In the race to 32, it appears that Intend is winning, at least as far as suspension forks are concerned. The brand’s signature inverted suspension forks have been a common sight on several of the prototype, production, and handmade 32-inch mountain bikes we’ve seen recently. Intend just took it a step further by announcing a new Samurai 32 model that is officially for sale to the general public.
While the mainstream players in the mountain bike suspension market are obviously working on 32” suspension forks, we’ve heard very little about them and seen even less. Meanwhile, Intend’s inverted design allowed for easy adaptation of its 29” Samurai XC fork to the 32” wheel size. With no arch to get in the way, Intend was able to simply reduce travel for 32” compatibility for prototype and display bikes. Now, with the new Samurai 32, Intend has created a dedicated suspension fork for the new breed of big-wheeled bikes.
Intend Samurai 32 Details
The new Samurai 32 doesn’t stray far from the 29” Samurai XC much at all. In fact, given the inverted design, it appears that all that was necessary to create more clearance was to add machined extensions above the dropouts. Reportedly, only the first batch of Samurai 32 forks will feature these extensions, and subsequent batches will include new dropouts with the extensions fully integrated into their design.
Otherwise, the Samurai 32 appears to be nearly identical to the 29” Samurai XC. It is designed for XC and trail bike use and is available in travel lengths ranging from 100 to 130mm in 10 mm increments. It has an adjustable air spring, 35mm stanchions, and is offered with your choice of its new Energizer XC 3-position cartridge or an adapter for the RockShox Charger RaceDay cartridge (RS cartridge not included, 120mm max travel).
When purchasing, buyers can choose the cartridge type, travel length, and between post and flat brake mounts (both 180mm). Buyers also must provide their “weight with gear after toilet.” The Samurai 32 weighs a claimed 1,620 grams. Like Intend’s other products, the fork was designed, engineered, and tested in Freiburg, Germany, and assembled in-house by hand.
Intend Samurai 32 Specs
- Ride Style: XC / Trail
- Travel Range: 100-130mm
- Wheel Size: 32” only
- Spring Type: Air spring
- Damping: Energizer XC Lockout Cartridge / RS Raceday
- Adjustments: Rebound / Compression / Air spring / Progression
- Axle: 15×110
- Weight: 1620g
- Axle to Crown: 130mm travel: 580mm, 120mm travel: 570mm, …
- Offset: 48mm fully extended, 46mm at sag
- Steerer dimensions: 1 1/8″ diameter starts 75mm above crown race base
- Lowers: Natural anodized tubes with pressed-on dropouts
Intend Samurai 32: Pricing and Availability
The new Samurai 32 is on Intend’s website, and is even referred to as “the first ‘buyable’ 32” suspension fork — with 35mm stanchions.” Interestingly, when clicking around the options on the page, all of them are currently listed as out of stock. That said, we’d expect them to be available very soon. When that happens, the Samurai 32 has a retail price of €1,699 to €1,899 (including 19% VAT) or €1,427 to €1,595 (excluding VAT).
But Wait, There’s More!
Hidden a little deeper on the Intend website is the new Edge 32″ Enduro fork. This fork is currently only available “for B2B sales for framebuilders/bike companies.” Still, it’s pretty exciting to see a production, inverted, longer-travel 32″ enduro fork, and it’s a sure sign that we’ll be seeing more 32″ prototypes and experimentation in the longer travel brackets.
Details are a bit sparse for the Edge 32″ fork, but what we do know is that it is available in 140 to 170mm travel lengths in 10mm increments. It can be ordered with 15mm or 20mm dropouts/axle diameters, and mounts for 180mm or 203mm rotors. The retail price is listed at €1,679.83.
