038 MTB MADNESS RIDER JASON MCCUNE
TRAIL
TESTED
Intense DVO Edition Recluse
To be honest, our DVO Edition Recluse test bike
is almost too good looking to get dirty, and we
spent plenty of time drooling over it in the office
before taking it out into the hills. We’ve had plenty
of experience with DVO suspension components
in the past and have been quite impressed with the
components’ ability to offer noticeable changes in
performance with every adjuster click. While the
Diamond fork offers a ton of tuning options with
its high- and low-speed compression, air spring,
and “Off The Top” negative pressure spring ad-
justers, the Topaz T3 shock is even more tunable
with compression and rebound adjustments, air
spring pressure, and tuning bands that can be
added/removed/switched between the positive
and negative air chambers within the shock body
to fine-tune the feel of the rear suspension.
The Recluse itself is a nimble, playful bike that
is well rounded for all train conditions. Granted,
although it has geometry that is better suited to
aggressive trail riding, it is decent at ascending
with the Topaz T3 shock set in the climbing set-
ting on the compression adjuster. As delivered,
the Recluse was a little tough to control on super-
steep climbs, as the front-end had a tendency
to wander, but we remedied that by adjusting
the Fabric saddle forward on its rails to get our
weight further forward and above the bottom
bracket. Make no mistake about it: No 27.5-inch
wheel bike is going to climb like a full-blown 29er
XC bike, but the Recluse is more than competent
on the dues-paying climbs.
It’s on the rewarding descents—and singletrack
in particular—that the Recluse shines. The bike is
quick and nimble in switchbacks and technical cor-ners, confidence inspiring on steep descents, and
thanks to the superior performance of its namesake
suspension components, able to bomb through
and over trail obstacles with great control.
The Magura MT Trail brakes and 180 mm discs,
front and rear, offer massive stopping power that
take some time to get used to. While the power
is unquestionable, it’s the feel and modulation
of the Magura front brake that requires extra at-
tention. We were caught off guard on several oc-
casions by the front brake’s ability to completely
lock up the front wheel, so we adjusted the lever
at the master cylinder to engage far less aggres-
sively and have also learned to be more frugal
with the lever.
As a whole, the Intense DVO Edition Recluse
is a work of art that is capable of tackling every-
thing thrown at it. Equipped with the best suspen-
sion components we’ve ridden, plus the best of
everything else (including familiar Renthal bars),
this bike truly is one in a hundred. If you’re lucky
enough to get your hands on one, plan on never
letting it go.