E-Bikes are everywhere these days and even the manufactures like Husqvarna, Yamaha, GasGas are getting into them. I think the Ride Red guys have something planned as well. If you haven’t tried one, give it a shot they make bicycling way more fun. Sure, there’s say, 10% of people out there that are great athletes, cycle all the time and don’t really need the assist that an e-bike gives them but for the other 90%? Yeah, e-MTB’s are the way to go.
Obviously if you’re reading this site you’re probably aware that I’m a big e-MTB guy and specifically the Intense brand that I’m an ambassador for. These guys gave me one of their Tazer e-bikes a few years back and it’s literally changed my life. I lost 100lbs or so (I have put some of it back on, insert angry face emoji) and it allowed me to get somewhat back into looking like a normal human.
Since that first Tazer introduced in 2018, the bike has stayed basically the same. There was a Tazer MX introduced available only through dirt bike dealers and Parts Unlimited, they offered some different models with different suspension components and suspension travel and issues with supply chains (thanks COVID) delayed a new model and frankly, the world of E-MTB’s has boomed since 2018 and the Tazer was getting a little long in tooth.
Well, that’s no longer a fact. The new Intense Tazer is out and I’ve got about 100 miles on mine already so I thought I’d write a review.
My old main Tazer, the one I got in 2021 had almost 5000 miles on it (two different Shimano EP8 motors) so I was pretty familiar with it, not to mention the other models that I’ve had since 2018. I’ve also got a Tazer MX model as well. So yeah, I know the Tazer line pretty well you’d say.
If I could draw up a wish-list for the new Tazer, it would go like this:
Bigger battery (the old one had a 504wh, most e-bikes have 630wh ones)
Better on/off button integration.
Make it more “regular” bike looking (sleeker battery).
So, yeah the guys at Intense also figured out these were the main upgrades needed and delivered on all of them. The bike is so much better looking with the new battery and it’s now a sort of standard 630wh size. Down the road the Intense guys will allow you to pick the size of battery you want but bigger battery always equals more weight right?
As a matter of fact the first time I rode the new bike I came up on some guys on Levo’s and they made a comment about how good the bike looked. I swear on my life on this by the way.
I was down to getting about 20 miles and 2000 feet of elevation on the old bike so this bigger battery is great. Battery life depends on what mode you ride the bike in (with Shimano system there are three modes-ECO, Trail and Boost), how heavy you are and how much you climb so it’s never apples to apples to compare them with other people.
The geometry is about the same, there’s a slight difference in the new model’s seat post compared to the old model but I didn’t notice much difference, you sit a little more towards the front on this model but I’ve already put on a different seat and moved it to where I like it.
The Intense guys came out with the Tazer in 2018 with the Shimano E8000 motor but quickly put on the EP8 motor when it came out and that was a huge improvement. This new model comes with the EP801 motor which is basically the same as the EP8 but with a little more adjustability and also the ability to work with the Di2 stuff. The specs are the same as the EP8 and matches the very popular Levo models have.
The new EP801 (in the Tazer Alloy Pro model, there is an Expert model with the EP600 which is a bit heavier of a motor) works with the Shimano E-Tube app and the ability to have two maps loaded in your bike is great. I have one map that was stock and one that was a little more “help” than stock and depending on how I feel that day, I choose my map (on my bike dashboard) and go. The new version of the app with the 801 is better visually than the old ones as you can see below, much easier to see the power curve and how you want it.
Suspension is top-notch on the new Tazer just like the old models, when I ride some other brands I always appreciate the Fox float stuff and how good it works. The 38mm fork on the Tazer is great, note in the photos in here that I put my Fox coil on soon after getting new bike. I love the action of the coil, it’s more “moto-like” than the air and also for heavier guys, coils work better I feel. Both Fox and DVO make great, affordable coil shocks for the Tazer.
I’ve tried DVO fork and shock, Ohlins fork and shock and Fox stuff and to me, without a doubt the Fox float stuff is the best.
What I also really liked was the addition of TRP brakes this year, I thought the old Shimano XT brakes were fine but man, the TRP stuff is an improvement. Add in the MTX red compound pads (pulpmx code to save) and I’ve very impressed with the brakes on the new model.
The new model has a TRP derailleur on it instead of a Shimano (Shimano cassette still on wheel, 12-speed as well ICYWW) and it was a bit more notchy than the Shimano SLX shifter and XT derailleur that I had on the old model but it wasn’t a huge difference to be honest.
So looks are better, on/off button is better, battery life is better, brakes are better, app is better, suspension is the same (but awesome), shifting is slightly worse and I still hate the grips the stock bike comes with.
So the new style of Tazer for now is only available in the aluminum frame, there will be a carbon model at some point but from my understanding, it’s a ways down the road. When you add in the 3-pound difference from carbon to alloy and then the 3-4 pounds from the bigger battery, well now you’re approaching the 60-lb mark and that’s my only negative of the new bike.
You do notice the extra 7 pounds or so. My old model also had NOBL carbon wheels on it so maybe my old bike was 8 or 9 pounds lighter. I felt myself a bit more winded on the low ECO mode and I think it’s the weight of the bike. I was forced to adjust the assist a bit in the app to make me feel a little more of the same. The tradeoff for bigger battery is worth the extra weight without a doubt, jumping the bike didn’t feel heavier to me so that’s good I guess, it just seemed that going up some hills I was feeling it.
So all in all, I’ll take the extra weight to have the bigger battery and the ultimate bike will be this bike but in carbon to save a bit more weight. It’s not the end of the world, it’s not a deal breaker because after all, you have the bigger battery to adjust the assist in all modes to make the bike work for your fitness but carbon will be nice when it comes (probably 2024).
All the things that Intense needed to do with this new model were done, the boxes were checked off and I’m impressed with this Tazer Pro for sure. Do yourself a favor and check them out direct on the website ($1000 off sale right now!) or grab the Tazer MX alloy from a Parts Unlimited dealer as well.
Also, here’s Swap Moto Live’s review of the new bike as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fviyPo2Kl4E
Any questions at all, use the contact form on this site to send me a question and I’ll try to help you out.
