Intense Air Cushioned Vehicle

By John Hardwick | 7 July 2016

An all-new trail bike offering from Intense, the ACV (Air Cushioned Vehicle) has been built around the 27.5 plus wheel and tyre platform. The frame is all carbon and offers 130mm of rear travel that combines with a 150mm travel fork. The rear travel can also be swapped to a shorter 115mm setting if you prefer.

This is the first 1X specific trail bike from Intense. Eliminating the front derailleur mount has allowed them to run a symmetrical swing arm with two vertical struts (normally there’s just one)—this adds a bit of extra stiffness.

There’s sufficient clearance for 3.0 inch wide tyres but the stock builds all come with 2.8 inch tyres. This along with the reasonably short 338mm chainstays help to give the ACV a lively trail bike manner—it’s a trail bike not a fatbike after all. At 66.25 degrees, the head angle is quite slack for a bike with 130/150mm of travel, so it’s clearly been designed with aggressive riding in mind, as Aussie DH icon Chris Kovarik demonstrates…

As the outer diameter of the 27.5 plus wheels is very close to that of a 29er, it’s also possible to fit the ACV with the taller hoops if you’re chasing a slightly lighter and quicker package for hardpacked trails.

For the Australian market, Intense will now be selling directly to bike shops rather than going via a distributor. They’re currently in the process of setting up dealers and you can find them listed at http://www.intensecycles.com/dealers. This move will lead to slightly more competitive pricing for the Aussie market.

As a frame only the ACV will sell for $4,199 and it’s offered in two spec options; the Pro build at $9,499 (pictured) or the Foundation spec at $6,699. For all the details go to http://www.intensecycles.com/bikes/acv