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Submitted by
Don Duende
a Weekend Warrior
from Eastern Sierra
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Mammoth MTB Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$44.00 | | Strengths: | Good cornering and grip. | | Weaknesses: | Lasted only two months due to a bad casing. Started to rub the frame and had to be discarded. | | Similar Products Used: | Panaracer, Kenda | | Bike Setup: | Intense 5.5 | | Bottom Line: | Used with Stans No Tubes setup. Not well made, may not be compatible with tubelesss sealants,durablity is an issue. Never had a problem with Panaracers and Kendas in 15 years. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sharon Vasco
a Cross Country Rider
from Israel
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | too many to list | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$85.00 | | Purchased At: | ChainReactioncycles.com | | Strengths: | Looks good | | Weaknesses: | Very poor quality, tyre beads came apart in less than 30 miles! Do not buy these tyres! | | Similar Products Used: | Geax, Bontrager, Schwalbe | | Bike Setup: | Ventana’s El Saltamontes | | Bottom Line: | I had a major problem with the Intense tyres (Tyre Systems CC 225 XC C3 26 x 2.25 Folding C3).
Last weekend I went on a mountain bike trip with a group of 35 riders. The train was typical cross country dirt roads and single tracks.
After about 15 km into the ride I had discovered that my rear tyre had a huge bulge and that it was loosing air and that the tyre sealant was also leaking out. In my many years of riding I had never seen anything like that happen to a tyre (the bulge).
In order to fix the problem we had to remove the tyre and use a tube and it was apparent that the tyre's inside actually came apart (the tyre beads). My friends and I were sure that this was a result of a faulty tyre and we continued our ride. An hour later the same happened to the front tyre!
Needless to say that I was shocked, after all these were new tyres (and expensive ones I should say) that have gone through less than 50 km total. None of the other riders in the group had any problems such as mine expect the usual flat here and there.
I understand that if these tyres were old and worn out this could be the result, but because these tyres only did less than 50 km total it is obvious that they're construction is very poor and unreliable.
The intense tyres looked great and you would think they are high quality tyres but the fact is they performed in an unacceptable manner. These tyres are just unreliable and I would never buy them again.
The guys from Intense claim it was a result of using the DT Swiss tubeless kit on a non-UST tyre like the Intense but this does not happen with other brands of tyres like:
Schwalbe
Continental
Kenda
Nokian
Bontrager
Geax
Maxxis
On the other hand the brands which are not recommended because they have unreliable beads - known to snap or so loose they roll off the rim are:
Panaracer
WTB
Intense
IRC
Hutchinson
Michelin
UST tyres of any brand are fine.
In any case I don't see why a tubeless kit sealant should cause tyres beads to snap, it's not like we are talking about an acid that eats through the tyre right?
After I got back home from the ride where the Intense tyres failed, I bought myself a pair of Schwalbe Albert tyres and now I know that they will not fail me like the Intense tyres did.
I do hope this information was helpful.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Geoff
a Weekend Warrior
from nowheres home
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | anything with rocks | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | large air volume, grippy on dry/hardpack, predictable slide, looks the part | | Weaknesses: | not so good on sandy or loose terrain, heavy, doesnt last long | | Similar Products Used: | bonty jones ac, pana's trailbreakers, hutchinsons pythons and scorpions, irc... a few others | | Bike Setup: | klein palomino, marzocchi forks, hope hubs and brakes, mavic rims, king headset, xt drive train | | Bottom Line: | the tyres have performed well but are starting to show their wear after 6 months of solid abuse.
after riding peru i thought these tyres where the bomb, they handled everything from fire road, single track, rocky downhills.
after spain i changed my mind. had a few puntures from thorns, some of the knobs are missing and every knob just had chunks flying off it! and in the soft sandy conditions i felt like i was on ice skates.
the conclusion: great tire all round tyre with great grip in most conditions. but after 2000kms they will need replacing soon. great as an all mountain tyre if you are unsure what the trail has in store for you. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Wein
a
from Novato
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Good width and weight for dry rocking trails. Easy to mount. | | Weaknesses: | Quality control. This is the thrid 2.25CC tire I ahave had and all have been off center. | | Similar Products Used: | Lots and lots of tires. | | Bike Setup: | Anvil Hammer steel hard tail, Sram XO Fox 80RLT, Easton carbon bars, Magura Marta brakes, Am Classic wheels. | | Bottom Line: | Great tire for the dusty rocky trails of Northern Ca, but the quality control sucks. The tread has been vulcanized crooked on to the casing. The tire causes the wheels to ride as if out of true. Great design poor excution. I would give these tires 5 flaming chilis if the where made correctly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Roberto
a
from Alabaaama
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Similar Products Used: | Fire XC's are/were(?) my favorite | | Bike Setup: | I've been running the Fire XC's exclusively for years.
I have a Blur | | Bottom Line: | I run a 2.25CC on the front only and I think it performs admirably compared to the Fire. The grip is consistent and it breaks traction predictably. Works really well in the sub-tropical wet, rooty, AL,TN,NC environment. I have had no sidewall or knob problems, but they do wear fast. I don't know why you'd buy these if 1/2 of your "mtn" ride is on the road. The widely spaced knobs are obviously not going to do the job. But, anyway, 4 flaming nuggets... because no tire is perfect. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gvoz
a
from New York, USA
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Lower Whistler | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Bike Man | | Strengths: | Reliable, consistent grip | | Weaknesses: | high rolling resistance (SR version) | | Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Id, Mavic disc rims, CK hubs | | Bottom Line: | They grip predictably and put a lot of tire volume between me and the trail. What you get in grip you pay for in rolling resistance with the SR rubber. Great for the varied conditions of the east coast trails I ride. Have not ridden them frequently enough to get the adverse results described by others. Great hookup one rainy day on the rocky trail at Round Valley Reservoir, NJ. Not yet tire Nirvana, but a good stop along the way and nothing has happened to make me want to swap them out. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mac
a Cross Country Rider
from Montana
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Excel Sports | | Strengths: | None, they separated before I could get much of a chance to ride them. | | Weaknesses: | Tires separated along the center of the tire and one eventually blew a 2.5" hole along the center. No customer service. I called and emailed for 4 months with no response. The retailer even tried to call the warranty department and they would not return even his calls. | | Bottom Line: | Be warned. My tires were poor quality and I recieved no customer service. I only rode my tires for a little over a week. I wasted almost $80 on these tires. It is unbeleivable that they can stay in business with faulty tires and no customer service. Please consider this before buying any intense tire. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Lyonn
a Racer
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | ANYTHING in Sun Valley! | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | $40.00 ea. | | Strengths: | Tires had OK grip. | | Weaknesses: | These tires had the most fighteningly inferior casings I've ever seen on any mtn bike tires. There were odd lumps and bulges throughout both tires. One lump grew until the tire was hitting the seat stay. After riding them for about 60 trail miles I pulled them off as I was afraid they would totally go out on me miles from the trailhead. I showed them to other riders who couldn't believe how bad they looked. I took them back to the shop where I bought them and Intense never returned his calls to try and send them back nor would they respond to my e-mail attempts to contact them either. I have never met with this kind of lousy customer service from any mtn bike parts vendor. To create an inferior product and then not even have the decency to admit it is unforgivable.
| | Similar Products Used: | You name it. High end race and trail tires from Continental, Panaracer, Specialized, Michelin, Kenda, Hutchinson and now, unfortunately, Intense. | | Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Truth w/ mix of SRAM, Shimano, Marzocchi and Magura. | | Bottom Line: | I would NEVER buy another tire from Intense. I have never seen more inferior tires nor encountered such crappy customer service. Be forewarned! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pete
a Cross Country Rider
from vail colorado
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | these tires do grip like crazy. they corner like a dream. | | Weaknesses: | These tires are not for people who have to pay for them! my road tires would last longer on the trail. | | Similar Products Used: | fire xc pro michelen wtb conti | | Bike Setup: | santa cruz blur Z1sl xtr | | Bottom Line: | I fourtunetly did not pay for mine. I feel REAL sorry for those who got hit with the 40 plus price tag for these gems. If you've got money to burn, use em for the max 5 months you will get. IF money and longevity are youre thing, do not go for these tires | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
j johnston
a Weekend Warrior
from oakland, ca, usa
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | chaparral | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Revolution, Arcata | | Strengths: | fast, good grip | | Weaknesses: | weak sidwalls, no pinchflat protection, expensive, don't last | | Similar Products Used: | WTB | | Bike Setup: | COVE G-Spot | | Bottom Line: | Don't buy these tires if you ride anywhere rocky or need a tire that lasts. I erroneously ran this tire during the Downieville classic this year and flatted 4 times! I'm sorry but if you flat that many times on a trail you normally clean, something is up with the tire. After the third flat I noticed that there was a hole in the tire itself. I patched this, and picked up another flat a couple of miles down the trail. None of the flats occured in overly rocky sections, and I never felt the rim once. By the end of the ride I realized just how little sidewall protection these tires have and how the lack of any real bead probably contributes to easy pinch flats. I was surprised because I had ridden this tire many times for a month or two prior to the race in rough terrain with no problems. If you ride cross country and can afford new tires every few rides, go for it, they hook up great. Otherwise, go with WTB, best tires in the world! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marc Straight
a Weekend Warrior
from Redondo Beach
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Seem to grip good for the short time I rode them, Good size for a 2.25. | | Weaknesses: | Knobs tear of, weak side walls, short knob blocks would probably wear fast if tire could last more than one ride. | | Similar Products Used: | Michelin, irc, Panaracer, wtb | | Bike Setup: | Santa cruz Heckler built up for heavy trail abuse. | | Bottom Line: | These tires came stock on my Heckler. Only went less than a mile down the Mt. wilson trail when I got the fist pinch flat. While changing the tube I noticed that the side wall had riped about 1/2". Used three (3) patches to fix it and put in a new tube. Pumped the tire up to the max and was on my way. I made it about a mile when I jumped of a rock and drifted down the trail and got another pinch flat. Had to baby the bike the rest of the way for fear of geting another pinch flat again. I replaced the rear tire with an IRC because It has a stronger sidewall. I thought I could keep the front tire, but after inspecting it I noticed that some of the knobs were tearing back exposing the inner casing. This was after only one ride! If these tires come stock on your new bike chuck them in the trash. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mark
a Weekend Warrior
from R.I.
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | great traction, rolls much better than d/h tires that came on bike.very strong | | Weaknesses: | they are expensive | | Similar Products Used: | many different tires | | Bike Setup: | bullitt jr/t 5th element all xt hayes 8 in hyd brakes | | Bottom Line: | the bike came w intense 2.35 d/h tires. they are not good for trail or going uphill. put the cc 2.25s on they have held up very well.i ride on rocky rooty east coast terrain.sidewalls are getting a little beat from sliding on boulders but thats the only wear issue. i run them at 34 lbs with slime tubes no problems at all. they hook up well even on wet pine roots very stable at speed and take down hill rocky descents like the big boys they are. if they were a little less expensive i would buy a lifetime supply. to the people who cry cause a knob came off stay on the road bikes!!!! | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Roberto Handal
a Weekend Warrior
from San Juan PR
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | monogas | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | cam with the heckler | | Strengths: | Couldnt say much about the tire only used it twice before it started to fall apart. | | Weaknesses: | The knobs are flying of after only two rides. This has never happened to me before after two rides.
The tire is not worth buying i still cant believe it fell apart so fast on the knobs
| | Similar Products Used: | Continenta 2.35. Panaracer Fire XC, Traction Pro | | Bike Setup: | Heckler with 5th element | | Bottom Line: | I bought this bike complete from santa cruz they should change these tires on there complete line of bikes. Tire is no good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom Foselli
a Racer
from Palm City, FL.......USA
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria | | Strengths: | light for it's width, although not a CC race tire! Full knobs. | | Weaknesses: | Mud | | Similar Products Used: | Too many to list from Conti, Michelin, Kenda, Maxxis, Schwalbe, etc etc. | | Bike Setup: | Switchblade, full XTR, FOX, Martas, etc... Set up for CC use. | | Bottom Line: | Rode this tire (2.25 version) on my trailbike for about 75 miles of the most aggressive trails I could find during a trip to GA/TN mountains, and have had none of the knob tearing issues mentioned on this forum.
The tire is in absolutely perfect shape, and hooked exceptionally well on hardpack, rocks, clay, roots, loam, gravel forest roads, etc. in wet and dry conditions. Maybe I would say it is an 8 out of 10 in slippery clay-mud, but much better than a Mutanoraptor. It will, however, COVER you with the amount of the sticky stuff it can throw back up at you when you do go through it, which is good, I guess as it does clean itself of the mud.
If you are looking for an aggressively-knobbed super-wide, confidence-inspiring tire for your trailbike, this is the one. Get it and you'll be happy.
BTW, mine weigh 670g, and are ~1/4 inch W-I-D-E-R than a 2.4 Mutanoraptor, have super-aggressive knobs, and seem to roll as easily if not easier. And they downright hook up.
While it is NOT for a CC bike (heck, the sight of this tire alone would make a SID cower in fear), it is in a class by itself when you consider its weight, width, price and traction to anything else out there for CC use.
I give it 4 chili's for value only because $45 for a bicycle tire is pretty ridiculous when you think about it. I've paid more for lesser tires, though.
An impressive tire.
-T | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sam
a Racer
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | porc rim | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$38.00 | | Purchased At: | Excel Sports | | Strengths: | SUUWEET all-around XC tire. Lots of air volume to land big drops with and to fly like monkey-on-crack down trail.
This tire also works great on slick rock -- its like wearing a pair of climbing shoes baby!
These tires will just about climb up anything else as well. I have never ridden a better climbing tire.
| | Weaknesses: | One knob has peeled off front tire | | Similar Products Used: | Ritchey ZED's, Intense System 2's, Conti Twister Pro's | | Bike Setup: | SWorks M5 FSR | | Bottom Line: | These tires are F-U-N to ride. Don't race on them if your an XC-geek tho, rolling resistance is too high.
These things are great when you wanna go to Moab and blast down trails with your peeps.
Read: These things will just about turn your full suspension XC bike into a free-ride bike.... one more time, F-U-N
The only reason I didn't give them a five is b/c of the knob peeling off | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alexander Repenning
a
from Boulder, Colorado
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Walker Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$37.00 | | Purchased At: | Exel Sports | | Strengths: | This is the SR Sticky Rubber (50 durometer) version. This tire is phenomenal. Sticks to rocks like no other tire. The combination of tracktion, weight, and air voume is unique. Because of the rubber type bike feels as if it has added suspension. A great tire while it lasts... | | Weaknesses: | ... it does not last at all. I knew because of the soft rubber this tire would not last long but I had to return mine after only 2 months of riding. | | Similar Products Used: | Conti Explorer, IRC Notos, Panaracer Fire Pro | | Bike Setup: | Marin, full suspension bla bla | | Bottom Line: | This tire is too good to be true. Truly amazing. I did not know that a tire could make this much of a difference (compared to my Panaracer Fire which I liked). I expected the rubber to wear but I can see the canvas peeking through in the middle. The knobs are still on but after just about 10 rides this tire looks like it's about to disintegrate. Scary. The 60 and 70 durometer version of this tire may be better. Frankly this tire may be optimized for sponsored racing. Works extremely well for short time. After the race toss it. I am neither a racer nor sponsored in any way. I need a tire that last a little longer. If you have a suggestion for a tire that has high volume, is reasonably light (~600 grams) and is pretty sticky send me an email. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from The Mountains of Tennessee
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | which one, it is hard to narrow it down | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$13.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Insane grip, cool grey sidewalls, got them for a good price | | Weaknesses: | Knobs on front tire started to tear off(probably due to braking or turning on the pavement/rock faces) which is probably the side effect of the gripping characteristics | | Similar Products Used: | too many to name them all | | Bike Setup: | Airborne Corsair, XT/LX mix, Sun Rhyno rear rim, 517 front, Duke SL | | Bottom Line: | This is an update to my earlier post, I highly reccomend that you only use them for the rear. The grip is phenomenal, but since they grip like a scared cat on all surfaces, when you are making a turn on any rock face or paved road, they can tear themselves apart. The knobs that are coming off are on the side which suggests just this. If you can get a hold of them, get them and use them as a rear tire as they will grab onto anything you cna ride through, and I have found them particularly effective on rock faces, just use a different tire for the front. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
playerX3
a Weekend Warrior
from Hrusica,Jesenice.Slovenia
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Extreme Vital | | Strengths: | -excelent grip on everything except mud
-very light for 2.25 tire
-wide(it's wider than Kenda Kinetics 2.35)
| | Weaknesses: | -thin wall
-no grip in muddy conditions(it's not a mud tire so I can't blame them for this) | | Similar Products Used: | Kenda Kinetics 2.35,Specialzed Roller 2.3 | | Bike Setup: | Scott G-zero FX3,Manitou Black Elite 100-120,Formula 4Racing front,Hayes HMX-1 rear,LX/XT,Deore Octalink cranks,HTI 828 pedals,... | | Bottom Line: | This tires are great.I've used them in every condition.It offers much grip when it's dry,but in mud they aren't that good.I will buy Intense Edge for muddy conditions.They have thin wall so i can't run lower presure. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Adelaide, South Australia
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Mount Lofty Fire Tracks | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | JTCycles, Pultney St. Adelaide | | Strengths: | 1. Very light weight.
2. Very sticky on pavement (when they're scrubbed in)
3. Great in the dirt.
4. Braking performance
...given their grip on the road I can't explain their durability, they appear to wear really, really well. | | Weaknesses: | ..they are expensive but then again they're the only thing between you and the trail/road....
..the only negative thing about them is possibly their shape, their contact patch with the road is quite small and when leaned over hard they don't make contact really well due to their profile dropping off quite sharply..... | | Similar Products Used: | ...mutano raptor...panaracer...marvic.... | | Bike Setup: | KHS FXT Rage | | Bottom Line: | My setup normally consists of a mutano raptor 2.25 front and an Intense 2.10 rear, cause the mutano raptor really bites in high speed cornering. However today I purchased a set of these Intense 2.25's, threw them both on (had to cut the edges off the rear with scissors to clear the frame) and did my normal run which is 30 minutes on road and 30 minutes on trail. Comming up to first high speed road corner, leant over and swoosh...the front washed out and I kissed bitumen. This never happened with the mutano raptor, perhaps they just need some scrubbing in, I'll persist for a few rides and see if this is going to be something of a problem. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
weather expert
a Weekend Warrior
from iowa
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$17.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo | | Strengths: | traction, cush. VERY good braking performance. not too heavy. | | Weaknesses: | nothing so far. can't comment on durability yet. | | Similar Products Used: | rear: ritchey omega, wtb racing raptor, conti twister, michelin lite, geaxgrid | | Bike Setup: | Mrazek boh fx. kenda kinetics 2.35 front. | | Bottom Line: | ran them on 30 psi and got the best traction i've had. hooks right up on climbs. big air volume means a lot more comfort w/o the hassle of rear suspension. felt like floating on trail. braking is also top notch. some rolling resistance on road but i've seen worse.
only problem so far--it's pretty big for my frame so i chipped the outside knobs a little bit to get soem extra clearance. didn't seem to affect teh performance a bit.
i'll assume a good durability--otherwise i'll post again. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
J.J Texas
a
from JJ123@hotmail.com
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$17.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo | | Strengths: | Price | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | revolt super x, Michelin XLS, front S, Hutchinson mosquito gold, IRC notos | | Bike Setup: | Klein Attitude Comp with all the bling bling parts. | | Bottom Line: | I put 20 miles on these bad boys on the first day I rode on them and I was not dissapointed at all. I'm a clyde so I have the 2.25's. The tires grips well with minimal rolling resistance. I haven't encountered any horrific "peeling of the knobbies" or any type of failure. The terrain was a mix bag of roots, loose dirt, and some baby heads and the tires responded really well to each of them. Use the tire for its intended purpose and it should not give you any problems. Tires are expensive these days but for $40 a pair (includes S&H) you cannot go wrong. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nick
a
from amarillo tx
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | wicked awsome in all conditions | | Weaknesses: | tons of rolling resistance on road | | Bottom Line: | totally badass tires, little heavey,and lots of rolling resistance, but they will save your life 1 day | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a
from The Mountains of Tennessee
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | which one, it is hard to narrow it down | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Grip, wow I have never had so much traction with a tire, nice feel | | Weaknesses: | Little heavy | | Similar Products Used: | WTB, Bontrager, Ritchey tires | | Bike Setup: | Airborne Corsair, Duke SL, XT/LX mix | | Bottom Line: | Wow, these tires will help you climb up and over anything, from loose conditions, to open rock ledges and drops, I have ridden several trails in the past couple rides that I would never have been able to ride on my old Bonti's. While they are nice tires, they just didn't have the traction I needed. I bought the Intense tires because the price was right, and I was intrigued by the possibility of the special compound. It is hard to compare them to the WTB's since they were stolen on my old bike and I can't really afford to have to many extra tires. But these Intense tires seem to do well in areas that would probably eat the WTB's up, i.e. rock faces and ledges. Five flaming turds for now, we'll see how they hold up over the long run though. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve R
a Weekend Warrior
from Irvine, CA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Aliso Woods - mathis | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo | | Strengths: | Grips like crazy - I was really impressed with these things. I'm getting to be a more agressive rider with turning and jumps, and these work so well for both. | | Weaknesses: | None that I've found - I'll have to use them for a while to see how long they last. | | Similar Products Used: | Panaracer fire XC pro, irc mythos xc - the intense grips better than both. | | Bike Setup: | Alum hardtail, modified mars shocks, XT drivetrain, etc | | Bottom Line: | Amazing tire for an amazing price - paid $30 for both of them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Cylinder
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | The Bone | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Wheels | | Strengths: | Wide 2.25", grippy. | | Weaknesses: | Not durable--blew the rear one out on a jump? thought you could only pinch flat tires. | | Similar Products Used: | irc mythos xc | | Bike Setup: | Haro Escape 8.2 (Red/Black 19.5”): Manitou SIX Comp (100mm); Avid disc brakes (f&r); Shimano LX rear derailleur; Shimano Alivio shifters and front derailleur (8-speed); ProMax brake levers; TruVativ 5D Cranks; SRAM 5.0 cassette (8-speed 11-32T); Shimano IG51 Chain (8-speed); Alex DM18 Doublewall rims (32H); Intense 2.25" CC tires; Haro disc hubs, handlebar, stem, and seatpost; WTB Inner Peace ST headset and Speed V Comp saddle. | | Bottom Line: | I spoke too soon in my review (below)--these tires WOULD be excellent if you do everything but jumps (this is true for me anyway). They are perfect width and have good handling/braking but didn't get to use them in wet, sloppy, muddy conditions. Not good for jumping. I'm considering slightly wider tires (nothing over 2.4" though) but don't want to transform my bike to be more DH oriented. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Cylinder
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | The Bone | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Wheels | | Strengths: | I love these tires. They are perfect width, not too wide, not to thin. They handle extremely well and take big jumps great, too. | | Weaknesses: | None at all but haven't ridden them in wet conditions yet. | | Similar Products Used: | IRC Mythos XC 2.1". Intense 2.25" CC are much better. | | Bike Setup: | Haro Escape 8.2 (Red/Black 19.5”): Manitou SIX Comp (100mm); Avid disc brakes (f&r); Shimano LX rear derailleur; Shimano Alivio shifters and front derailleur (8-speed); ProMax brake levers; TruVativ 5D Cranks; SRAM 5.0 cassette (8-speed 11-32T); Shimano IG51 Chain (8-speed); Alex DM18 Doublewall rims (32H); Intense 2.25" CC tires; Haro disc hubs, handlebar, stem, and seatpost; WTB Inner Peace ST headset, and Speed V Comp saddle. | | Bottom Line: | I love these tires for the reasons mentioned above. Will probably continue to buy these in the future. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Downhiller
from LA, CA. USA
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria Redondo Beach | | Strengths: | 1) good simple design 2) tough as rocks casing 3) rubber compound is good 4) the factory team uses the same tire 5) KOVARIK! | | Weaknesses: | 1) ugly graphics(I think.) 2) cant find them at very many shops | | Similar Products Used: | IRC, Maxxis, | | Bike Setup: | Turner DH (it's for sale!) | | Bottom Line: | I really love this tire. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Cambridge, MA
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Fells | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Works | | Strengths: | Look good | | Weaknesses: | Knobs tear off casing after 1 ridge, tire wasted after 3 rides | | Similar Products Used: | Many | | Bike Setup: | DBR XR*, Hope Minis, Chris King hubs, Sun Ringle wheels, LP riser bar | | Bottom Line: | The knobs tore off the casing so quickly I never had a chance to determine if I liked them. After three rides the tire was wasted (rear)!! I called Intense and they said would replace with new tire with improved rubber. Sent the tire back (at my expense) to never get a replacement. In other words, total waste of money and time. Tire was exensive too. I kept emailin my contact and he never returned my emails after saying he would replace it. I hear through the rumor mill they fixed the tearing problem, but I was pretty disatisfied with the service after the company obvioulsy sold completely useless tires at way high prices. They should have jumped through hoops to replace them instead of the other way. My local dealer would not help either. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Seismic bomb
a Downhiller
from Knoxville,Tennessee,,USA
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Ridgecrest | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Intense | | Weaknesses: | none yet..Gravel roads ,they have No grip!---But the 2.35" FRO60's dh tire have great grip on gravel roads !! | | Similar Products Used: | 2.4 Moto's...--2.35" Intense 60fro--2.7's-----2.3" Panaracer dh---2.1" Tioga dh----Hutchinson Squale2.2"-----Maxxis 2.35----& some others | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Haro Extreme X1--Avid Mech disks--Azonic 1.5" risers--Kona clump 80mm stem---Manitiou 01 X-vert dc--Salsa skewer--Un72 BB---& upgrades keep coming ! | | Bottom Line: | tires seem to work good for me & i ride fast...They seem to "suck" on a fireroad that has loose gravel on it for sure !..No knobs tearing off yet...But i havn't been through any ROCK gardens....The 2.35" FRO60's Rock & Roll-- | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pete
a Downhiller
from Georgia
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Mansell Rd | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Fat City BMX | | Strengths: | Big for a 2.25, reletively light for it's size, excellent grip, easy to remove from rim, costumer service is excellent | | Weaknesses: | Knobs came off the first set I had. | | Similar Products Used: | Hutcheonson Python, Alligator, Mosquito | | Bike Setup: | Intense Uzzi SLX, JrT, Purple Hayes brakes, MRP, a little of this, a little of that | | Bottom Line: | The first set had great traction in everything except pine straw( what does?) Knobs came off, I called Intense tires. They told me to send them in. A few weeks later a new set showed up. They said these are the new and improved ones. I've done some XC, DHing and "freeriding" on them and they work great. They will pinch f |
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