• This topic has 18 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by spw3.
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  • Intense SOCOM – should I?
  • spw3
    Full Member

    I’m pondering buying a secondhand Socom. Putting to one side whether the frame I’m thinking of buying is in good ink, should I buy one?

    I’ve got a BigHit but it’s a bit of a tank and at 200mm way more travel than I will need, having drawn my horns in a bit over the last couple of years.

    Any one have any experience of these frames?

    IA
    Full Member

    Well a socom is 200mm too, way more a race frame than a big hit. Also a loads faster bike (owned and raced a socom, ridden big hits). Like scary fast, they don’t want to slow down, and it’ll corner as fast as you have balls for.

    Can build them pretty light too. They suit steep/twisty tech best, think inners and the like. Low bikes though, very low bb compared to big hit ( I ran shorter cranks).

    Unbolt the linkages and check alignment. Also later front ends have a slightly slacker HA and three down tube cable guides compared to two (extra one in the middle).

    Great bike for going downhill fast. Sold mine for an enduro bike when I had less time to race.

    IA
    Full Member

    Oh check the iscg mounts too, you’re looking for a one piece mount and shell, early ones were welded on and can come off (mine did, but was replaced)

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    spw3
    Full Member

    Cheers IA. Since I’m turning into more of a mincer than I used to be maybe a rocket ship DH bike isn’t such a good idea! The BigHit does feel sluggish though and at 42 lb, getting down to a more reasonable wright would cost a fortune.

    spw3
    Full Member

    Can you explain what you mean about the linkages?

    JCL
    Free Member

    66.5 HA, 14.1″ BB height on a 200mm frame?

    I’d look elsewhere.

    legend
    Free Member

    spw3 – Member
    Can you explain what you mean about the linkages?

    It’ll probably be squint

    Hob-Nob
    Free Member

    Can you explain what you mean about the linkages?

    When you take one apart & it banana’s in front of you, it will make sense 🙂

    Even though I needed a breaker bar to put mine back together it still rode surprisingly well. Back when they were new the numbers were a bit funky, people were using custom dropouts to slacken and lower them, it was a bit pre angleset, although before mine went it had a set of -2 cups in it, which made it better.

    They were light though, very light & the tubing was super thin – a lot cracked. I don’t think I would buy one now. I’d rather have another Sunday from that era. Its only a pound or so heavier in the frame. You can still build them light too.

    iolo
    Free Member

    IIRC many frames cracked so be careful. Intense’ 2nd hand warranty does dot exist.

    geetee1972
    Free Member

    It would be a brave individual that bought a second hand Socom now given their age. Two friends of mine (husband and wife team) ran a pair of identical Socoms for several years and they new bearings and bushes every six months. They insisted this was just normal wear and tear but I never bought that; always suggested poor frame alignment to me.

    I’ve also ridden various versions of them and would agree with IA’s comments. I always found them a bit of a handful on really fast courses, scary in many ways; they need a supremely skilled rider to get the most from, largely because they pick up speed so quickly.

    I’d liken them to early version of the Porsche 911; in the right hands they are supremely quick, but get it slightly wrong and it’s going to bite you very quickly and you’ll struggle to correct.

    On the MTBR forum you used to see a lot of people building them up as trail bikes, I guess the pre-cursor to what we all now call ‘enduro’, but even with 160mm forks they would come out reasonably heavy and I doubt anyone would ever race one now given how light enduro bikes end up being these days.

    spw3
    Full Member

    Thanks all. The reason I was thinking of one was bc the BigHit seems heavy, sluggish and seems very high. I’m not too worried about the head angle bc I ride a Gemini with a 66 degree HA in the Alps and I usually ride the BigHit in steep mode (68 degrees) anyway. I have an angleset if need be.

    @JCL – The Intense geo chart says the frame is 180mm travel not 200mm but it will accept a 200mm fork. The BigHit in slack setting is 14.25″ and that really is a 200mm frame with no pedal strikes.

    spw3
    Full Member

    So for a 180mm DH – “mini DH”? – what are the alternatives? I haven’t bought a new frame or bike for many tears and don’t intend on starting now!

    Demo 7? I have read that these weigh about 40-42lbs, no less than the BigHit.

    geetee1972
    Free Member

    So for a 180mm DH – “mini DH”? – what are the alternatives? I haven’t bought a new frame or bike for many tears and don’t intend on starting now!

    It’s an interesting question. I think that what now fills that niche are actually enduro bikes. Rather than having 180mm of travel and the weight penalty that comes with accepting a 200mm fork, they are coming to market with up to 160mm of very well sorted travel with much better suspension units and/or larger wheels and much better geometry.

    I have a Nicolai Helius AM that can be set to give 172mm of travel with a 170mm fork. A few years ago in the Alps I was following a very capable rider on a bike of his own design (it was an Orange 224 with 180mm forks and a CCDB) down a very long descent and I was able to keep up without any drama, the point being, the Nic was every bit as capable over that 8km/1700m rocky descent but it weighed maybe 1.5kg less than the Orange.

    honourablegeorge
    Full Member

    spw3 – Member
    So for a 180mm DH – “mini DH”? – what are the alternatives? I haven’t bought a new frame or bike for many tears and don’t intend on starting now!

    Demo 7? I have read that these weigh about 40-42lbs, no less than the BigHit.

    Had a Demo 7, never weighed it, but it was a great bike, solid as a rock, had a lot of fun on it.

    Transition TR250 or Morewood Kalula would suit, not many second hand about though.

    rhid
    Full Member

    I just sold my DH bike. All this talk of them is making me want another one. With regards to 2nd hand Socoms you do hear a lot about them cracking. There are a lot of other brillinat deals out there so it may be a good idea to look elsewhere first. i find myslef looking at budget builds on Pinkbike a lot!

    goodgrief
    Free Member

    scott voltage, really versatile and many different geometry/build options

    kenneththecurtain
    Free Member

    The geo on them is a bit whack – I ran an angleset in mine and it was still super steep. They also like to crack, and the back ends were usually welded up squint to begin with.

    TBH there are much better frames available for similar money.

    wysiwyg
    Free Member

    If this stirs the urge in anyone ive still got my large m6 for sale. Dont make me ebay it 🙁

    PS SOCOMs deffo one to avoid SH due to the cracking

    spw3
    Full Member

    Wow, I think this must be the first thread I have ever read on STW in which everyone is in agreement.
    Can we make it a sticky?

    Sounds like I’m looking elsewhere, thanks for the warnings.

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