From Dirt Issue 137 – July 2013
Words by Ali Todd. Photos by Ben Winder.
They’re huge in Indonesia (where they’re based), but it wasn’t until they signed freeriders Sam Reynolds and Yannick Granieri last year and then the Hutchinson UR team in February that they caught the media’s attention. With the Hutchinson team looking towards the top spots at the World Cup rounds with Mick and Tracey Hannah, we got hold of the bike they’ll be riding for all the WC races this year (albeit the more affordable model), the Polygon Colossus.
As far as bikes around this price point go, there’s a lot of competition. You’ve got the Specialized Status (£2,500), the YT Tues 2.0 (circa £2,400) Canyon Torque FRX Rockzone (£2,156), Kona Operator (£2,549)…the list goes on. It’s fair to say this is a crowded market, then – so what does the Polygon have to offer?
Available in three sizes the angles are up to date with the winning race bikes. The back end is adjustable in length between 435, 440 and 445mm via a 12x150mm axle, a good feature considering how few manufacturers make an individual rear triangle to fit each frame size. There’s a lack of frame protection leaving it open to chainslap and dents and the mech hits the frame, which could become irritating quite quickly. The linkage around the shock is quite unusual – while it looks like it pivots around the bottom bracket, it’s actually a virtual point with two short links on either end, similar to the VPP/dw–Link systems. The bottom bracket actually rotates slightly as the bike moves through the travel. It’s an interesting system.
Kit wise, the Polygon Colossus has a good go at earning its name – the bike is well spec’d for the price. The RockShox Domain fork up front has always been a good experience when we’ve ridden it before – the main disadvantage is weight, at 3422g, as opposed to the 2882g of the BoXXer RC. The Shimano Zee groupset, like the forks, takes inspiration from the brand’s flagship kit (Saint) and works a treat. We’d even go so far as to say that we prefer the Zee brakes over the Saints. The story continues with the Fox Van RC shock, which performed brilliantly on the Specialized Status from a few issues ago. Add to that the MRP chainguide and it’s a good build all round.
So what’s the score with this bike? The frame looks solid on the Polygon Colossus with good combination of angles, heavier kit than high–end stuff, but reliable nonetheless. Coming in at 41.05lbs (18.76kg) it’s hardly a light bike, similar to the Nukeproof Pulse at £4,000. Overall a good price with solid kit, we look forward to bringing it back in a few issues for a full rundown.
Price: £2,645
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