Intense Tracer 29 Pro long-term review – conclusion

Will Soffe returns with the final update on his long-term test bike, the Intense Tracer 29. Since taking delivery of this big-wheeled enduro rig, Will has given it a serious thrashing and made some choice spec changes. In this final chapter of his review, he looks back over his year with the bike and decides whether or not it's a keeper.

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The Intense Tracer 29 fills the cliched jack-of-all trades niche rather well; it's light enough to handle full days in the saddle and much more sprightly on the climbs than one might expect of a big enduro bike.

The finishing kit manages to be both light and robust enough, an impressive feat considering the competitive £5,799 price tag. The geometry is aggressive and the headline 62.7-degree head angle made me a little nervous.

However, my trepidation was unfounded, because the Tracer rewards exuberance on flatter blue-graded trails with grin-inducing speed and giving superb feedback to the rider.

Suspension setup was intuitive, and although I tried all manner of settings over the year, it only ever felt ‘different’ rather than wrong, when experimenting. It was easy to tailor the settings to different types of riding, such as big jumps!

This bike has 170mm of travel and I used all of it on more than one occasion. Setting the suspension up with more than the recommended pressure and dropping the link-mounted flip chip into the ‘low’ setting makes this one amazing machine for tackling big bike-park terrain.

It’s handled the massive punishment from when I got it wrong on huge gap jumps without a hiccup. Okay, I destroyed a rear wheel early on (and yes a 28h rim is an odd spec-choice) but there was certainly some rider error involved in that incident.

It’s a beast on technical downhill terrain, too. Softening the suspension slightly and using the amazing Ochain, it feels like a lightweight and more nimble downhill bike, capable of matching bigger-travel and burlier bikes on all but the gnarliest DH race tracks.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro highs

Conquering big jumps has to be the highlight of my time with the Tracer. I ticked an item off my bucket list when I finally managed to ride Windhill Bike Park’s notorious double-black-diamond-graded Viagra Falls top-to-bottom, including some 50-foot jumps. I was speechless, for once.

Taking part in the invite-only Vanta Jam and riding the whole line from thanks to the help of the confidence-inspiring Joey Gough was a top moment too. Managing to link up all the jumps and hearing the crowd was a massive buzz.

The bike has also brought me success between the tapes. I competed in the famous downhill race at the Malverns Classic festival. Thanks to the Tracer, I managed to record the fastest time of the day – and when I crossed the line it was an incredible feeling.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro lows

Destroying the rear wheel is really the only low I’ve had with this bike. Apart from that, it has been hassle-free. All it has taken is a bit of chain lube, and getting the fork and shock serviced (thanks J-Tech Suspension) and it’s never missed a beat.

The C.H.A.D storage (an in-frame stash box) started leaking at one point after I absolutely nailed the down tube with a rock. However, Intense UK gave me a new door and full aquatic resistance was restored.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro long-term review verdict

As a do-it-all enduro or park bike, the Tracer is hard to beat. Pedalling better than a 170mm-travel bike has any right to, it’s light enough to take hills in its stride, feeling far more sprightly than the tough components might lead you to believe.

Downhill, the supremely sorted rear-suspension curve and aggressive geometry make gravity-fed terrain a pleasure.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro in brief

The Intense Tracer 29 is a big-hitting monster-truck 29er enduro rig with 170mm of travel. This bike is built to take on the hardest terrain and pedal back to the top for another go.

Intense has taken its 30-year heritage and condensed it into this Taiwan-made carbon concoction, paired it with all the spec you could realistically need and nailed the price point.

The previous-generation Tracer was designed in 2017 and was starting to look a bit dated, particularly in terms of geometry.

When the Tracer 279 was released in 2022, it received a positive reception, with riders praising the looks, spec and modern geometry. But the mullet wheel-size option left some riders cold: Where was the 29er race version?

The 2023 Tracer 29 answers that question and with its in-frame storage, long dropper post and aggressive geometry, it has all the ingredients riders have come to expect on a modern enduro race bike. So, will the Tracer 29 add up to the sum of its parts?

Older updates follow…

Intense Tracer 29 Pro long-term review – update three

One of the best things you can do for your pride and joy is get the suspension set up properly. But what about taking it to the next level and having the suspension tuned by the professionals?

J-Tech Suspension in Shropshire can tune your dampers to your weight and riding style, and also add hop-up parts, which they claim can improve performance.

As well as all new seals and a health-check, J-Tech added an Andreani piston to the damper on the Fox 38 Performance Elite fork.

Coupled with a re-valve to stiffer shims, this piston flows more damping oil, which the J-Tech boffins said would improve the support at low speed and the compliance at high shaft speeds.

The Tracer after getting the full J-Tech treatment.

However, it wasn't just the fork that received the VIP treatment; J-Tech also added one of its own WPS-brand pistons to the Float X2 Performance Elite shock. As with the fork, this piston is designed to increase the oil flow past the piston, and needs to be combined with a re-shim in order to work correctly.

The team at J-Tech completed the tunes based on their knowledge of the custom pistons from the dyno and pro rider feedback.

They simply asked me for my weight and riding style, looked at the leverage ratio of the frame and put together the shim stacks that would suit me best.

J-tech put the fork and shock on a dyno to check they were working as intended. This mainly involved checking the dampers provided the resistance they expected at various shaft speeds; clever stuff! I was able to look at their dyno sheets but was sworn to secrecy because they don’t want competitors to steal the hard-earned data.

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and I headed away from J-Tech’s HQ and back to the trails of Hopton Woods (and later BikePark Wales) to see what the new tunes worked like in the real world.

The first thing I noticed is the base spring rates seemed way too soft for my liking and I was bottoming the fork and shock at regular intervals, even on tame trails! After bolstering the air springs, I was back in action.

The fork and shock felt exactly as J-Tech had promised, providing more low-speed support, but blowing off powerfully when transitioning to the high-speed circuit, creating a great first touch (of the wheels on the ground).

It didn’t take long to get used to the suspension changes, and on reflection, the main difference is the control the damper exerts over the spring seems improved. Impressive work J-Tech.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro long-term review – update two

The Tracer 29 just keeps producing!

The latest addition to the bike, which is subtle visually, is the Ochain. The Ochain is a removable spider, which bolts onto cranks that use a direct-mount chainring (or removable spider). It offers a novel approach to improving suspension performance.

The device adds an element of free play (12 degrees to be precise) damped by elastomers between your crankset and your drivetrain.

The aim of this is to prevent the chain growth created by the rear suspension’s anti-squat characteristics from impeding performance. In other words, it stops the weight pressing your front foot on the crank from hampering the movement of the suspension compressing.

It’s an elegantly simple piece of kit, and nicely made, but I was sceptical over whether I would feel a difference from the already supple and supportive suspension on the Tracer 29; was this just another expensive (€300) placebo?

Good vibrations

I dropped in on my favourite big jump line and was instantly over-jumping. Confused, I realised part of the sensation of speed was generated by the vibration through my feet. When this disappeared, the ride was deceptively smooth and undramatic, even feeling slow. 

Riding on rougher tracks proved the initial theory – the lack of suspension feedback through my feet was instantly recognisable and the Ochain was doing a sterling job. Not only did it feel better in terms of the feedback my body was receiving, it was translating to better handling of the bike as well.

The first-touch was improved noticeably, with the lack of chain tension enabling the Tracer’s 170mm of rear-wheel travel to work in an unimpeded way. There was more grip and less distracting/fatiguing vibration. It’s a seriously impressive piece of kit and I’m a believer.

The lag between pedalling and the drivetrain engaging was noticeable, but not off-putting. Combining the great pedalling of Intense’s virtual-pivot-point suspension with the decoupled smoothness of the Ochain could be a match made in heaven!

For the win

I hadn’t done any competition on my Intense Tracer 29, but after sorting my setup, getting fully used to the handling of the steed and tricking it out with a few choice components, I was keen to get between the tapes.

My opportunity came at the Malverns Classic and its annual downhill race. The course is wide, flat and grassy, with no berms and only one jump.

If you’re good at pedalling and grassy corners, this is the race for you. In 2022, I had success on the Nukeproof Reactor, a 150/130mm trail bike, so I was intrigued to see what the Tracer with its 170mm travel had to offer.

Sure enough, an increase in traction and predictability, the long travel keeping the wheels in contact with the ground and the stability from the slack angles, calmed the handling. I must have done something right because I was able to take the Elite win and fastest time of the day. I was over the moon with that.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro long-term review update one

The Tracer has received a serious thrashing since I got it. It has held up well despite hitting huge jumps such as the Viagra Falls pro-line at Windhill Bikepark and gnarly rough terrain such as Dai Hard and Pork Belly at BikePark Wales.

Additions I’ve made to the bike include some Pembree D2A pedals and a Pembree VFS stem.

There's not much to say about the stem, other than that it's very bling, precision-made and does indeed clamp the steerer tube perpendicular to the handlebars.

The pedals, however, are truly brilliant, spinning smoothly on two bearings and a bush, and looking gorgeous. The perfect concavity and incredibly cosseted comfort are definitely worth noting.

The superbly shaped design seems to cwtch (Welsh for hug) your foot and increases the grip level available from any mountain bike shoe. It's an awesome design and up there with my favourite flat pedals.

The suspension is mostly dialled in (although I’m lamenting the lack of adjustable high-speed compression on the Float X2 Performance shock), so I have started to fiddle with the geometry.

Flipping the chip (located on the lower link) is not an easy affair because all air must be purged from the shock to access the bolt. It's not disastrous, but it is an annoying design oversight.

This then lowers the BB height from 351mm to 341mm and slackens the head angle from the already relaxed 64.4 degrees to a daring 63.7 degrees.

Highs and lows

The ride experience was mostly positive, and it now really does feel like a light, agile version of a full downhill bike.

However, it's noticeably more recalcitrant on seated climbs, and more laborious on flatter sections of trail, where it had surprised me so favourably in the 'high' setting.

This 'low' setting is therefore great to have in your arsenal, if you’re racing a DH or heading abroad for an uplifted bike park holiday. It takes the Tracer 29 out of the realms of all-rounders and fully into the camp of gravity sleds.

This versatile machine has remained reliable despite the thrashing I’ve given it. But since new I’ve been frustrated with consistent water ingress into the CHAD box if the bike is ridden in wet weather or washed.

More recently, the box lid has become so loose it has started flapping noisily when riding, so I’m retrofitting a thicker seal to find out if this fixes it.

It has been a busy few months for the Tracer 29. Riding the huge jumps at the BikePark Wales Vanta Jam, the big enduro machine coped admirably despite some big cases. It rolled faster and provided more manoeuvrability than the DH bike I rode at the event last year.

Timed runs of the park's black trails with Steve Peat and Laurie Greenland showed just how capable the Tracer 29 is when pushed to the limit. I needed maximum traction if I was to have any hope of staying near their blistering pace and the Tracer delivered.

What’s coming next? I've acquired an Ochain system suitable for the Tracer 29’s E13 Helix cranks.

Will it make the Intense’s suspension feel even more supple and perhaps even high-pivot esque? We'll find out in my next update.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro specification and details

The chunky carbon frame features some sharp-looking lines and a matt black paintjob with red and silver highlights.

Scratch below the surface and you'll find 170mm of suspension travel utilising a dual-swing-link VPP design to give the ideal compromise of suppleness, progression, anti-squat and anti-rise.

Intense’s CHAD system offers generous internal storage with a secure (but fiddly to open) door at the bottom of the frame and a long neoprene sausage to fill with items you want to carry about in your bike.

A two-position flip chip for geometry adjustment on the lower shock mount enables simultaneous adjustment of the bottom bracket height and head angle.

An air-sprung Fox Performance 38 fork and X2 shock keep you suspended (more on those later). ethirteen finishing kit consists of LG1 28-spoke wheels, carbon bar, 35mm stem, 180mm Infinite dropper, Helix crank and Vario chain guide, which belies this bike's hard-hitting intentions.

Stopping power comes from a pair of Shimano XT four-piston brakes with whopping 203mm rotors. Shimano also provides the XT derailleur and shifter, and SLX cassette and chain.

Sticking you to the ground is a pair of Maxxis Assegai tyres in EXO+ casing and a generous 2.5in width. Contact points are an SDG Radar saddle and some retro-themed Intense lock-on grips.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro specification

• • Sizes: M, L, XL (Large tested)

• • Weight: 16.27kg without pedals

• • Frame: Carbon front and rear triangle, carbon top link, titanium hardware, threaded BB with ISCG 05, VPP suspension with aluminium concentric BB link, flip chip on lower shock mount, integrated frame protection and CHAD storage with neoprene tube bag, Boost spacing QR axle, 170mm travel

• • Shock: FOX Performance Elite Float X2 (205x65mm), climb switch

• • Fork: FOX Performance Elite 38 Float, 170mm, Grip 2 Damper, high/low speed compression & rebound 170mm (6.7in) travel

• • Shifters: Shimano XT M8100 12-speed, I-Spec

• • Derailleurs: Shimano XT M8100 12sp

• • Cranks: ethirteen Helix cranks (1×12) 170mm, 32t direct-mount chainring

• • Wheelset: ethirteen LG1 28h

• • Tyres: Maxxis Assegai 2.5 EXO+ 3C 29X2.5in (f & r)

• • Brakes: Shimano XT M8120 4-piston, 203mm rotors

• • Bar: ethirteen Race carbon 800mm

• • Stem: ethirteen Plus 40mm length (35mm clamp)

• • Seatpost: ethirteen 180mm dropper

• • Saddle: SDG Radar

Intense Tracer 29 Pro geometry

The Tracer 29's geometry is aggressive and modern. The reach on my large bike is 480mm, and combined with a snappy 445mm chainstay, gives a wheelbase of 1,268mm.

The steep seat angle of 77.7 degrees leaves you seated comfortably for climbing.

Most striking is the low bottom bracket and super-slack head angle. With the flip chip in the high setting, a BB height of 351mm is already low, but put it in the low setting and a 9mm reduction means it's just 342mm.

The head angle is also suitably naughty, going from a slack 64.4 degrees in the high setting through a 0.7-degree reduction in the low setting to a Big Lebowski level of relaxation at just 63.7 degrees. That’s slacker than most downhill bikes.

Why did I choose this bike?

There is always a place in my stable for a big-hitting enduro bike. These are bikes fast enough to tackle all but the roughest DH track, but with the versatility of being able to winch yourself back to the top without the need of an uplift.

With this in mind, I asked Intense for a Tracer, in the 27.5in mullet incarnation. Instead, the brand suggested I try its big mountain slayer: the Tracer 29.

I ride a size large, which is a 480mm reach – about standard for a large in 2023. I usually size up for stability and speed, sacrificing a flickable nature with something I need to ride more aggressively when the need to change direction arises.

The spec of this bike is practical, if not drool-worthy. At a competitive price-point, the Tracer 29 offers all I could want from an enduro bike (bar perhaps some adjustability in the suspension) without a noticeable sacrifice in performance, strength or weight.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro initial setup

Bar height felt sensible out of the box. With a low stack height, low rise bar and a 170mm-travel fork, I left all four 10mm spacers below the stem. Job done.

I went slightly over Fox’s recommended suspension pressures for my weight because I like a firmly sprung bike.

My chosen damper settings are slow on the low-speed to prevent the bike pitching, and open on the high-speed for compliance. This enables the wheels to move out of the way of bumps quickly and the suspension to be held up on the spring pressure.

The saddle is slammed all the way forward for climbing, and the 180mm dropper and short 440mm seat tube mean the saddle is at its correct height for climbing (with the dropper extended) when it’s slammed in the frame: out of the way, where it belongs.

My next steps are to try the bike in the low setting, mess about with some volume spacers in the fork and shock, and keep experimenting with the damper settings.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro ride impressions

Cornering

My first ride impressions on the blue runs were great. Corner schralping is easy thanks to the geometry, which is bang-on. A 480mm reach and a 64.4-degree head angle on the large bike, in the high setting, mean the bars and cranks are exactly where I want them to be in relation to the wheels.

Fox’s 38 Performance Elite is a great fork with a stiff chassis and the same Float air-spring and GRIP2 damper as Fox's more expensive Factory sibling (but without gold Kashima coating).

It was easy to set up with a wide range of adjustment (high- and low-speed rebound, and high- and low-speed compression on the Fox, low-speed compression and rebound on the shock).

The bike comes with volume spacers to tune the progressivity of the fork and shock for no extra money.

The Maxxis Assegai 3C EXO tyres are awesome: They aren’t the out-and-out grippiest mountain bike tyres you can get, but they are great all-rounders. More importantly, they break traction in a smoothly predictable way thanks to their rounded shoulders, enabling you to sense when you’re starting to slide and catch the bike easily.

Gnar

There are plenty of places in South Wales where rocks pummel you and staying on-line and resisting arm-pump are major battles.

The Tracer takes choppy terrain in its stride, holding its shape but absorbing the hits, allowing you to stay off the brakes and concentrate on hitting your lines.

The progressive suspension isn’t as forgiving as some bikes on the bigger hits though, meaning you get fatigued more quickly than on other, more forgiving 'plough' bikes, such as the many high-pivot options out there.

The long dropper post is brilliant, tucking nice and low for any big terrain where body follow-through is required. Meanwhile, the ethirteen LG1+ chain guide means you never lose a chain, even on the roughest sections.

Due to over-exuberance and poor judgement, I destroyed the rear ethirteen LG1 rim at BikePark Wales on Rim Dinger trying to stay ahead of Ben Deakin.

The team at Intense UK were quick to sort a replacement, but it left me wondering if speccing 28-spoke wheels on a big enduro bike was a contributing factor to my rim’s demise.

Fox’s Float X2 Performance Elite shock doesn't have adjustable high-speed rebound and high-speed compression.

Additionally, although the main piston and valving of the Performance Elite Float X2 and the top-spec Factory Float X2 are the same, the VVC (Variable Valve Control) high-speed damping cartridges of the more expensive Factory shock are missing from the Performance Elite.

RideFoxUK’s technicians tell me the circuits work similarly, with the VVC high-speed circuits offering more tunability for the rider. I haven't had a problem with the stock (fixed) setting because I'm 65kg and don’t need a slower high-speed rebound, which is useful for riders running higher air-spring pressure.

However, with the non-adjustable high-speed-compression, to me the factory setting feels a little firm. If I could, I would decrease the High-Speed Compression damping a little further open to free up the movement of the shock when encountering square-edged hits.

Climbing

The Tracer climbs better than you might expect from a 170mm-travel bike too. The steep seat angle keeps your mass forward of the bottom bracket so you don’t loop out on seated climbs.

You can lock out the rear suspension by flicking the blue lever on the Float X2 shock labelled 'Firm' with an arrow. It works by impeding the flow of oil and adding a pedalling threshold, which prevents energy-sapping bob.

It works perfectly, however I’ve found the bike stable enough without the lock-out, leaving it fully open for extra traction and less faff.

The Shimano XT drivetrain is a favourite performer of mine, offering a great mix of reliability, performance and light weight without breaking the bank. Snicking through the wide-ratio cassette while mashing the stiff 170mm ethirteen cranks, it’s easy to remember why I love Shimano’s XT groupset so much.

Overall impressions

My early impressions suggest Intense has knocked it out of the park with a bike that delivers on every level a high-spec enduro bike should.

Aggressive geometry means you can really monster this bike, constantly pushing to try to find the limit. Low weight and inertia means it is playful and quick to pick up speed. The spec is strong for the money and a well-chosen mix of kit that really suits the bike's personality.

The only niggles are that if you ride in the wet or wash your bike, the CHAD frame storage becomes sopping wet, with anything metal in the neoprene storage sausage corroding and anything else degrading.

Also the 28h wheelset seems a little out of place on such a gnarly build. Interestingly, the Intense 279 is specced with 32h wheels front and rear.

Intense Tracer 29 Pro upgrades

I can’t wait to spend more time tweaking the Tracer and upgrading the bike with parts aimed at improving performance.

However, I’m first keen to try the Tracer frame in the low flip-chip setting and spend some time tweaking suspension and cockpit setup.

I'm planning to try an Ochain to see if it reduces pedal-feedback from the long rear suspension.

And, of course, there's always room on any bike for some more bling. I have my eye on some UK-made bicycle jewellery from small manufacturers Pembree in Sussex.

BikeRadar‘s long-term test bikes

BikeRadar's long-term test bikes give our team the opportunity to truly get to grips with these machines, so we can tell you how they perform through different seasons and on ever-changing terrain, through a year of riding.

Some choose a bike from their favoured discipline and ride it hard for a year, others opt for a bike that takes them outside of their comfort zone.

We also use our long-term bikes as test beds for the latest kit, chopping and changing parts to see what really makes the difference – and help you decide which upgrades are worth spending your money on.

These bikes also provide an insight into the team's riding through the year – how they like to ride and where life on two wheels takes them, from group rides on local lanes and trails, to adventures further afield.

To see all of the BikeRadar team’s long-term test bikes – and to stay up-to-date with the latest updates – visit our long-term reviews hub.

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