^^exactly.

^so true, LC was ruined by the melodramatic bullsh*t narration.

I'm totally storked. Stroked! Stacked.

Tried Chain Reaction online? Outrageous price (not Chain reactions fault BTW) but here's the link: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=55030 My solution to missing bolts has been to go to the local fastener dealer and get a slightly longer allen-head bolt that matches the thread. I've found that the longer bolts stay in without issue (though still make sure to loctite them)...also they cost like 50 cents apiece instead of 30 bucks!

2 I don't blame anyone for being gun-shy due to negative experience, or hearing about other people's experience- I wouldn't touch an Evil frame, for example, after hearing the horror stories from almost everyone who bought a Revolt and subsequently had to (attempt to) deal with the Evil empire. (For everyone who wants a ride like the Revolt that works properly and is backed by an excellent company with a proper warranty department, buy the DeVinci Wilson.) Unlike Evil, whose Taiwan-made frames fetched a big boutique price and seemed to inexplicably fall apart during their intended use, Intense have kept their prices reasonable and competitive (at least here in North America they are on par with any other equivalent frameset made in the far east), done all their alu manufacturing at home, put out excellent product, and built an excellent reputation, in spite of some setbacks. Intense have remained committed to building frames in-house. The day that commitment changes is the day I look for another bike, which is what initially tuned me in to Intense - when Santa Cruz admitted that their frames were being made in Taiwan. I believe that Intense are going to continue to improve, and, unlike almost every other frame company, they will maintain their conviction that an excellent product can still be made in North America.

1 @hamsteadbandit, I've heard of that plague of badly aligned rear triangles from the early SSes that were shipped to Britain. It seems like you guys got stuck with a bad batch, and that has unfortunately solidified a lot of opinions about Intense in general. Since that bad run, I believe Intense have brought all processes in-house and have improved their QC (and all their products) as a result. I've never seen this alignment issue with the SS or any other Intense frame I've worked on, so am suggesting that your experience is pretty specific to a particular manufacturing run, and not indicative of Intense as a company. I've noticed a similar prejudice against Intense here in BC, riders tend to believe that they aren't strong enough to withstand the abuse of our tracks, and are really made for the flowier and much easier California riding style. My experience with Intense, as a professional mechanic as well as an owner of both the SS and SS2, is that they've behaved flawlessly and have developed zero problems. The SS was a great all-mountain bike, and the SS2 has proven to be an awesome do-everything go everywhere rocket, even more versatile (and built stronger) than the first version. Like any bike, they have their quirks - The coarse thread on the pivot bolts, for example, like to loosen up and should be checked every ride. I don't get Intense's insistence on using these bolts, all it would take is a change in thread pitch and the problem would be solved. In fact, why not make the mechanics really happy and use common chainring bolts like SC? My other complaint is the misnaming of the SS - anyone who rides slopestyle would never use one of these, so there's buyer confusion about intended use. Also not keen on sharing monograms with the Nazi Schutzstaffel, believe it or not. Are you listening, Jeff?

Thank the trailbuilding Gods that we've moved on! I'm glad I got into riding when the gratuitous teeter totter skinny log ride ladder bridge slow technical trail was not the main focus. This is what progression is all about - skills have evolved, trailbuilding has evolved, riders have evolved. We haven't become "one-dimensional lift jockeys", our skills have just expanded. Wooden builds will always be part of our trails, they're just a lot more fun to ride now. No question, it's definitely beneficial to be humbled by an old school trail like Ladies for example - but even on that trail, who doesn't think that Digger's new Monster is way more fun than what was there before? The forest will always reclaim the builds. And hopefully, we'll be there to re-interpret the flow in a new and fun way.

Good points for sure. I'm definitely not trying to say that all is sunshine & roses on the shore, it's just that there has been some collaboration and some forward movement, and hopefully those successes will show the way for other areas.