Review 2021 Intense Tazer Expert

[mxengineer1]

The Bike:

Manufacturer: Intense
Model: Tazer Expert
Model Year: 2021
Price Paid: $6299
New/Used: Brand New
Score (out of 10): 9

Review: First ride on my new Intense Tazer Expert at a local MTB trail. Just picked this bike up from Paradise Garage in Columbus, Ohio. The Intense Tazer e-MTB's looked cool and every time I test rode a Tazer the bike just felt right to me (like my moto bikes). My body weight distribution through my feet and hands while standing and cornering on the Tazer feels very natural and gives me confidence to push. That is the feeling I noticed on test rides that piqued my interest enough to buy a Tazer and really get to know the bike. I am 6' 2" tall, weigh 190 lbs, also currently ride a '22 Specialized Levo Expert and also ride off road motorcycles (mostly motocross).

I bought the Tazer Expert model (MSRP $6299) which includes a full carbon frame and rear triangle, Fox 38 Performance fork and Fox Float X2 shock, Shimano SLX drive train and brakes, and DT Swiss wheels with Maxxis Minion DHR tires. The Tazer Expert has the Shimano 7000 motor which is rated at 60Nm peak torque and comes with a removable 504Wh battery.

A mile into my first lap on the Tazer everything I felt on my test rides was confirmed. The feel of my body weight distribution at the handlebars and pedals felt so good and the handling was confidence inspiring in the corners and especially on the downhill sections. For a 50 lb size XL bike the Tazer felt lightweight and was agile in the corners. I like the Mullet layout (29" front, 27.5" rear wheel) and I think the smaller rear wheel helps the Tazer feel smaller in the corners. Also the smaller 504 Wh battery is lighter and held low in the frame.

Since I regularly ride 90Nm rated Brose motor powered e-MTB's I was concerned the 30% lower powered 60Nm Shimano 7000 motor could be an issue for me (not enough power!). After the first ride on the Tazer the lower powered motor is not an issue. In fact my 27 minute 25 sec (27:25) laptime on the Tazer Expert on this ride was 4 secs quicker than a recent 27:29 laptime on my '22 Specialized Levo Expert which has a 90Nm rated Brose motor. While the Shimano 7000 motor does have less torque feel (mostly felt at very low pedal RPM) than the stronger Brose motor the assist from the Shimano 7000 motor felt more than strong enough (especially in Boost). The Tazer's Shimano 7000 motor has (3) modes to choose from (Eco, Trail, Boost) with Trail providing a very natural feeling assist level and Boost (my favorite) giving full assist which is helpful on steep technical climbs. The Shimano e-TUBE tuning app does allow for motor power character tuning though I never felt the need as the (3) modes each provide a unique assist level. The Shimano motor seems to like slightly higher pedal cadence as the assist seems to increase with higher pedal RPM's. The Shimano motor also feels almost friction free as the speed goes past 20mph and the assist drops out.

Negatives: I did notice at times minor battery or motor rattle noise over roots and rocks. The smaller 504Wh battery has more than enough range for my rides but may lack the range needed for some riders though a spare battery is an option for longer rides.

Overall : Pretty cool to finally get an Intense Tazer and confirm the "just feels right" I felt on test rides feels even better on real MTB trails. Also the Tazer "feels" very natural to me after riding my motocross bikes.

My video review.....

 

[Vulcar]

Love my 2021 Intense Expert. Plenty of power for my rides also. I have it finally dialed it in for me I think. I also set the modes a little different. I did not want to have the bike do all the work for me. I set ECO at 30%, Trail at 50 and Boost at 95. This way I still get a great workout if I need any assist. Depending on the climb may need a combination of all three modes. This setup has proven to me there I can pretty much handle any climb so far.
On level or smaller ups and downs, I usually have assist in Off mode.

 

[Crawford919]

I rode the Tazer MX at a local dealer in Hendersonville NC just around the parking lot and it felt really good. It has Öhlins ft and rear and I think they have the EP8. It was strong and the layout was really comfortable. Really strong brakes and felt noticeably lighter than my Giant Reign when lifting. Sweet bike, would to spend some more time on one in the trail.

 

[mxengineer1]

I rode the Tazer MX at a local dealer in Hendersonville NC just around the parking lot and it felt really good. It has Öhlins ft and rear and I think they have the EP8. It was strong and the layout was really comfortable. Really strong brakes and felt noticeably lighter than my Giant Reign when lifting. Sweet bike, would to spend some more time on one in the trail.

I just picked up a 21 Tazer MX Pro and will post a review soon....I've been Tazered!

 

[mxengineer1]

Rode my Tazer Expert last week at Horns Hill in Newark, Ohio. Took my Tazer MX Pro there also last week. Fun to ride the Tazer Expert and MX Pro on the same trails. The Tazer Expert felt a little lighter (mostly at the handlebars) probably because it has the Fox 38 forks vs the dual crown Ohlins DH38 forks on the MX pro plus I have OneUp carbon bars on the Tazer Expert. Still enjoying the Tazer confidence inspiring handling with an agile yet planted overall feel. The Shimano 7000 motor still had plenty of power to make the climbs uphill fun and the famous Shimano motor rattle is still there too. A few pics and videos from the ride.....

 

[Pezzar]

Thanks lads - Tazer elite is on my shortlist - good to hear real riders reviews as tbh it doesn't score great in the mainstream testers reviews, probably mostly as it isn't up to date motor tech. I really like it.

 

[ilostmypassword]

Weapon!

 

[mxengineer1]

Thanks lads - Tazer elite is on my shortlist - good to hear real riders reviews as tbh it doesn't score great in the mainstream testers reviews, probably mostly as it isn't up to date motor tech. I really like it.

I rode my Tazer Expert again this week after riding my other more powerful motor e-MTB's ('22 Levo with Brose 2.2, '21 Trek Rail with Bosch, and my buddy's new '22 Transition Repeater with EP8 all 85~90Nm peak torque). The Tazer Expert's Shimano 7000 60Nm motor still provides decent torque with a natural assist feeling though it does give up some of that effortless up hill feel of the Brose 2.2 and Bosch CX on the steep climbs. The Tazer Expert is still a very fun bike to ride at a somewhat reasonable price considering the full carbon frame build and solid components. 60Nm torque enough? I think so

 

[Nashwillis]

I am looking at the Tazer, is the pro motor worth the extra vs the expert? Does a coil shock on the MX make a difference?

 

[mxengineer1]

From my perspective the Ohlins spring rear shock is really good and is noticeable (as are dual crown Ohlins forks but they do limit turning radius and add weight). The EP8 motor extra torque adds about 1~2 mph in climbing speed (I would climb the same hill at 6~7 mph on the Shimano 7000 motor/expert and 7~8 mph on the EP8 motor). The lighter weight of the Expert model makes it "feel" a little more agile on the trails. If you are in shape the extra money/weight of the Pro may not be worth it. I ended up keeping the MX Pro and sold the Expert to a buddy (who is in top bicycle condition) so I can still bum rides on it!