This week's Reader'south Rig comes from Los Angeles-based builder Mark Owens, who shares a look at the 2022 Intense Primer he'south used for enduro racing, 90 coaching, and bikepacking. Learn more about Marking and his full-suspension rig here…

Words and photos by Mark Owen

How-do-you-do, I'm Mark. I grew up in rural Western Pennsylvania in the 1980s. Like a lot of kids during that fourth dimension, I discovered MX and BMX, and that led to a lifelong love of everything with two wheels. I was lucky to exist able to race all over the country and eventually get my first task in a bicycle store. I bought my first MTB in the first week working there and take followed the N+1 mantra ever since. I moved to Los Angeles immediately afterwards high school as much to ride and race my bikes and to attain a couple of architectural degrees.

Intense Primer

For my day jobs, I work in an architectural firm in Los Angeles and teach compages and interior design at two local Universities. For most of the by 30+ years, I have been racing DH or Enduro and riding dual-sport motorcycles. The past five years, I suffered some big injuries, and I really wanted to endeavor some other disciplines. I started coaching a NICA XC team and getting into bikepacking, and I was able to make my first 3 trips in 2022. The BCT in AZ was one of the best cycling experiences I have ever had, and I also attempted the Stagecoach 400 that twelvemonth. I did the first 140 miles in 2 days before figuring out I would not make it in my allotted fourth dimension. I'grand really looking frontwards to meeting more than people in the bikepacking globe and doing events or simply creating my ain adventures.

My current bikepacking rig is a 2022 Intense Primer. It'south a fleck of an obscure choice, but I've e'er been a fan of Jeff Steber's design process and aesthetic, and it's the just bike I own with under 165 mm of travel. Although I described my obsession with building the quiver above, if I were going to own only one wheel, this would be it. I have used this bike to race enduro, bus XC, do long singletrack epics, and finally got all the bags fabricated and outfitted it for multi-day adventures as well.

Intense Primer

  • Frame 2017 Intense Primer
  • Fork RockShox Pike 140mm w/ Push Industries internals
  • Rims Industry ix Trail 245
  • Hubs Industry ix
  • Tires Maxxis DHF two.3″ (forepart) / Maxxis Agressor 2.three″ (rear)
  • Handlebars Easton Havoc Carbon 760 mm
  • Headset Pikestaff Creek
  • Crankset Truvativ Descendant Carbon 170mm/28T
  • Pedals Shimano XTR Trail
  • Cassette eastward*thirteen 12-speed 9-50
  • Derailleur SRAM GX
  • Brakes Shimano Saint four piston
  • Shifter(southward) SRAM Gripshift GX
  • Saddle SDG Formula FXR
  • Seatpost Rock Shox reverb Stealth 150mm
  • Stalk Race Face up Atlas 50mm
  • Front numberless Rockgeist Barjam
  • Frame bags Rockgeist custom frame pocketbook, Medic, and top tube numberless
  • Accessory bags Race Face up stash wrap for extra CO2s and tube
  • Electronics Exposure Six Pack low-cal, Rylo handlebar-mounted 360 camera
  • Other accessories Topeak Modula Java cages and Versa Mounts on fork

And then far, I prefer bikepacking on technical singletrack, and this bike climbs like a billy goat and descends almost as well loaded as information technology does bare. I spent a lot of time getting information technology pared downward to the minimum and run a medium CamelBak to allow me to bikepack without a seat handbag so I can drop the seat the whole way down for technical descents. That said, on this terminal big trip, I managed to carry a chair on the fork leg and will not go without one in the future. I'yard really looking forward to meeting more than bikepacking enthusiasts and doing events and creating extended adventures.

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