Pole BicyclesMachine

 Revolutionary bike in both geometry and readability. Tested over 24 miles and 2700ft of climb/decend in Northern GA with Pole Demo Tour. One of the easiest climbing and fastest descending bikes I've ever ridden. Absolute game changer!

 If you wanted a quintessential "do it all" or "pedallable dh" bike, this is it, look no further. All the cons listed below are well worth putting up with for what you get.

Pros:

- Climbs stuff you think you cant climb, all while being seated, without really any special technique - just sit and crank, and you go up.

- Descends like a DH bike, insanely smooth and stable especially with 2.5 tires and coil shock. The first time you will take a steep roll will erase any fear of hucking this thing off of anything.

- Can run 29x2.8 tires for that 29+ ride.

- Disconnecting upper pivot link makes the entire chainstay pivot forward and reduce the footprint of the bike. Haven't tried this, but its probably possible to carry the frame, sans the wheels in a large suitcase.

- Very laterally-stiff rear end, which makes the rear feel very precise.

- Doesn't feel that extreme when you ride it despite the radical geometry. You can still bunny hop it, reposition the rear wheel, thread it through corners on tight singletrack.


Cons:

- Has all the "cons" of a longer travel enduro bike with slack head angle. Floppy at low speed, suspension is designed for more compliance than efficient pedaling, weighs more than a trail bike for burliness and stiffness.

- Hard to manual. You have to throw your weight back harder to take some low speed drops, and even harder if you want to hold a manual.

- Stand up pedaling while climbing makes rear loose traction easier, due to long chainstays. The bike prefers sit down pedaling, even when you feel like you need to stand up. You can still stand up pedal if you actively try to keep your weight back instead of leaning over the front.