Bike Check: Mick Hannah's Prototype Polygon

Apr 11, 2014 at 6:28
by Mike Kazimer  

BIKE CHECK:
Mick Hannah's Prototype
Polygon
Words: Mike Kazimer
Photos: Dave Trumpore

Mick Hannah has been spotted on numerous versions of Polygon's downhill bike over the last several months, but as the downhill race season begins in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, he's on another prototype ride that takes the best assets from the previous prototypes and combines them into one svelte sub-32 pound package. The aluminum framed bike can be switched between 26" and 27.5" wheels by swapping out a chip in the rear dropouts, giving Sick Mik the option to choose whichever wheel size he thinks will be quickest on the high speed course. The Hutchinson UR team has wheels and tires in both sizes at the ready, but at the moment it looks like Mick will be running the bike in the 27.5" configuration when race day arrives. There is a slight weight penalty with the larger wheels, bumping the weight up by .6 pounds over the 26" setup, but with how light the bike already is that's a fairly minimal figure.

How was Polygon able to achieve such a low weight? In addition to beginning with an already light frame, the parts selection is closer to what you would expect to find on an enduro race bike rather than a DH machine. All of the frame's hardware has been upgraded to titanium, and a carbon seatpost, a custom e*thirteen TRS crankset, and a prototype Spank stem all help to shave weight, as do the e*13 TRS+ wheels. Although the bike has been built up to be as light as possible, it's not a flimsy, one-race-only set up - the parts group closely mirrors what Mick will be riding for the rest of the season, with the exception of the 180mm rotors - expect to see larger diameter ones bolted on for steeper, more technical tracks.

Mick Hannah prototype Polygon. Photo Dave Trumpore
  Polygon was especially proud of the bike's one piece, CNC'd head tube with a gusset along the downtube for additional strength.

Mick Hannah prototype Polygon. Photo Dave Trumpore
  The BOS Void rear shock is oriented differently than previous versions, sitting between two aluminum links and passing through the split seat tube design.

Frame Design and Suspension

Previous versions of Polygon's DH bike had the shock mounted vertically underneath the seat tube, but that has changed, and the BOS Void rear shock now passes under the seatube and mounts in a more horizontal position on the downtube. The rear shock is sandwiched between two triangular links, in a floating dual-link layout that's designed to have good square-edged bump absorption while also responding well to the hard pedaling that the Pietermaritzburg course requires. BOS has worked closely with Polygon to tune the suspension to meet Mick's needs, and there are a number of prototype bits inside the rear shock to make it as smooth and supple as possible. Exactly what those prototype bits are remains a mystery, but at the very least it's safe to assume that the shock has a custom tune specifically for the high speed impacts that Mick will be encountering during his race runs with a higher than usual ramp up for the large jumps that punctuate the course.


Mick Hannah prototype Polygon. Photo Dave Trumpore
  The rear swingarm has a chip that can be changed depending on what wheelsize Mick decides to run. Notice the 180mm rear rotor - there's not a lot of sustained braking on the Pietermaritzburg track, and running a smaller rotor front and rear for the Formula brakes trims the bike's weight even further. A short cage Shimano XTR rear derailleur moves the chain through a custom 7-speed cassette - there's no need for any easier gears on a course as flat-out as this.


Mick Hannah prototype Polygon. Photo Dave Trumpore
  A fresh set of ODI Ruffians with Sik Mik etched into them leaves no doubt about whose bike this is. Intended more for all-mountain and enduro race usage, e*thirteen's TRS+ wheelset has been called into duty for this race to help shave weight without sacrificing too much strength. The bike itself might still be carbon, but there are a few carbon bit sprinkled around, like the headset top cap, seatpost clamp, and even the seatpost itself. For tires, Mick will be running a set of trimmed down Hutchinson Toros, a lower profile, all-conditions tire.

Mick Hannah prototype Polygon. Photo Dave Trumpore
  If you were Mick Hannah, this would be the view from your office.


www.polygonbikes.us
www.hutchinson-ur-team.com

Author Info:
mikekazimer avatar

Member since Feb 1, 2009
1,716 articles

77 Comments
  • 27 0
 crashed in quali , hope nothing serious for SikMik... and come back for gold in final tomoz!
  • 2 0
 Cik, I think you and I were tweaking on these bikes before anyone else even heard of them!
  • 17 7
 Wow thats an ugly bike lol
  • 1 0
 Yup… The pic of the seat tube is strange as the one side bends in more than the other on the one side. Right?
Im sure there is a reason but I'm just saying..
  • 1 1
 Specialized has done that shifted seat tube on a few models, always weird. But polygons are sick ass frames!
  • 15 1
 For the majority of riders a bike specced like this could be amazing. I love my scalp but if it weighed as much as or less than my tracer i'd be super happy. 31lb dh bike would i would imagine be so much fun to ride.
Perhaps all these enduro bikes have brought some useful bits after all Wink
  • 14 1
 Does Polygon have some kind of portable "Factory on Wheels" where the just knock new prototypes out at every single race to suit the course?

It seems like Mick is on a different "prototype" at every single race?
  • 3 0
 Seems like these guy do a serous job. Very interesting approach for headtube strength. Notice rear triangle tubing has internal ribs (the two holes near welds). If it is, thats gonna be one hell of a stiff@ss bitch designed for hard riding.
  • 10 3
 My new favorite bike company. This thing looks so sick!
  • 7 0
 thanks, we are at Sea Otter Booth 716 and we are giving away a frame or two. Check out our facebook ... www.facebook.com/polygonbikes.us
  • 2 0
 Love my Polygon, sick frame.
  • 1 0
 Really impressed with how quickly Polygon are progressing. Their bikes are gaining in popularity over here as they are bloody well spec'd, well priced and by all accounts strong as an ox. Wish I was at Sea Otter this year as I'd love to try the new AM ride
  • 6 0
 That stem looks awfully thin and scary...
  • 1 0
 I thought the exact same thing....
  • 1 0
 if sik mik is using it... it's already strong enough for almost everyone Smile
  • 1 0
 Yeah its still not the place that id be trying to save 30grams from. I change my stem and bars once per year just in case.
  • 4 0
 "It might still be Carbon" if only they found a way to weld carbon.........If I was Sik Mik I wouldn't be me!
  • 1 0
 The bike is not a design that, as the writer says, "takes the best assets from the previous prototypes and combines them". It is quite unlike the VPP inspired 2013 prototype, which was also seen in action at PMB. Polygon doesn't seem to have settled on a preferred racing design and it may continue to use more than one. Not all of these will go into production. The prototype ridden by MH is a revision of the earlier racing bike that dispenses with the somewhat complicated mounting of the lower link concentric with the BB. The change will probably result in improved pedaling at the cost of some increase in pedal feedback.
  • 4 0
 Don't they have the Hutchinson Squale which they specifically designed for PMB last year?
  • 1 0
 What is the crack with the brake clamps- instead of expect them to be a mirror image where they are using the same direction orientated clamps... Are they the same lever (i.e. RH lever) but flipped on one side?
  • 3 0
 It didn't save him in Quali at PMB! He just has awful rotten luck! Hope him and the bike do better tomorrow!
  • 1 0
 Yep, rotten luck! Didn't he snap a ti stem bolt last WC at PMB too, resulting in a pretty big crash? For a big guy and a hard charger he does like his weightweenie bits. Awesome bike!
  • 2 0
 Personally I think the weight is admirable saying that though sunn radicals have been built to this weight. I personally am nit loving the look of this one though
  • 6 3
 The previous frame model looks sooooooo much better.
  • 4 1
 Looks like a really nice bike thats run head on into a wall...
  • 3 0
 At least they have an option to switch between 26 and 27.5
  • 2 0
 I like the chip system too. But .6 pound difference is very inaccurate .
  • 4 2
 No offence to Polygon, they make great feeling bikes... but not a huge fan on how it looks.
  • 4 0
 This bike is still in development stages, there is a chance it will never go into production. And usually after the development stage more time is spent on looks than how it performs.
  • 1 9
flag PedroVieira (Apr 11, 2014 at 7:59) (Below Threshold)
 I really hope it doesn't because it looks like a "dumbed down" spesh demo...
  • 2 0
 Aside from the fact it looks nothing like a demo. Function>form
  • 1 0
 I actually like it a lot. I love the low stand over height and simplicity.
  • 3 2
 what is up with that head-angle, I measured it somewhere between 67 and 68, that has to be too steep for a flat out track like pietermaritzburg.
  • 4 0
 How did you measure that?
  • 2 0
 I agree. In the the first pic the HA looks very steep for a DH bike. Maybe is is just the perspective in the photo...
  • 5 0
 Well, I used AutoCAD, and got 66 degrees without correcting for how the bike isn't sitting flat by 1-2 degrees.. So actually 64-65 degrees. I guess holding a protractor up to the screen isn't very accurate.
  • 2 1
 I also corrected for bikes angle and I also used AutoCAD, still 67 degrees mayde even 66 but not slacker than that.
  • 4 0
 Fair enough
  • 8 0
 Seems a bit wooley to me. Calculating a head angle from an internet picture.
  • 2 1
 I think it is one of the better looking bikes out there. Well done IMO.
  • 3 0
 that stem looks might sketchy
  • 3 0
 I was searching the comments to see if anyone else felt the same way. Call me paranoid, but I'd throw another 8 grams of metal at that thing.
  • 1 0
 Given that the options exist, I wonder what wheel-size Mik will run must of the time.
  • 1 0
 That top tube is hideous... and the distance between seat tube and rear wheel looks far to much!
  • 1 0
 How much travel in the rear?
  • 2 0
 Head Angle?
  • 2 1
 I measured 67-68 degrees, that`s pretty weird choice for that track.
  • 1 0
 Is that a guess or an actual measurement. Only reason I ask is photo angles can throw things way off. Super weird angle if its right though. WHAT IS THIS ENDURO
  • 1 0
 This ist pure sex on two wheels!!!! Boner time!
  • 1 0
 Dig the headtube, how tiny is that cassette?
GO SIK MIK!!!!!
  • 2 0
 Titties!
  • 1 0
 Behold: The Silver Banana!
  • 1 0
 I swear all Polygon does is manufacture prototypes the whole time?!
  • 2 1
 How long is that stem ?
  • 5 0
 I don't know the size of it but it gives me the creeps, something there just doesn't feel right...
  • 2 0
 Yeah it looks super slim, but actually I'd like it to be a 60mm one, as I'm looking for one that isn't a Truvativ Smile
  • 5 0
 dunno, but it looks scary thin and ready to snap off.
  • 1 1
 not a fan the old polygon looked the shit!
  • 1 0
 Look at those stem
  • 3 5
 Wheel weight doesn't really matter, light wheels will only help for acceleration out of the gate, heavy wheels will actually hold speed better
  • 1 0
 But there is way less of that in PMB now. The top section is full of rocks, the flat section has tables every 100 feet and the bottom section is all up and down. There's only in the gully (the fast section leading up to the tables) where heavier wheels would come in handy.
  • 1 0
 Do you mean rim weight?
  • 2 1
 Light rims and heavier hubs will hold speed better than just heavy wheels, it's more about where the weight is positioned
  • 3 1
 Explain the physics behind that.
  • 3 1
 It is true that light wheels accelerate better. But that's not the only advantage. They also brake quicker. So you can brake later going into a corner, and accelerate faster coming out. Coming out of the gates is not the only place on a racetrack that requires acceleration.
  • 3 0
 "Wheel weight doesn't really matter, light wheels will only help for acceleration out of the gate, heavy wheels will actually hold speed better."

What do you think happens after a super technical rock section that sucks some speed, after some braking, or after a plain old corner.... you've got to accelerate again! No MTB ride or race is a straight line at one speed and involves rather a lot of deceleration and the associated acceleration afterwards Wink
  • 3 6
 A damn light and cool mix between a Demo 8 and the new Jedi. Wish they'd used a little more visual creativity with the link, looks like they took it off an old Sunday!
  • 5 3
 Wait wuuuut? THAT looks like a Sunday to you???? The shock on the sunday was vertical, here it's pretty much horizontal. Can't people just , for once admit that it's an original design?
  • 4 1
 I meant the link itself, not the shock placement.
  • 1 0
 This bike, like the bike Mik was on last year is a Prototype, there is a good chance that it will never go into production.
  • 1 0
 Polygon, why? Why do you break my heart when I show nothing but love to you... Any plans on renewing the production DH bikes in the near future?
  • 1 0
 I've liked the Polygon bikes for years now, I would really love to see that top tube get straightened out. Unnecessary bends distract from the form and flow. It obviously already has a low stand over, and I doubt the target buyers are 12 year old girls. Other than that it's a win!
  • 1 0
 It just doesn't look right, probably performs superbly though and yes that is what matters. However as a consumer I've got to love a frames looks to buy one and unfortunately I don't love this one
  • 2 2
 Could it be uglier?
  • 1 2
 i like polygons and all but this looks fugly
  • 1 4
 Wonder what forks he'll run?







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