Part of their flash sale, this bike is $219 off the regular price of $729.
Shipping to regional VIC was about $43.
Looking over specs, this bike has very few differences (colour) than the 2022 model.
We bought our other family bikes from them and are really happy with the bikes, speed of delivery and customer service. Local bike repair guy recommended Polygon and I've been impressed.
No XL, only S/M/L. Stops at 185cm recommended height.
Would this be a good bike for someone looking to get into mountain biking? I've been eyeing off the Diamondback Overdrive 29 from Big W. I'm about 186cm tall so not sure if something like this would be too small.
This bike is definitely better than the Diamondbacks in your link as hydraulic disc brakes are almost a must and even this Polygon premier 4 comes with entry level Tektro hydraulic disc brakes are much better than the mechanical disc brakes come with the Diamondback.
Do not get the diamondback, it is terrible and you won't enjoy going off-road on it, it will be heavy and will break in no time at all. You'll take it to a bike shop and the parts to fix it will end up costing you more in the long run. It probably even has a label saying not to take it off the footpath. Most of the bikes from bikes online will be better than anything at Big W for offroad riding.
If you can, try and push the budget a little to something with a 1x10 or 1x11 drivetrain, an air-sprung fork and a dropper is a really nice addition. You'll enjoy your time so much more you'll be more likely to keep going with it. If the budget doesn't allow it, then obviously anything is better than nothing.
Hm.. 10 or 11 by drivetrains, air fork, dropper post, will cost $1500 IMO not a little more unless you meant a used bike on Gumtree on Facebook marketplace?
I would also advise you not to get a Big Box store bike for serious mountain biking, hell even light.
Absolutely talk to your local bike shop, but for advice now, the bike in this post will be miles better than anything from Big W.
The reason why I am so adamant, I don't wish for you to experience the same horror I did having my handlebars twist down when going downhill with a turn coming up…
It is something I will never forget, any faster and I would not be here.
Worth checking the used market as well, you'll generally get very good value. Try seeing if there's a local facebook buy/sell group for mountain biking in your area. QLD has a good one, otherwise Bicycle Market is alright.
34/12 x 27.5" = 78" top gear. So will be hard to pedal more than 30km/hr on the road (tailwind/downhill).
Why not have a third chainring? I don't get it. Not much weight saving. A budget bike like this is likely to be used in wide range of conditions, not be a dirt-only bike.
Better ground clearance on the trails.
Its about 1.5cm. Just raise the bottom bracket if that matters, or put 29" wheels on.
You're basing the selection of a mountain bike drivetrain and wheel size on your estimation of the pedalling speed on the road?
@Coley: Yeah, you may not have noticed, but a lot of people ride them on the road :-)
As above, I figure the modestly priced MTBs like this are more likely to be used for everything.
Anyway, unlike you I upvoted. So what's your problem with it? :)
I have read some reviews that the 3 speeds front get you very close ratios with 2 speeds front but I agree with you that is only the case when you get 9, 10 speed or higher rear instead of this bike with only 8 speed rear.
More like 35kph at a cadence of 90 which is reasonable for moderate riders. I challenge anyone but the strongest riders to hold that sort of speed on a gentle decline for long. When you're bombing down hills who cares if you run out of pedal. I run single chain ring on my road bike and my mountain bikes with no problems. Triple rings are a pain in the butt to shift, are noisy and heavy, and new riders cross chain them like crazy and wear chains out. You just have a huge amount of wasted gears in overlap.
Raising the bottom bracket affects the off road handling significantly.
It doesn't work like that. This is meant to be a mountain bike, not a road bike
It does actually work like that in real life. Look at what real people ride on the road. It's like saying a 4WD does not need to go over 80km/hr.
Not everybody keeps four different bikes in the shed and drives to the trailhead.
Real people ride to school on the same bike they ride on weekends.
I think you are missing the point, mountain bikes are designed for trail riding, not for general commuting. Having said that 30-35kph is more than adequate for around town. Adding another chain ring wont improve top speed. You will still have the same total range of gears (this is determined by the rear derailleur), all an extra chain ring will do is give you more graduated steps between gears, which is what you don't want when riding trails.
Adding another chain ring wont improve top speed.
Huh??? Do you understand how gears work? It has a 34/22T . Adding a bigger chainring, will give a proportionally higher top speed. (at same cadence) . A triple might be 22/32/44T.
"More graduated steps" would require a different cassette, say 12-24 instead of 12-32.
The modern MTBs with a single chainring do it by having a huge cassette, e.g.11-51. But this has the same cassette as my old 3x9 MTB.
@bargaino: Well, surely you can improve the top speed by either the chainring or the cassette?
Top speed is dictated by the ratio of front to back. So adding a bigger chainring (more teeth at the front) will give higher top speed for a given cassette, and smaller cassette gear (less teeth at the back) will also increase top speed…
Right?
@bargaino: Again, it doesn't work like that. The issue is chain length, this is why it's always determined by the derailleur. This is what Shimano says anyway, maybe you know better
@Ozimodo: Chain length has nothing to do with speed - not sure why shimano would say that…
You need a chain that is the right size and length (and brand usually) for your setup, so that it fits the cogs without hitting the ones next to it, has the right tension, and has the right spacing between links.
But the speed of gears is determined by the size of the cogs being used. That's how all gears work. How many turns does the cog get from one turn of the other cog. The chain is just the bit that connects them.
@NigelTufnel: On the surface that seems the case. The issue is that you need to handle chain slack when small cogs are selected at each end. It's the derailleur that takes up this slack and there are limits to what can be achieved. That's why bikes are limited in the size of cogs they can use. The general range stays the same across all front and rear derailleur setups (with the exception of longer hangers that can take up chain slack), the thing that changes is the bias of that range toward lower or higher speeds, you cant generally have a setup that can do both. All you will do by adding a larger front ring is compromise the size of the cassettes you can run on the rear, so yes the bike will be faster but it wont climb as well - which is what mountain bikes are built for.
@Ozimodo: Well, yes, but you were talking about increasing top speed, not range of gears.
I've replaced my 12-25T cassette with 11-25T with no issues. Marginal, but make a difference
In my opinion, these are comparable to Giant and Trek. Much better than Decathalon/Anaconda/Target.
Premier 4 doesn't have lockout, will be a spongy ride on road.
What's the experience of the owners? Do they really make a difference on paved roads?
If you want a 1x Deore drivetrain, I've been happy with my Jamis. The current equivalent would be https://www.pushys.com.au/jamis-highpoint-a2-29inch-hardtail…
A bit dearer but with much better drive train, also 29" is more suitable for general riding around.
They have further 15percent off, check their site.
For someone who doesn't understand how to put bikes together, what are their options here? Asking for a friend.
Watch some youtube videos.
I don't trust that he's able to put it together as well as a professional would.
any bike shop can do it for you … but thats going to cost $70-100!
I've actually been to our local 99 bikes with this friend and they said they won't work on bikes they don't sell.
try different bike shop. had 2 bikes that my friend had issues putting up together. Bike shop had no problem taking up on the job.
Friend is from SA
this is why im finding it hard to 'support local business' tbh. a good bike shop is a great asset, but these sorts of attitudes leave me wondering.. why dont i just buy online and work out the maintenance side myself?
Where is your friend located ? Local bikes shop will do for you or some decathlon store.
Having said, 90 percent bike comes assembled. You need doing a little of work (handlebar, seat post, front tyre install and bit here n there). But it's worth while getting it assembled by local bike shop. It may cost $60-$100
Decathlon is an option. We're both near Syd Olympic Park
I've put together 3 Polygon bikes. A hardtail (like this) and a full suspension. It's honestly super easy to do. Watch an assembly video (I assume they exist) and go for it.
Bikesonline ships its bikes almost fully assembled, it's really straightforward. They even supply a (cheap) torque wrench these days.
Any of their other on sale options decent? This one not available in my size - I need something a bit larger.
Why does everyone seem to cheap out when it comes to buying bicycles?
Because the vast majority are using a bike for transport only. Not an emotional connection, not a hobby, not a sport. They only want a reliable, efficient piece of kit. For that person, a carbon ceramic seat post is not better than a teflon-infused carrot - if they both do the job. Weight reduction is important for maximum output over a long time - but if they can lift it up that staircase and on to the lift in their appartment, it is all much of a muchness.
Fair enough. By the way, what is this Carbon Ceramic seat post you are talking about lol?
Maybe seatpost with inbuild bearings? :D
You're not interested in the teflon-infused carrot? I was trying to make the point that enthusiast bicycle parts are technobabble to the great unwashed.
I cheap out with mtb's because they just dont get used. I got a moped recently for less than most of these
$29 shipping to sydney.
Also website popup offered $20 off first order
This or the Polygon Xstrada for 699
All of the parts on the Xtrada 5 are equal or better, and it appears to be quite a bit lighter.
All good, getting a Merida big Nine for 800
Is this good with a bafang 750 mid drive for commuting - sydney burbs to cbd?
$10 more expensive than about 2 weeks ago. They cycle through bikes every week or so giving 30% off each batch. I probably would have went this if this was on special sooner, I did read good things but that was mostly the more expensive models.