roots, CORNERS like nothing else, PEDALS like nothing else, not much time needed to set up as long as you know how to set the shock up (make sure you get the right spring rate for your weight), BEAUTIFULLY BALANCED
So fast, it will take minutes off your time. And oh yeah, it ain't just a racer, it's a completely fun bike to ride, and for those who ride to and from the hill, I pedal this with 2.7 and 2.5 Maxxis tires F and R relatively painlessly about 6 miles back from the hill.....
Very expensive, but so achingly good. End of story.
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Submitted by
deza
a
from uk Date Reviewed: November 4, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Its light fast and works too well
Weaknesses:
no cranks in the world fit this frame,if you take the shock out the rear wheek path stops at 6 inch's of travel due to poor design the paint chips too easily and the uk importer andy kyffin at north west mountain bike centre does 'nt want to know once he has taken your money.
Similar Products Used:
Yeti Dh9 (Awesome), Works orange 223(fast bike),Ironhorse sunday(also a fast bike) Giant dh team (value for money)
Bike Setup:
fox 40's, hadley hubs, saint brakes, sram O.X gears and easton bars ect.
Bottom Line:
Don't buy one of these if you live in the uk as it is just too much for our courses even fort bill plus don't give Kyffin your money as he is the biggest theif I'v ever met. other wise a good bike for world cup racing.
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Submitted by
ali roper
a Downhiller
from derbyshire Date Reviewed: November 2, 2005
Favorite Trail:
most places
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
cant say
Strengths:
absolutely everything about the m3 is a strength
Weaknesses:
none whatsoever
Similar Products Used:
there is nothing like it...
Bike Setup:
easton bars, dee max factory wheels, manitou darado forks, mrp chain device, saint brakes,cranks,rear mech, ti spring and more!!
Bottom Line:
this bike is like nothing i have ever ridden.. its the dogs danglys.. simple. it sticks like glue and rides like a magic carpet... the only thing was i nearly cried when down to rider error i went over the bars... not because it hurt but because i scratched the baby blue paint job!!!!
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Submitted by
Peter
a Downhiller
from uk Date Reviewed: July 17, 2005
Favorite Trail:
fort bill
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
North West MTB Centre
Strengths:
It has nothing but
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Big Hit with 26" rear, Kona Stinky Deelux
Had this bike 24hours. Am still dialling the rear shock. Took it to Rivington in Lancashire near where I live and did the ride from pigeon tower to the car park a few times. It is very very rocky and most of it is loose but this bike just takes it all, even with the shock in various stages of tuning. I rode harder faster and took lines that I had judged to rough for my Big Hit. It simply sticks like glue. Also all you UK DH riders make sure you check out NWMTB centre in cheadle. Andy Kyffin (spelling?), sorted me out on this frame, built me the rear wheel himself in about an hour and has sorted me out loads, even at his expense in the past. My thanks. This shop is in it for the riders.
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Submitted by
k hoo
a Downhiller
from bristol Date Reviewed: July 11, 2005
Favorite Trail:
fortwilliam
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$2500.00
Purchased At:
secret
Strengths:
so much travel, its fast round corners and it fells like ridin on air it looks so good and it will power its way trough any thing you ride it at even football boulders and it just soaks it all up
Weaknesses:
are you kidding
Similar Products Used:
v10 (no were even close to it)
Bike Setup:
a bit ott m3, dee max rims, hope 6 pots, fox 40 rc, race face every thing, and mrp world cup, and michelin the best set up.
Bottom Line:
so so so good you would know it was good just from looking at it i mean this is for pure downhillers only and i sticks to the ground likes super glue its jus awesome save up and buy one when you have the money and you would if you l;iked dh that much.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Downhiller
from London Date Reviewed: June 24, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Dirt Merchant
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
So fast. It just accelerates out of corners like nothing else and the trail feels like its made of tarmac
Weaknesses:
Getting hold of one
Similar Products Used:
SC Bullit - my first DH bike
Bike Setup:
Gone a bit nuts realy... Red M3 with Ti spring Fox 40 rcs Hadley 150mm rear with 823 tubless rims and Comp 16s Hope Buld front with 823 tubelss rims and Comp 16s Diabolos everything Easton CT2 carbon bars E13 SRS Dura ace mech and cassette with XTR shifter Saint Brakes
Bottom Line:
My last DH bike - can't think of anything else I'd ever need. But you have to pay for the best..
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
carlos
a
from Mexico Date Reviewed: June 12, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Its an Intense
Weaknesses:
None,really
Similar Products Used:
SC V10
Bike Setup:
The works
Bottom Line:
Great dh bike, equal, but not better than a SC V10, just a little bit pricier
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
andy
a Weekend Warrior
from warrington Date Reviewed: April 9, 2005
Favorite Trail:
nannerk in wales
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$6000.00
Purchased At:
nwmb
Strengths:
amazingly responsive over the hardest terrain it pedals like an xc bike nicely balanced and jumps very well
Weaknesses:
there is none.but that it is to good
Similar Products Used:
cannondale gemini dh,santa cruz v10 but none can conpair
Bike Setup:
fox 40 rc2 forx,factory mavic dee max,race face diabolus everything,hope brakes sram x.0
Bottom Line:
if you wana go fast over anything on the planet get on.the back end will never buck if it is set up right ,this bike will take miniuts of a dh run.you have enough trave for massive hucks and jumps so you can just go mental.ieven race 4x on it because it pedals so well.best gettin the manitou shock because it is the most responsive.
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Submitted by
Lord Pounder
a Downhiller
from San Diego, Ca, USA Date Reviewed: February 10, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Judes Nugget
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$6000.00
Purchased At:
Im a mental patient
Strengths:
Super low center of gravity, ultra responsive, manuals super easy, huge cockpit, low standover...kills it in rock gardens and fast singletrack.
This thing rocks. The best bike in the world before this one was the M1. This bike helps me dominate.
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Submitted by
scott pet
a Downhiller
from la Date Reviewed: September 2, 2004
Favorite Trail:
seuy
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$6000.00
Purchased At:
warner bike
Strengths:
very well balanced,easy to adjust,very easy to ride and beautiful to look at!
Weaknesses:
zip!
Similar Products Used:
M1
Bike Setup:
manitou, xt cranks, sun rims, easton bar,stem and post.
Bottom Line:
this bike is insane! this is my forth intense and jeff tops himself again with the new M3. the frame is beefed up where it needs to be and sleek where it doesn't. it has all the beautiful lines you'd expect from intense. the new VVP rear feels like butter on all types of terrain.i'm stokked! for all that are waiting-be patient, it was worth the wait!
$ 2850.00
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