THE INTENSE TOP 3 OF 2023
A lot can happen in one year, but 2023 was especially important to us here at INTENSE as we celebrated our 30 year anniversary. Take a look back over the last 12 months as we pick our three favorite moments.
1. DAK NORTON REACHES BOILING POINT
The 2023 race season couldn’t really have gone much better for INTENSE Factory Racing team rider Dakotah Norton. He may not have taken that highly sort after first downhill World Cup victory, but he came mightily close on a couple of occasions. Dak definitely did it ‘his way’, there were no compromises here. There’s no point in playing it safe when you are up against the world’s best, and Dak equally held his own. Sixth at Monte-Sainte Anne, third at Snowshoe and second in Loudenvielle meant that at the end of the season he finsihed ninth in the overall and will be a protected rider for the 2024 series. And let’s not forget his first place at the US Open and the cool $15,000 prize money that he won.
2. REBIRTH OF A LEGEND, THE NEW M1
One of the most exciting things that we have been working on is the new M1 downhill bike. It’s easily the most anticipated INTENSE bike for a long time. The journey to get here has not been easy. Over four years of prototypes, testing, ripping up the ‘INTENSE Rule Book’ and eventually the team came up with the M279 HP6 or, as we now like to call it, the M1.
Gone was the classic JS Tuned/VPP design, and in would come something completely different. Designed around a 6-Link, High Pivot, TIG welded 6061-T6 Aluminum frame and featuring 8” (203mm) of travel and a 279 mixed wheel set up it was clear that the M1 was something special. A race-proven, winning machine. Available Spring 2024.
3. 30 YEARS OF INTENSE
Where did the time go!? 2023 marks the 30 year anniversary of INTENSE. You should all know the story by now, about how in the early 1990’s INTENSE founder and CEO Jeff Steber decided to head west to chase his Californian dream. In those early days he sculpted and welded aluminum frames in his garage. As we know, these bikes would go on to set the competitive bicycle world on fire. The legendary M1 and racing success was soon to follow, and the rest, as they say, is history.
