Mick Hannah's Polygon DH Racer - BOS Air-Sprung Suspension and 26-inch Wheels

Mar 10, 2014 at 4:16
by Richard Cunningham  

BIKE CHECK:
Mick Hannah's
Polygon DH Racer
WORDS: R. Cunningham
IMAGES:Kane Naaraat
Mick Hannah put eight seconds on the pro field, handily out qualifying a tough crowd at the Australian National Championships. Last year he was on Fox suspension. This season he switched to a BOS fork and shock. Is there a new sheriff in town?


By all accounts, Mick Hannah was absolutely flying down the course last weekend in Bright, Australia. Looking smooth and in control, the hard man of World Cup DH was on a tear all weekend - and he was the favorite to win the Aussie National Champs after putting over eight seconds on the nearest qualifier in Sunday's seeding races. It was not to be, however, as Sik Mik had some trouble on his race run that relegated him to a fifth place finish. That said, one has to wonder where Mick's magic flow came from? The track at Bright was brutal, a true testament of the racer's resolve and of the bike's performance. Reportedly, both Mick and his Polygon looked very settled on course. One explanation may be the switch to BOS suspension. PB Photographer Kane Naaraat stopped into the Hutchinson United Ride pits to shoot some pictures of Hannah's Polygon DH prototype so we could take a closer look.

photo
  Mick working on the BOS Void shock. The beating that the suspension got on the Bright DH course should not have favored an air-sprung shock, but the reverse seemed to be true.


Hannah's Polygon was reported to be the same chassis he and the Hutchinson United Ride team used last season - an updated version of the Collosus with different suspension metrics and slacker geometry. The news for 2014 was the team's switch to BOS suspension. The small French manufacturer was once a self-proclaimed coil-sprung suspension maker, but all that changed with the development of the air-sprung Void damper, which now joins two air-sprung versions of its legendary Idylle fork in the BOS DH range. Mick Hannah used the Void shock and the air-sprung Idylle Rare fork at the Aussie Nationals.

The air-sprung BOS Idylle Rare fork (left) and air-sprung Void shock (right). BOS says the shock weighs only 519 grams, and the Rare fork is pegged at 2680 grams. As time splits between the top ten racers become ever closer, clothing gets tighter and bikes get lighter.


Components

Mick's build, like most pros, is constrained by sponsorship considerations. That said, he has a good kit, with an e*thirteen crankset and guide powering a Shimano Saint derailleur that is activated by an XTR shift lever. Wheels are also e*thirteen and the bar and stem are by Spank. With Hutchinson as the title sponsor, Mick can choose between the new Squale or the DH Toro. This time he ran the Toro. Brakes are Formula RO, with aluminum levers and the lighter, aluminum-spider-type rotors. Hannah's setup is conservative, in that it doesn't have any carbon parts, yet it is set up to be a lightweight, fast-rolling chassis.

E-thirteen wheels (26-inch), cranks and chainguide with a Shimano Saint mech. The crankarms look like 165mm items, which indicates a low bottom bracket height. The cassette is a nine-speed. Mick helped design Hutchinson's new Squale tire, but he chose the 2.6-inch Toro for Australia - lots of grip in dry conditions.


Formula RO brakes have calipers with ovalized pistons and are the Italian maker's most powerful stoppers. Among riders who have a choice, the verdict for brakes on the World Cup circuit seems to be divided between Shimano and Formula.


photo
  The tall stack of spacers above the frame's tapered head tube seems to be partly out of necessity and partly an effort to raise the handlebar height. The stanchion tube is set at the stock, fully extended height on the lower crown of the BOS fork. The head tube of the Polygon may be on the small side for DH.



Mick Hannah checks the pressure in the BOS Idylle Rare fork.
Is this a scene that will be repeated throughout the pits in the future?
bigquotesMick Hannah is fitter and more focused than we have ever seen him and he is on the hunt for podiums this season, but he will have to fight the strongest field DH has seen in a long time to bag one. Which begs the question: "Is the switch to a air-sprung suspension a gamble to pick up precious seconds on pedally sections, or does BOS and Australia's Man of Steel know something that they are keeping close to their chests?" BOS' Void shock made it to the top step last year - the first for an air-sprung shock in contemporary downhill history. With more talent switching to BOS suspension, Hannah will be the man to watch. The wheel debate would be quickly forgotten, at least in the DH world, if 2014 triggered the demise of the coil-sprung shock and fork. Right now, though, that premise is pure speculation. - RC


Author Info:
RichardCunningham avatar

Member since Mar 23, 2011
974 articles

146 Comments
  • 128 4
 Funny how Pinkbike explicitly say "26-inch wheels" in the title, is this now a weird old fashioned thing? Always loved the Polygons Big Grin
  • 46 4
 I guess they're doing it because all of pinkbike's haters are threatening to kill somebody if they didn't have a downhill specific 26-inch wheels review..
  • 18 107
flag kicsijoe (Mar 11, 2014 at 5:19) (Below Threshold)
 Yea. 26-ers are gay as well.
  • 18 2
 remember when wheel size wasnt a big deal? I sure do. I just think they all have there place in the sport.
  • 31 4
 ha..no world cup riders use avid brakes.
  • 15 4
 haha mick was the fastest this weekend on 26 wheels but since we all know that 27.5 is faster it must have been because of the BOS suspension. pretty much what i took away from this article.
  • 17 2
 I'm kinda convinced Mick could pioneer either 20" wheels or 36" wheels and he'd win either way. It's the rider. Kinda like how Jimi Hendrix could play a walmart guitar and still kill it.
  • 5 2
 Cam cole uses avids.
  • 11 3
 Um hello last years World Cup overall champ was running avids?!
  • 16 0
 They said "Among riders who have a CHOICE, the verdict for brakes on the World Cup circuit seems to be divided between Shimano and Formula"
  • 6 5
 Wins in the WC series last year, lets include the World Champs race, Avid 3, Shimano 3, Formula 1. If you look at podiums(including 1st place), Avid had 11, shimano 8, Formula 2. The math is disagreeing the statement that no WC riders ride Avid brakes.
As far as Gwin riding Avid because that's what Specialized uses, you contradict yourself in your own reply. Specialized uses SRAM you say and thats why he rides avids, Rock Shox is what Specialized uses and is a part of sram and he made sure his contract said he could stay with with Fox. He could have held out to stay with shimano as well. Its not like Specialized was going to say, ok we are going to pay you 10mil or whatever it really was, and you can stay with Fox, but no deal if you stay with shimano. The team was also sponsored by monster and he made sure he could stay Redbull.
Most privateers, I know ride who ever gives them a pro-deal or the best hookup. Everyone person that qualifies for a WC race could easily at least get a pro-deal from some where. Personally, all of the top end brakes are better at braking than I am at riding.
  • 2 3
 Stevie used avid brakes, yeah. But they weren't the brakes that you or I could buy off chain reaction or from your local shop.
  • 1 3
 Except Steve smith.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... What an ignorant comment
  • 2 0
 Did someone say Gwin was paid 10 mil!! That sound extremely unlikely
  • 2 0
 Def unlikely he makes anything close to that , Polygon makes a great looking bike
  • 1 0
 I would love a pinkbike to the point on expected racers income
  • 2 0
 10 mil was the rumor that was floating around when the contract with Specialized was first announced, I dont know what the real amount was thats why i said "or whatever it really was".
  • 6 1
 The reason the winning riders were using Avid brakes, is because they wouldn't fucking stop them!
  • 3 0
 Danny hart is on sram so he runs avid you friggen dewey
  • 94 1
 Sweet I wonder if this new wheel size will bring better cornering and manouevreability
  • 35 1
 "Hannah's setup is conservative, in that it doesn't have any carbon parts" That seatpost looks suspiciously carbon and those spacers are definitly carbon.
  • 7 35
flag Joe-Gray (Mar 11, 2014 at 0:58) (Below Threshold)
 i noticed that too. not to mention the most expensive carbon wheels on the market. love the bike
  • 29 2
 those are e13 wheels not enve. nice try though...
  • 18 2
 eThirteen don't make a carbon rim.
  • 16 0
 Mick goes to show you can be fast without the new carbon parts....hear that newbies just ride your bike and stop worrying about the weight haha. Wink
  • 37 1
 chain looks carbon...
  • 19 1
 steel is iron and carbon Razz
  • 2 1
 How high is that seat also?
  • 23 0
 Mick is carbon
  • 3 4
 carbon spoke nipples.
  • 5 0
 im sure there is carbon (dioxide) in his tyres
  • 16 0
 The weight savings and stiffness gains are massive when switching to carbon spacers, it almost gives you an unfair advantage on V10 riders...
  • 2 20
flag imcusi (Mar 11, 2014 at 11:55) (Below Threshold)
 @ jordanneedsafork did you actually just spell tires wrong?
  • 4 0
 Should use helium in the tires instead of Air! At least 5grams saved per tire! Hell make that a Helium-Sprung Suspension and u can save another 5gram!
  • 43 0
 no I spelled it correctly. I also spell colour correctly and enjoy free healthcare.
  • 5 1
 Frame looks suspiciously carbon Smile
  • 3 0
 @ jordanneedsafork - Nice answer, you'll be the center ... sorry, centre of attention here for a while !!
  • 2 1
 And i get negoropped for being ironic Frown
  • 5 0
 @ randybadger - you should try being good at it ;o)
  • 2 0
 Irony and sarcasm dont work well in text Frown
  • 1 2
 @backyard , It's English (uk) and English (usa) ..they're spelled differently
  • 6 0
 Just wait until we have to explain what a fanny is Smile
  • 1 0
 @olilatte - incorrect. Helium is thinner than air, in turn there would need to be more helium to support the weight which would mean there's more gas in in the tyres, so they would actually weigh more.
  • 2 0
 I don't think you understand what irony is.
  • 1 0
 the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
  • 3 0
 Mic has always seemed like a guy who is more about the ride, less about the gimicks of riding. I hope to see atop a podium in the coming year!
  • 1 0
 A recent interview has him talking about the clock, his all about the clock and the time he doesn't really care about hype of things unless its faster on the clock.
  • 1 2
 I wish I could understand him more when he talks, it comes out like a jumbled mess to my ears. I forgive him because his sister is my favorite female rider.
  • 1 0
 Nice Ctrl C - Ctrl V
  • 22 2
 Why can't we just have choices? Why are we always talking about the demise of something? Timhe demise of 26" wheels, now the demise of coils forks and shocks. The bottom line is there will always be pro and cons and differences between all these platforms, wether it be wheel size or suspension type. Why can't we just be happy to have options, instead of always trying to bury one or the other.
  • 10 1
 The characteristics of air and spring are not very different now days, early years air had a much different performance but air has really began to match coil in recent years and there has been lots of work to get a linear air feeling and really working on closing the gap. Bos I believe said they wont go air until they can match their coil performance or when it offers and advantage, the fact they have shifted to air is a big statement to the technical advancement in air suspension.
  • 2 1
 Amen
  • 1 0
 Because drama draws people in and gets them involved. So their will be drama regarding wheel size, suspension springs, composites vs aluminium, etc.
  • 2 0
 Totally. I think we should still be using rubber bushings for our suspension designs. I mean, why eliminate it, just give us a choice. Springs? Air? Oil? Come on. Rubber bushings homie, all the way to the bank. Word.
  • 14 4
 he will be right on the BOS as long as he doesn't want to service them...ever. But if he doesn't mind waiting 12 months for a service he will be fine, Unless they actually care for their pro riders unlike the general public. Loved the stoy I had, but ended up buying a CC as the idiots at BOS were too busy eating baguettes, sipping red wine and flying white flags to care about customer support. damn shame.
  • 2 1
 I remember reading that they will have BOS support at the world cup venues
  • 10 1
 BOS support is an oxymoron.
  • 6 0
 I should caveat this by saying that I’m a massive BOS fanboy, truly believing they do the finest suspension out there, but do understand people’s frustrations.

Their history with UK distributors are a testament to that:

TFTuned dropped them.
R53 dropped them.
Surf Sales dropped them.
Now Jungle Products have taken up the banner - let’s see how long they last.

The saving grace however is Mad Elk cycles in Ireland, who are fantastic to deal with. Owners can also get their BOS related issues looked at by Sportsnut in Germany, who are a class act.
  • 1 0
 I'd add Novyparts to the list, and he can get parts from BOS themselves
  • 1 0
 You can still send your BOS products for maintenance or repairs to Dave Garland's (Danny Hart's mechanic) shop.
I forgot what the shop is called, but I think it's in Wales
  • 1 0
 fabdemaere, you "can" also send it to TFTuned at the moment, but like Standec (Dave's shop), they can't do much more than standard maintenance (oil / seals).
  • 3 0
 After 10 months! I have my warranty repaired Bos Void returned, from Sportsnut, who were very good, which is more than can be said for Bos. Great product if/when it works. The shock developed wear on the shaft after 6 weeks use (and yes it was kept clean), apparently they've redesigned it as it is a known problem. 10 months though is ludicrous, I've only had the bike for a year!
  • 3 0
 My Bos Void has exactly the same problem, less that 2 months use and the shaft starts to lose it's coating! It's been with Bos for 2 weeks under warranty now. Only 8 months and 2 weeks to go! Actually it really pissed me off as I now have to buy another shock for holiday in 2 weeks. I just know I won't get it back in time and can't risk it. Bos sort it out, your customer service is a common joke in the UK.
  • 1 0
 Here at BOS MTB, we've been working hard in the last several months to improve the speed and response of our customer service.

If you have any questions regarding service, products already in service, or anything else please don't hesitate to contact us:
By email: customerservice@bosmtb.com
By phone: +33 (0)5 34 25 33 66
  • 2 0
 @BosMTB You really do offer some fantastic products. And I still personally believe your products are the best on the market. I've owned all of the major brands in the past and hand on heart, I can say your products still offer the best performance out there. They are also priced well against the top of the range forks from RS, Fox and Marzocchi.

BUT, the customer service is simply terrible. We understand you are a small company compared to other big brands, but it doesn't stop you from offering a better customer experience. Communication with customers is key to success and it's something you lack. You really need to support your customers with faster responses and a quicker turn around on warranty work. I had to weight 10 weeks for my Bos RaRe fork to be sorted!

If you sorted out these two simple things, you will have a customer base who is far more confident and supportive towards you and your products.
  • 1 0
 ALSO - change the bloody user manual!
Time and time again I need to repeat the same to people asking the same question.

According to:
www.bosmtb.com/uploads/media/manual_startup_IdylleRare_2014_eng.pdf

You say that:
Tighten (anticlockwise) = close harden
Undo (clockwise) = open/soften

THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE.
It may be a French translation to English thing, but is absolutely incorrect and causes frustration and confusion among users.
The HIGH SPEED COMPRESSION is reverse threaded, meaning that the knob starts turing out of the frame, when you turn it clockwise. This still however tightens / closes it.

In addition, while we're talking about user manuals - please be as professional with them, as you are with the products. In the VOID user manual for example, you refer to the Vipr' and so forth. Copy/paste failing basically.

Get a native English speaker to rewrite the English user manuals please.
  • 1 0
 I could offer my services to translate the user manuals for the price of say a full BOS setup? Big Grin

(more to the point, I could actually do it ...)
  • 5 0
 Thanks for your feedback guys, we are indeed working on all of these issues.

Firstly, in terms of the speed of customer service; any email sent into the address above can expect a reply within one business day. This includes updates about parts that are at our location for service.

Secondly, we are aware of the issue in the Idylle user manual, and are working to correct it.

Cheers,
BOS MTB
  • 12 2
 I love those pictures of Pro's bikes with endless spacers below the crown and below the stem, mounted with a riser bar and then hear the marketing dude coming and say "yeah our rider want their cockpit as low as possible so they can charge the front wheel...."
Move forward and you'll charge the front wheel, no worries about that!
  • 4 7
 agreed hundred time BUT in this particular case, headtube seems to be very short and explain spacers. BUT (again) no excuse forthe carbon spacers under the stem.

mtb bar height is like bmx saddle settings: fashion.
  • 4 0
 Nar… i always set my bar height at what i feel comfortable with not what the latest trend is - DH happy medium, xc and road slammed and trail towards the lower end of the scale. Im not going to change just because some pro has a different bar setup.
  • 3 0
 The track in Bright was super steep, so it was more comfortable to have the cockpit a bit higher
  • 3 1
 I think it's dictated by the tracks. You are talking about pro bikes here, and professionals are usually riding some ridiculously steep WC level tracks, so the high bar height is necessary. For the general masses, there is no need for it and the lowered bar height has some benefits.
  • 2 2
 Yes, ok with all of you but just one question: Spank don't have a bar with a higher rise?
  • 2 2
 Looks like he's probably riding a 30mm rise bar there, and I do think they make a 50mm DH bar. But really whats the difference? One way or the other the bars are raised. Its probably actually easier to pop the top crown off and add a couple spacers than it is to change out the bars.
  • 3 0
 If youve seen Mic ride at world cups youll notice he rides WAY higher in the front than most world cup riders. Thinner too. Its obviously personal preferance and body type. 1 size doesnt fit all....
  • 2 0
 @fracasnoxteam good observation, Mick usually has an insanely high riser bar (must be like 50 or 60), but not this time apparently
  • 1 2
 And no bar height is not fashion.
  • 2 0
 50mm rise every time for me. With 10mm spacers also.
  • 15 3
 Oooh, running 26" wheels, thats a bit of a worry.
  • 8 1
 Does Hannah not have a personal mech to go over his suspension, or is it personal preference that he does it himself? Blackbox/RAD programs all seem have tuners working for their athletes, that's for sure.

Interesting fact there about the split between formula/shimano, and damn..that headtube is miniscule.
  • 5 1
 whatever it is.. I think this bike is awesome .. the setup is fabulous
  • 4 1
 Don't know if I agree with the "verdict on brakes in the world cup circuit" they only rider I know of that got a contract that he could go out and pretty much grab any sponsor he wanted was Gwin with last years mega contract, and he choose to leave Shimano and move over to sram/avid drive train and brakes, despite staying with fox for suspension. Not a combo usually seen in the WC circuit as most blackbox riders are voluntold or straight up told they have to ride the boxxer right?
  • 5 0
 I would say he is doing it himself because the team isn't in Australia with the truck or mechanics so its all up to him
  • 2 0
 I believe he is used to work by himself and it is not like most of the pro riders who don't know what is happening with their bikes and need someone to look at them.
  • 2 1
 I believe that Gwin is in fact sponsored by Fox suspension, and one of the terms in moving to Specialized was that he get to keep it that way. Im very sure that these guys do not pick teams based on what parts they will get to run.
  • 1 0
 Gwin is surely not the only guy on the World Cup circuit who may have had the opportunity to chose what brakes he's riding. He might be the only top fully sponsored factory type rider, but you have to remember there are a ton of other lesser know riders who ride the World Cup circuit. Many of whom are privateer or only partially sponsored. Most of those guys are chose to ride whatever they want. I'm sure you could get a pretty good sample size out there.
  • 2 0
 My point was that Gwin would not have hesitated to switch to Specialized just because they run SRAM components. That would be ridiculous.
  • 2 0
 Yea for the most part, these guys ride what they are paid to ride. Whatever team wants to pay them, they will ride those bikes/parts. And lets be honest, most of the high end stuff out there is really good equipment. Especially when you have professional mechanics maintaining it. I was more responding to EastFork's comment about how many riders actually get to chose what specific parts they ride. Among top riders it may not be many, but in the field of 100+ riders, many of the lower tier riders who pay for most of their stuff themselves, there are plenty.
  • 3 0
 Oh absolutely. I think a lot of people don't realize that most of these sponsorships are not full. Even at the WC level many of these guys not only have to pay for many of their parts but they don't have an endless supply of them or a team of mechanics.
  • 6 0
 Mick's build, like most pros, is constrained by sponsorship considerations. That said, no matter how high-end his bike is, he still has to wrap some old tubes around the chainstays with zip-ties and gaffer tape
  • 2 9
flag mudmandhbrazil (Mar 11, 2014 at 5:08) (Below Threshold)
 How ugly is that tube on the chainstay and seaystay???? Ugly as hell looks like he is running the clutcher of. Looks pretty amatour that tube raped around with eletric tape almost descusting. Who is the mecanic that did that?
  • 1 0
 Self fusing silicon stuff is more widely available in Eurozone.
  • 1 0
 obviously not a complete tart...
  • 8 0
 Shit a cassette, that's a nice bicycle!
  • 11 3
 immediately clicked on this article after seeing the number 26
  • 1 0
 LOL
  • 8 4
 Judging by the last paragraph and several articles on the subject I sense that RC is extremely concerned about wheel size, air/coil, carbon and clips flats. At least ,no less concerned than an average specimen of fierce keyboard troll Smile I am starting to suspect that what someone said once is trye, that Deeeight is his troll profile.
  • 1 1
 Imagine what the big shot media folks will look like if a guy won the worlds on an 26" aluminum bike with air suspension and flat pedals? All that research and riding saying, "This is better than this or that". I think if someone won like that, they would go insane because that setup should never work. All the shoot-outs and compare-o's of all the parts. Roll over and efficiency and power transfer and weight... all against the grain of what we've been told as to why the modern bike is so good. Would put the industry on it's head for sure.
  • 2 0
 Mnah, nothing would happen. Nearly every discipline of MTB deals with a vast ocean of factors and variables, everything is blurry, even tyre choice. That gives a huge room for manouver for marketing and certain solution propagators, to highlight only the facts supporting their agenda. Complexity of the sport is so big that average representant of the buying force will never be able to grasp the whole picture and will listen to those who shout louder and support their argument with more (pseudo) scientific looking material. RC is totaly right, just as he is wrong. The differences between things he promotes or bashes are so minimal that they can be no more than pure speculation. For instance advances in chassis development as a whole will always outrun the importance of spring type alone. Just as it happens with geometry, suspension kinematics to frame material. But average bloke wants to isolate a factor and put an end to i ternal debate: he wants to know if carbon is better than aluminium, "It depends" seem to burn like holy water.
  • 2 1
 Jerome Clementz rode a coil lyric while Nico Vouilloz raced Garbanzo DH course on Fox 32 series Float. Some perfectly normal people put XC brakes on a DH bike. I just find it funny for some people to isolate factors put label "better" on them and rationalize nearly every choice. If you are so rational why don't you just vote for deconstruction of worldwide culture, music or painting are useless, aren't they? Oh you are riding a bike that is not used fot commuting, why? It makes no sense!
  • 1 0
 Haha.. I was actually being a wise ass, but I get what you're saying. Reading magazines and riding for the last 30 years, sometimes they get it wrong when they say what's "best". It would be ironic if someone won on "old school" technology.
  • 1 0
 I didn't mean "you" as you, I meant everyone in general. Sorry for misunderstanding. Well Jerome won last year on old school technology on a bike with quite unreliable shock with medieval wheels. But no marketing head says that. He now likes 650b more aa he said in an honest interview for DirtTV, and he says it many times loud and clear: "it is a bit better but it is still only a bike" People will hear what they want though. We see what we want to see. A matter of the fact is, nobody tells us to buy those things to be faster, Enduro specific hype is much smaller than trolls claim it is. Marketing throws a tiny deflates balloon and people like us blow it and fill with crap Smile
  • 1 0
 Yeah, when I was new to the sport, shiny anno bike parts got my money.. Most ended up being twice what a good shimano part cost and lasted about 1/3rd what the shimano part did. Magazines said they were lighter and worth it. I don't jump at new parts or new bike bandwagons. I did just buy a 29er though.. What? It's not hot anymore? Haha... Funniest thing about enduro, if you look at my old parts and newer parts, they've been enduro type parts for 15+ years. Except I call them All Mountain or trail parts, enduro are too expensive..
  • 8 0
 long life to 26"
  • 4 0
 Flippin 'ell, how did he go so fast on those crumby 26"wheels :-) I guess his fabulous suspension off set the terrible hindrance they were....
  • 4 0
 Interesting it says his bike looked incredibly stable on a very rough course, didn't Remy Thirion win at Andorra (another very gnarly course) also on BOS suspension?
  • 1 0
 Lmao Bos!!! It's just lip service posting your response on here.... If you know there is a problem, sort it out. I think you guys are lazy and ignorant! You have no respect for your customers.... You need to be proactive not reactive. Your clearly competent but clearly unprofessional!
  • 7 3
 You can all stop crying about enduro now, it's an article about a 26" DH bike.
  • 5 1
 26"?

NO CARBON?

Nooooooooooooooo... said every downhill internet forum Cat 2 racer ever.
  • 2 0
 that comment will be lost on people who don't get the cat 2 reference
  • 1 0
 meow.
  • 1 0
 I'm not sure why it's so surprising that he's on a 26" bike sporting very little carbon and air suspension and is still so fast. Air suspension has been around a long time and used in other forms of racing for years. Think it just took the right company to figure it all out for bikes. I'm just glad they don't blow seals like they did when they first came out. As for wheel size, if you followed all the scientific data he would have qualified 3-5 seconds faster on bigger wheels, but there is no way to prove if he would have been. The top 10 guys are so fast, if they are comfortable on a 26", 27.5" or 29", they will likely win on it with a clean run. For the average joe I think there are everyday benefits, but for these top guys, it's more of a mental thing.
  • 3 0
 In a couple years everyone will be building "throwback" 26" wheeled bikes and talking about how they "forgot how awesome it was."
  • 4 1
 'boss' means good in liverpudlian Smile If my scouse mate saw a girl with nice tits he'd be like "boss tits an that"
  • 1 0
 All those spacers under the crown do a great job of adding huge leverage forces to the head tube. Crappy band aid fix. Remember the ultra wide low rise bar craze?
Who is laughing now?
  • 3 0
 That clutch mech seems to be working a treat in the first photo . . .
  • 1 0
 Looks like the clutch is off cause the chain is doing a big loop
  • 1 0
 I was thinking the same thing. Not sure the clutch could absorb that much chain growth. holy smokes.
  • 1 0
 It is turned off. ^^^ I took the reference out of the first caption, wondering if PB detectives would catch it.
  • 1 0
 Anyone else wondering where he got those red fork crowns from? crown colour is a choice fork companies should introduce, I'd jump at the chance to buy 40's with red crowns
  • 2 0
 Not sure where he got them from his sponsored so no doubt a custom job but a company here in aus does top crowns for most forks the stem is built into the crown.
check them out if your keen
chunked.com.au/Products-CROWNS.html

Or you could just get stock ones re-sprayed
  • 2 0
 "clothing gets tighter and bikes get lighter...." Bring back skin suits, damn it!!!
  • 4 2
 OMFG 26" wheels WTF.......
  • 3 2
 oh no not a 27.5 new age fan boy
  • 2 0
 Holy **** stack of spacers!
  • 2 0
 Thanks for the photos, PB photographer Kane!
  • 2 0
 Not a fan of product I can't service myself.
  • 1 0
 Does it really matter if his bikes carbon or not WHEN HIS BACK TYRE IS ON THE WRONG WAY!!
  • 1 0
 Does anyone know if there are any distributors of Polygon bikes in America or Canada?
  • 1 0
 "the verdict for brakes on the World Cup circuit seems to be divided between Shimano and Formula"

well, duh.
  • 1 0
 There's different wheel sizes?
  • 1 0
 how is BOS pronounced? is it boss, bose (as in hi fi make) or B-O-S
  • 6 0
 Just like boss. But more important than try to pronounce it, you should try to ride it. It's really really good.
  • 6 0
 If I remember correctly it means Bossard Oliver Suspension and/or a shorter version of Bossard, the last-name of Olivier Bossard, founder and designer of the company. You have to pronounce like boss in english. For once it's a french brand with an easy name to pronounce worldwide Wink .
  • 2 0
 It is pronounced "GOOD"!!!! :-)
  • 1 0
 Based on results, maybe he should have used the Squale up front.
  • 1 0
 He looks like Brian O' Connor with Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T Turbo >,,
  • 1 0
 "And 26 inch wheels" hallelujah!!!
  • 1 0
 How did the Poly get on in Valparaiso? Spanked by Evil Smile
  • 1 0
 Great work RC, now I can't bitch about 26" not being mentioned.
  • 1 0
 nice welds
  • 3 4
 Boring bike.







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