So whats the word on these things holding up? The are super fragile, or do they take a bunch of poop?
Tell yer story, and post pics too.
Tell yer story, and post pics too.
Socom : Fragile?
- Thread starter dropmachine
- Start date
My friend has been riding one for 2 years. I'm surprised how much abuse it's taken. I wouldn't says it's fragile at all. I don't have any pics of him riding it though.
The ISCG tabs on mine were weak and the rear has some flex to it, but otherwise it's burly. The flex isn't anything that I notice while riding, but if I grab the seat and the wheel and push side to side it's noticeable. I weigh 200+ and haven't had any major problems in the past year... but also haven't had it for the past 3 months.
I've seen that done on a lot of bikes. It's just from not padding it enough. One blanket isn't going to cut it.
jeff, I know someone who used his for a bit of list access and then shore riding, he cracked the seat tube on a weld......weeeeeeak
and the third bike was a giant...it wasn't just socoms that got dented that day. on a side note, vedder mtn has one of the worst access roads around and has done alot of damage to alot of frames in reguards to shuttling.
i've had mine for almost a year and other then a dent on the downtube, it's been awesome. yes i will agree that it has some rear wheel flex to it, but once on the trail i've never noticed it.if i had to buy another bike today and i could only have one bike...it would be a socom. thankfully this is not the case and i can have more then one bike.
Last edited:
we don't use blankets or pads on any of our trucks and no one in my crew has ever had a dented downtube as a result of shuttling in the past 4-5 years. some of us even have burly trucks and get rowdy with the bikes in the back...
(Edit: after reading samdemo's post, we seem to just be lucky)
Last edited:
also, a friend of mine did 60 plus days of shore riding, lived up at whistler for 3 months(rode almost every day) and used it for dirt jumping, with no issues other then most of the bearings needed to be replaced....this also includes his pedal,bb and wheel bearings. he beat the piss out of it and although it showed, the frame didn't have a single crack.
We sold a whole bunch of socoms at the fix last year and this spring, and besides one out-of-the-box issue that was immediately taken care of by intense, we have had no failures. I did hear of one local guy breaking his, but for a frame of that weight, Intense seems to have done a fantastic job. Mine had no issues through a long season, and I weigh a solid 185 pounds and am not especially gentle.
Is that a solid 185 pounds of twisted steel and sex appel?
Kanter, I love yours too. Keep the feedback coming, I am seriously considering buying one next year. If so, I plan to use it for a combo of DH and FR.
i've had no problems with my socom. socom's can hold up to dh abuse.why dropmachine you thinking of turning to the weight weenie darkside and getting one ?
Not a weight weenie, just need something thats more sensible for the terrain here. I don't need huge travel, and I don't want a lot of weight. I like something with a relatively short rear, and really the intense just seems to fit. I was also looking at a Cove STD (Mini-dh i guess) or even the Shocker, although its more then I need.
One of them was mine. Much crying. I love that bike and I honestly can't think of any bike I'd rather be on and I have a raging case of bike related A.D.D. As to durability, I've had mine a year and I've ridden it pretty hard with absolutely no issues but that vedder access road(4x4 only fireroad) really stamped it. The dakine pad wasn't enough obviously and the ****ty part was that I sat there before I jumped in the truck wondering If I should wrap my kneepad around the downtube.
i did the exact same thing in colorado on a shuttle ride. these things ar the most paper thin Dh bike I have ever owned. while they ride awesome and are super fast, they are one use race bikes. so, if you crash bikes or go big, do not buy one. there is a FRO decal on the bike for a reason.
I use my Socom for everything from epic XC to DH racing. It weighs about 37-38 with I9 wheels and Intense 2.35 2ply tires for XC. Then it weights 41-42 with the Azonic Outlaws and Maxxis Minions 2.7/2.5 for DH. Ive done drops as big as 6-8 ft and its held up so far. Ive also done XC rides as far as 18 miles and 3500 ft of vert.
Im pretty easy on my stuff and I dont crash that often so I have no worries. If you crash a lot and dont take care of your stuff get another bike. Its tough for what its designed to do but it is thin and flexy. It pedals amazingly and I love the low bottom bracket. I got a small because I wanted a bike mostly for FR and tight North Shore riding. I am 5'9" and the recommended the medium but I wanted a short bike and the small fits me perfect. Ive owned an 06 and 02.5 Foes Fly and many Big Hits and the Socom is my favorite bike Ive ever owned. I have ridden a lot of other bikes and the Socom pedals so well.
Last edited:
Horror Biz...buy one!!! You will not be happier with another bike. I do have to agree with some of the other posts about rear wheel flex(just a bit), if you grab the rear wheel hard and try to move it.
Riding no worries. If you want to haul ass down the mountain, float over rocks and be able to pedal it, buy it.
If you race downhill...buy it!!!
I bought one 2 years ago, then I bought another for my son, he was on a Santa Cruz VP Free.
I wouldn't ride anything else, maybe a M6
Buy one, it'll make you smile when you beat all your friends to the bottom of the mountain.
Riding no worries. If you want to haul ass down the mountain, float over rocks and be able to pedal it, buy it.
If you race downhill...buy it!!!
I bought one 2 years ago, then I bought another for my son, he was on a Santa Cruz VP Free.
I wouldn't ride anything else, maybe a M6
Buy one, it'll make you smile when you beat all your friends to the bottom of the mountain.
Last edited:
Another vote from me, i'm really getting into it now, owned it for about 6 months & its getting better & better 
The whole FRO thing is marketing gumph, if the frames really were weaker than the other offerings, Intense would be taking a big gamble in offering the same 2yr warranty they offer all other bikes.
Rides well, takes everything I can throw at it, & importantly to me, rides light. Only things i'm changing is to start cutting down the RideWide bars, as i'm noticing my hands creeping in on a run, maybe take them down 2cm, and to ditch the 823 tubless set up for 721's.
The whole FRO thing is marketing gumph, if the frames really were weaker than the other offerings, Intense would be taking a big gamble in offering the same 2yr warranty they offer all other bikes.
Rides well, takes everything I can throw at it, & importantly to me, rides light. Only things i'm changing is to start cutting down the RideWide bars, as i'm noticing my hands creeping in on a run, maybe take them down 2cm, and to ditch the 823 tubless set up for 721's.
Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I was wondering if the VPP does require a lot of maintenance?
VPP's in general are pretty hard on bearings, especially on those around the lower pivot, in experience 2 or 3 sets a season (UK riding) seems to be about the going time, the rest last a season.
Its a cheap & easy job to do if you buy the bearings from an online supplier, rather than being ripped for Intense/Enduro ones.
Its a cheap & easy job to do if you buy the bearings from an online supplier, rather than being ripped for Intense/Enduro ones.
this is probably prettiest and best build socom I have ever seen... few things I would change are pedals, brakes, grips and stem - personal preference. apart from that it's perfect ... congatulations...Another vote from me, i'm really getting into it now, owned it for about 6 months & its getting better & better
The whole FRO thing is marketing gumph, if the frames really were weaker than the other offerings, Intense would be taking a big gamble in offering the same 2yr warranty they offer all other bikes.
Rides well, takes everything I can throw at it, & importantly to me, rides light. Only things i'm changing is to start cutting down the RideWide bars, as i'm noticing my hands creeping in on a run, maybe take them down 2cm, and to ditch the 823 tubless set up for 721's.
irate2:
yea that pretty nice
I have almost a year(albeit with a 3mos layoff 'cause of snow) on mine riding 4+ days a week and I'm still on my original bearings.
sorry to crash this thread also, but has anyone heard anything about the rumors of the new V8 from santa cruz to replace the vpp free? I guess it will look something like the socom but with more curves to it, anyone know anything?
my bad, well, it would be awsome to see a V10 with 8 inches of travel, and a racing geo!Also, its VP Free not VPP Free
I rode a Foes FLY before my Socom. My Foes had a floating brake, so I really cant compare the braking of the two.... both brake very well. The Socom pedals so well its unbelievable. I can now pedal in the rough sections where I could not on the Foes. The Socom corners like its on rails. It jumps really well also. I got a small.
I had to replace the bearings after only a couple rides. I was told that a couple of the pivots had been over tightened and that was why the bearings were ruined. Intense would NOT warranty them. Bearings are cheap, so I have a few sets now just in case. I run the 150mm thru axle and there is some flex, but I dont notice it when going DH or pedaling. The only time I really notice it is when Im riding uphill... I run a front derailer.
Not many resorts around here. You have to earn your vertical. I went with a size smaller than was reccommended because I like a short bike and short toptube. We ride North Shore type trails a lot and I like a small bike for skinnies and tight turns.As pictured above it is high 37 lbs. I could get it down a little more but I really dont want to.good god!!!!
what is the weight on that beast? i think i'm in love....
Last edited: