Intense Uzzi VP Review - BikeRadar

Jeff Steber, the man behind Intense, is never one to sit still. With a world-class range of bikes under the Intense banner, Jeff continues to innovate on his previous successes. The Uzzi can easily be built to sit either side of the ‘all-mountain’ label.

Ride & handling: Versatile, with buttery smooth suspension – build it light or build it lairy

As soon as your feet hit the pedals you notice straight away how plush the Uzzi's rear end is. The second generation VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) design creates a supple rear end, soaking up all the smaller bumps and undulations, giving awesome traction.

Out of the saddle, the Uzzi doesn’t feel the sprightliest of bikes, with noticeable pedal bob. This can be tamed with the ProPedal platform damping adjuster on the rear shock but this sacrifices some of that magic small bump sensitivity. So, will the Uzzi go uphill? Yes, but you need the small chainring and the patience to grind it out.

The burly, freeride-friendly spec of our sample is more than comfortable descending. Thanks to the effective rear end and brilliant Fox 36 fork, grip was never an issue.

The fork is stiff, buttery smooth, has plenty of external adjustments and won’t shy away from the big hits. Roots and rocks were eaten up and there was never a point that made us turn in fear that the bike might not cope with the terrain.

Through the big hits and compressions, the linkage produces a progressive feel. Slight deadening of the suspension in the latter part of the stroke means the bike doesn’t fire out of downhill landings, and doesn’t carry speed all that efficiently.

The Uzzi jumps well and goes well through the tight and twisty technical stuff, but the plush travel can make it a struggle to get airborne without a root to lip off.

Frame: Seamless blend of industrial looks and fluid lines, with adjustable travel and geometry

The Uzzi is a real do-it-all machine. The travel can be adjusted on the swing link from 177.8-190.5mm (7-7.5in). Further adjustment can be found at the G3 dropouts, where you can tweak the wheelbase and geometry.

The frame has a 1.5in head tube and some serious gusseting and beautiful welds throughout, making it more than capable of being abused. Intense have now included Hammerschmidt-compatible ISCG 05 chain guide mounts.

The VPP rear end is suspended by the ever dependable Fox DHX 4.0 shock. The rear end is well crafted and stiff in all the right directions, and now features grease ports to keep everything running like new.

Our aggressively specced test bike bike was almost verging on a freeride bike, with Fox suspension front and rear, and heavy Maxxis Minion DH dual-ply tyres. It weighed in at 16.3kg (36lb).

With the potential to lighten things up, it would be a great hard-hitting all-mountain bike. Alternatively, single ring it with a shorter stem and you’ve got a great downhill bike for tighter, more technical UK-style courses.

Manufacturers description

In 2005 Intense re-launched the Uzzi name to the freeride market. This time round the frame is completely different unlike the Uzzi design of previous years, the Intense Uzzi VpX took on a strong design. It was made for the new wave change in all mountain terrain. In 2009 Intense enhanced and refined the previous model with this year's Intense Uzzi VP. It is can be built up as an aggressive all-mountain weapon, or as even a strong freeride rig. The Uzzi VP is extremely adjustable. It's the first to feature the G3 dropout. It has three adjustable positions to change the geometry. With the G3 dropout the rider can adjust the wheelbase, bottom bracket height, head angle and also the travel can be adjusted by moving the shock into two different holes on the machined link, giving the rider a lot of choice on the way the bike rides and feels on different terrain. Depending on the build the Uzzi offers 1/4″ change to chain stays & bottom bracket height & 1/2 degree on the head angle. As on the Tracer VP the travel adjustment does not affect the geometry. The slight bend in the seat tube is much lower than on the Socom & will allow the post to drop down. Similar to the new Tracer VP, the Uzzi VP receives second generation VPP Design. With the introduction of the 2nd generation VPP link it helps to minimize chain growth by 15-20%, which reduces pedal feedback. The suspension stays more active, giving a plush ride with a lot of traction. Angular contact bearings keep the link stable and laterally stiff, improving the Intense tracking characteristic. There are new grease ports on the frame making maintenance a lot easier saving you time to ride your bike. It allows for lubrication without having to take the frame apart. A grease gun is used at each fitting to squirt a touch of grease in. It means longer life bearings, and the suspension actuation stays smooth and quiet. Intense have constructed a strong frame from custom-drawn Easton/Intense EA6X aluminum tube set, the frame is built to be abused. Construction techniques involve CNC-machining, welding, and heat-treated to perfection. The 1.5" head tube offer strength up front and the special angular contact bearings on the suspension make for a stronger and smoother actuation. It has the ISCG-05 chain guide mounts and is compatible with Truvativ Hammerschmidt. The frame weight, with Fox DHX 4.0 Coil shock, is, according to Intense, 8.25 lbs (3.745kg). The frame has a two year warranty against manufacturing defects. Features • Uzzi VP features the next generation VPP suspension design with balanced geometry • Adjustable travel from 7.0" – 7.5" • Strong 1.5" head tube • Grease port fittings for easy bearing maintenance • ISCG 05 Hammerschmidt compatible • Adjustable G3 dropouts and adjustable rear travel • Suited to a fork length of 160mm-180mm • Weight- 8.25lbs (3.745kg) with coil Fox DHX 4.0 • Constructed with Easton intense proprietary EA6 • Custom monocoque top tube • Custom 6061 aluminum CNC machined • Hand made in the USA • 2 Year Warranty • Fox DHX 4.0 • Colours- Copper, Intense Red, Stealth Black, Works, and Works Blue • Sizes- Small, Medium and Large

No posts to display

Submit Your Review: