Rob Weaver getting to grips with the new Intense ACV and its 2.8in plus tyres. In dry conditions this bike flies; in the wet, the low profile Maxxis Ikon+ rubber strugglesAndy Lloyd
The new Intense ACV uses 2.8in plus tyres and offers up 115-130mm of rear wheel travel, with a 150mm travel fork up frontAndy Lloyd
Out back, the RockShox Monarch RT3 DebonAir does an admirable job of sucking up the hitsAndy Lloyd
Travel can be adjusted easily via the lowermost shock mount. This will allow you to change from 115mm to 130mm. With the 150mm fork up front, we stuck with the 130mm settingAndy Lloyd
The new lower ‘i-Box’ link is nestled neatly in a hollow at the base of the seat tube. Though the lower link has been tweaked since Intense stopped using the VPP license, the i-Box link still gets the handy grease portAndy Lloyd
Both the front and rear of the new ACV get Boost axle spacing. That means 12x148mm at the rear, and 15x110mm up frontAndy Lloyd
Integrated chainstay protection helps to dull any chainslap, though in really rough sections, we could still hear the odd rattle or twoAndy Lloyd
Next cranks from Race Face are light and stiff and certainly help in providing that sprightly feel on the trailAndy Lloyd
The ACV gets an additional bracing strut between the seat and chain stay to help bolster rear end stiffnessAndy Lloyd
One of the coolest head badges out there?Andy Lloyd
Internal, rattle-free cable routing helps keep the ACV’s lines clean and unclutteredAndy Lloyd
In the dry, we really got on well with the low profile 2.8in Maxxis Ikon+ tyres – but as soon as the trails got wet, they really struggled for tractionAndy Lloyd
Slowly but surely it seems most manufacturers are offering at least one plus-sized bike in their lineup. Intense is the latest to back the fat-rubber trend with its new ACV trail bike.
The new, full carbon frame is designed around 2.8in plus tyres
115-130mm of rear wheel travel
S Tuned twin link suspension platform
Full internal cable routing
Single ring only
Built around big rubber
Intense was keen to point out that the new ACV (that’s Air Cushioned Vehicle) is built specifically around plus tyres. Though you can slot a set of 29in wheels into the frame (in fact, the creator and man behind the brand, Jeff Steber regularly does this) it’s not something Intense is pushing as an added feature or benefit.
The new Intense ACV uses 2.8in plus tyres and offers up 115-130mm of rear wheel travel, with a 150mm travel fork up frontAndy Lloyd
The ACV’s 115-130mm of suspension (switched via the lowermost shock mount) is delivered via Intense’s JS (Jeff Steber) Tuned, twin-link suspension system. Since the VPP patent held by Santa Cruz has expired, Intense no longer needs to licenses it. The JS Tuned system features the i-Box lower link, which attaches to the main frame just above the bottom bracket, sitting neatly inside a hollow in the base of the seat tube. Intense claims this new lower link – which still features a handy grease port – allows for a shorter chainstay to be used as well as offering the bearings better protection from the elements.Intense has also sleeved the bottom bracket, upper pivot and head tube to ensure things fit more precisely, which in turn, it’s claimed, should help elevate durability. To bolster the stiffness of the Boost rear triangle further, Steber has added a driveside bracing strut between the chain- and seatstay.
The ACV gets an additional bracing strut between the seat and chain stay to help bolster rear end stiffnessAndy Lloyd
Cable routing is all internal and thankfully, doesn’t rattle about in the frame, speaking of which there’s also integrated chainstay protection in a bid to quieten any chain slap down.Frame sizes range from small through to extra-large. Our medium test sample had 599mm top tube, 438mm chainstays and a reach of 416mm. The effective seat tube angle is 73.8 degrees while the head angle sits at a slack 66.25 degrees.
Tried and tested, SRAM-heavy spec
After testing a variety of different rim and tyre combos, Intense settled on using 2.8in Maxxis Ikon+ tyres mounted to DT Swiss M1600 Spline Two 40mm rims.
Suspension duties are taken care of by a 150mm travel RockShox Pike RCT3 up front and a RockShox Monarch RT3 DebonAir shock at the rear. The brakes also come from the SRAM stable in the shape of the mid-range Guide RS, while the transmission uses a mix of SRAM’s 11-speed components, including an X01 rear derailleur and an X1 shifter.
Out back, the RockShox Monarch RT3 DebonAir does an admirable job of sucking up the hitsAndy Lloyd
Intense opted to use the high end Race Face Next crankset, which has always done well with us here at BikeRadar. Interestingly though, our test bike had issues with the driveside crank failing to clear the chainstay. According to Intense, the brand is now speccing the same crank with a slightly wider Q-Factor to avoid this issue.While there are two ACVs on offer, including the Foundation build, which will set you back £4,099 / $4,599, we hit the trails aboard the top-line ACV Pro. This costs a good chunk more at £5,399 / $6,499 (US prices do not include local sales tax; Australian pricing was TBC at time of publication but we’ll add when we have it).
Ride impressions: lively with plenty of traction
From the sprightly eagerness of the first pedal stroke, to the relative ease with which the ACV likes to be popped and placed with reckless abandon just about anywhere on the trail, you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy this bike from the get-go.
Get settled on the right tyre pressures (I ran 16psi up front, 18psi in the rear) and rattle into rough, rooty, rock strewn trails and you’ll be surprised with what you can get away when it comes to line choice. The big tyres do a great job of smoothing out nadgery, speed-sapping bumps and chunder, offering impressive traction, especially on looser, dry trails or on really technical climbs.
In the dry, we really got on well with the low profile 2.8in Maxxis Ikon+ tyres – but as soon as the trails got wet, they really struggled for tractionAndy Lloyd
Sizing on our medium felt roomy enough for this 5ft 8in / 173cm test pilot, though I’d have preferred a shorter seat tube as stumpier legs will struggle with the post at full extension.The supple rear suspension helps here too, and when you do get a little carried away, it’ll ramp up enough to avoid any kind of harsh bottom out. Push it hard and, providing you can keep air in the tyres, you’re rewarded with a lively, playful ride that feels confident and flickable in a wide range of terrains.I found that I needed to increase the rebound damping by a couple of clicks in both the fork and shock to compensate the bigger, undamped tyres though. With my usual go-to rebound setting on the Pike, when I bowled into a particularly awkward rough section of trail where the rocks are firmly embedded in the soil, protruding enough to easily push you off-line, the front of the bike was harder to control, lacking the precision needed to get through the section with momentum intact. Adding more rebound thankfully restored steering accuracy and it was back to business as usual.
That is, until it rains.
Due to the super low-profile Maxxis Ikon+ treads, if the weather does take a turn for the worse, any traction advantages are soon washed away, and things can get pretty dicey. Thankfully Intense is already talking about shipping the ACV with the more aggressive Rekon tyres in the near future.
One of the coolest head badges out there?Andy Lloyd
Aside from the less aggressive tyre choice, our only other niggle lies with the KS dropper post, which even after a good few rides feels pretty sticky, to the point that it needs a hand to extend from time to time. When it does work its fine; we’re just not the biggest fan of the flex in the remote lever. Intense is aware of this and all ACVs will now be shipped with stealth-routed RockShox Reverb dropper posts, which will no doubt remedy the problem.
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In the right conditions though, the ACV is a seriously fun bike, especially in technical terrain. With the right tyres in place, this bike will be a great trail all-rounder.
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Product Specifications
Product
Name
ACV Pro
Brand
Intense
Brakes
SRAM Guide RS
Seat Angle
73.8
Top Tube (in)
599
Chainstays (in)
438
Wheelset
DT Swiss 240 Boost hubs on DT Swiss M1600 Spline Two rims
Weight (kg)
13.85
Stem
Thomson, 50mm
Shifters
SRAM X1
Seatpost
KS LEV Integra
Saddle
Fabric Scoop Radius Elite
Cranks
Race Face Next
Rear Tyre
Maxxis Ikon+ EXO 2.8in
Rear Shock
RockShox Monarch RT3 DebonAir
Rear Derailleur
SRAM X01
Head Angle
66.25
Handlebar
Renthal Fatbar, 760mm
Front Tyre
Maxxis Ikon+ EXO 2.8in
Frame Material
ACV 27+ UD carbon with 115-130mm (4.5-5.1in) of travel
Fork
RockShox Pike RCT3 Boost with 150mm (5.9in) of travel
Technical editor-in-chief, Rob Weaver, manages all of the testing here at BikeRadar and across our magazines, Mountain Biking UK and Cycling Plus. Rob first graced the pages of MBUK back in 2001 when working as a freelancer and went on to start testing bikes for the title in 2007. In 2010 he joined the team full-time and has been keeping a close eye on all things test-related ever since. Rob’s expansive knowledge of bikes comes courtesy of his passion for racing. He cut his teeth racing cross-country mountain bikes in the early 90s before finding his feet in the discipline of downhill. After many years competing on the UK national circuit (including a year attempting to race UCI DH World Cups), Rob realised his know-how and passion for bike setup, tech and writing clearly outweighed his racing ability. A degree in Sports Technology and decades of riding experience all help to give Rob a thorough understanding of what’s needed to create a great bike or product. It helps that he’s more passionate about riding than ever and will spend much of his free time consuming just about every bike-related publication he can get his hands on. While Rob’s a mountain biker at heart and never happier than when he’s sliding down a Welsh hillside, he’s more than happy to put the miles in on the road or gravel bike, too.
