An Intense Experience

A few words and stats to express my appreciation for this bike, mountain biking as a sport, and the community around it

01-17-2026 - 1 minute, 1 second

I used AI to help me write this post

I bought this bike in July 2021. I didn’t know then how much of myself I’d put into it—or get back.

IMG_0486 July 2021 — New Bike Day

Wear items

  • Brake pads: ~5 pairs
  • Chains: ~4
  • Tires: ~1.5 pairs (1 rear sidewall cut)
  • Rotors: 1 pair
  • Rear wheel: 1 full replacement (dented rim; cheaper to replace than rebuild)

Maintenance

  • Tune-ups from Ed: ~5
  • DIY maintenance: didn’t count

Gear

  • Shoes: 2 pairs (worn through soles)
  • Gloves: 1.5 pairs (falls, seam failure)
  • Helmets: 1 destroyed

IMG_5997 Oct 2023 - Demo

Body

  • Concussions: 1
  • Stitches: twice (once from the concussion, once from a careless calf cut)
  • Shoulder: jacked
  • Wrist: jacked
  • Other crashes: lost count

Community

  • Trailside help given: ~2 tubes, tools lent
  • Trailside help received: countless welfare checks
  • Lessons/coaching: 3 sessions
  • Races: 2 enduros

Net result

  • Mental health: much improved
  • Physical health: much improved
  • Social rides: room to grow 🙂

The math

  • 1,720 miles logged on Strava
  • Bought: $3,250 (Costco online)
  • Sold: $1,000 (Craigslist, high school kid + his dad)
  • Returned: $300 to the kid

Worth every dollar, every bruise, every lesson. "It's not the bike, it's the friends we made along the way."

2021%20Intense%20951%20Trail%20-%20large%20-%20S1,100%20%28san%20jose%20west%29 January 2026 — Letting it go