Are consumer-direct aero bikes any good? Polygon Helios A8X review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ค. 2024
- $4,699 - for that price, you can get top of the line aero framesets from the big players, or you can get this complete carbon bike with carbon wheels and Shimano Ultegra Di2 12-speed from Polygon in the form of the Helios A8X.
I start with price because that’s the compelling story here. But is it worth it? What do you get, and what are you giving up? In this video, I’ll get into that, talk about how it compares to other bikes, talk about my experience riding it, tell you what irritated me - like the front axle bolt falling out, or the original rim tape bursting when setting it up tubeless. Tell you why this is not the bike for tall people. And tell you about what a hidden cost could be. I’ll also talk about what I like, including the Ultegra group and the plush tires.
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0:00 intro
1:29 what you get
5:11 what you don't get
7:13 sizing
8:03 hidden hoses (& cost?)
9:18 FasCat Coaching
10:34 things I don't like
13:06 things I like
15:36 conclusions - กีฬา
Very well done. I recently built up an Elves Falath bike with Ultegra. Total cost was $2400. All carbon. I am an old recreational rider that likes climbing. I would have never paid for a bike of this weight and ride feel from the bike shop. Prices are north of $5000. Great fun on this frame with integrated cockpit and now beating personal records from 2015.
Hey Ben,
Your review will make many people proud here in Indonesia :) I rode a lower specs Helios - Mechanical Ultegra - a couple of years ago and was pleasantly surprised both up and down the mountain
Re. Brand recognition: in the US, I get it, "Poly what?!"; in this part of the world however, it's pretty ubiquitous. PS. TSG, a Malaysian UCI Continental team, rides Polygon Helios, a slightly higher end than what you tested :)
Apa kabar?
Hey Abdoullah! Nice to see your name pop up here. And happy to hear that you had and liked a Helios. All the best, amigo.
Here in Asia (Malaysia) the Polygon is sold at bike shops. Ans I’m told they’re better known for their mtbs
Cool. Makes a difference, I think, particularly for integrated stuff.
I have a polygon Mtb
Thanks Ben. You’re great at this. I also love the b-roll. I lived in Louisville for a long time, and really enjoy seeing all of my old training roads. Good times. Keep up the good work over there. :)
I love my polygon XC hardtail, but it was a bit of a gamble as the only review are from their website, redditors, nonenglish TH-camrs, and very untrustworthy youtube influencers. VERY VERY nice to see you, give an actually credible take on this company.
Recently moved to Indonesia and picked up a used syncline and i love it. Awesome bike for the huge road climbs. Put maxxis refuse tires and Going to put a rigid carbon fork soon. 🎉🎉🎉
I really enjoyed your fireside chat about this bike, Ben. And I think in time with all these new brands and offerings, we will say, cool, another nice bike to consider and that was the case in the '70s with all the new BMX brands which dethroned Schwinn due its lag in finally letting Giant fabricate the Predator in Taiwan in the early '80s. And my first BMX bike was a bike in a box, a CYC Stormer with Skyway Tuff-Wheels, a mail-order bike from a little ad in an issue of a motorcycle magazine, Dirt Bike, in late '75 or early '76. And I will forever be glad I responded to that ad. That bike took a pounding on jumps and stairs and drops. 😀
Interestingly, Polygon is regular in bike shops across India and is a fav among entry road bike enthusiasts since it is one of the few that still sells a range of rim brake bikes. They have also got a sizeable market in the entry level XC bike categories. Quality wise, I have never heard anyone complain about it. And honestly, their full sus bikes are probably the best bang for the buck.
I've been riding a Polygon Strattos road bike (more of an endurance geo) for 4 years (deep Covid purchase) and it's been great - no issues whatsoever.
Ex Polygon MTB Siskiu T8 owner that was super happy with, and w/o qualms recommend to newcomers that want a bike that punches way above its price. Now passed it to a good friend who still enjoys it problem-free. If I was in the market for a road bike, I would look into the Helios. Their Strattos S5 Disk is the if not one of the cheapest full 105 with hydro brakes out there and - IMHO - excellent value for those that don't need or are reluctant to pay for a carbon aero bike with Di2, but will spend 1/3rd or 1/4th the price of this top end Helios.
Glad to hear of your experience. 👍
Curious Ben, what is the stem length and handlebar width? Both stock sizes, or could you choose different sizes? Sorry if I missed that part. Love your videos keep up the great work!
Great video! Polygon has quite the reputation in the MTB world. They seem to make top-tier bikes. The Aeroad comes in 7 sizes, not 4. :) Canyon is one of the few brands selling a 2XL size, because their founder is a really tall guy. Maybe not all sizes are available in the US?
We have a Poly tandem that i retrofitted for racing and light gravel and I’m seriously looking at their gravel bike!
Great bike I've been on one for several months. I have however destroyed the rear novatec hubs. Good reason to buy some new, lighter wheels
I've had this exact bike for about a year. Sold the stock wheels/tires and put on Winspace Hypers with GP5000 tires. I did that because I wanted to lighten the bike up a bit and just for cool factor. I also had to swap the integrated bar (sold the stock bar) because it had me too stretched out (forward bend in the bars did not help) and it was too wide, but that's not something I wanted to do. Ended up going with a FarSports integrated bar to shorten the stem and narrow the bars down. Love the bike and it's hard to beat the value. If I had to do it all over again I may have gone with Winspace build since you can customize the options as you build it, but it's hard to say.
Also, you can't fit a Garmin 1040 using the outfront mount that comes with the bike b/c there is not enough clearance and I can't find a mount that will work.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Good to know about the 1040!
This is the review i was waiting for...been thinking about buying this. So let me ask early...how tall are you and what size did u get?
6' and size Large. I certainly could have done an XL as the top tube and stem were good for me, but the stack would have been higher than I wanted.
thanks...saw the info after i post my question. thanks for the resposne coz the stack info is useful
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney
Thank you , this is what im talking about USABLE Real Fair Priced bike Reviews , thank you as i know u truly have no control on price point at all lol Thank you sir
Not one comment about Ben’s new do? My man, nice wig snap!
Good stuff
Any idea on the wheelset weight?
I'm curious how you would compare this to a similarly priced DTC bike you reviewed, the Ari (Fezzari) Veyo.
Agreed, would like to hear Ben's opinion. I have had the Veyo since Dec (SRAM FORCE) and am very happy with it!
Not a bad looking bike, and certainly a great deal, but man, as someone who has built his two bikes from bare frames and does all his own maintenance, I would NEVER want to own a bike with fully internal brake hose routing. Sure, it looks cool,but it strikes me as being far more trouble than it's worth both at the time of initial build up and in the long run.
If it's electronic it's actually super fast to build. I recently built 5 like that.
Canyon is very good with taking a bike back if it doesn’t fit (in 30 days I think).
I think the warranty and how reliable the company is at backing the warranty is a big deal with carbon bikes. Any idea about this bike?
I’ve heard some bad stories about some of the big “in store” brands that put ADs in awkward positions. Other brands are easy peasy, that is worth a lot.
American Bicycle group (OBED QT LITESPEED) are consumer direct and also will let you return a custom designed bike for a different size. That’s crazy
Every negative listed for the one-piece bar goes for Canyon, and almost every major brand. Almost no one lets you customize bar size, and lowering the stem requires the same cutting. For the money spent, major players should allow bar size choice.
Yeah you hauled pass him, but I love seeing how good of cyclists the average daily commuter is. He's got a backpack on, restrictive heavy jeans on, and he's just cranking up that hill. So many youtube videos about power meters and how to get faster and it's like Jet Li said, if you want to do something, it's repetition. Riding 5 miles 7 days a week is better than riding 35 miles once on Sunday. I tell people just get out there and do it, don't worry about performance, times, what matters is just doing some physical activity that gets the sweat going and HR up.
Exactly. For most amateurs, more time in the saddle will make you faster.
Jet Li? You mean Eddie Merckx?
“Ride your bike, ride your bike and ride your bike.”
@@ariffau Eddie also said " Don't buy upgrades, ride up grades." This fits as well.
@@ariffau Yeah that would be more appropriate, but I just remember Jet Li saying doing something 100 times in 100 days is more effective than doing big efforts once a weekend.
Are consumer direct (aero) bikes any good? MVDP says hold my beer and watch how good my DTC bike is. Personally, I have an OBED Boundary. I would put it up against a mid-tier name brand store bought bike any day of the week.
Apparently this WASN'T the video we were looking for....prices just increased on their website up by $500!!!!
New haircut, collared shirt, I'm lost.
That’s a propel copy surely?
You see what you wanna see, mate 😂
With UCI rule, how different can a bike really be from one another?
Whoa, nice "do" in this video, Ben! Looking good with that fresh out of the shower look. ;-) Thanks for all the great videos!
Haha, thanks! I just went to the dermatologist and had a couple things burned or cut off my skin, including one one my forehead. Wear your sunscreen! :-)
Are they really manufactured in Indonesia or still China?
Sidoarjo - East Java
Indonesia
i can buy one of these but with dura ace for $13500 dollars CHEAPER than an sl8 with dura ace
Zero interest in these soulless bikes, most of which look the same, but i get the appeal--for someone that covets a cervelo or giant propel and loves the aero look (can't stand it personally), it's a good value.
N
Is this sponsored content?
I do not take money from bike companies. A review sponsored by the company being reviewed is not a review! I am supported by a few brands like Castelli and Perc Coffee and Silca - all of which are listed in the description of every video. Thanks for asking.
Thanks, Ben. Always good to know for sure. Are you coming to Unbound?
@michaelnewman4302 yes, sir; Fundy Hundy again this year. See you there?
@@TheRidewithBenDelaneyYes...semi-old dude with a brand new hip doing the 28.8 (25) on my unbranded Chinese carbon.
A bargain NOT made in China is worth backing just for that reason. The CCP is financing their reachable goal of global domination by our addiction to bargains. Resistance is NOT futile. It is the only way to avert demise becoming our default destiny. Go Polygon!!!
I don’t think aero bikes in general are any good
Answer... No. Support your local bike shop
Bike shops make very little on bikes. They make most of their money on repairs
Local bike shops aren’t convenient.
When they are open, I’m at work.
When I am available, they are closed.
@@ariffau so you work 7 days a week or you're not from the states. Most shops are open on the weekends here
@@decoherence926 not from the states where most shops are closed on Sundays. Saturdays, they open late and close early.
Saturdays and Sundays are for long rides and family time anyway.