“There is no such thing as luck. There is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe.” ~ Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

The Bike, Tour Configuration

Note:  If there are no notes or reviews, the component by default worked fine.

Frame – Blue 2006 Intense 5.5 EVP 26r I selected this frame in 2006 with this trip in mind, but also as an all around mountain bike frame for tooling around the mountains and occasional racing.  Five inches plus of travel front and rear appealed to me in all cases.  Sometimes I refer to the bike as “The Couch” because of the cush ride of the big travel VPP suspension. 

Although not a showstopper, the most significant flaw in this frame is the pivot bushing/frame geometry interface. In almost two years, the pivot bushings have been replaced four times…the theory is the lower geometry binds the base pivots forward, causing premature wear.  Intense has supposedly addressed this problem in subsequent frames.  To its credit, the frame geometry continues to function even if the bearings wear out or seize…the only byproduct is some squeaky noise or a click that is sometimes confused with a bad bottom bracket.  When Alex The Fixx  replaced the bearings post GDMBR, he discovered a lag bolt in one of the lower pivots had worked loose inside the housing…which was definitely the source of the intermittent frame squeak I ‘experienced’ throughout the trip.  I think the lag bolt itself was defective…Alex communicated this to Intense in California. 

All in all I would say that this frame was the base of a smooth ride that reduced fatigue/injury and allowed me to pull off mileages and elevation gains that would have been otherwise unobtainable with a lesser quality frame.  Worth the money, I won’t get rid of this frame anytime soon.  Regarding other frame setups (29rs, hardtails, titaniums, carbons, etc) out there, I agree with anyone who rode the route and their setup worked for them.  At the end of the day, if it got you there then it worked.  Contact me if you have questions.

Cranks and Front Rings – Race Face Deus XC  The small ring was replaced with a black Shimano right before the ride when the new chain didn’t ‘groove’ with the RF small ring too well.  One of the plastic outer crank retainer bolts cracked and fell out in NM, I replaced it with a metal one from Gila Hike and Bike in Silver City.  This eliminated some of the noise that plagued the lower driveline late in trip but of course, didn’t solve the deteriorating bottom bracket.

Bottom Bracket – Race Face Deus X-Type  The bottom bracket started making noise in north central New Mexico.  I had a replacement in my bounce box that I carried from Cuba south but it never seized.  I had the BB replaced when I returned to Boulder.  Nonetheless, a solid performance from a lightweight component not designed for long distance touring. 

Rear Cassette – SRAM PG 99 11-34  Came loose twice on the trip, which I resolved on the trail…both times after riding the bike in the rain.  The flag was the rear rotor shifting and dragging…which you notice REAL quick.

Front Derailluer – XT   The Intense frame was originally built up with an XTR, but issues with it inconsistently dropping from the middle to small rings had popped up from time to time.   Never a big enough issue to address before the trip, but I struggled to dial this out in Northern Montana, often manually dropping the chain by hand (yeah, fun.)  I asked Mike at Glacier Cyclery in Whitefish to check it out.  Turns out the Intense frame geometry was not allowing the XTR cage to move far enough inward, especially when crud was behind it.  Mike switched it out with an older model XT cage and I never had another issue with it.  Anyone want to buy a used XTR?

Rear Derailluer – SRAM XO Med Cage  After nearly two years of no rear derailleur adjustments at all, I am firmly in the SRAM camp.  Perfect.

Shifters – SRAM XO Thumb Triggers  Ditto, see above.  These things are DA BOMB!

Chain – SRAM PC991 Cross-Step  Replaced upon return for no other reason than the law of diminishing returns.  I never touched this chain other than to clean and lube it the entire trip!

Seat Tube and Stem – WTB XTC series

Saddle – Specialized Milano Gel  One of the five contact points that I had no significant issues with…this saddle is sweet and comfy.  The extra weight was worth it.

Head Set – Chris King

Handlebar – FSA

Ergon Bar Grips  I had significant issues with nerve damage in my hands, my left hand is still numb as I type this.  Not the fault of the Ergon grips though, I like them and especially like the additional control they offer on the downhill.  I’d say my hand issues would be worse with standard cylinder grips.  Hand damage would have been mitigated by either running triathlon aero bars or by using conventional bar ends on the insides of the main bar.  Hand issues were due to lack of alternate positions and are common on this route.

Front Fork – Manitou Minute 3:00

Rear Shock – Fox Pro Pedal Float RL (PUSHED)   Having PUSH rebuild this shock before the trip made all the difference.  After running a ton of washboard roads on the route, the modifications they made absorbed the small bumps like a dream.  My number two best bike component decision after the Schwalbe Tires.

Wheelset – Mavic EX721 Black 36 spoke DT   A heaver downhill-style rim set, I switched from Stans ZTR 235s several months prior to the trip due to issues on previous tours with inconsistent rim true.  Alex from The Fixx recommended these based on my situation and they are awesome.  The rims are as true today as the day I flew into Calgary with no adjustments whatsoever.  The majority of mountain bike rims are 32 spoke, these use 36 and can easily deal with the added weight and stress of off road touring.

Hubs – Hadley QR Front and Hadley SDH Rear 135  Also a recommendation from Alex at The Fixx.  No problems at all with these hubs, absolutely worth the extra cost.  I really like the buzz that comes out of the rear freewheel at high speeds.  They are still in use; I have found ‘hub love.’

Brakes – Hayes HFX Mag Discs 8in front, 6in rear rotors   Another of Alex’s recommendations, these hydraulic brakes were a gamble that paid off.  I had some issues with the rear rotor dragging throughout the trip but I think it had to do more with the not so straight OMM skewer than anything.  No problems with brake fade and both front and rear pads made it the entire trip without replacement…the front pads are still on.  A little heavy, but durable and reliable.  Running 8 inch rotors in the front helped out significantly with modulation, heat dissipation, and control. 

Tires – Schwalbe Marathon XR 26x2.25s  All I can say is that these tires, although a bit heavy, made it the entire trip with one flat in the rear (a fence steeple that would have grounded a car tire) and a thorn slow leak 15 miles from the southern border.  Tire wear on the front was relatively minimal and the rear was not anywhere near bald at the end.  Some riders wear out 2-3 sets of tires on this trip.  The tread isn’t super aggressive but is wholly appropriate for this route, the only issues I experienced had to do with washout on loose, technical downhills.  At the top of the list of best tires for this route, without a doubt!