2016 Intense Primer

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Has been pulled apart and new bearings installed throughout. Lower link bearings only went 12 months before they needed doing. The top link had one crunchy bearing and the rest were ok. Changed the lot to start fresh.

I'm using the XTR cranks on my Solaris at the moment so I've put on some XT cranks with a Wolftooth oval ring. I'll be able to use the non drive side XTR crank arm so I can track power over both bikes.

Wheels are my old 35mm id Zelvys built by my LBS with some DT Swiss 350s. They're heavy, but also really fun with a 2.6" Nobby Nic out front and a 2.35 out back.

Plan is to strip my broken set of Zelvys (seeing a trend here?) And use the i9 hubs from those on a fresh build with some new carbon rims. Not sure what I'll get yet, but sticking with carbon and something around 25-30mm internal width.

Future plan is to keep riding it. It's super fun in this guise. Still slightly tempted by a Recluse upper link and a 200x57mm shock to bring it out to 140mm in the rear, then bump the front to a 150mm. Maybe IL coil rear, MRP ribbon coil front?

 

[slider_phil]

No huge changes. But new wheel day deserves a post.

DT Swiss XMC 25s on 240s hubs. A svelte 1430g by the scales. I debated tyres for no joke 3 weeks before I picked the 2.35 Forekaster. Since I have an XC bike I thought about going the usual DHF/aggressor or SS but I've always regretted fitting them due to their slower rolling. Yeah I know they're awesome tyres but 90% of my riding is rolling terrain and I love going fast, up and down.

With that in mind I'm going to try and keep it light, but capable. There's not a lot out there on the Forekaster but on paper it looks like a good all rounder. A bit like the Nobby Nic, but with exo protection .

It now tips the scales at 12.3kg, as it sits in the photo. I'm betting if I swapped my XTR stuff back over from the hardtail I could get it close to a 12 dead, but that's not what this bikes about, that's the hardtails deal lol.