Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Intense Podium Pro Cruiser

Intense Podium

One of the most iconic marques of off-road cycling in the last 20 years has to be Intense Cycles. Anyone who remembers the sight of Shaun Palmer bombing down the slopes of Mammoth on his M1 in the early 90s will attest to their iconic status (we’ll forget his black latex skin suit). And it’s not undeserving, either. Jeff Steber’s skill as a designer and technician elevated Intense to almost mythical heights: they were (and still are) the holy grail of dirt for many dirt bound cyclists.

I hold a strong affection for 24” cruisers; my Specialized Hemi cruiser and I were inseparable for years. We just fit together well. So when I came across this Intense Podium Pro cruiser, it not only brought back fond memories of my 24”, it brought my Intense desires into the modern age. XTR calliper and lever, DX pedals, Chris King BMX hubs and Sun Rhyno Lite rims — these were components that were lust worthy back then, and their functionality and essential design means they haven’t been outdated even today. Held together with Thomson stem and post, Saint cranks, S&M bars and riding on a pair of carbon fiber Bombshell F1 forks, the Podium Pro aluminum frame in flat black contains potential power like a coiled snake.

Assembled as a competition machine so that his pristine GT wouldn’t need to put up with race stress, MTBR member Blaster1200 came out of retirement and eventually won the ABA Southern State Championship. More proof that an Intense is most comfortable at the top of the podium. You can see photos of Blaster1200 riding his way to victory in his thread on the MTBR forum.

Intense Podium
Intense Podium
Intense Podium
Intense Podium
Intense Podium
Intense Podium