Intense Cycles Joins UK Distributor Saddleback

The Saddleback team is thrilled to announce a new partnership with legendary US mountain bike brand Intense Cycles.

Following a successful visit to Intense’s hometown of Temecula, California, an exclusive distribution agreement begins today, 6th April, with Saddleback bringing complete bikes and framesets to the UK market. The addition of Intense to the Saddleback portfolio also marks the distributor’s commitment to grow the MTB side of the business and become as powerful a player in elite off-road products as it is in the road sphere.

“Intense was the number-one name on our list of desired MTB brands so we couldn’t be happier that they have chosen to work with us,” said Intense UK brand manager, Martin Astley. “Intense’s history, prestige and the incredible performance of its bikes make the brand a perfect fit for Saddleback. We join forces at a key moment in the evolution of the Intense brand; the new Spider 275C launched last week is an indication of what is to come in the next few months and we are very much looking forward to sharing the new range with dealers and the public during 2016 and beyond.”

Intense holds a unique place in the bike industry as an authentic, focused, high-end MTB brand run by enthusiasts who truly understand riders. The company remains true to the ideals set out by company founder and designer Jeff Steber, who changed the mountain biking landscape forever in 1994 with the M1, the first downhill-specific full-suspension mountain bike. Shaun Palmer’s 1996 World Championship silver established the brand as the most important name in downhill racing while the M1 was also re-badged and ridden by several of the world’s best riders, including Greg Minnaar in his 2003 worlds win.

As carbon now becomes the mainstay of the Intense range, the tried and tested designs gain the performance benefits of this must-have material while retaining the character and design hallmarks that have made Intense so popular with mountain bikers around the world for over 20 years. Today the brand boasts a range of platforms covering light trail through to DH race.

Saddleback and Intense join forces at a very important point in the journey of both companies. Intense has made significant investment in new technology which will bring several new models to market over the next 12 months, the first of which is the all new Spider 275C launched with huge praise from editors across the globe last week. For Saddleback, the addition of Intense is a clear indication of intent to build a portfolio of premium mountain bike names that complement long term partners Enve and Chris King to match our industry-leading road presence with brands such as Castelli, Sidi, Stages and Rotor.

Saddleback will be receiving stock from mid April and the new Spider 275C will land in mid May.