Intense 951 XC vs 951 Trail

I am trying to decide between the Intense 951 XC and 951 Trail. For those who don’t know, the 951 XC uses an identical frame to the Intense Sniper T, and the second gen 951 Trail uses a very similar frame to the Intense Primer 29 but with some minor updates (UDH, shortened and steeper seat tube, slightly longer reach).

[https://intense951.com/collections/pedal-bikes/products/951-series-xc](https://intense951.com/collections/pedal-bikes/products/951-series-xc)

[https://intense951.com/collections/pedal-bikes/products/951-series-trail](https://intense951.com/collections/pedal-bikes/products/951-series-trail)

Unlike in my past life, in which I was an intermediate rider who rode hardtails and full suspensions on technical trails of all sorts, flowy single track at mild/moderate speed is more my game these days. I’m mostly happy to make it to the end of the trail and enjoy the nature. I don’t really plan on significant drops or jumps. I’ll also be riding a fair bit of pavement and fire roads, which will probably make up at least half my use case. I’m envisioning that a “downcountry” bike would probably make for a nice swiss-army knife bike for me.

I don’t presently have a bike, and since I have last ridden, the approach to bike geometry has totally evolved. Pedaling efficiency has improved, even for bikes with higher travel. Things like offset forks, 29 inch wheels, and dropper posts are all new to me. Size-wise, I am at the absolute max for a L and near the bottom of the range for an XL per Intense’s sizing guidelines. I am a little more torso than leg. I don’t really now how bikes are supposed to fit these days. Sitting on these bikes, my general reactions are as follows:

951 Trail

The XL fits really well. The geometry feels familiar, cockpit has plenty of space but I don’t feel stretched, min seat height is plenty out of the way given my shorter inseam. My main concern is that it simply feels like a whole lot of bike. It’s 4 pounds heavier than the XC. The suspension is inevitably going to consume more of my pedaling energy (but at least I’d get a good workout) on fire roads and pavement. That said, I appreciate the fact that this bike feels like it will be more forgiving to mistakes on a trail. Perhaps a bit overkill.

951 XC

The XL fits…pretty well. I prefer a slightly higher stack height, but this can be adjusted with handlebars with a bit more rise. My main issue is that the seat tube on the XL is long relative to other bikes with comparable travel, and thus the min seat height feels just a bit high for trail riding given my shorter inseam. When I sit on the seat at min height, the balls of my feet comfortably touch the floor but my heels are still an inch or two away (does this sound like an appropriate fit?). I do appreciate that it’s a little bit lighter and more efficient. I have access to a L frame to try (haven’t yet, as it would take some effort), which would take care of the seat height, but the stack height would drop and it already feels a bit low on the XL.

A few other thoughts:

-I chose these two bikes because of the price point. With the recent deals, it would be hard to get more bike for the money. There are other bikes out there that interest me (e.g. YT Izzo looks like a nice middle ground between these two on paper), but at 2X the price for similar components. Hard to justify given that I’m just a casual.

-I know I could consider an alloy frame, but given the bikes I have ridden historically, carbon frames feel like Ferraris to me. As such, I’m interested enough in carbon that I’d probably rule out alloy.

-A multi-bike strategy probably isn’t in the cards. While I’d love to keep the Trail for the trails, the XC for the fire roads, and get a gravel bike for pavement for good measure, I think I’m a one bike person unfortunately.

I appreciate any insight anyone can provide. Thank you in advance!

by ripflippy