For those who’re a superfan of Intend’s uber trick and uber costly inverted forks and rear shocks, then it’s possible you’ll already concentrate on 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 may sound fairly acquainted. In any case, 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 truly fairly entertaining. Apparently, there’s a second season within the works, too.
The Intend One Piece, nonetheless, is an inverted suspension fork geared toward all-mountain and enduro riders. Because the identify suggests, the One Piece includes a absolutely machined fork crown and uppers comprised 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 attraction, 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 prepared or in a position to make it. This fork is ostentatious if nothing else, and admittedly, utterly pointless. Intend is effectively conscious of that, too, saying: “There’s no rational justification for it. For those who’re asking your self what the purpose of this fork is — it’s in all probability 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 might seem that badass seems and weight financial savings don’t essentially go hand-in-hand.
Non-obligatory Hover Monocoque Shock
On the time of pre-order, patrons will even be given the choice to order the soon-to-be-released Hover Monocoque air shock in the identical “Tech Taupe” shade because the One Piece fork. This new shock, which Intend claims will formally be unveiled earlier than the forks ship, will solely be provided within the matching colorway to One Piece patrons on the time of pre-order. Realistically, when you’re shopping for a $3,299€ fork, you may as effectively pony up for the matching shock, too.
The small print on the Hover Monocoque are sparse at greatest, however Intend tells us will probably be provided 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
Consistent with the One Piece comedian theme, Intend can also 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 converse German, I uploaded the six-page comedian into Google Translate to comply with the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates with Cornelius on the helm.
The comedian delightfully parodies mainstream suspension rivals 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 also be fairly treasured. The truth is, it’s among the many costliest suspension forks available on the market at its preorder worth of three,299€ (incl. VAT). That’s effectively over 1,000€ greater than any of the opposite forks in Intend’s present lineup, that are already a few of the costliest fashions you should buy.
Given its excessive worth and area of interest attraction, the One Piece is barely being provided to severe patrons for preorder throughout a two-week window that begins as we speak and ends June fifteenth. In line with Intend, “Demand is difficult to foretell. We don’t wish to restrict each product — we’d reasonably give anybody who’s really the possibility 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 concerned about buying an Intend One Piece fork can accomplish that at intend-bc.com/store/onepiece now by June fifteenth. Potential patrons ought to be conscious that Intend says actual supply is difficult to foretell. They’re estimating anyplace between 3 and 6 months, relying on the quantity of pre-orders.
intend-bc.com
