Claire Buchar's Lifted Toyota Tacoma & Intense Bikes

A mean looking Tacoma with heaps of clearance. "When I drive it over stuff sometimes I chant 'munch munch munch munch...' haha."

Up close and personal with the satoshi style grill.

Until the end of 2018 the Tacoma had a set of 18 x 12 Fuel Mavericks with 35-inch Toyo tires. Unfortunately the combination was generating too much bump steer. Now it's shoed with 16 x 8 Baja alloys wrapped in 35-inch Hankook Dynapro ATM tires. The change saved 10kg per corner, making for a smoother ride with better fuel economy.

Sitting on a 6-inch BDS Coil Over lift and the new "downgraded" 16 x 8 Baja alloys give Claire's truck a great look. She's also loving the clearance in the winter and hasn't had to shovel it out of their driveway like she used to with their previous vehicle.

The Fox 2.0 coil overs have been wound up an additional 2 inches to level the truck, bringing the front lift to a total of 8 inches.

The rear of the new Tacoma's hasn't changed as much as the front. As with the rest of the vehicle though, the lines are sharper and more aggressive. Claire (and Chris) haven't made any changes to the body.

Custom mud flaps run wider to take care of the debris flying off the 35-inch tires and the wider than stock stance.

Claire loves a lot about the truck but says she'd like to get a canopy of some sort. Leaving bikes in the back for even one minute causes some stress, even if they're locked.

A small gift from Jeff Steber of Intense Cycles. Chris had stashed the plate holder at his home in Australia. It only fit US or Canadian plates so he wasn't able to use it there. When they got the Tacoma in 2017 he knew it would perfectly complement the Intense wrap that was on the vehicle until shortly before these images were shot. Expect to see a Kovarik Racing wrap on the truck this year.

Just enough snow cleared from the bed for a couple of bikes to fit in. Claire's Tacoma has a 6-foot bed and is near perfect for strapping the bikes into the bed, rather than hanging them over the tailgate.

Chris was part of the Shred 'Till Ya Dead film that won the Dirt Diaries competition in Whistler a couple of years ago. Since then it's almost become it's own little brand but don't fall for the fakes that started about 12 months later.

Those contours…

… and again. The sharper lines on the 2017 body panels sure look good. The hood scoop on Tacoma trucks is for aesthetics and doesn't actually do anything.

No rust or oil to see here. The 2017 model Tacoma's engine bay is dusty but otherwise primo. Give it a few more years in the Sea To Sky Corridor…

Claire says nothing has been done to the engine. It's bone stock.

The 2017 models have a much larger cold air intake than the earlier models. I actually thought it was a modification when I first laid eyes on it.

Let it breathe.

The interior is kept quite clean. No modifications have been made in the front of the cab…

Claire found these seat covers online and says they're quite good. They were relatively cheap and "didn't have Tweety Bird or Skull Graphics from 1992 on them." She noted that the quality still kinda sucks (one tore when being installed) but they are water resistant and easy to wipe clean. Two important elements for a mountain biker's vehicle, especially one that see's plenty of road and work trips. The seats are also heated, which Claire finds to be luxury.

Claire keeps the truck quite clean too. Aside from essentials like a scraper/brush and the fresh groceries of course. The back is the domain of Laska, Claire and Chris's adorable dog. Claire's gone through a number of dog covers for the back seat but the current one from Pet Ninja seems to be holding up well. It's also water resistant, which is key with a dog that goes everywhere with you in all weather.

Under the cover, in front of the back seats, hides a tool kit with the essentials required for any issues while riding outside of Whistler.

Stashed behind the drivers seat were a couple of pairs of fresh Five Ten kicks.

Claire is one of the fortunate riders to have been on the Intense M29 since 2018.

29-inch wheels and 200mm+ of travel make this one weapon of a bike. Claire says she got one to better understand the Intense lineup and the differences between the bikes. She also wanted to smash it around B.C. and see how it fares.

Claire (and Chris) are supported by Fox which allowed her early access to the 49 DH fork.

Support from e*thirteen makes it no surprise to see the LG1r carbon downhill crank and chainguide. A SRAM X0DH derailleur takes care of shifting duties.

The cranks are stout and feature e*thirteen's direct mount chainring system.

Unless you've spent time riding in Whistler over the last 12 months these probably leave you thinking WTF. The STFU Chain Damper is something that Chris has been working on with some friends and they're almost done refinements. Claire has helped with some graphic design too. Look for more soon.

Claire runs the Magura MT7 brakes on her M29. She says the extra stopping power is perfect on such a sled. She's also running Chromag Palmskin grips on the DH bike. The Basis, her favourite grip, was out of stock when she built this up so she gave them a go. She's enjoyed the feel with her smaller hands.

Thanks to winter, the MT7 brakes hadn't seen a lot of action when we shot…

FRO: For Race Only. It represents the pinnacle of Intense bike technology and returned with the release of the M29 DH bike after being absent for some time.

Claire's Intense Carbine. She's quite fond of this bike, especially for the terrain often encountered in B.C.'s Coast Mountains.

Claire relies on the Fox 36 RC2 up front for a balanced ride with her choice of coil sprung rear. The touch of orange also looks great. #designerocdapproved

Most Intense Carbine's run on an air shock but not Claire's. She prefers the added small bump compliance and traction offered from the coil on the Carbine. With the terrain on her favourite trails being steep, fast, rowdy and technical, and seeing all weather conditions, this combination has served her well.

Similar to the drivetrain on her M29; e*thirteen cranks, this time the TRSr carbon crank, and a SRAM drivetrain, this time the XX1 Eagle. Claire notes that the STFU Chain Damper works a treat with the long chain needed on the Eagle drivetrain.

Another closer look at the STFU Chain Damper. Look for more on these in the future.

Magura MT5's adorn Claire's trail bike. She's found them to have a more reliable feel but will likely try the MT7 on this bike as well.

A 180mm rear rotor with the MT5 brakes is enough for Claire to be comfortable in the gnarly terrain of the Coast Mountains.

Claire's "best friend" sitting quietly, waiting for action.