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Warning to future intense M6 owners!!

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?????

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
1,678
2
San Francisco
It will be a great bike for the groomed fire road downhill tracks that the NMBS has been choosing lately.

I'd still love to have one, but to me, I'm a bit confused by their choice of geometry between the m6 and the socom. I would think that the socom with the lighter weight and lesser travel would be lower and more raked out for smoother high speed tracks and the m6 with the extra travel would have geometry more like the socom for more technical tracks... I could be wrong though.
 

bachmayeah

Chimp
Apr 3, 2008
9
0
Central Europe
hi there. i am new to this forum but almost riding my brand new m6.
i´m still lovin´it:

you want some pics? here we go.
its the m6 of a mate.

i had the same problem with my former m3 running a dhx air rear shock. but that was not that bad.
we´ll see what kind of solutions intense will offer.
here are some pic´s of a nearly complete compressed m6 from spain. please note that the bumper on the shock is not compressed yet:
 

Attachments

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,767
501
Haaaaaaaa that's retarded....it doesn't take much to reach the bottom out bumper with a good DH setup. I don't see long lives for those frames.
 

bachmayeah

Chimp
Apr 3, 2008
9
0
Central Europe
^^^ props to the n00b for getting these pics!!


welcome to RM.
thanx buddy ;) hope my german accent is not too bad :D
ontopic: i am not quite happy with that issue or the yet offered solutions (saddle down ;) / spacer behind the bumper and so on)
although they would be very effective :biggrin:
i hope intense delivers a right and reasonable solution. as already mentioned: new drop outs or a redesigned new rear.
i remember the v10 problem those days where the to links hit the seat stays.
answer from sc: use a jig saw to remove a bit of the links (no joke):poster_oops:
now i am still full of hope that intense or my lbs offers a good solution. we´ll see. i´ll try to keep you up2date.
 

General Lee

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2003
2,860
0
The 802
i don't think you'd be too pumped on a bike with a 13.34" bb with almost 10" of travel.....most pros really wouldn't be.....kovarik is a strange bird in terms of bike setup.....
forget bb height, i wouldn't be too pumped on a bike with 10" of travel. I don't have the type of riding style that needs that much travel at any speed. I don't think it would necessarily make me slower but I can't imagine I'd like the feel of it either. I raced a season on a 9" travel frame and didn't care for it at all; 8" and change is where it's at for me.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,846
5,218
Australia
I thought the M6 had less travel than 10" more like 9"? Ah well...

Be interesting to see what the warranty situation was if the tyre wore through the metal. What size tyre is that by the way?

***edit*** whoops... it says 2.5" in the first post. That's pretty crazy then.
 
Jun 20, 2007
349
9
The shots of the white one WITHOUT bumper compressed is absolutely unacceptable.
I agree.

This is a high end DH frame from a very respected company and quite simply this is an oversight on their part. I hope they see this thread and hear the customer feedback and come up with a solution to the problem. They should apply this solution on future models they ship and help out the customers who have received their M6's already.

I would be upset if I paid that much money for a frame and it had what I consider to be a serious issue.
 
Jun 20, 2007
349
9
forget bb height, i wouldn't be too pumped on a bike with 10" of travel. I don't have the type of riding style that needs that much travel at any speed. I don't think it would necessarily make me slower but I can't imagine I'd like the feel of it either. I raced a season on a 9" travel frame and didn't care for it at all; 8" and change is where it's at for me.

Great photos that clearly illustrate the issue and good job with your english. Welcome.
 

Superdeft

Monkey
Dec 4, 2003
863
0
East Coast
I think the problem isn't simply that a bumper needs to be added; the stroke length needs to decrease such that it's done compressing when the bumper is done compressing. An extended bumper and uncorrected damper means the damper isn't doing all the work it should be at the end of the stroke because it's valved assuming bottom out happens a few mm farther into the travel.

With this in mind, it sounds like a shorter-stroke shock with the same i2i is in order rather than a longer bumper. This means that some of the key conisderations in geometry for leverage purposes may be thrown off a little.

Ultimately the guys who say it's a design flaw are correct. However they accounted for the bottom-out situation, their model or testing wasn't sufficient in some way, because it does rub. Maybe they idealized the wheel /tire combo as being infinitely stiff, which it isn't, or for a smaller tire, or whatever, they should have just taken the thing out back and sacrificed one frame pounding it off the loading dock.

On the other hand, these guys may have a perfectly legitimate reason that we non-bike-designer-types have not considered.

not accounting for frame deformation, etc.

thanx buddy ;) hope my german accent is not too bad :D
ontopic: i am not quite happy with that issue or the yet offered solutions (saddle down ;) / spacer behind the bumper and so on)
although they would be very effective :biggrin:
i hope intense delivers a right and reasonable solution. as already mentioned: new drop outs or a redesigned new rear.
i remember the v10 problem those days where the to links hit the seat stays.
answer from sc: use a jig saw to remove a bit of the links (no joke):poster_oops:
now i am still full of hope that intense or my lbs offers a good solution. we´ll see. i´ll try to keep you up2date.
 

Sam B

Monkey
Nov 25, 2001
280
0
Cascadia
just for fun i measured everything on my turner in contrast with sam's bike as listed in Dirt....

sam's numbers listed first, mine second....

bar height - 40" vs. 40.6"
wheelbase - 46.25" vs. 46.4"
downtube - 26.25 vs 26.4"
chainstay - 17.25 vs 17.45"
head angle - his is listed as 63.75, and i know mine measured between 63.5 and 64(couldn't get a super accurate read)......
bb height - i think his is around 13.75, not sure.....mine is 13.85....
dirt didn't list his top tube.....bummer

all in all everything on my bike is about the same, but a smidge longer, taller, etc.....i'm a couple inches taller than him though, so it's all relative.......i certainly wouldn't rate myself as a super fast rider, but i definitely like the angles of this bike more than anything else i've ridden.....
Both are static numbers I assume...

If so, the chainstay length may be more similar after sag due to the difference in wheelpath.

Your Turner is drilled and lowered right?
 

Ian Collins

Turbo Monkey
Oct 4, 2001
1,428
0
Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA
Both are static numbers I assume...

If so, the chainstay length may be more similar after sag due to the difference in wheelpath.

Your Turner is drilled and lowered right?
yeah....numbers are all static....my turner is not drilled....i drilled my old ones, but the new one doesn't need it....with 2.5F 2.2R tires the bb is 13.85........yeah, the sunday wheelpath will lengthen slightly once its into the sag.....the numbers of my bike and his bike are surprisingly close......
 

Kingswood

Chimp
Feb 27, 2005
43
0
OK... well..... ****.... I have an m6 frame hanging in the bike shop that I need to pick up soon.

I was told it comes with a 2 year waranty, so I hope any damage from the back wheel is covered under that.

I wonder if I can protect the seat tube and seat clamp with something until a solution becomes available????
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
It's not a 'performance caveat' it's a flaw. Not restricted to intense, sure, but still unacceptable.

The idea that this is a drip down from pro spec is ludicrous. Intense hasan ENORMOUS amount of hype, and for good reason - they need to live up to it.
 

AlberTop

Monkey
Nov 30, 2004
218
0
South
Just tried an M6 without the coil with Michelin Comp 24 2.5 and Mavic 823. Did not touch the frame!

Just like to remind that the M3s did the same thing with some tire/rim combinations and there wasn't any buzz about that.
 
Apr 4, 2008
53
0
Santa Cruz, CA
I just found this post and I have had my M6 put together for almost 2 weeks. I rode it last weekend at NMBS Fontana and the bike is awsome. I am not concerned that it might rub. If the shock is set up right it should sit high up in the travel and when it does bottom under extreme hits it should be very minor and only last a split second before it recovers and is back in the travel. Not to mention that it is a FRO frame and if your bike set up is correct you should never bottom your shock on a race course. If you are freeriding and trying that really big drop or attemting someting without a transition then fine, but that isn't what this frame is made for.
I didn't know if it it was going to be worth upgrading from an M3 but so far my M6 has been well worth the money.
That being said I am going to measure the wheel clearance without the shock as well as the actual BB height. It has not rubbed yet but if it is very slight I might have avoided it by running a 2.35 rear tire.
I'll post again tommorow with my findings, but regardless everything else about this frame is so incredible I don't much care if under rare situations there is a slight rub.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,767
501
Ummmm aren't those supposed to have a pretty specific sag point for pedalling characteristics that is usally deeper in the travel? Also last I heard a properly set up DH bike should bottom a couple of times a run. Travel is there to be used.

I would like to see a shot of the bike with the wheel on and no shock, but the shock put at somewhere between 7" and 7.25" (theoretical and realistic compressed lengths), or see at what point it does contact and have a measurement of the i2i at that point.
 
May 6, 2004
253
0
regarding low bottom bracket - that is why I ride Yeti 303 - changing the bottom bracket height takes 30sec :) I have 64-65-66 degree option but can also tune it anywhere in-between those numbers
 

Inclag

Turbo Monkey
Sep 9, 2001
2,779
462
MA
I'm 100% serious here, are people surprised by this?

Intense has a long rich history of these sort of things. It's completely unacceptable and its why myself and also a buddy of mine will never ride or spend hard earned cash on an Intense again. The sad truth is, people are willing to ignore these problems. I don't know if it is mostly because of blind allegiances or what, but I'd be willing to bet that 98% of the people here would go straight back to their car dealership if their new auto had an issue.

I won't deny the fact that Intense has done allot for the sport of DH, but is that history worth the price tag of what based on their engineering, manufacturing, and C.S. seems like a company just going through the motions?
 

Damo

Short One Marshmallow
Sep 7, 2006
4,603
27
French Alps



So when the bike is bottomed out, the bb is a few inches from the ground...

What if the forks were bottomed too? What if the pedal (and therefor crank) was down?

You're fvcked.
 
May 6, 2004
253
0
I was removing a rear shock from my yeti 303 and out of interest wanted to see if the reat tyre rubs the frame. The rear tyre is 2.5 michelin DH16

Well, it is not even close :clapping:

There is at least 1,5inch gap. The only problem would be if the saddle was much lowers (I never have my saddle so low).I think with the shock body on, the gap would be like 2-3 inch, which is very reassuring for a heavy and not smooth at all rider like me. Silly me, I did not take the picture, but I will be removing the shock during the weekend so I will take one then.

Honestly, I am surprised that Intense has released bike with what appears to be a design flaw but I am not an engineer so I will not comments.
 

Threepointtwo

Monkey
Jun 21, 2002
632
0
SLC, UT
I am not going to bash Intense, I am a big fan and currently ride a Tazer but I think this should be fixed. I was one of the people who bought an Azonic B52 and complained to them about the tire rub situation. Well, they fixed it in record time. Kudos for acknowledging the problem and fixing it.

Before



After
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Seriously, whats the point of having that much travel, when the tyre continues to hit either the frame or the seat limiting your travel? Looking at teh pic of the red one comressped, If your running your seat in the lower postion, you losing nearly 1.5 of your travel anyways. So why not just get an eight in bike that doesnt rub????? At this point seriously, same eye to eye sock, with a little shorter stroke.
 

PDS RX

Monkey
Sep 11, 2007
145
0
Richmond VA
You know your not trying to blow through 10 inches of travel, I mean just look how wrong that looks bottomed out. But I bet most of you would still trade in any of your bikes for an M6.
 

William42

fork ways
Jul 31, 2007
4,013
775
You know your not trying to blow through 10 inches of travel, I mean just look how wrong that looks bottomed out. But I bet most of you would still trade in any of your bikes for an M6.
what? :shocked:

as far as I know, most people like to USE the travel in their bikes. Thats what different spring weights, bottom out control, compression settings, etc are for. I bottom out my bike about 2 times a ride. I'd be willing to be theres plenty on here who like to do it more
 

davetrump

Turbo Monkey
Jul 29, 2003
1,270
0
Not to mention that it is a FRO frame and if your bike set up is correct you should never bottom your shock on a race course.

assuming that you took your own advice, your bikes suspension is set up all wrong

great first post... by the way

edit: tires should not hit the frame, end of discussion
 

PDS RX

Monkey
Sep 11, 2007
145
0
Richmond VA
what? :shocked:

as far as I know, most people like to USE the travel in their bikes. Thats what different spring weights, bottom out control, compression settings, etc are for. I bottom out my bike about 2 times a ride. I'd be willing to be theres plenty on here who like to do it more
There is a big difference between using your travel effectively (the whole point in bottom out control and all the other settings) and just letting your shock smash close for that nice loud paping sound. Besides, the last inch of travel is usually only used for when you case the hell out of something, or just ride completely out of control in which case you don’t need more travel just some better brakes. :lighten:
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,827
27,043
media blackout
What if the forks were bottomed too? What if the pedal (and therefor crank) was down?

You're fvcked.
no you're not. so your pedal hits the ground, big whoop. i do that with mine semi-regularly. It doesn't throw your concentration unless you have really bad ADD. just adjust and keep riding.
 
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