Well, it took a while, but I finally finished it.

This one will live in Austria and will only be used as a bike park/chair lift bike. Can't wait for the Summer to get back out there when the snow has gone. Great skiing last week, but not so good for getting out on the bike. So far on the 'pootle around the car park' test, it is lovely.

My first heavy duty bike. Everything else in the collection is either road, CX or XC. I did transfer everything from my XC bike as I needed something burlier for the Alps, so the kit isn't as heavy duty as the frame perhaps deserves. Still, it has built up surprisingly light as a result (just over 30lbs for a 6 inch travel XL burly bike). I'll see how I get on with the triple/XC kit before I consider changing to flatties and a double/bash/chain guide set up if I need to. The 1.5 head tube, short stem, big risers, big front rotor and low saddle are all new to me. Time to re-learn my riding style a bit for this one. I'll be wearing my jeans somewhere south of my arse with a backwards baseball cap before you know it!

Thanks to Luke at Rutland! Finally got those dropouts sorted.

Racing Ralphs?

Yep. As I said, I just transferred everything off the XC bike to get me started. Pretty sure the tyres wil be the first to go!

Any alternative suggestions gratefully received. This is my first forray into long travel freeride, and I am feeling my way a bit with the tyres and drivetrain.

wow… your right though some of the XC kit doesnt look so at home on it.

A nice-looking bike on here for once. I'd drop the front end by loosing the spacers under the stem though. Reckon you'll go flats and double before long.

The appeal of the Slopstyle was that although it can take the chain device and bashring at a later date, at least I can run a triple with front mech in the meantime.

The XC kit will at least get me started. A few pinch flats later and the tyres will no doubt go. Once I realise that the big ring is just sitting there gathering dust and debris, I am sure it will get replaced by a double/bash set up. For the moment, it will get me started. The main point is that the frame, forks and wheels are all good. The rest I can change when it has either been worn out, bashed up, or made bleedin' obvious that it is just too XC for the job.

You are right, I am sure the spacers will also go. I am a big chap and at the moment this feels like a BMX to me. At least I can always remove them, but I always like to start out with a steerer longer than I need and trim it down. It's a bit difficult the other way around. It does look a bit high up front right now though.

Very nice. Definitely need to replace the big ring with a bashguard and get some flat pedals

dual ply big bettys are good, perhaps one of those on the back to avoid pinch plafs and something big and single ply up front?

ditch the spacers, you will want to get some wieght over the front to muscle it about a bit.

it looks great fun, congrats!

Cranks drivetrain etc will be fine, providing you don't start catching pedals on rocks. Ditch the big ring and fit a 36T middle & bash. You won't need to pedal to generate big ring speeds, just ease off the brakes a bit! From memory SS's have a low BB, so the bash will get some solid abuse.

What rims are those? look like either 819s of 717s. If the latter they *will* die horribly, and very quickly. Especially if you carry on with those tyres. 721 rims and 2.5 dual ply High Rollers or Minions is a decent setup.

Your back brake will also die very quickly. 180 rear rotor minimum – if it's an XL frame, you're presumably quite a big lad…? Big brakes are good in the Alps. Bigger ones are better. You really can't be overbraked.

Drop the saddle as far as it will go – you won't be sitting on it, and personally I'd get rid of the stem spacers too, but that's personal preference.

If you're happy with spuds, stick with them, but the platform ones are a bit easier to clip into in a hurry.

Either which way, go and spank it's ass!

Cheers Jon. Thanks for the advice. I guess some of it will be try it, break it, replace it!

I upped the front rotor to a 203mm, but didn't think that the back would need it. Thankfully, this one is an easy and inexpensive fix should I need it.

The tyres do seem to be the first candidates to be replaced though. High Rollers seem to get decent reviews. I have done some pretty knarly stuff on 717's and they have been well built, so time will tell. I think the issue will be rim width for running more appropriate tyres.

XL bike = tall and lanky, not big and chunky in this case and I am not a destroyer of kit usually, but this will hopefully get a bit more chucking around than my other bikes, poor thing!

Bloody sweet 😀

as for tyres; I'd go Highroller singleply 60a on the back, kevlar if you can find them and tubeless to avoid pinches (it really does work)

for the front either a High Roller or a Nobby Nic snakekin 2.4. Bloody wicked tyre the 2.4 nic. also tubeless with stans strip / ghetto.

I want to know how that bike rides up aswell as down. I have my heart set on a Spider 2 for the summer but always liked the slopestyle's layout, I just think it would be too slack and active for trail riding?

I'm 10stone, but fairly aggressive with it – back in the days when I used 317's, they'd last 2 or 3 Peaks rides before picking up dings. I pretty much wrote off a 721 in a weeks worth of Alpine riding last year (the Mega). 14 dings/flatspots, and it was starting to crack around the eyelets. Still straight though… Don't underestimate *quite* how quick that bike will allow you to batter through rock gardens. There's nothing so frustrating as being in the middle of some truly fantastic riding with a broken bike. Even pinch flats are soul destroying after the 4th one in a single run, when everybody is waiting for you.

Thanks for the tyre advice. Anybody else concur with the tubeless option? I have always steered clear of it but you are right, there is some sense to it to avoid pinch flats.

From an initial ride, you are too far forward over the BB to contemplate much in the way of uphill riding. It's a definite 'horses for courses' bike. Bike parks, a bit of light downhill, slopestyle (funnily enough!) seem to be its main use. Having ridden a Spider, there are many bikes even in the Intense range that would bridge the gap to what you fancy.

It is great at what it does, but not an all-rounder for sure.

Jon, I am converted. The last thing I want is to have my bike time interupted by mechanicals. You make a very compelling argument. I have the frame and the forks, so beefing up the wheels does make absolute sense. Judging from the first ride, it is more than capable of getting me in trouble. So much travel. Time to invest in a burlier wheel build. Now, tubeless or not?

Super tacky Minion up front

Couldn't agree with JonE more, and good to see you agree! Change the wheels BEFORE you take that anywhere. Why destroy a nice set of XC wheels?! 6" slack travel = speed, speed + rocks = knackered rims on first day out. They're too narrow for big tyres too. My last 717 lasted one ride.

I'd say go tubeless – I use either 819s (quite narrow but surprisingly tough) or 823s on my bigger wheels. I'd probably go for a Stans flow now if I had the choice. UST highrollers/minions are great and hassle free but you may consider them a bit weighty. Currently trying 2.35 UST barracudas on my 819 wheel set. Jury still out on them.

Cool… 🙂

If you go tubeless, get the proper full fat DH tubleess tyres, not the LUST ones – they're actually quite fragile. Or just use "normal" DH tyres, Stans'd up. (Touch wood) I've never pinched a Maxxis 2.5 twin ply, but I have torn a few valves off under braking.

They'll feel pretty horrendous on the flat, if you're used to light wheels and tyres, but they'll make absolute sense once you point downwards.

That makes sense. Not sure this bike will see much flat or uphill.

Maybe I was expecting too much of the XC wheels.

Nice bike, but as has already been said would be a shame to destroy a set of rims which you probably wouldn't want to fit any high volume tyres to anyway.
I know what you mean about the snow. I have been living in Salzburg since the autumn, and the snow has prevented me from getting out on my bike much. I guess I wont have too much sympathy from many here when I say that I just had to go boarding instead.
Are you local to Salzburg? Am looking for people to go riding with now the weather is looking up.
Enjoy the bike – should be a lot of fun…

Not local all year round. We have a house in Hinterthal, near Saalfelden. Out there probably 6 weeks a year. Skiing in the winter, road riding in the Summer, and now I am going to hit the bike parks in Leogang and Saalbach on the Intense.

You are right, great snow this year, although it was 20 degrees last week, so I don't think it will last until Easter. Still, that's why we go there I guess!

Looks like I'll be bringing a more gnarly set of wheels out in the Summer!

Yep, don't bother with single ply tyres on a gravity bike. You won't notice the extra drag of dual plys when pointing down a mountain and they'll mean less pinch flats, allow lower pressures and feel a whole lot more stable at speed.

So as an aside, it looks like these wheels are for sale if anybody is interested! XT front and rear splined hubs (20mm front, QR rear), built onto Mavic 717 rims with Black DT Competition DB spokes. Price will include front (203mm) and rear (160mm) rotors and Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.1's. Front wheel is completely and utterly brand new. Rear has about 100 miles on it, but is unmarked. Any interest?

Thanks to Luke at Rutland! Finally got those dropouts sorted.

Had bother with my Slopey's dropouts. Replaced under warranty.

Concerning, particularly given how robust they look. The issue that Luke resolved was about the box stating 135mm spacing, but the frame being shipped with 150mm dropouts. Because of the bike's location in Austria, it all got a bit complicated, but Luke came through in the end. Fingers crossed mine don't go that way. It's the first time I have heard of it.

How's the bike otherwise? Pleased with it?

you are too far forward over the BB to contemplate much in the way of uphill riding.

I don't understand this comment. I assume the SS has a steep seat angle for the very reason of making it climb better? It it is anything like my Blur 4X you will want an inline seatpost and get used to sitting down only when winching up the hills. I suspect these sorts of bikes aren't designed for pootling around on the saddle in an "ideal" pedalling position. You are either gnar'ed up to the max 😉 out of the saddle or spinning you way up a hill and you want a steep seat tube angle to get your weight over those long forks (plus spacers plus high-rise bar!)

jfeb – we seem to be violently agreeing here!

My comment was really to suggest that if you want an all-round mile-eating bike, then you should perhaps look elsewhere. This is an XL frame with just a 17inch ctr-top seat tube. It's the biggest frame size that Intense make of the Slopestyle. Yet, even a fully extended 440mm Thomson seatpost will not give me my usual saddle to ctr bb height position, and anything near it looks like I have borrowed my 10 year old nephew's bike.

And pedalling isn't just about saddle height, it is also about being far enough behind the bb to put the power down hence my comment. Given the seat angle, even with the seatpost fully and ridiculously extended, I cannot get far enough behind the bb to exert anything like maximum power. The bike is intentionally short and low so that you can move easily all over it in the situations that it was designed for.

I guess you can infer that this isn't an bike meant for all day pedalling up hill and down dale. It is what it is (and the clue here is in the name of the bike). As an earlier contributor mentioned, it's a case of stick the saddle well out of the way and as you say 'gnarl it up to the max'. In this respect, and going back to the original post, it cannot in any way be likened to the Spider.

How's the bike otherwise? Pleased with it?

Bike has been 100% since, built up to 34lbs with single ring and bash. Runs fine with single ply Minions and flat pedals.

Thanks for the picture. I guess that's how I should have mine kitted out!

First the wheels and tyres, then the bashguard (although I think I'll at least keep a double), then maybe flatties. Everything else seems pretty sorted.

Glad to hear it has been all good since the issue with the dropouts.

*Whistles* that is a lovely looking bike! Is that a shot glass-holder up front? Nice touch… 😉

Thanks, and sorry to disappoint, but it's a Sigma computer mount. Hasn't anybody ever told not to drink and ride?! Tut Tut!

New wheels on order. XT hubs, Mavic 729 rims, plain gauge spokes with Maxxis Dual Ply sticky compound 2.5 High Rollers. Should be better suited to life in the Alps! The rest can wait (he says hovering his mouse over the buy button of a bashguard!).

I think the SS are great and wish I got one instead of the 6.6! The SS2 looks even better apart from the sloping seat tube. They have ditched the G3 dropouts on the new one as well and is only 135mm spacing.
Even it being an XL, it still looks small!

Mmmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm . . . counts pennies 😉

Here is mine. Weighs in at 33.6lbs with 2.35 single ply swampthings. The seatpost gets dropped for the fun stuff!

Best bike I have ever owned, it corners like a house fly! You will love it.

Hey great to see it all finally built up, looks ace. Glad to be able to get the dropouts sorted quickly for you too, my fault for assuming the box was correct! Anything you need just give me a shout. Luke

solarider where are you in austria?

i live in innsbruck, do you ride nordkette or only bike parks?

Nearer Saalfelden, sorry. Nearest bike parks are Leogang and Saalbach. Not my permanen home. I am unfortunately London based most of the time. Itching to get back out there and ride it once the snow has cleared.

back on the tubeless subject, its still worth running dual plys imo; i regularly pinch flat single ply maxxis at 30psi run tubeless, same with the lust versions. i ride a 5 and a sovereign wihich whilst great bikes, may not reach the same sped in the hectic rocky stuff as that beast of yours.

Thanks. Think I am going to go for double ply High Rollers, but not tubeless. Lots of rocks and roots where I ride, which I know might cause pinch flats, but might just as well cause a tubeless to 'burp' off the rim. Back in the day I had a set of the first UST crossmax, and seating the tyres was a pain, plus they did used to 'burp' quite a bit. I know things may well have improved, but I have been mentally scarred!

Not sure the speed is going to be that fast until I get used to it!

downhill tubes will be a good buy then! im sure you wont mind learning to get it up to speed, im quite jealous