Ive had a chance to ride all of those bikes...

The Tracer 275c was my favorite. Climbed great but really destroyed the descents.

Might be a bit too much bike for CLT riding but it really shines in the mountains.

The shorter travel Spyder may be a better option for the faster/twistier trails in CLT. The 275 version would be a bit more nimble than the 29er and can still handle pretty much everything short of park/DH.

Why isnt the Carbine on the list? Its a pretty capable 29er if you're into that sort of thing...

Calling BudLeach...provide review on your Carbon Intense Carbine 27.5...

OoHoO wrote on 07/29/16 at 6:08pm:

 
Review of my bike:

+VPP Suspension
  +climbs like a champ
  +descends like a bat outta hell
+Carbon construction = stiff, light, and comfortable
+Adjustable rear travel (135 or 150)
+Can accept 26" wheels by replacing dropouts (if your into that kinda thing)
+Can accept a direct mount FD (again, if your into that kinda thing)
+internal dropper routing

-Press Fit bottom bracket 

I'm quite happy with it. The perfect "do it all" bike, for me. 

Definitely a bit of an oddball though, especially in 27.5 trim. Not nearly as recognized as the Tracer or Spider, though the Carbine is not outdated, by design or carbon construction technique, in any way (that all comes down to what model year frame you buy). Intense still actively makes all three models, although they have changed quite a bit over the years (more on that below). 

I could be wrong here... but from what I can tell, Intense does not now, nor have they ever, made a Tracer 29C... it has always been the Carbine 29.

The Carbine started life as a 26er but was quickly changed over to a 27.5 when the industry shifted. I think Intense initially intended for the Carbine to be a carbon version of the Tracer... then, as long travel 29ers started to become more popular, the Carbine morphed into their mid travel carbon bike that could be had with 27.5 or 29 wheels... eventually they phased out the 27.5 version of the Carbine and just started selling the 27.5 Tracer in both Aluminum and Carbon versions. The Carbine then became a dedicated mid travel 29er. 

It can get confusing because they have changed the names and wheel sizes all around over the last few model years. Looking at their website, their current naming scheme goes something like this:

Spider - short to mid travel Trail bike, available in either wheel size.
Tracer - mid to long travel All-mountain/Enduro bike, dedicated 27.5" wheels
Carbine - mid to long travel All-Mountain/Enduro bike, dedicated 29" wheels

The key thing to remember is that they are ALL great bikes! Just find one with the travel and wheel size that best fits your riding style, and you really can't go wrong.

Rehashing this to see if there is any new info.  I never pulled the trigger last year.  Its tax time, so thinking of dropping the coin again.

1. Any new traction on the 275 vs 29 "battle". (I cannot decide)
2. Any new owners share thier experiences.

I ran across another LBS up in Asheville that stocked Intense, and he shared the few he has sold have been nothing but problems and suggested I stay with Santa Cruz's carbon.

Opening the flood gates.  Whats new out there...

INTENSEcretAgent wrote on 02/16/17 at 9:53pm:

There are quite a few issues with Intense carbon quality issues...Lots of cracked frames...

I guess I’ll share my Intense story, it’s a long one…

I was riding at Sherman branch a couple days after Christmas. It was my first time riding there since I broke my elbow back in September. I knew I was coming up on the first rock garden soon, so I was mentally preparing myself to drop the seatopst (still getting used to the dropper), get in the correct gear, and take the correct line. I was sure that I had two more turns before the rock garden when I unexpectedly come ripping around a right hander and straight into the rock garden. Rather than pump the brakes, I try to be a superhero and drop two gears and the seatpost all at once. In my haste I didn’t push the dropper lever far enough. I slam my ass down on the seat, only the seat doesn’t budge. I compress the rear suspension and it pogos back up just as my front wheel drops off the step down. I do a full front flip, ejecting from the bike and somehow manage to not seriously injure myself. I get up, shake it off, and finish up the full loop. In hindsight the back end did feel a little loose after that, but I chalked it up to my tire pressure being a too low. Get back to the car to discover the rear triangle took a direct rock hit when it came crashing down to earth. Major crack about 270 degrees around the drive side chainstay. This is where the story starts to become relevant…

So my rear triangle is majorly cracked, unsafe to ride, and it is 100% my fault. I feel like I’m gonna puke. I emailed Intense (at the general customer service email address listed on their website) explaining the whole story… I may have downplayed the crash a little. I ask about warranty and/or crash replacement.  Being only a few days after Christmas and a few days before New Years I fully don’t expect to hear back until sometime in first week of January.

In the meantime, I find a particularly long forum detailing a common failure with rear triangles on my Carbine 275 (thanks OohoO). Apparently they are notorious for breaking at the lower pivot location. So much so that Intense has actually revised the design (carbon layup) to address the inherent weakness. The revised versions all have a serial number ending in R. I checked my rear triangle, no R at end of serial number. I can see some faint, but definitely visible, stress cracks around the lower pivot. 

So I send another email, this time to [email protected] since people on the forum said he was quick to respond to them. I explain the whole story again, but this time include the pictures of the stress cracks, and link to forum (on which he was actively commenting). I basically throw myself at the mercy of Sam saying, I know I broke my frame, but it would have failed anyways… He replies the same day and says a new replacement rear triangle is on its way to me, free under warranty. He also confirms that it has been revised and will not fail in the same way again. 

I have mixed feelings on the situation. I feel like the rear triangle should have been replaced under recall as soon as they realized it was a design flaw. However if it had been replaced under recall, I would have been SOL with my cracked rear triangle… So , thanks Intense? 

It doesn’t end there, I get the new triangle installed and about 5 rides later I notice some cracking around one of the rear brake mounts. Looks like either the tabs, or my brake mount bracket is out of alignment and is putting stress on the tabs when the bolts are torqued down. Another email to Sam and another rear triangle on the way the next day. Though he admits, this is definitely an unusual failure and wants me to ship it back so they can analyze the cause of the cracks. 

When I installed the third rear triangle, I notice that it seems like there is still an alignment issue with the rear break mounts and the bracket. To hopefully prevent any further headaches, I tweaked the bracket and checked the gaps with shims as I tightened the rear bolt to try and reduce the amount of strain the bracket puts on the mounts. Still not 100% sure if the issue was with the frames, or the bracket…

In summary, Intense customer service has been stellar with regard to response time and willingness to remedy my issues. I only wish I didn’t have to contact them so often.  I love my Intense and the way it rides. But when the time comes to upgrade, I will be seriously considering other brands.

Triangle 2

Scott Genius. I ride the LT Tuned. 27.5 and about 27 lbs. 170/140/locked out all worked by handle bar mounted remote. Way too much bike for around here, until you flip the switch and the monster morphs into trail/xc bike. I'm on my second and love The Genius.