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Well, I am still in thought about my new frame. It looks like either a Tracer 2 or a Foxy.
The foxy looks "right" to me long and low.
The tracer looks "righter'(!) but a bit heavier. It will literally be used for everything so it has to be right.
I will be left with a singlespeed 456 with ridgid front end for the mud but everything else will be ridden on the new bike, from New forest 30 milers to trail centres to next years Megavalanche. i know it is a lot ask of one bike but all the manufactures promise it......
any thoughts?
A mondraker cos theres a better chance it wont be bent or cracked from the factory.
Myself and another Foxy owner have written a bit [url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/whose-racing-gravity-enduro-seriesthe-setups-that-people-are-running-and-more ]on this thread[/url].
I considered the Tracer 2 as well, but when a s/h Foxy came up for £1.1k it was an easy choice.
The Foxy wouldn't be my first choice for 30 miles round the new forest. But it's not much worse than any other slack-ish 140mm bike though.
Tsk.
What he's referring to is a design flaw in the early TracerVp's that cause the rear swingarm to crack with heavy use. Fixed from 2009 onward I believe (my 2010 Tracer VP has the revised rear from the factory)- and BTW if you research MTB frame cracks you'll finds a fair amount for any manufacturer.
The OP is asking about the Tracer 2 - its a new Frame so no reports of failure I believe, but I suspect Intense have learned thier lesson from the TracerVP issues. Also, Thats (and my TracerVP) have a low geometry - the T2 will be different by my Tracer is certainly low and enables you to really bite the front end into bends (68.3 degrees with c/creek headset & 150mm fork). I believe the T2 was designed with the same intentions yet more travel.
Eveolution not revolution with the Tracer - which is a good thing in the bike world (Orange 5 is a good example).
I've only had a spin brief on a Foxy, sorry to say it left me a bit underwhelmed, definitely too steep for me. As I say, a brief ride, as an all rounder, I could see how it might be the better option.
I bought a Tracer 2, Its die straight, and if you believe Intense, its had a ton of testing, new team of engineers, better QC etc etc. I obviously can't verify any of that, but other than being surprised (and a bit disappointed) by the +1LB I'm really happy with the bike.
The rear triangle is much, much stiffer than the old VP (at least it felt that way with the squidge the dropouts together test) I find the solidity of the bike into rough rutted corners/ & G-outs really confidence inspiring.
In short, I think its now a 6" travel bike with a shorter travel setting, rather than a long travel trail bike, if that makes any sense?