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Anyone got any opinions on this?


BIGnige's picture

By BIGnige - Posted on 07 August 2012

Got 2k to spend..absolute tops.....was looking to buy used with hopefully some upgrades..... then saw this.

http://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/2011-polygon-co...

Anyone had one, ridden one, got an opinion.
Seems like a lot for the money but don't know much about reliability, build quality etc.
Cheers
Nige

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hawkeye's picture

They're down on Pittwater Rd not far from Bike Addiction. YOu could go visit in person and tell us what you think... they may even have a test-ride available.

Apart from the geometry on some models looking a bit odd, the opinion on them seems the build is OK, if a little rough in spots. There was a review of one their other models in a recent AMB issue, but the criticisms there about shock linkage complexity and clearances won't apply to this model.

The main question I would have is, do you really want 150/160mm of travel? Is that techy all-mountain stuff the kind of riding you want to do?

BIGnige's picture

Well should have made a phone call first..they only have small left!!
In answer to your question Hawkeye, the forks have adjustable travel I believe so the best of both worlds.
I read that review too and it seemed like a bit luke-warm in terms of praise. Does seem like a lot of good components for the cash all the same.

VTSS350's picture

The forks may have adjustable travel but it still will have the geo of an all mountain bike.

They dont pedal anywhere near aswell is a 4inch XC bike.

You only nead this type of bike if your going to be ride really tecky AM stuff.

Just so you dont think I am just another give an E opinion base on sweat FA, I own an Giant Anthem (4inch XC), Giant Reign (6inch AM) and an Intense M9 downhill bike. Horses for courses I personally hate riding my Reign around manly dam. The Anthem is so much quicker for that type of riding.

hawkeye's picture

Adjustable forks go some of the way, but not all. On the Ellsworth I recently gave back, I found I got used to the geometry of the full fork length and moving it around mid-ride on a course as short as Manly Dam was a capital B Bad Idea - too easy to forget you'd left it on short travel and end up goin' over the bars on the next descent through not making your shape properly for the steeper and lower front geometry.

Probably better for long fire road climbs, but then you've still got that mushy 150mm out back soaking up chunks of your pedalling effort. So unless it's got a tricky shock that does much the same thing, for general recreational trail riding around the northern beaches somewhere between 100 and 130mm travel seems to be the sweet spot most end up in.

BIGnige's picture

Thanks for the comments guys....food for thought.

Simon's picture

6" travel and a slack head angle can get you out of trouble. It will make easier trails more rollable and less challenge. It also gives you the option for more technical stuff and bigger drops.

Dropping the fork will improve low speed handling in tighter tracks as the head angle also gets steeper.

Yes the back end will soak up some energy, depends if this will bother you. You get fitter faster, however you won't be as fast.

For 5 years I rode a 6" dually which got me out of trouble many times but in the end I got over the weight and lower efficiency. I now have a 6" hard tail with adjustible fork down to 100mm and a downhill bike.

Flynny's picture

+1.

I rode a 6" dual for years, did Xc Enduro and DH on it. It wasn't mush good at any of them but I was having too much fun to notice.

Not a huge fan of adjustable forks, it had them and I never really touched it. Either you ran full travel or you were being punished with the weight disadvantage and not getting the travel to go with it

If you are only going to have 1 bike but want to do a bit of everything on go a mid range 6".

If you get into it and can afford a bike for each occassion then you can specialise with more bikes later.

If you are not going to do anything more than a lap or 2 of Manly dam once a month the 6" rig will be over kill

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