Bike brand Intense is rolling out a new program for purchasing their bikes in the US, and it could be a game-changer. The Intense Frame First program allows local bike shops to order customized build kits for Intense frames, which the dealer then assembles prior to delivery to the customer. Build kits will be provided by Quality Bicycle Products (QBP), the largest bicycle product distributor in North America.
“We believe strongly that the current bike industry model is broken and that the [Independent Bicycle Dealer] IBD is the unfortunate recipient of that brokenness,” said Mike Carr in a press release announcing the program.
QBP Vice President of Sales, Bill Schouman, notes that “retailers know their customers best and, utilizing our Custom Build Kits, can efficiently get exactly what they need to deliver the ultimate purchase experience for every rider who wants a custom Intense bike.”
Bike brands have traditionally offered a limited number of build options at various price points, with no opportunity for buyers to swap individual parts. Many builds are assembled at factories overseas or by the brands at their own US facilities before being delivered fully or mostly assembled to local bike shops and online retailers. Some brands, including Specialized, rely on their dealers for assembly.
The Intense Frame First program allows dealers to work with customers to choose parts, and the complete bike is assembled by the local shop.
“Each frame will have one associated build kit that serves as the foundation,” Carr told me over email. “The ability to swap component pieces within the kit creates an endless number of potential build kits.” So, for example, a customer might choose to swap a default set of 170mm cranks for shorter, 160mm cranks for a better fit or based on personal preference.
According to the Intense website, dealers and bike buyers will have access to 300 brands representing 50,000 component choices.
Some direct-to-consumer brands already allow consumers to customize bike builds, though few, if any, allow the level of customization Intense promises. State Bicycle Co. buyers, for example, can upgrade key components, including the wheelset, fork, drivetrain, and even the saddle for the 4130 all-road bike, using an online form. However, not all the parts are swappable, so buyers are stuck with the stock handlebars, brakes, and seatpost, among other components.
Intense says the Frame First program represents a dealer-centric model that reduces financial risk for shop owners since they don’t have to stock complete bike builds that customers may or may not find attractive. Carr tells me that dealers don’t even have to stock the frames, though there are additional benefits for those that do. The brand is accepting dealer applications on its website, and an FAQ posted online says, “You do not need to be a current or past INTENSE dealer to take advantage of this program.” IBDs can order program frames through an Intense B2B online portal.
How and where a bicycle is assembled can have implications for labor costs and tariffs, as Singletracks noted in this June 2024 article. When asked how tariffs play into the Intense Frame First program, Carr told Singletracks, “By leveraging frame business through Intense and components through QBP, the process is able to avoid many of the duties and tariffs that continue to drive consumer prices higher. Ultimately, this solution will provide the rider with a better price value than a fully built bike while getting a premium purchase experience.”
This is not the first time Intense has charted a new retail path for its bikes. In 2021, the brand announced it would be selling select bike models at Costco, the US-based discount warehouse club.
Intense M1 and DJ frames are set to be the first available through the Frame First program beginning this month, with Tracer 29 and Tracer 279 models available beginning in mid-April.
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Plenty of folks buy a frameset and source all the parts themselves, but you're paying full retail for each part, and it almost always costs significantly more than a stock build. We haven't seen the program pricing details yet, hopefully buyers are getting a break on the parts bill compared to buying them retail...
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