Should you’re a superfan of Intend’s uber trick and uber costly inverted forks and rear shocks, then it’s possible you’ll already pay attention to the brand new One Piece fork. The model already teased it on the Riva Bike Competition, however now they’re formally asserting it and making it obtainable for buy throughout a restricted pre-order window.
What’s the One Piece?
To many, the identify One Piece would possibly sound fairly acquainted. In spite of everything, One Piece is a much-loved Japanese manga — aka comedian or graphic novel — collection that follows the likeable Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as they sail the Grand Line in the hunt for the One Piece treasure. The comedian was later tailored into an anime collection, a online game, and, in 2023, a live-action collection on Netflix. I’ve watched it and it’s really fairly entertaining. Apparently, there’s a second season within the works, too.
The Intend One Piece, nevertheless, is an inverted suspension fork aimed toward all-mountain and enduro riders. Because the identify suggests, the One Piece encompasses a absolutely machined fork crown and uppers constituted of a stable block of 7075 aluminum alloy. Like different fashions in Intend’s lineup, the machining and end of the fork have a uncooked but refined industrial enchantment, and the one-piece crown/uppers take it excessive. The “Tech Taupe” crown and black lowers mix for a decidedly stealthy aesthetic.
Apparently, it’s one thing that Intend’s Cornelius Kapfinger has been pondering of for years, however till working with Spantech GmbH, no producer was keen or in a position to make it. This fork is ostentatious if nothing else, and admittedly, utterly pointless. Intend is nicely conscious of that, too, saying: “There’s no rational justification for it. Should you’re asking your self what the purpose of this fork is — it’s most likely not for you.”
Tech Particulars
Software: All Mountain / Enduro
Journey: 140-170mm
Axle: 110x15mm
Damper & Air Spring: Optimized Damping & Travelizer Airspring
Brake Mount: 180 / 200 / 203 / 220 oder 223mm
Weight: 2310g
Lowers: Blackline incl. Decrease Blades
Colour: (Solely) Tech Taupe
With a claimed weight of 2310g, the One Piece weighs greater than Intend’s different all-mountain and enduro forks, just like the Important, Edge, and Hero. It could seem that badass seems to be and weight financial savings don’t essentially go hand-in-hand.
Optionally available Hover Monocoque Shock
On the time of pre-order, consumers can even be given the choice to order the soon-to-be-released Hover Monocoque air shock in the identical “Tech Taupe” coloration because the One Piece fork. This new shock, which Intend claims will formally be unveiled earlier than the forks ship, will solely be supplied within the matching colorway to One Piece consumers on the time of pre-order. Realistically, in the event you’re shopping for a $3,299€ fork, you would possibly as nicely pony up for the matching shock, too.
The main points on the Hover Monocoque are sparse at greatest, however Intend tells us it is going to be supplied in all metric lengths and stroke choices as an air shock solely — no coil model. Must you select so as to add an identical Hover Monocoque shock to your One Piece pre-order, you’ll be able to anticipate to pay 1199€ (incl. VAT).
Authentic Comedian Strip
In line with the One Piece comedian theme, Intend can be releasing a customized comedian accompanying the fork. It tells the story of the seek for the One Piece, with a really main plot twist. Spoiler alert: the fork is the treasure. Since I don’t communicate German, I uploaded the six-page comedian into Google Translate to observe the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates with Cornelius on the helm.
The comedian delightfully parodies mainstream suspension opponents with pirate gangs just like the Foxxies and the StoneShockers battling for supremacy. In the meantime, the Straw Hat Pirate crew carries on to the Spantech GmbH field/head thingy, which produces the One Piece and ends Cornelius’ search. It’s a reasonably compelling story.
Intend One Piece: Pricing and Availability
Just like the legendary treasure within the comedian collection, the One Piece fork can be fairly valuable. Actually, it’s among the many costliest suspension forks available on the market at its preorder worth of three,299€ (incl. VAT). That’s nicely over 1,000€ greater than any of the opposite forks in Intend’s present lineup, that are already a number of the costliest fashions you should purchase.
Given its excessive worth and area of interest enchantment, the One Piece is just being supplied to severe consumers for preorder throughout a two-week window that begins right now and ends June fifteenth. In keeping with Intend, “Demand is difficult to foretell. We don’t wish to restrict each product — we’d quite give anybody who’s really the prospect to get one.”
Fortunately, you don’t want to hitch a pirate gang and sail the Grand Line in the hunt for this One Piece. These eager about buying an Intend One Piece fork can achieve this at intend-bc.com/store/onepiece now by June fifteenth. Potential consumers must be conscious that Intend says precise supply is difficult to foretell. They’re estimating anyplace between 3 and 6 months, relying on the amount of pre-orders.
intend-bc.com
