Tracer 275c Pro Review

One sweet ride Moto!

 

While we are on the subject of the lower link, most photos of bikes are from the drive side, so it's really hard to see. Here is the new Bronson frame from the non-drive side. The lower link still juts down quite a bit.



Edit: I sit corrected. The above photo is the former iteration of the Bronson. See below for a mo' bettah redesigned version. I stole the above photo from a review of the new Bronson - go figure.

 

That gyro effect is noticeable coming off a 26er... however, it's a matter of time before it disappears. I noticed it the 1st couple of rides on the TB LTc... but with saddle time, and starting to push the bike harder, I don't notice at all anymore.

 

Does it disappear or does the rider adapt, or get used to it? Interesting.....there are probably many other things we adapt to with our "machines", some good and some bad. Other than "dialing" things in and making adjustments, first impressions can be important.

 

Excellent question... I suspect it's there, but our muscles overcome it over time... the mind has an incredible ability to adapt to change. I've also noticed that my bike feels smaller after 3 seasons on it. The geometry hasn't changed, so it has to be the way my body perceives it.

 

I guess I have been on the wagon wheels for so long, that I don't notice any of that. Just get on and ride.

 

This is the older bronson v1 frame. the 2016 bronson v2 frame is much different

 

This is the new Bronson v2 frame the link is on the top side of the rear triangle.

 

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I "heard" the 29er Carbine will get updates to be like the Hightower in Oct. So maybe same time as the Tracer?
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Ibis is supposed to have something else soon too. Bigger Ridley with Plus maybe?
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That is really cool!

 

The one thing you will feel is the faster acceleration when descending the steeps!

 

Have this:


Want this:

 

I think I saw that bright green thingy out on GE.

 

Yes, but no.

 

After 6 rides and countless tweaking, I gave up on the DVO Jade coil shock and mounted up my Cane Creek DBinline. You know, the same shock that everybody who has owned one has had to send back to CC? Yeah, that one. So how did it do, you ask....?

In a word - AWESOME! I mounted it in the 145mm travel position (same as my last three rides on the Jade). Pumped about 180psi in the can for my 210lb self, a few twiddles with the four different adjustments and off I went.

Superb on the little stuff, very good on braking bumps and the foot deep holes that Lynx and Rock-It have to offer, stable climbing, and no harsh bottom out on the three-foot drops or the g-outs. I am ecstatic - because I was beginning to believe that my frustration with the rear end suspension performance was the bike design, and not the shock.

To be fair, I may have completely over-damped the Jade with too much rebound damping, thus the shock couldn't recover from successive hits, and thus the feeling of it being overwhelmed. No matter, the CCDBi was every bit as plush, and a full pound lighter.

Now, knock on wood that this unit doesn't go south in two months like just about every other Inline has.

 

Wow , that bike is Bling, congrats.

 

You'll have to order up a neon green decal kit for the DB Inline, or it'll look way out of place!

 

It actually looks just fine.


The DVO Jade only has a little green on it. Besides, when I take off the Diamond and put my black Marzocchi with Espresso stanchions on it, the black and green motif will be relegated to the frame, wheels, saddle, and derailleur. That's enough. Colorful, but not over the top matchy-match. The stanchions of the fork and stanchion on the Cane Creek won't match though. Thank God the LEV is black.

The Diamond is a pretty damn good fork though, so I will wait until everything else is dialed, then experiment with the difference between the Marzocchi 350 and the DVO Diamond. The Marz is nearly 1/2 pound lighter, and I seem to recall it handling repetitive hits at speed a bit better than the Diamond. But the Diamond has superb mid-stroke support, which is rare in an air fork, and comes in handy on steeper, techy gnar.

 

Hi guys..loving this thread as it is providing me with tons of "real rider feedback" input that i'm looking for vs the typical reviews. I know this forum seems to be exclusively for the SoCal area so hope you don't me in Malaysia jumping in with some questions.

I have owned 2 previous Tracer models before this latest T275C model. Been off the mtbike for about 5 years but ready to get back into the scene now so trying to decide what bike to get. I was initially all set to pull the trigger on a T275C but reading about the updated 2016 SC Bronson has thrown a spanner in the works! I'm also a little paranoid that Intense will release an updated Tracer as soon as i buy one as its already a couple years old. So I'm in a bit of a dilemma now trying to decide between the brand new Bronson and all its updated tweaks or the 2 year old T275C.

I'm looking for a bike that can follow the XC boys on climbs but still able to hang with the DH crew bombing down. There are zero uplifts here in Malaysia so every ride will involve extensive climbs. Would appreciate your 2 cents worth on whether my money would be better served with the newer Bronson or the older (but still awesome) Tracer. Thanks in advance!

Oh one last thing: SC is matching the Bronson with a 150mm Pike fork but I'm looking to stick a 160mm fork on it should i decide on the Bronson. Would that throw off the geo/handling/ride of the bike since the rear shocks are 150mm?

Cheers!

 

Dang @Razman! You sound legit. We have had so many out of country spammers I'm always hesitant to trust them.

I have a 2012 Yeti ASR5c and right after they told me it was the "cheater" bike, ultimate for climbing and descending they dumped the model for the SB66! But yeah know? I still love my bike! You make your ride, the ride doesn't make you. Get what excites you and hammer!

Oh! And welcome to imtbtrails.

Mikie
of Frazier Park, California, USA

 

Thanks @Mikie! Glad to be here.

Can't agree with you more re "you make your ride, your ride doesn't make you"

The problem with living in Malaysia (among other things!) is that no LBS here has demo bikes to test. None. For some reason they just don't do it. When they get a new frame in they'll just build one up and display them in the store while people drool over them but if you want to ride one, you gotta buy one. Makes it super tough for ppl like me to figure out what to get so I've had to rely on reviews and forums like this to get as much info as i can before taking the plunge.

 

I have not ridden one yet, but I can tell you that the Tracer 275 has been selling by the crate load over here. Intense is a local manufacturer I think down near Temecula. I'm not even in the market for one and thinking about getting one!

A lot of guys here on imtbtrails own 275's. There's a lot of love for the Bronson's here as well. Ask a lot of questions and they are sure to get answered here. It's a real good group of mountain bikers.

 

Awesome! Yea loving this forum. Seems like a lot less BS compared to others. Maybe one day when I get ma ass to California (which I do sometimes for work) I can ride these lovely trails I've been reading about on here ✌️

 

@Razman I suffered from the same dilemma. The new Bronson seems better on paper for me than the Tracer, and it does appear that the Tracer is due for an update (I am told there is no Tracer update planned in the next 6 months at least, but maybe that was to ease my mind and get me to dive in). I loved the Tracer 275c when I demoed it and I got a smokin' price on a limited edition version of it. I have no such connections for Santa Cruz, and everybody and his brother rides a Santa Cruz. The 148 rear spacing is more in your head than a performance reality on a 27.5. The threaded BB on the Santa Cruz is attractive, as is the longer top tube. However, the stack and reach numbers for the Tracer work out great. Bottom line for me is my back no longer hurts when I ride - and that was unexpected. I am climbing much better, and descending at least as fast, if not faster than on my beloved Knolly. The Knolly is still superior on successive hits and chunky climbs.

As for the fork length, there is absolutely no problem putting a 160 fork on any bike with 140 or more rear travel. Over-forking is highly encouraged. Every 10mm of additional axle to crown distance will be 1/2 degree slacker head angle, and that's not a bad thing either. A Bronson with a 160 would be fantastic, if you decide to go that route.

Welcome to the IMTB herd! We are a friendly bunch. Let's meet in the middle and ride - umm, is that Midway Island? American Samoa? Hawaii?

 

Haha maybe New Zealand! Unless we meet in the middle on the other side of the planet and ride Nepal some of my buddies did a trip there last year and it looks epic! Not quite "middle" for you guys tho, definitely a longer trip to get to vs me from Malaysia.

Thanks for responding @herzalot your posts were actually what got me here when I was frantically researching online. Very thankful I found this forum.

Totally get what you're saying about everyone riding SC. It's the same here, probably the main reason why I went with Intense (twice!) years ago. I also managed to contact an Intense brand ambassador recently asking about any upcoming updates to the 275c and got the same response. Can't help but feel that's the obvious answer to encourage a sale but can't blame them for it too I suppose.

Good to know over forking the Bronson won't negatively affect the ride. But with your formula meaning the head angle would be 1/2 a degree slacker with a 160mm fork, would that affect the bike's climbing ability you think?

I've always leaned towards Intense coz they come out with gorgeous bikes but as mentioned previously, I also want to try and get the best & most updated gear I can so that I can just focus on improving my skills instead of lusting over other new gear. Right now in my head, think if I can find a great deal on a 275c to ride until the updated version is released I'll probably do that.

I do know a guy looking to sell his good condition year old 275c frame + CCDB shock but it's in red/black. Not a fan of the colour scheme and vanity is telling me to keep looking

Love love love the storm trooper paint on the Shaun Palmer edition 275c but SC won't sell just the frame but only complete bikes of that.

 

I'll bet SC won't sell you the Palmer Edition Tracer!

The red and black is very cool. I like colorful frames though. Maybe not Magenta and Teal, but some color is better than all black, all gray or black on gray on black and gray.

Good luck! Buy the bike and keep us posted. See you when you drop in for some CA dirt!

 

Oh one last thing: SC is matching the Bronson with a 150mm Pike fork but I'm looking to stick a 160mm fork on it should i decide on the Bronson. Would that throw off the geo/handling/ride of the bike since the rear shocks are 150mm?

Cheers![/QUOTE]

I'm running a 160mm on my new Bronson and it works great it's not going to affect the handling. I have riding the frame with both and I like it with the 160mm.

 

haha oops!

 

Awesome. Thanks for this. I see that you moved to the new Bronson from a T275c. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

But if so, may i ask if you're happy with that decision? And if the Bronson is markedly better than the 275 climbing?

If I go with the SC I'm definitely going with a 160 fork now that you guys have reassured me on the Geo.

 

Late response, but the MSRP on a Tracer with Pro kit is about $6500. You have to get Enve wheels and top level SRAM to push it to $9000.