My Intense M9 FRO and Bike Test on Pinkbike

Here is a pretty accurate review of the M9 by Fraser Britton:

Pinkbike Intense M9 Review

Some people will argue that there are too many adjustments with this bike, but right out of the box, all the middle settings work great. I weigh 170 lbs with riding gear and am 5'9" and ride the medium size. To be fair, the cockpit seems a little longer than some mediums, but the 2011 trends in geometry lean towards longer front centers and shorter chainstays in combination with slacker head angles/ lower bottom brackets.

I have tried most of the settings and have stuck with the -1 angle set cup (sits at 63 degrees with fork stanchions at 8.25"- crown to seals), top shock mount on the front triangle (gives a more linear shock ratio). This makes the shock do more of the work and is a little easier to tune the shock. I moved up from a 350# spring to a 400# and use the middle 9.0" travel setting on the shock link. The bottom bracket height is average (14.0") in the middle G3 dropout setting and the chainstays measure to 17.5". I ride this setup for more technical trails like Bromont, but will probably try the longest and lowest G3 setting for faster tracks like Mont Sainte Anne and raise the fork stanchions in the crowns by .25 or .5" to maximize the wheelbase and traction. It would be a good idea to use 165mm length cranks and a chain guide that has a maximum ring size of 36 teeth for better clearance.

The Fox RC4 is a huge improvement over the older DHX 5. I have been liking the shock set to 165 PSI in the boost chamber, 1 full turn on the bottom out, 3 click of high speed, 3 of low speed, 6-7 of rebound with one turn of pre-load on the 400# spring.

I am glad to be back on the Fox 40 for it's stiffness and confidence. Nothing eats bumps like a fresh 40. They require maintenance, but it's quick and easy even for beginners to change the oil and clean the seals and bushings. Pick up a the newest copy of Dirt Magazine to read their thoughts on the best fork of 2011. The stock blue spring works best for me in conjunction with 3 clicks of high speed compression from open, 2 of low speed, 9-10 of rebound and 1/2 turn of pre-load. If the spring clicks when you compress the fork, check to see the rubber cover on the spring is in the middle. You can also go to an electrical supplier and pick up some shrink wrap and cover the entire spring if the other suggestion doesn't help.

If the travel chips in the frame linkage start creaking, clean them and wrap them with a two turns of teflon tape. Intense has changed the grade of aluminum used here, so contact OGC if you have this minor problem. This also works for the gimbles on the Cane Creek Angle set if you run the offset cup and they move under braking or big compressions. A 2mm steer tube spacer between the crown and headset top cap is also known to top the moving gimbles.

Everyone has a different riding style and bike setup, but this is just some feedback of how I like the settings.

Don't hesitate to contact OGC who distribute Intense and Fox in Canada at info@ogc.ca and ask for their assistance!