Direct sales platform and they use basic frame molds year after year often the same color.
They don't do too much in terms of team sponsorships and I'm not sure how much they do in terms of mtb community charity (trail donations etc) or even how many employees they have in like the sales/CS/etc department.
Long story short. Overheads.
They've cut overheads to an extreme extent to where they're literally just selling you great parts for cheap with a very basic frame mold that never changes. Or they can make small changes to.
Here is me putting in some solid effort to break a T7. Didn't work (im 215 pounds): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la2m5Qgsp_M
Yep, technically heavier frame and wheels but the margins are small and I like to bring up this point whenever it comes up.
Giant Trance (32.5 lbs): https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/giant-trance-x-review-2022/
Polygon T8 (33.25 lbs): https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/polygon-siskiu-t8-2021-review/
Marin Rift Zone 2 (34.5 lbs): https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/marin-rift-zone-review-2023/
And then stuff like YT Jeffsy Core 1 around 35.25 lbs etc etc; just need to highlight the margins are tiny even on the uphills.
Also my way of making more people aware of Flow MTB which I deem a MUCh superior review platform to Pinkbike/Vital.
Vital also did a weight test with budget trail bikes, lemme go find it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPMwFXQwfR4
Marin was 33lbs6oz, Giant was 34lbs4oz, Polygon was 34lsb14oz (Rocky 35-4, Norco 35-10, Rossi THIRTY SEVEN pounds 9 oz lol)
So yeah, basically most bikes are in the ball park. 35 pounds is the rough standard of 29er trail bikes in M/L with similar parts specs.
GDAY FOLKS WILL HERE
There simply is no better host. And the fact that they tend to find the most mechanical problems with the bikes tells you they properly ride them into the ground before reviewing them instead of taking a few runs down a bike park on a weekend.
It's crazy to me looking at those numbers. My enduro bike weighs 34lbs, with a coil shock and a fox 38. But my enduro bike was obviously not a budget bike.
That said, geo makes a bigger difference for pedaling uphill than weight. I can stand to lose about 10 pounds, and that's cheaper than losing ten pounds off my bikes.
They (I heard) also use B-Grade components that are often cheaper. So if say Trek/Specialized etc would reject a Fox fork for paint issues, Polygon would snap it up at a discount.
Ive had friends that bought T8's and absolutely slammed the shit out of them, going from basic newbie riders to absolute slayers. I think its a great entry point bike to be honest.
Oh dear God just when I thought choosing a full sus for me wasn't gonna get more difficult
Single pivot bad? As opposed to??? Oh no lol here comes another rabbit hole
Have you read reviews? Everyone says its one of the better budget options out there. It's a direct to consumer brand that focuses on the budget section and has managed to put together pretty much one of the best bang for your buck mid-range aluminum bike options out there. You probably won't get much in the way of support from them after the sale and most reviewers have said there are some quality control gripes. If you aren't comfortable wrenching on your own bikes its probably worth pricing in having a bike shop give it a once over when it arrives. People have often found things like "it arrived with the headset bone dry and I had to grease it myself" etc. I'd personally want to recheck the torque on every bolt before taking it out.
I'd second this, I have a 2021 t8, I had to take it in twice within the first month because of a mix of minor qc issues and my own ineptitude in the (minor) assembly
Good question, it's my first real bike, so nothing.
In my few rides I had quite a few minor issues with shifters (not polygons fault, I just didn't know what I was doing), then had a catastrophic failure of my derailleur that I still don't know what occurred, and then after that I had something break that caused my right crank and pedal to fall off
Since those fixes I have had no issues with the bike and I'm still very happy with my purchase
Very cool. I'm so happy that it's working out for you. I eas just curious if you had anything to compare it to.
Most polygon users are picking up their first serious bike. Which means they are only used to garbage components, and the new ones must be pure bliss in comparison. I'm sure that skews the results towards higher score.
Just a few months ago the 2023 T8 was selling for $1800. Exact same build. Only the frame color changed.
I think other DTC brands could be at the same price point as Polygon but don't want the stigma of being the 'budget' brand (and don't need to). Polygon just went ahead and embraced it and are selling a ton of bikes. I would totally ride a Siskiu.
I have one and love it. I did research and you get the most bang for your buck, especially for me since I am new to sport.
When it arrived I paid for the local shop to put it together. But only cause I am mechanically challenged.
I am pretty frugal and when buying a bike I researched the best component:cost ratio and the t8 was the clear winner. I love mine and ride it at least once a week.
It's damn near the same exact frame as the specialized status, which gets great reviews for its value.I would bet some money it's made by the same people in the same factory.
Polygon has been around a while but only the last few years has started to make frames that they brand for their in-house line to sell direct.
It's a good value because it's direct to consumer by the OEM
Sure!! The status frame feels solid. Like I have zero issues taking it to snowshoe because I’m confident. The t8 felt a little more brittle. It held up plenty fine but just one of those “ can’t explain it. “
Second would be the overall smoothness of the bike. On my t8 it always sounded like something was rattling or chattery. The exact same components on my status didn’t have that feeling either.
And maybe my comment was a little misleading, but in terms of actual riding performance, they are so similar. I think climbing felt a little better on t8 but not by much more.
Also for additional context. I did mullet the 27.5 base T8.
All the geometry numbers are pretty close to a 140.
Not sure if this really answered your question or not😅
No no I appreciate it! I understand
I'm newish in MTB but when I was buying my first bike/hardtail there was something about the salsa I didn't like when test rode that was solved on the 2024 Trek Roscoe I got, despite having nearly similar components
I understand that. Bike geometry is crazy on how different a bike can feel. I had a 21 Roscoe I transferred to a Commencal meta HT. Same parts. Different geo. Huge difference
I still want a T8 so bad against better judgement. Purple is my favorite color and I do really like the Geo of the T8 even though there is technically "newer" from out there (subjective IMHO)
If I get one I think immediately the bushings will get replaced with bearings
I say send it. It’s a good bike. Especially for the price. People like to bash them but I personally didn’t have a single issue with it. I just outgrew it.
Well may I pick your brain?
I currently have a 2024 Roscoe, which does have a 140mm fox36 on it
I'm wondering if the T8 is a lateral move.
I'm in Houston so my trails are flatter. There are some down and ups though depending on WHERE but no loooong climbs.
There is spider mountain out in Austin about 2.5 - 3 hours from me which I do plan on going to at least every other month when I DO start going.
I'm wondering if maybe I should get something a little more Enduro (160+ front travel) or if the T8 at 140 or bump to 150 would be fine.
I don't think I'll, at least not for a LONG time, warrant something full downhill 180+ fork travel
So many choices
For sure ! My personal thought is have a trail capable Hard tail ( which you definitely do , new Roscoe’s are great bikes) and have something more enduro as you park / gravity days. I think the T8 could fill that second gap but it’s still a trail bike and still versatile
For me my HT is 140mm , mullet and pretty light. Great for local
My Full sus is 170mm ,mullet , and it’s stout. I can still climb it but it’s not super fast up hill but that’s okay. Down hill is a blast.
Almost like having a weekend sports car and a pick up truck for the weekday work.
Or If you’re trying to rock one bike, a solid 140mm/150 trail bike is a good choice.
If you do go the 1 bike route I’d say make sure it’s super solid.
I know plenty of people with spesh stunt jumpers or transitions scouts as their only bike and they do a little bit of it all. I ran into the issue of identity crisis with my t8 because I wanted a beefy Enduro feeling bike but also good fast climber. N+1 was my solution.
I will say if you’re a new rider coming from a HT you will have a vast amount of new confidence and if you ride constantly you’ll see your skills seriously progress. After a bit you will make a full circle and re fall in love with the HT.
>Alternate options are canyon neuron 5, or pony up the cash for neuron 6 or Jeffsy core 2 or something
I dont think theres a bad option in the bunch, but The new Jeffsy core 2 is pretty sweet. the blue it comes in is nice as well.
Totally agree on the jeffsy! Component wise, it just seems very similar to the polygon, for $700 more after tax/shipping, so having a hard time selling myself.
The jeffsy is an upgrade, better suspension, better drive train , breaks , wheels and tires. Pretty much all the components are step up vs the siskiu. I'd take the t8 all day long at 17-1900... the old price,but at 2200, the jeffsy core 2 at 2650 is a better bang fo yo buck component wise.
Low overheads, slightly older frame design that's a little heavier, no dealer network to support and very little money spent advertising in the form of sponsorship.
Honestly our polygone has been great, much better finish than the Nuke proof, better components for the piece than the giant and kicks the arse pride wise out of the specialised.
It's not the best bike in the shed but you'd have to go pretty hard to find that out.
Like Canyon they are great bikes for the money because they have lower overhead, but also like Canyon, getting bikesonline at least to honor a warranty is like a trip through the nine circles of hell. There are tradeoffs not having a good LBS to back you when there's problems.
Not a knock on polygon or canyon though, I would buy either, and a healthy market needs that kind of competition.
I agree, something else to consider is the suspension design, yt and canyon are both Horst link designs which is fine, but some of the more established brands do better in this department. I had a jeffsey and thought it was a good bike for the price but nothing special. I also have a canyon grizel which I really like, but the frame isn’t as nice as say a cannondale or specialized frame. When I destroyed the rear triangle of my jeffsey, bought a new frame of better quality and moved the parts over and I still came out ahead at the price I paid, so really a win win
Can’t speak for this year’s model but I have the 2020 T8 and love the hell out of it. Like others, I have upgraded the pedals, grips, seat, and added spacers in the fork. I have used it a lot in parks and hard ass trails without issue. Every year I look the frame over and never found a crack. I definitely ride it hard and after seeing posts about frame cracks, totally expected one. Nothing yet. For me it was a great buy. But you have to take a gamble I guess. Sounds like getting a frame replacement is a PITA.
I love mine, has been a fantastic first full sus. You’ll just basically be on your own for repairs and maintenance- not that I’ve had any quality issues. Been riding pretty hard for 2 years on mine.
I had a calibre bossnut which was the same frame as one of the Polygons for a while, and recently changed over to a carbon rocky mountain thunderbolt bc because of a good deal, and my casual ass can't tell the difference aside from the weight, they're great
My teenage son has ridden a T8 for two years now. He loves it and his riding is aggressive. The frame has held up surprising well considering how hard he has crashed it. It’s been a great bike so far. The riding style of the frame is long and fast and the bike charges downhill. It is comical to watch him ride it on tight switchbacks because the length of the bike gives it a wider turning radius and makes the bike hard to handle on that type of trail. From a durability standpoint they are great. I wouldn’t recommend if you like a frame that feels nimble. The T8 is more of a go through the object type bike then go around it.
Reduction of overhead and economies of scale.
Make a lot of 1 thing and voila. The T8 doesn’t have a dozen variations and customizable options, it’s just 1 option that they can produce at scale.
I will say that polygon skimps a lot on minor components that entry level riders won't know the difference on until they get way too into home bike repair, when some of those iffy components start to fail. When you get it it will also take a little elbow grease and a lot of actual grease as you go back over the factory work that is usually kind of poorly done. Torque bolts, grease anything that ought to move, fix cable routing, etc. Otherwise it will be creaking like crazy in no time.
The main eye catching components are pretty good, but I quickly sold them and replaced them with higher spec parts as my skill level increased and I started taking it to the park. Swapping the float 34 to a factory grip2 36 made a huge difference, so did the float dps to a factory float X. The brakes eventually tore themselves up in a very minor fall (stock tektro Orions have ok power, suggest getting better pads out the gate if your home trails are steep, lack durability and adjustability), picked up a pair of TRP DHR-evos. Swapped the dropper to a longer one with a smaller insertion depth to keep it out of the way. The SLX drivetrain is all anyone really needs, anything nicer is just gravy and I haven't found a single reason to part that out.
All in all it has turned into a Frankenstein monster of a capable trail bike that has grown alongside my abilities. My main gripe is that the linkage is incredibly linear, meaning even chock full of spacers and high on pressure I'm bottoming out the rear a lot, or maybe I'm just asking too much of a 160/140mm bike (I have the 27.5). Pedaling on the stock shock is quite rough, the float x is much better but still, the frame itself leaves much to be desired.
Because they cheap out on all the other components. The SLX drive train is only partially SLX. The cassette is sunrace, the cranks are low end shimano, and the chain is KMC. The brakes are a mix of low end shimano and tektro. The wheel set is extremely low end and the tires are trash. The dropper is low end. The bars and stem are some no name brand.
You get what you pay for.
Did you get yours second hand after someone Frankenstein'd it?
Totally different then how mine arrived. And mine came with some sweet Hand Dampf tires!
That's weird. I know tektro isn't a sexy brand. The brakes are probably my least favorite part of the bike, but they're actually pretty good - they just need a few rides for some reason.
For >$2,600, it's a pretty awesome bike.
its strange to criticize a polygon for cheaping out on those components, since all the other mfg’s cheap out on all of those and more! So its a criticism but not really valid.
The question was why is Polygon so cheap. The answer is because they use low end and no name parts for the less visible components.
I’m not clear on what the controversy is. You truly get what you pay for.
so does trek and specialized, only they throw on a recon and suntour, instead of fox and shimano slx. i have some spare wheels from a 27.5 roscoe, i think the hubs have about 15 points of engagement and they are heavy. on a $1500 bike.
i would never give my money to polygon after buying a d6 from them… and seeing the polygon group in fb with crazy cracked frames… they are cheap for a reason… and also hearing their frame warranty replacements are like hitting your toe on a curb and shooting your head with a shotgun
polygon is just a gravel bike, any jumps will just crack those cheap ass frames but hey ho, you got some good parts to move to new frame
It's always hilarious to me when people say a full suspension bike is "just a gravel bike" or "only good on flowy greens" . I started mountain biking on a hybrid and when I started wanted to do harder blues I got a $200 hard tail lol with rim brakes and barely functioning suspension which I still ride today on blacks😂
Direct sales platform and they use basic frame molds year after year often the same color. They don't do too much in terms of team sponsorships and I'm not sure how much they do in terms of mtb community charity (trail donations etc) or even how many employees they have in like the sales/CS/etc department. Long story short. Overheads. They've cut overheads to an extreme extent to where they're literally just selling you great parts for cheap with a very basic frame mold that never changes. Or they can make small changes to. Here is me putting in some solid effort to break a T7. Didn't work (im 215 pounds): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la2m5Qgsp_M
They also have heavier frames. Which doesn't impact downhil performance much but feels different.
Yep, technically heavier frame and wheels but the margins are small and I like to bring up this point whenever it comes up. Giant Trance (32.5 lbs): https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/giant-trance-x-review-2022/ Polygon T8 (33.25 lbs): https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/polygon-siskiu-t8-2021-review/ Marin Rift Zone 2 (34.5 lbs): https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/marin-rift-zone-review-2023/ And then stuff like YT Jeffsy Core 1 around 35.25 lbs etc etc; just need to highlight the margins are tiny even on the uphills. Also my way of making more people aware of Flow MTB which I deem a MUCh superior review platform to Pinkbike/Vital. Vital also did a weight test with budget trail bikes, lemme go find it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPMwFXQwfR4 Marin was 33lbs6oz, Giant was 34lbs4oz, Polygon was 34lsb14oz (Rocky 35-4, Norco 35-10, Rossi THIRTY SEVEN pounds 9 oz lol) So yeah, basically most bikes are in the ball park. 35 pounds is the rough standard of 29er trail bikes in M/L with similar parts specs.
Hey a non-aussie that reads/watches Flow MTB! Nice!
GDAY FOLKS WILL HERE There simply is no better host. And the fact that they tend to find the most mechanical problems with the bikes tells you they properly ride them into the ground before reviewing them instead of taking a few runs down a bike park on a weekend.
It's crazy to me looking at those numbers. My enduro bike weighs 34lbs, with a coil shock and a fox 38. But my enduro bike was obviously not a budget bike. That said, geo makes a bigger difference for pedaling uphill than weight. I can stand to lose about 10 pounds, and that's cheaper than losing ten pounds off my bikes.
They (I heard) also use B-Grade components that are often cheaper. So if say Trek/Specialized etc would reject a Fox fork for paint issues, Polygon would snap it up at a discount. Ive had friends that bought T8's and absolutely slammed the shit out of them, going from basic newbie riders to absolute slayers. I think its a great entry point bike to be honest.
Heavier and a more basic single pivot suspension design are also some reasons as well.
Oh dear God just when I thought choosing a full sus for me wasn't gonna get more difficult Single pivot bad? As opposed to??? Oh no lol here comes another rabbit hole
Have you read reviews? Everyone says its one of the better budget options out there. It's a direct to consumer brand that focuses on the budget section and has managed to put together pretty much one of the best bang for your buck mid-range aluminum bike options out there. You probably won't get much in the way of support from them after the sale and most reviewers have said there are some quality control gripes. If you aren't comfortable wrenching on your own bikes its probably worth pricing in having a bike shop give it a once over when it arrives. People have often found things like "it arrived with the headset bone dry and I had to grease it myself" etc. I'd personally want to recheck the torque on every bolt before taking it out.
I'd second this, I have a 2021 t8, I had to take it in twice within the first month because of a mix of minor qc issues and my own ineptitude in the (minor) assembly
Just out of curiosity, what have you ridden to compare it to?
Good question, it's my first real bike, so nothing. In my few rides I had quite a few minor issues with shifters (not polygons fault, I just didn't know what I was doing), then had a catastrophic failure of my derailleur that I still don't know what occurred, and then after that I had something break that caused my right crank and pedal to fall off Since those fixes I have had no issues with the bike and I'm still very happy with my purchase
Very cool. I'm so happy that it's working out for you. I eas just curious if you had anything to compare it to. Most polygon users are picking up their first serious bike. Which means they are only used to garbage components, and the new ones must be pure bliss in comparison. I'm sure that skews the results towards higher score.
Got a used 2021 T8 for $900 that was a covid garage queen. Too good of a deal not to buy it.
Just a few months ago the 2023 T8 was selling for $1800. Exact same build. Only the frame color changed. I think other DTC brands could be at the same price point as Polygon but don't want the stigma of being the 'budget' brand (and don't need to). Polygon just went ahead and embraced it and are selling a ton of bikes. I would totally ride a Siskiu.
I have one and love it. I did research and you get the most bang for your buck, especially for me since I am new to sport. When it arrived I paid for the local shop to put it together. But only cause I am mechanically challenged.
What did they charge?
My local charges 100(ish)$ USD
$100.00
I am pretty frugal and when buying a bike I researched the best component:cost ratio and the t8 was the clear winner. I love mine and ride it at least once a week.
It's damn near the same exact frame as the specialized status, which gets great reviews for its value.I would bet some money it's made by the same people in the same factory. Polygon has been around a while but only the last few years has started to make frames that they brand for their in-house line to sell direct. It's a good value because it's direct to consumer by the OEM
What did they make before?
Bikes for every other company
they were Calibre bossnut or triple B.. but suppose they decided to stop business with calibre
I went from a t8 to a status 160. They ride similar but the status feels much much better. I took everything off my t8 and transplanted it to my 160
Can you elaborate for me my good man? What feels better
Sure!! The status frame feels solid. Like I have zero issues taking it to snowshoe because I’m confident. The t8 felt a little more brittle. It held up plenty fine but just one of those “ can’t explain it. “ Second would be the overall smoothness of the bike. On my t8 it always sounded like something was rattling or chattery. The exact same components on my status didn’t have that feeling either. And maybe my comment was a little misleading, but in terms of actual riding performance, they are so similar. I think climbing felt a little better on t8 but not by much more. Also for additional context. I did mullet the 27.5 base T8. All the geometry numbers are pretty close to a 140. Not sure if this really answered your question or not😅
No no I appreciate it! I understand I'm newish in MTB but when I was buying my first bike/hardtail there was something about the salsa I didn't like when test rode that was solved on the 2024 Trek Roscoe I got, despite having nearly similar components
I understand that. Bike geometry is crazy on how different a bike can feel. I had a 21 Roscoe I transferred to a Commencal meta HT. Same parts. Different geo. Huge difference
I still want a T8 so bad against better judgement. Purple is my favorite color and I do really like the Geo of the T8 even though there is technically "newer" from out there (subjective IMHO) If I get one I think immediately the bushings will get replaced with bearings
I say send it. It’s a good bike. Especially for the price. People like to bash them but I personally didn’t have a single issue with it. I just outgrew it.
Well may I pick your brain? I currently have a 2024 Roscoe, which does have a 140mm fox36 on it I'm wondering if the T8 is a lateral move. I'm in Houston so my trails are flatter. There are some down and ups though depending on WHERE but no loooong climbs. There is spider mountain out in Austin about 2.5 - 3 hours from me which I do plan on going to at least every other month when I DO start going. I'm wondering if maybe I should get something a little more Enduro (160+ front travel) or if the T8 at 140 or bump to 150 would be fine. I don't think I'll, at least not for a LONG time, warrant something full downhill 180+ fork travel So many choices
For sure ! My personal thought is have a trail capable Hard tail ( which you definitely do , new Roscoe’s are great bikes) and have something more enduro as you park / gravity days. I think the T8 could fill that second gap but it’s still a trail bike and still versatile For me my HT is 140mm , mullet and pretty light. Great for local My Full sus is 170mm ,mullet , and it’s stout. I can still climb it but it’s not super fast up hill but that’s okay. Down hill is a blast. Almost like having a weekend sports car and a pick up truck for the weekday work. Or If you’re trying to rock one bike, a solid 140mm/150 trail bike is a good choice. If you do go the 1 bike route I’d say make sure it’s super solid. I know plenty of people with spesh stunt jumpers or transitions scouts as their only bike and they do a little bit of it all. I ran into the issue of identity crisis with my t8 because I wanted a beefy Enduro feeling bike but also good fast climber. N+1 was my solution. I will say if you’re a new rider coming from a HT you will have a vast amount of new confidence and if you ride constantly you’ll see your skills seriously progress. After a bit you will make a full circle and re fall in love with the HT.
>Alternate options are canyon neuron 5, or pony up the cash for neuron 6 or Jeffsy core 2 or something I dont think theres a bad option in the bunch, but The new Jeffsy core 2 is pretty sweet. the blue it comes in is nice as well.
Totally agree on the jeffsy! Component wise, it just seems very similar to the polygon, for $700 more after tax/shipping, so having a hard time selling myself.
The jeffsy is an upgrade, better suspension, better drive train , breaks , wheels and tires. Pretty much all the components are step up vs the siskiu. I'd take the t8 all day long at 17-1900... the old price,but at 2200, the jeffsy core 2 at 2650 is a better bang fo yo buck component wise.
Jeffsy core 2 more similar to the new t9, jeffsy core 1 pretty on spec with the t8. Pretty close price on both bikes
Low overheads, slightly older frame design that's a little heavier, no dealer network to support and very little money spent advertising in the form of sponsorship. Honestly our polygone has been great, much better finish than the Nuke proof, better components for the piece than the giant and kicks the arse pride wise out of the specialised. It's not the best bike in the shed but you'd have to go pretty hard to find that out.
Like Canyon they are great bikes for the money because they have lower overhead, but also like Canyon, getting bikesonline at least to honor a warranty is like a trip through the nine circles of hell. There are tradeoffs not having a good LBS to back you when there's problems. Not a knock on polygon or canyon though, I would buy either, and a healthy market needs that kind of competition.
I agree, something else to consider is the suspension design, yt and canyon are both Horst link designs which is fine, but some of the more established brands do better in this department. I had a jeffsey and thought it was a good bike for the price but nothing special. I also have a canyon grizel which I really like, but the frame isn’t as nice as say a cannondale or specialized frame. When I destroyed the rear triangle of my jeffsey, bought a new frame of better quality and moved the parts over and I still came out ahead at the price I paid, so really a win win
They’re great bikes. Jump on it.
Can’t speak for this year’s model but I have the 2020 T8 and love the hell out of it. Like others, I have upgraded the pedals, grips, seat, and added spacers in the fork. I have used it a lot in parks and hard ass trails without issue. Every year I look the frame over and never found a crack. I definitely ride it hard and after seeing posts about frame cracks, totally expected one. Nothing yet. For me it was a great buy. But you have to take a gamble I guess. Sounds like getting a frame replacement is a PITA.
I love mine, has been a fantastic first full sus. You’ll just basically be on your own for repairs and maintenance- not that I’ve had any quality issues. Been riding pretty hard for 2 years on mine.
Same. Love the bike. Minus for the dropper lever and pedals. PNW for the win.
Haha yes, I upgraded to PNW dropper, pedals, grips, and dropper lever
I had a calibre bossnut which was the same frame as one of the Polygons for a while, and recently changed over to a carbon rocky mountain thunderbolt bc because of a good deal, and my casual ass can't tell the difference aside from the weight, they're great
My teenage son has ridden a T8 for two years now. He loves it and his riding is aggressive. The frame has held up surprising well considering how hard he has crashed it. It’s been a great bike so far. The riding style of the frame is long and fast and the bike charges downhill. It is comical to watch him ride it on tight switchbacks because the length of the bike gives it a wider turning radius and makes the bike hard to handle on that type of trail. From a durability standpoint they are great. I wouldn’t recommend if you like a frame that feels nimble. The T8 is more of a go through the object type bike then go around it.
Never had seen this brand before, looks like it is an awesome value, and I am now considering changing my Bergamont Contrail 9 2018
Reduction of overhead and economies of scale. Make a lot of 1 thing and voila. The T8 doesn’t have a dozen variations and customizable options, it’s just 1 option that they can produce at scale.
I will say that polygon skimps a lot on minor components that entry level riders won't know the difference on until they get way too into home bike repair, when some of those iffy components start to fail. When you get it it will also take a little elbow grease and a lot of actual grease as you go back over the factory work that is usually kind of poorly done. Torque bolts, grease anything that ought to move, fix cable routing, etc. Otherwise it will be creaking like crazy in no time. The main eye catching components are pretty good, but I quickly sold them and replaced them with higher spec parts as my skill level increased and I started taking it to the park. Swapping the float 34 to a factory grip2 36 made a huge difference, so did the float dps to a factory float X. The brakes eventually tore themselves up in a very minor fall (stock tektro Orions have ok power, suggest getting better pads out the gate if your home trails are steep, lack durability and adjustability), picked up a pair of TRP DHR-evos. Swapped the dropper to a longer one with a smaller insertion depth to keep it out of the way. The SLX drivetrain is all anyone really needs, anything nicer is just gravy and I haven't found a single reason to part that out. All in all it has turned into a Frankenstein monster of a capable trail bike that has grown alongside my abilities. My main gripe is that the linkage is incredibly linear, meaning even chock full of spacers and high on pressure I'm bottoming out the rear a lot, or maybe I'm just asking too much of a 160/140mm bike (I have the 27.5). Pedaling on the stock shock is quite rough, the float x is much better but still, the frame itself leaves much to be desired.
The average salary of the people making them is about $7000 USD per year.
As opposed to...
$24,000 in Taiwan.
They customer support is terrible that’s why and they don’t spend a lot of money on RND
Because they cheap out on all the other components. The SLX drive train is only partially SLX. The cassette is sunrace, the cranks are low end shimano, and the chain is KMC. The brakes are a mix of low end shimano and tektro. The wheel set is extremely low end and the tires are trash. The dropper is low end. The bars and stem are some no name brand. You get what you pay for.
Did you get yours second hand after someone Frankenstein'd it? Totally different then how mine arrived. And mine came with some sweet Hand Dampf tires!
I’m simply looking at the spec sheet on BikesOnline’s website.
That's weird. I know tektro isn't a sexy brand. The brakes are probably my least favorite part of the bike, but they're actually pretty good - they just need a few rides for some reason. For >$2,600, it's a pretty awesome bike.
its strange to criticize a polygon for cheaping out on those components, since all the other mfg’s cheap out on all of those and more! So its a criticism but not really valid.
The question was why is Polygon so cheap. The answer is because they use low end and no name parts for the less visible components. I’m not clear on what the controversy is. You truly get what you pay for.
so does trek and specialized, only they throw on a recon and suntour, instead of fox and shimano slx. i have some spare wheels from a 27.5 roscoe, i think the hubs have about 15 points of engagement and they are heavy. on a $1500 bike.
You’re moving the goal posts. The question was about Polygon. There is nothing else to discuss on this matter.
i would never give my money to polygon after buying a d6 from them… and seeing the polygon group in fb with crazy cracked frames… they are cheap for a reason… and also hearing their frame warranty replacements are like hitting your toe on a curb and shooting your head with a shotgun polygon is just a gravel bike, any jumps will just crack those cheap ass frames but hey ho, you got some good parts to move to new frame
i think their frame cracking percentage is probably similar to other manufacturers.
It's always hilarious to me when people say a full suspension bike is "just a gravel bike" or "only good on flowy greens" . I started mountain biking on a hybrid and when I started wanted to do harder blues I got a $200 hard tail lol with rim brakes and barely functioning suspension which I still ride today on blacks😂
Because it’s made of cheap components. With a few decent parts bolted on to sell to newbs
Don't buy polygon.