21/22 Bikes That Make Your Shorts Tighter.

[smmokan]

I'm not sure I've ever seen that kind of build on a legit bike for such a low price. Maybe it's a "loss leader" to get people to buy into the Polygon brand?

[ASmileyFace]

$2300!!?! Wow that's cheaper than most other brands similar bikes at dealer cost. Crazy.

[toast2266]

Not saying it's not a decent price, but there's a lot of junk components on that bike. The SLX drivetrain is thrown in to make the bike look better, but cost savings were made elsewhere. Considering the likelihood of getting worthwhile warranty support from polygon is pretty questionable, I'm not sure it's actually a better deal than a comparably priced specialized / giant / whatever.

[grinch]

Id take my chances. Probably get the cheaper one with deore and pimp the suspension. Geo is dialed. They even made 2 different swingarms and front triangle for medium 27.5/29. Basically theyve cut out 3 middle men(lbs,distributor, and bike co). The factory is the bike co

Sent from my SM-G950W using TGR Forums mobile app

[gramboh]

There's a longer travel Forbidden that Buchanan is testing, both 29er and mullet setup using the special link they sell for the Druid. He looks fast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7vJcvhwkf8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOmBA4MRrzU

[SchralphMacchio]

Having some fun since my wife kind of passively green lighted a new bike for me about a year from now (maybe frames will actually be in stock due to supply chain beefing up and COVID-pumped demand not sustaining???) ... my bike would hand-me-down to her, which is fine, since she really likes my bike, and it is a pretty nice bike.

Any thoughts on this?
- Lightweight - closer to 2015 era bikes than now bikes
- 27.5 front and back (probably like 2.5-2.6F and 2.4-2.5R)
- Really good technical climber (sustained successive roots and step-ups) that can still send sustained 3-4000’ backcountry trail descents at speed ... so I’m not talking gravity/bike park and being able to blast braking bumps and maintain the high speeds already designed into the course, I’m talking about stable handling on steep rocks, being able to navigate tight switchbacks with step downs and chunder, and slowly dialing up speed and playfulness and jumps as exposure / trail steepness / consequences start to come down (but not lose the brakes or shock to overheating)
- Yes to modern geo but not so modern that wheelbase is excessive for sharp switchbacks - I think that basically limits reach to about 455 mm for a medium frame and head angle to 64.5, I might even stick with 65 to 65.4

Basically, I’m looking for a 27.5 aggressive/fun trail bike that compared to my current bike: climbs much better over technical obstacles while dampers are fully open, has slightly better damping over successive crap, has more progressive geo for more playfulness and stability. I could also probably use a more powerful front brake. I’m also extremely lightweight so I can handle lighter weight frame construction and parts that might flex or break under a Clyde but would still be stiff responsive and reliable when I’m piloting. Use is primarily human powered riding in Western Oregon (steep big vert, some chunk but not too much, high trail speeds going down) and occasional road trips throughout the Western US and Canada.

Current bike is:
Bronson v1 CC (-1.5 angleset), 160mm Pike A1 RCT3, Monarch+ RC3 (RWC needle bearing upgrade as well)
Carbon 30mm IW wheels (not boost, Sped Precision)
X01 11-sp / Garbaruk cassette
XT 8000 180mm F/R brakes
Carbon bars

I’m guessing my bike is somewhere around 28.5 lbs

It seems like an SB140 T1 with the full XT build, stick with Fox 36 fork and add carbon rim upgrade would be a top contender, adding climbing prowess stability damping playfulness stronger brakes, same class of other components, without adding much heft ...

What other bikes am I missing here? I haven’t demo’ed much in a while and all I’ve seen is complete bike weights going up in the name of stiffness and shred ...

[caulfield]

27.5 aggressive/fun trail bike

tranny scout

[carlh]

2020 Scout, Newer bronson if you like VPP, Mojo, Current generation Mojo (not hd) if you like dw-link.

[smartyiak]

I'm not a midget, so I picked 29" and am a dick about it, but...

I spent a few hours on an Eskar Elkat and really enjoyed it.
https://eskercycles.com/products/elkat

It would take some $$$$ to get it to 28#, but an SB140 isn't free either.

[bagtagley]

I think weights are going up in the name of durability.

[SchralphMacchio]

2020 Scout, Newer bronson if you like VPP, Mojo, Current generation Mojo (not hd) if you like dw-link.

I’ll keep those in mind.

On the Scout, I was concerned that Transition tends to be heavier, less focused on tech climbing skills, and the wheelbase might be too long for some of our switchbacks ... looks like with the 2020 updates only wheelbase might be the main concern.

I always have the Mojo in mind - wife has a gen 1 SL which I like for how light and snappy it is, and its climbing skills. But I hate the geo - it’s super small and feels like I’m gonna go OTB if I don’t perfectly stick weighting and tire placement.

I really liked the Bronson V2 - that generation of VPP linkage has serious improvement over mine for both up and down - but now with the tunnel shock linkage I wonder if it’s more bike and more pork than I need, so maybe I’ll
keep the 5010 CC in mind ... those bikes have definitely gotten heavier over the years.

I also have much love for RideGG - the custom ordering platform would allow me to get a pretty customized Shred Dogg and for less cash than a fully built SB140. I just haven’t demo’ed their Revved frame bikes and don’t know how the platform handles climbing over rocky nasty stuff compared to the bikes above.

[ticketchecker]

I think weights are going up in the name of durability.

and lifetime warranties

[SchralphMacchio]

and lifetime warranties

Santa Cruz had that 6 years ago when their carbon frames were a half pound lighter ...

[SchralphMacchio]

Another compelling reason to go Shred Dogg is that I can always get a Smash chain stay kit (and might need a different shock) then pull the boost 29” Pike and 29 x 2.6 wheels off of my Pedalhead and run that bike for road trips in gnarly terrain ...

[SchralphMacchio]

^ I think that’s the winner, especially because I already have the 29” wheelset (35mm IW) and 29” 150mm fork. It’s another $820 for the Smash seatstay kit plus DPX2 Performance.

Then I’d have a mid travel 27.5 play bike for fun terrain (primary use) and a mid-plus travel 29” trail eating bike for nasty terrain (road trip use). And once I get a truck (for room to bring extra gear plus family) both wheelsets/stay kits can travel with on road trips.

I’ll go back to lurking / ogling this thread now, and trying to save cash smartly over the next year!!!!

[rideit]

The only issue with GG is that their frames are ‘new school’, and a bit portly for your desired weight, IMO. (They KICK ASS otherwise!)
That said, I don’t know what an SB140 frame weighs...

[Andeh]

New Scout got revised leverage curve now. All the reviews of it have said it pedals MUCH better than the first gen SBG bikes. It is entirely possible to have great pedaling Horst-link type bikes (see GG bikes), if the anti-squat and leverage curve are turned right, which it sounds like they are for the new Scout and Sentinel.

All the more modern bikes are going to weigh more than your old Bronson, just by fact of them being longer. I went from a 30# coil sprung Nomad 3 (medium) to a ~32# Sentinel 1 to a ~33# coil Smash. 29 anything is also heavier. A friend is starting to look at replacements for his Bronson 2 which is also around 28#, and he's all disappointed because even a new Tallboy weighs more than that.

I'd say forget about the weight concerns and get a Pistola. The 29" wheels are VERY noticeable at picking up and carrying speed on the straighter / smoother sections, besides getting up and over rocks easier. And it will be a very efficient climber. I run a coil on my Revved Smash and haven't used the climb switch yet.

[Kopi_Red]

I agree with rideit. The Revved GG frames are portly. I've been riding a Pistola for a year now. It pedals great but it weighs a lot.

[SchralphMacchio]

I hear you ...

Listed weight for SB140 frame is 6.85 lbs ... with shock??? I assume since it's sold with a 210x55 DPX2 that it's included in their listed weight.
Listed weight for Shred Dogg is 6.5 lbs ... without shock. DPX2 adds roughly 1 to 1.1 lbs depending on eye to eye length right?

So the SB140 is almost a full pound lighter.


BUT ... the allure of 2 new bikes for an extra $820 is really, really, intriguing enough to make me stop counting grams. Especially because I already have the boost 29 fork and wheelset.
Basically, my quiver would be like this:

Ready to Go:
-Shred Dogg: 27.5" modern geo mid travel (130-140r/150f) fun party bike (biased toward May-October conditions) - great for FUN dry rides and not-too-rowdy terrain
-Pedalhead: 29" modern geo rowdy 120-150f hardtail (biased toward November-April conditions but rideable year round) - great for short rides and wet rides
-Bronson v1: 27.5 old geo lightweight all-mountain travel (150r/130-160f) bike - backup for long rides with big vert (my wife does not come along on these anyways) if I actually notice the Shred Dogg being 1.5 lbs heavier than my Bronson

With 30-40 minutes of work:
-29" mid-plus travel (145R/120-150F) trail swallowing bike - great for gnarly terrain and or long rides with gnar, mostly for road trips / special trips

Basically I could custom build the Shred Dog with a short lower headset cup that makes the Smash more fun, while offsetting the shorter resulting stack height in 27.5 mode (GG factory normally supplies a slightly taller lower cup for 27.5) by running the 27.5 fork at 150mm, and also ask for an extra inch of rear brake hose so that swapping the stays isn't a royal pain in the ass. Then cave and buy one of those rotor alignment guides to make re-centering the rear brake a little faster to do. I wouldn't have to worry about front brake alignment because the fork would come over with the 29" wheels. And also just make sure to run the same headset on both of my GG bikes so that the 27.5 and 29" fork use the same crown race.

It's *extremely* alluring, at the expense of a pound of weight added to the Shred Dogg over the SB140 ...

[ticketchecker]

Santa Cruz had that 6 years ago when their carbon frames were a half pound lighter ...

I kinda figured the advent of the warranty facilitated the weight gain. Regardless I’ve got a V2 Bronson CC that is svelte compared to the GF’s ‘19 5010c

[Tailwind]

Yeah... Santa Cruz frames used to be around 5lbs flat and were really durable.

The couple pound increase really is fairly substantial percentage. Makes me wonder the ‘why’ behind that. I’m sure they ride better now but still.

I kinda figured the advent of the warranty facilitated the weight gain. Regardless I’ve got a V2 Bronson CC that is svelte compared to the GF’s ‘19 5010c

[panchosdad]

Having some fun since my wife kind of passively green lighted a new bike for me about a year from now (maybe frames will actually be in stock due to supply chain beefing up and COVID-pumped demand not sustaining???) ... my bike would hand-me-down to her, which is fine, since she really likes my bike, and it is a pretty nice bike.

Any thoughts on this?
- Lightweight - closer to 2015 era bikes than now bikes
- 27.5 front and back (probably like 2.5-2.6F and 2.4-2.5R)
- Really good technical climber (sustained successive roots and step-ups) that can still send sustained 3-4000’ backcountry trail descents at speed ... so I’m not talking gravity/bike park and being able to blast braking bumps and maintain the high speeds already designed into the course, I’m talking about stable handling on steep rocks, being able to navigate tight switchbacks with step downs and chunder, and slowly dialing up speed and playfulness and jumps as exposure / trail steepness / consequences start to come down (but not lose the brakes or shock to overheating)
- Yes to modern geo but not so modern that wheelbase is excessive for sharp switchbacks - I think that basically limits reach to about 455 mm for a medium frame and head angle to 64.5, I might even stick with 65 to 65.4

Basically, I’m looking for a 27.5 aggressive/fun trail bike that compared to my current bike: climbs much better over technical obstacles while dampers are fully open, has slightly better damping over successive crap, has more progressive geo for more playfulness and stability. I could also probably use a more powerful front brake. I’m also extremely lightweight so I can handle lighter weight frame construction and parts that might flex or break under a Clyde but would still be stiff responsive and reliable when I’m piloting. Use is primarily human powered riding in Western Oregon (steep big vert, some chunk but not too much, high trail speeds going down) and occasional road trips throughout the Western US and Canada.

Current bike is:
Bronson v1 CC (-1.5 angleset), 160mm Pike A1 RCT3, Monarch+ RC3 (RWC needle bearing upgrade as well)
Carbon 30mm IW wheels (not boost, Sped Precision)
X01 11-sp / Garbaruk cassette
XT 8000 180mm F/R brakes
Carbon bars

I’m guessing my bike is somewhere around 28.5 lbs

It seems like an SB140 T1 with the full XT build, stick with Fox 36 fork and add carbon rim upgrade would be a top contender, adding climbing prowess stability damping playfulness stronger brakes, same class of other components, without adding much heft ...

What other bikes am I missing here? I haven’t demo’ed much in a while and all I’ve seen is complete bike weights going up in the name of stiffness and shred ...

Doesn't that pretty much describe the Bronson you already have?

[SchralphMacchio]

Doesn't that pretty much describe the Bronson you already have?

Almost but not quite:
- V1 Bronson can get hung up in successive steep technical rock areas compared to the V2, Yeti Switch/infinity, etc
- Geo isn’t quite where I’d like - chain stay is longer than current model, BB is higher, and front end is cramped so that the shortest stem I can run right now is 60mm (hopefully newer bikes will have more room for my daughter on a Macridemore seat too)
- My fork’s damper and this bike’s frame doesn’t mute trail chatter and braking bumps as much as newer bikes do

Seems like a used V2 with DPX2/Fox 36 and everything else on it lightweight might even qualify ...

[jackstraw]

Can you really worry about weight when discussing a Bronson? And I'll take their warranty any day over a lb or two. Just go on a diet if you want lose a couple.

[t.odd]

I'm on a v3 bronson and in your weight range. I've never actually weighed mine, it's not the lightest, but that being said it climbs exceptionally well in technical terrain and I think rides lighter than it is, and it really handles rowdy dh terrain very well. I was convinced to get a large, I've been steadfastly a 'medium' guy for decades, and while for me it's great in fast, open, straighter terrain, I find I get bogged a bit in tighter turns/situations and it feels a bit unwieldy. I'm only 5'10" with a short torso and arms, so the reach just feels a bit long, even with the shortest stem I can run (31mm Chromag Ranger), I did mvoe to the 35mm rise Cutlass bars and that little bit of extra height has been nice. I'll likely go medium in the future if I stay on the bronson, although if they'd be a bit more aggressive in steepening the seat tube angle, the reach could be less problematic. Anyway, my experience fwiw.