Pole's 190mm-travel Voima Switches From Brose To Bosch

Sep 2, 2021
by Seb Stott  
photo


The Voima is Pole's first ebike. With 190mm of travel and 29" wheels, it fits the tag line "more is more". When the bike was first announced in June it used a Brose S Mag motor with a 725Wh battery. Now, Pole has revised the design to make use of the brand new Bosch Smart System and Performance Line CX motor, which is paired with an even larger 750Wh battery. But while battery capacity has increased, the Bosch motor delivers slightly less maximum motor torque than the Brose - 85Nm rather than 90Nm. This is still a lot of assistance though, and less motor input should mean even more range.
Pole Voima Update Details

• Updated Bosch Performance Line CX motor
• Bosch PowerTube 750Wh battery (up from 725Wh)
• Bosch E-Bike Flow App
• Bosch Global Service Network
• Integrated seat clamp
• Three bottle cage mounts
• Potential to use a battery extender

Alongside the bigger battery, Pole cite Bosch's more extensive service network as a key reason for making the switch, as well as Bosch's new eBike Flow App, which includes automatic activity tracking, live information about the bike and over the air updates for new features and future-proofing.

photo
There's now space for two bottles or a range extender above the downtube. Note also the integrated seat clamp.
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The battery cover is on the more conventional underside of the downtube. A third water bottle or tool carrier can be mounted behind it.

It's not just the motor that's changed. The Voima has been updated since the first iteration to include an integrated seat clamp, and they've made room for three water bottles (two in the main triangle and one under the downtube). The battery "door" has been moved from the top of the downtube to the bottom. Pole say this change is made possible because the Bosch battery is sufficiently waterproof that there's no problem for it to be exposed to trail debris and splashes from the front wheel. This allows the upper side of the top tube to accommodate two water bottles or even a range extender.

photo
The first iteration had the battery accessed from above the downtube to protect it from roost.

The 190mm-travel suspension design and 7075-T6 aluminium frame construction remain unchanged.

Pole Voima Suspension

by seb-stott
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eMTB Reviews and Tech Press Releases Enduro Bikes Pole Bicycles Pole Voima


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90 Comments
  • 159 17
 Its so ugly.
  • 27 4
 They should call it the Midas Touch
  • 44 8
 @Supergirl56: *Shiteus Touch
  • 28 1
 Ugly AND 3 water bottles too?!?!. Levy must be drooling rn...
  • 14 34
flag PauRexs (Sep 2, 2021 at 8:17) (Below Threshold)
 Not agree at all. Me and many others love it. It follows diagonal line, the curves and that seatube...
  • 13 2
 Completely agree. And before a gaggle of engineers join the comments and insist on "function over form" remember: the apex of consumer product design is a combination of function and form. Reference: high performance, high dollar sports cars.

I'd actually say that the main triangle is fine. Why not simply stylize the linkage and seat stay components with something more appealing?
  • 9 3
 @PauRexs: none of the diagonal lines align and it's a blob-ject... also you might want to look up up what many means Wink
  • 7 4
 Yeah, and it’s ugly too
  • 19 2
 I’ll quote myself here … “Pole, (still) proudly designed by engineers and engineered by designers.”
  • 8 2
 Aesthetic can follow function. High COG bikes ("bikes") like this one and Redalp look ugly because our brain intuitively knows that things low to the ground can change direction better (like a football player in a low stance, or a wrestler, or boxer hiding his chin). We like things that line up, because generally things that have geometric relationships are stronger. Overly swoopy shapes, like the Kona Operator from 10 years ago, looks ugly because it creates a weak frame.

Obviously this isn't true 100% of the time, but its certainly something that should be considered when engineering a bike frame.
  • 1 0
 @Gamsjaga: very good.
  • 9 3
 @hamncheez: Hence as an automotive designer why I think IBIS bikes are friggin hideous...yet all the fan boys on here voted that stupid rainbow bike a few weeks back the best looking in the contest...money can't buy taste
  • 4 2
 @Danzzz88: "money can't buy taste", says the yeti guy...
  • 7 0
 Doesn't look like a session
  • 63 1
 Polearising looks for sure, not for me or any of my Brose
  • 43 1
 190mm of travel, 29" wheels, bosch motor, i reckon i can watch a youtube POV video and feel just as connected to the trail.
  • 14 8
 To be fair, this is a move toward all out performance and speed. It's a bit like arguing that you don't like the experience of a modern hypercar because it includes too many features that enable the driver to operate near the limit.

Modern enduro bikes in the 150-180mm travel category certainly "disconnect" you from the trail compared to steeper 120-150mm trail bikes. But the same rider, on the same trail is going to be capable of safely riding much faster on the former than the latter, and that is what some people are after.
  • 13 2
 @KJP1230: ah yes, much like hypercars, the best part of mountain biking is electronic performance and speed.
  • 7 1
 @mariomtblt: You're being sarcastic, but many people DO feel that technological performance and speed are, in fact, major draws of mountain biking. That's why we spend so much $$ on the latest suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, etc. for our bikes.

All of the guys I ride with choose their bikes based on which ones offer the best perceived descending performance, and we all principally get our kicks from racing down the trail as quickly as possible. So....yea....we seem to care about performance and speed....
  • 2 0
 @mariomtblt: I thought we all were trying to go Ricky Bobby fast.
  • 1 2
 @KJP1230: yeahhh but there is one key difference in the performance of racing down a trail thought when talking about ebikes that youre conveniently omitting
  • 3 0
 @mariomtblt: I'm not "conveniently omitting" the fact that this thing has a motor. That is exactly my point. I imagine the people who are buying this bike are thinking to themselves, "Sure is nice to have a motor so that I can pedal this 190mm downhill bike to the top of this ride!"

My very first comment started with "...this (bike) is a move toward performance and all out speed." And that is true. Use that motor to get your unwieldy, 190mm bike to the top of the climb, and rocket back down. I seriously doubt the target market for this machine is the jibby, playful, I-want-a-mullet! crowd. This thing is designed to make average Joe feel like superman - just like your average hypercar in the hands of the average purchaser of hypercars.
  • 33 3
 A visibly shaken Brose rep was on hand to comment:
"They... they told us that they were building an eBike and they wanted to use our motor. It was all going fine until we... we saw the p-pictures (pauses to vomit)."
*remainder of interview incoherent mumbling and rocking.
  • 20 3
 Still hasn't gotten any easier on the eyes...
  • 12 2
 Virtual high floating pivot, ignore the color (you can always rattle-can it if you hate it that much), awesome long travel wagon wheel concept from a small independent builder, that you could easily build with a 180-190 single or dual crown fork, and self shuttle all day. Why the hell are people hating on this?
  • 5 2
 Have you seen it?
  • 6 1
 *Because it’s different*

Thank Pole and Geometron for the bike geometry you find on much of today’s modern mountain bikes.

Riding this years Specialized Turbo Kenevo with its 180mm dual crown Boxxer a few days ago, it’s amazing, it climbs fantastic, there are no downsides other than it’s geometry. Lengthen it and roll up that Seatpost angle just a bit more and it would be even better.

People lack vision. This is a Nicolai Tesla moment.
  • 14 4
 I went for a nice walk this morning. I encountered a road killed deer, it smelled, was pretty bloated. 10/10 looked better than that frame.
  • 10 4
 I honestly think that there is not a single soul out there that looks at this bike and is like, yeah this is exactly what I want, take my 10K.
  • 8 0
 Unpopular opinion, but I like it. Its correctly moto looking.
  • 1 1
 Unpopular indeed!
  • 5 1
 There is zero downsides to having a long travel, stable and fun bike for going downhill when it has an electric assist motor. It’s one bike you can ride on literally any trail in the world. You are worried about how it looks instead of rides or the amazing experiences you will have? If so, you really don’t get mountain biking or the joy you should be talking about and sharing with your friends.

Enjoy your wall art.

Bring on more modern geometry, long travel E-bikes I say!
  • 2 0
 Finally a good person in PB comments!
  • 9 2
 Is it front loader parts? Did it fall off a tractor?
  • 5 1
 Why does the squish test not show the cranks and rear wheel like on other bikes? Too much pedal feedback? How can we know since we didn't see it?
  • 2 0
 Came here to say this.
  • 4 0
 Good point. The videographer probably wanted to show how the links work. We'll film the whole bike next time. Pole's pedal feedback is always very minimal, but at the dynamic SAG range our pedaling platform is ideal. By the falling rate of Anti-Squat there is not much kickback. Voima pedals extremely good through roots and rocks. You can find the kinematics from our website.

Here's the link to Anti-Squat breakdown: polebicycles.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pole-Voima-Anti.squat-visualization-2.jpg

Here's the leverage ratio: polebicycles.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Voima-Leverage-Ratio.jpg

Here Leo explains the Sensei Suspension: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPzLS2sI4yc
  • 5 1
 I don't have a better suggested shape but the tongue depressor form of the rear tria... thing just doesn't please the eye.
  • 5 1
 Never got why the Fauza system never caught on, or why the designers thought this looked remotely good.
  • 5 1
 Gold (gold)
Always believe in your Pole
You've got the power to know
You're indestructable...
  • 6 1
 Came for the comments…..
  • 6 1
 Oooh, an electric Grim Donut.
  • 3 0
 Now I want one. Def not gold though. Bosch and modern geometry is just nuts. I love my Mondraker Crafty Carbon with Bosch CX. It's a race machine. So capable.
  • 5 1
 Because previously its biggest drawback was the lack of battery capacity.
  • 5 2
 Looks like they spent the design and engineering budget on the front half of the bike and just slapped on a rear end.
  • 6 1
 WTF!?
  • 5 3
 Pole bikes sure ain’t prettiest out there, but you should try one if you can. My Taiga fatbike shits on every (most) other fatbikes.
  • 2 0
 I think they are some of the prettiest, not conventional but conventional is boring.
  • 1 0
 Speaking as a pole and geometron owner - so I buy into the industrial aesthetic... The only person who'd buy this is 1990s Sigourney Weaver to fight off an Alien in a loading Dock.
  • 3 0
 Thought it was a redalp ebike at first glance.
  • 3 0
 I guess I'm the weirdo who really likes how the frame looks.
  • 2 0
 You're not alone. The others here that are saying that it's ugly are conservatively minded cowboys who are afraid of change and will hate anything that doesn't look exactly like the bikes from all the other manufacturers and the performance is irrelevant as long as it looks familiar.
  • 4 5
 Looks like a weapon. Solves many of the main challenges with e bike motors and pivot placement. Lots of thought in the sag and anti squat. Point of order the weight is in the battery not the linkage. Also the rotation of the motor increases ground clearance under cranks. FYI acoustic riders go and search up the original VVP design(not Santa Cruz) it was not a master piece but all the Santa Cruz riders love them because of how they work. Looking at one seriously, a genuinely innovative look a the ebike platform just needs Mullet option and 500 watt battery option. In 2 or 3 years it will have a integrated motor and gear box(see interbike vids)..then us E bikers will definitely have to get a Core E Bike website and leave you guys to it
  • 2 0
 Is "acoustic riders" a hipster folk rock band? Doesn't sound like anything mtb-related.
  • 1 1
 I tend to use the term "biobiker," or "knuckle dragging luddite".
  • 2 0
 if it is in gold, you must buy it..
  • 2 1
 as far as i can tell, they're really bucking the trend with a very forward axle path
  • 1 0
 Haha, yeah, the tire really goes straight to the seat tube in a hurry doesn't it.
  • 1 3
 If I bought one I’d expect my mates to kick the shit out of me and carry on beating me until I realized what a fugly gold piece of ecrap it actually is! If they didn’t and I finally woke, then a massive can of whoop-ass would be opened on them!
  • 1 0
 Looks more and more like a moto, eh?

Looks super fun too, to be fair. Axle path appears kinda odd, though.

-W
  • 2 0
 I don't see that as a bad thing at all, I think there is a lot mountain bikes need to learn from motorbikes
  • 1 0
 May look better in an other colour but maybe not?
  • 2 1
 Is NOT better looking than an Orange.
  • 1 0
 Maybe they should rebrand as: Gold
  • 1 0
 @twonsarelli: Golde
  • 2 1
 Silly video shows us a shock being compressed. Very useful.
  • 1 0
 Not sure how I feel about this...kind of like clowns.
  • 1 0
 Looks dope I think just the colour is way off.
  • 2 0
 You should see it in real life it's gorgeous
  • 1 0
 The squish test. Like a pussy sucking up a cock. You know you see it now
  • 1 0
 Goldmembers bike. "I painted my pole gold"
  • 1 0
 anyone else get an awkward boner after watching that video?
  • 1 1
 Even the guy showcasing it can't wait to get off to throw up because it's so ugly.
  • 1 1
 Looks like a Honda Dax with bicycle wheels ...lol
  • 2 2
 190mm? Just stick a motor onto a DH bike already.
  • 3 0
 It is a DH bike. And a climbing bike.
  • 1 1
 Better yet stick a motor on a 300mm travel dirt.... oh wait, nevermind
  • 2 2
 Just when you think pole bikes are ugly, they go and turn the dial to 11.
  • 1 2
 You can paint a turd gold, its still a turd. Did the Brose engine snap during pink bike testing?
  • 1 1
 Could we have the filter back please?
  • 1 0
 Name it the "smoker"
  • 1 3
 Pole, Polygon and Marin on the line. They said they want their title back for worlds ugliest bike.
  • 1 2
 Are the people that need an ebike even capable of using all that 190mm?
  • 1 4
 If I rolled up on a bunch of dudes on that bike, there's a chance I might get my ass kicked!
  • 2 4
 I don’t hate ebikes, but I hate this ebike.
  • 1 3
 Unsightly mess, you can stick that pole where the sun dont shine
  • 1 2
 Where is the kickstand?
  • 2 4
 Gross.
  • 1 4
 reminds me of those stamped tin toys...
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