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We hit the desert on two awesomeAmerican carbon trail tamers for a

proper su perbike shoot-out

wo proven top performingtrail bike designs handknitted into high tech carbonfibre format make for theultimate aspirational rides.

But what are the Pivotal differences inthis lntense head-to-head comparisonand which bike is best for you if theLottery turns up trumps?

It was already likely to be a dramaticshoot-out between these two superbikesas we fumbled our way up the desertsingletrack in the pre-dawn darknessin Boulder Canyon. The fact that thestorm clouds that had been gatheringall weekend were stacked up above thecanyon crags Like something from theapocalypse only heightened theanticipation even more.

Brewing up a stormBlack, menacing and seething with aserious bolt of energy describes boththese closely matched frames prettywell too. At 2.5k9 (5.51b) claimed frameweight and with 140-152mm of travelvia two different rear shock positionsthe Intense is the marginally heavierand longer legged against 2.35k9 (5.21b)

and 145mm travel ofthe Pivot. OurCarbine sample is also built up with a

Fox 36 TAIAS fork and older XT kitcompared to the lighter Fox 32, DTSwiss wheel and other componentrytweaks of the Mach 5.7, puttingcomplete bike weights further apart at12.65k9 (just under Z8lb) and 11.92k9(usr over Z6lb) respectively.

Head angles and wheelbase lengthsare as near as damn it identicalalthough the bottom bracket (BB) sits afew millimetres further forward on thePivot. While the Pivot has 5mm more

length at top tube level, the bent seattube of the Intense means the effectiveseat angle is generally slacker than thePivot, whrch evens things out in termsof actual reach. They both get cableguides for remote dropper seat posts.

Fighting lur the leadIdentical Kenda tpes scrabble for gripas we gain height rnto the eerie glow ofthe rocky Boulder Canyon trails. It's notjust build weight that's pulling the Pivotinto the lead though. Despite the slickcoated smoothness of the Fox Kashima

shock the DW suspension is noticeablymore stable under pedalling than theVPP (Virtual Pivot Point) of the Carbine.That means a more even tempo and less

bounce as we plough through sandtraps onjeep tracks.

Unlike many neuiral feeling bikesthere's no sense of sag or squish underpower either, just very accurate terrainfollowing that builds increasing trust tojust pedal and let the tyres get on withit. In contrast there's noticeably morefeedback coming through the pedals onthe Carbine. Each bump up gives abackward tug on the chain and eachsmall drop jacks it up slightlY underpower so we need to flick on theProPedal damping to stop the shockmoving noticeably as we climb. On theplus side it's a more engaging andinteractive ride feel than the Pivot,letting you dig your heels in and force

the nose down on steep gradients. Italso accentuates body weightmovements so sitting down andhoicking the nose up for steps ormanuals is a cinch.

Differences between the twomight be clear as we push the pace

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The Kashima-coated

Fox shock made a

noticeable difference

to the Pivot's ride feel

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and chase towards the lightening - andoccasionally lightning streaked - sky butin the grand scheme of things, boththese bikes are top echelon all-rounders.

Bars grilledAs the trail roughens up more there's nodoubting that the Kashima-coated forkand shock on the Pivot is making a

difference to the overall sensitivity ofthe ride. Micro reactions to the trail

surface are better controlled andsmoother. This keeps it connected andcontrolled on loose surfaces where themore muscular, pulsed power deliveryand less sensitive shock of the Carbineare spinning. Production Carbines comewith a custom tuned Kashima shock as

standard and fork choice is up to youwhen you're building.

One thing we'd add while talkingabout build is that neither of these bikeshas a wide enough bar to really let their

confident handling breathe. Frankly ifthe millimere width of the bar is in the600s not the 700s then it's going toundermine the potential carving andline holding capability of the frame.67-degree head angles deserve a 70mm

- or at most B0mm - stem for maximumhandling responsiveness.

Stiff competitionDespite the uptight cross-country (XC)

feel ofthe cockpit on both bikes theinherent stiffness of the chassis on bothis obvious. Pivot has used an ulra-highcompression Hollow Box carbonforming technique that it says

EARBII]I OR AttOY?The obvious question this test throwsup is whether a carbon frame is worththe extra money, as in some cases thedifferences are relatively minor. ln thisinstance the alloy version of the Mach5.7 is only 2009 heavier than thecarbon Pivot (and only 1009 heavierthan the lntense) for t400 less. Someframes are even closer on weight, whileothers, such as Santa Cruz makes itscase for carbon with fibre frames over500g lighter than alloy equivalents.While weight differences vary, wehave yet to ride a carbon version thatisn't significantly stiffer than its alloycousin and that's certainly the case inthis test.

While suspension, geometry andfixtures are often shared identicallybetween alloy and carbon versions of

the same bike it's not always the case.Here the carbon lntense doesn't getlscG (lnternational Standard ChainGuide) mounts for a chain device, butthe alloy Tracer 2 equivalent does.Presumably because alloy is seen asthe tougher, more crash-proof choicefor DH (downhill)-style use, whichwould require a chainguide.

From our own experience carbon isproving to be impressively tough inlong-term use and impacts that willcrack a carbon frame would almostcertainly dent a metal model enoughto write it off too. That's even morethe case where manufacturersdeliberately armour their carbonmodels, like Pivot and lntense do,while the thin walled alloy bikes go

into battle naked.

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allows internal shaping as accurate as

the external forming. Meanwhile,US-built alloy specialist Intense has

deferred to the expertise of Germancarbon fibre specialist SEED to createthe Carbine chassis.

Both bikes get tapered head tubes,oversized press-fit BB92 bottombrackets and screw-thru rear axles toboost stiffness. Intense has underplayedits hand on our sample again though as

it's fitted the 13Smm quick release (QR)

versions of its G1 switchable drop-outsrather than the Shimano or Syntace

,;l: -'

142x1.2mm options. This is great interms of wheel choice and damagereplacement, but the Pivot's fixed1.42x12mm drop-outs definitely offer theultimate security, strength and stiffnessin performance terms.

Pivot will be offering an optionalaftermarket chainguide for the press-fitbottom bracket. However, while it'sstandard on Intense's alloy Tracer 2 it'snot an option on the Carbine, whichcould be seen as an oversight on a

bike cleared to handle a big hitting160mm travel fork. You could fit a frontmech-style single ring guide. You alsoget a conventional bottle mount on both.

Ruck and a hard placeAs the hours of duelling progress, bothbikes are taking plenty of hammer fromflying rocks. We're glad they bothfeature protective layers (a leatherette-style strip on the Pivot and a more solidplastic 'FLK-GRD' piece on the Intense)on down tube and chainstays to protectthe carbon fibre.

Given that it's the significantly lighterbike we're really impressed with theway the Pivot is taking the fight to theIntense. The Fox 36 fork of the lattercertainly feels stiffer on the sharp rockyledge trails and under braking intocorners than the 32 0n the Mach.There's more than enough framestiffness to keep the Pivot tracking everybit as hard as the Intense though andit's more consistent in suspensionresponse throughout its travel. Becauseit references the rider less than theIntense it feels calmer and more

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PRICE t2150 (frame only)

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SEATTUBE LEiIGTH 175in

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HEIGHT i],5iN

CHAII{5TAY LEI{GTH l6.7in

WHEEIBASE 44in

stzEs 5, M (tested), L

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without pedah

FRTME SEED carbon fibre,

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tapered steerer,

140'l52mm travel

5H0CK Fox Float Rp2l

WHEELS 5himano

t!t776 XT

TYRES Kenda Nevegal DIC

2.Xin

CRAilXS Shimano

M77O XT

GEARS Shiman0 Mi70 XT

BRIKES Shimano

M77O XI

oTHER STUFF Ritchey

WcS (arbon low riser bar,

syncros seat post and

stem, htense saddle, oDl

lntense grips

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controlled when the shit is properlyhitting the fan too, leaving you lesslikely to feel stuck in the wrong place.

Then again the Intense takes big hitsreally well off the power and drives outof corners with more purpose, whichprogressive riders may well prefer.

The bigger fork, extra weight,fractionally longer front end and lowerride height of the Intense also work inits favour when we're really slammingthe bikes into berms with ankle creakingforce, although you can certainly feelthe QR stafting to complain when you'rereally carving it round.

When the Carbine does open a gaP, itnever takes the Pivot long to close itdown and start chewing its rear tyre orcharging past, especially if there's a

climb involved. The longer we leatherround the trails, the fresher the moreneutral ride of the Mach is keeping us

too; hands, shoulders and feet all

18 r,',luftrg6pE

3r lf you want a versatile,

mce-light but DH

confident all-rounder

with a superbly balanced

,Y \s neutrality then turn

towards the Pivot. lf you Iike

ma)(imum communication,

intuitive 3D interaction and travel

adjustment at the expense of

more pedal feedback and slightly

less consistent connection, then

the lntense is aptly named. lfyou end up with either top-drawer

machine you're onto a

winner! 6uy

****"Superbly balanced and versatile

lightweight long travel all-rounder

at a good price."

slightly less bruised and breath a littleless bloody as we crest each climb. Aswe've already said, some of the blamefor the Carbine's blunter ride feel canbe laid firmly at the feet of the lesssensitive shock, which won't be an issuewith production bikes.

Houding our judgemEntWith the Iightning ever more frequent,thunder roaring in closer and hairsstanding on our necks as the rocks singwith static it's definitely time to head offthe hill for safety. If it weren't for thethreat of being fried though neitherbike should be worried by weather. Wehave been running an alloy Mach 5.7 alllast year without any issues, and theCarbine gets the grease-injected,serviceable collet bearings alreadyproven on previous Intense and SantaCruz models.

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RLC Kash ma,0R15,

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SH0IK Fox Floal RP2l

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XM450TL Tricon rims,

ruslom DT Swrss 240 hubs

TYREs Kenda Nevegal,

2.l5rn

CnAilNS Shimano

As the clouds open and rain slamsinto the rocks and dust like bullets andpreviously sketchy drifting turnstransform into sticky turn and gurn gripthere's very little between both bikes,especially if you consider the Intensewill come with a Kashima shock as

standard. Compared to carbon fibreframes from other top manufacturers,both are relative bargains at just over€2000, so it's a case of deciding whetheryou Iike your ride character impeccablybalanced or more involvingly belligerent.

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Santa Cruz Blur [TCarbon f2499Same VPP2 suspension as the

Carbine in a 140mm travel frame

www.santacruzbikes.c0.uk

Yeti5866Carbon 'TBCThe carbon version of Yeti s netry 6in

superbike frame is slated to weigh

around 6lb (2.7k9) or less.

www.yeticycles.com

lbis Mojo HD f2175Ihis Heavy Duty version of the

well-proven Mojo shares the same

DW Link suspension deslgn as the

Pi\/ot in 140 0r 160mm travel 0pti0ns.

www.ibiscycles.co.uk

M78o xT I

GEARSShimanol\4780XI l

BRA(ES Shimalro [,1780 XT

OTHER STUFF FSA 5L(

riser bar and seat post.

FsA 05150 stem,

WTB Vigo Rare saddle

COI{TACT

Vvww.pivotcydes.rom,

wwwupgradebikes.ro.llk

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