Tracer T275 “balances beauty and aggression”
After a massive 2012 and the recent addition of veterans from both inside and outside of the bike industry, Intense have just come through with the “something big” they promised in January: a carbon fibre tracer. While the Tracer’s mission hasn’t changed (beyond its on-trend Enduro categorisation), the details have.
Built around the VPP patents co-licensed with Santa Cruz, the Tracer offers up 140 or 160mm of travel, depending on shock position. Given the T275 model name (and current market trends), the 27.5 wheels will come as no surprise and, given the bike’s Enduro bent, neither will the integrated ISCG 05 chain device mounts. The one-piece front triangle hides its cables on the inside and is Stealth-ready for internally-routed dropper posts. In order to keep home and professional mechanics alike from seeking out (and jumping from) the nearest bridge, cables do have internal guides.
Skirting eternal damnation by a fraction of a degree, the slack 66.5° head angle should keep things stable while the steep 74.5° seat angle should keep weight forward and the front end from wandering too much on climbs. One-piece 142x12mm dropouts simplify the rear end and help to keep weight down. How far down? To an impressive 5.2lb, 5.6lb, and 5.9lb in small, medium, and large.
The Tracer T275 frameset is available now for £2,800 ($3,200 Stateside). Intense Cycles are distributed in the UK by Extra UK.
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Looks the nuts. Far too manly a bike for me though 😉
Rode the alu Tracer275 at the weekend. Decided it was way to heavy for me but loved how it felt riding downhill, fast and confidence giving. I’d really like the carbon version, saving has started!
Mint.
Looks amazing. But, only 3 sizes. Not enough.
The naked carbon looks great and weight is good too. ..almost tempted (even by the weird wheel size).