2022 Polygon XTRADA 5

2022 Polygon Xtrada 5 [2x10]- Pros, Cons, Disappointments – POLYGON XTRADA 5 29" LARGE - BIKE REVIEW - purchased 1-6-22 (Aust) This is specifically the 2x10 geared version (2 Chain-rings, 10-Speed), It has twin 36-22T chain rings paired with Shimano 11-42T 10 speed rear cassette delivering 20 gears. update: 18-jun-24 (2 years after purchase): FAULTY REAR AXLE 2 years after my original review (below) My Xtrada5 has developed a wobble in the rear Deore Cassette after very low usage. This causes the chain to jump on the smaller outermost sprockets (the highest 2 gears) of the rear cassette. I suspect the rear axle (QR Hub) is bent. The wobble in the rear cassette is more pronounced on the outermost sprockets (naturally) so the chain doesn't seat properly on some of the teeth on these sprockets. It also barely contacts the side of the neighboring sprocket at one point in every revolution. End result is the chain lifts then slams down again under pedal pressure. These are also the smallest 2 sprockets so the chain is already in a tight radius. Here is a review by another owner from the Polygon website:

-------------------------------- "Marvin Australia Australia Faulty rear hubs

Rear hubs wobbled causing the cassette to wobble after 1 month of use commuting to work in roads. Haven't even used it in trails yet. 2022 Polygon Xtrada 5 2x10 - Mountain Bike" --------------------------------

Mine Xtrada5 has low usage as I ride other bikes - no ledges/jumps - apart from potholes. The Xtrada5 doesn't have the stronger thicker thru-axles of the dearer Xtrada7. The Xtrada5 has the weaker Quick Release hubs stretched out to 141mm on the rear doing double duty as an extra wide 'Boost QR rear axle'.

original review: OVERVIEW: BicyclesOnline (26-6-22) - customer service, shipping, packaging, delivery was excellent. The gears/derailleur are awfully matched and perform very poorly (see below). The bike is heavy for an alloy XC - versatile but sluggish - unless downhill - with trail oriented specs (67 deg head angle) but feels like the most inefficient MTB I've ever pedaled (all 29inchers with 2.25" tyres feel sluggish to me - but these wheels sets are heavier). The riding position felt a little pushed forward for a Large bike with a high Stack and I know this is designed to achieve trail-like handling and easier climbing but for me it was awkward pedaling. There was so little adjustment in the seat I couldn't get the seat back far enough for that sweet spot on the downstroke. The crappy gears and the inefficient pedaling made this heavy 29er a lot of hard work.

GOOD FEATURES: * An extremely well made frame - robust, attractively designed/contoured, smooth welded, internally cabled - looks better than advertised. The paintwork is excellent. * Some parts at this price point are good quality - the Tektro HD-M275 Hydraulic Disc brakes are effective and I find them better than Shimano M315 in the same price range. The Tektro's rotors were bolted on (the Shimano's rotors were merely riveted to my other bike). The handlebar is an exceptional 775mm wide and it really makes the steering nimble and responsive. The Deli Mitz tyres measured to their specified 2.25" - perfectly studded for loose dry or muddy trails. The 24mm Entity double walled rims and tyres made the bike feel more stable than my other MTB with its 19mm alex rims and 2" tyres. * The rear axle is a "plus" size and the frame is designed for a wider wheel option. * The Suntour XCT 120mm (30mm stanchions) are supportive with 100+ kg rider on XC trails. A little harsh but not under-sprung. Not tested on gnarly trails but for a bottom-end fork they perform OK for XC * Low gearing - I ordered the 2x10 (20 speed) version of this bike because it has much lower gearing compared to the upgraded 1x11 (11 speed) version. Plagued with chain slap and unreliable (SLOW) shifting. (refer below) * The bike has a higher Stack spec than any trail bike I can find (633mm on the Large) so the bars sit a little higher - you are not bent over as much but there is the OPTION to remove the stack spacers under the stem and lower the bars at least 2.5cm. I really liked this riding position. * Another exceptional geometry feature is the low stand-over height. The seat-tube is shorter than any other bike I know allowing the top tube to slope down more than other bikes. This makes the Large frame manageable due to stand-over height. At 5'10 the Medium frame size on my other bikes are slightly too small for me but I could barely stand over their their larger frames. * Polygon's short seat tube and low top bar makes their 29" MTB manageable on the trails, but that's all. I still prefer a 27.5" MTB for technical trails

BAD FEATURES

**HEAVIER THAN ADVERTISED The bike is heavy - definitely over 15.2 kilos (with plastic pedals) - not the 14.3 kgs advertised. Larger 29" wheels with bottom end tyres/tubes that offer value but no weight offsets.

**29" WHEEL SET LACKS NIMBLENESS The 29" wheel set is not as nimble as my 27.5" rocky mountain. I find the Xtrada comparatively cumbersome and sluggish on mountain trails even with the short stem and wide bars. Maybe this is due to the 29" wheels, longer wheel-base (1169mm) and longer stays (435mm) compared to my other bike (27.5"/1142/425). Still a nice bike to ride and i do like riding it despite the "unfit-for-purpose" gear set.

**2X10 GEAR SET HAS INADEQUATE DERAILLEUR AND FAULTY CHAIN TENSION The 2x10 gears specified above are awful - slow to change down and the slack chain tension makes the chain slap around like a loose string.

The rear Shimano Deore derailleur has trouble coping with the wider range of chain tension on the 2x10 setup - I should have got the 1x11. The double chain-rings create too much chain slack when the chain is on the smallest cogs front and rear (see pic). Notice how the chain almost touches the frame's chain-stay on the smallest sprocket- it bounces on the frame while riding. The Deore derailleur places virtually no tension on the chain at this gearing: the trailing arm on the rear derailleur almost folds up on itself. In the pic of my other bike (Rocky Mountain 2x9speed) you can see how the Acera derailleur is pulled down by the better chain tension on the smallest sprockets, and guides the chain closer to the sprockets. The Acera derailleur/gearset on the Rocky Mountain performs much better with smoother, faster gear changes than the higher spec Deore. Gear changes are slow and hesitant because the derailleur can not be set to manufacturer's settings. Shimano recommends adjusting "the guide pulley (on the derailleur) to be as close to the sprocket as possible but not so close that it touches", with the chain on the largest sprocket and smallest chain-ring. Shimano recommends a gap of around 10mm for smooth positive gear changes (as in photo of my other bike). But on the Xtrada the guide pulley was factory set more than 30mm from the largest sprocket (using the B-screw adjustment). See photos. There's a reason for this. If you set the derailleur any closer you reduce chain tension and this derailleur doesn't have the range of movement to keep the chain taught at the other end of the gear range. If set to the manufacturers settings the Xtrada's derailleur will malfunction on the smaller cogs. The chain has the correct number of links per documentation so I will have to remove a link and check for improvement.

**CRAMPED COCKPIT AND AWKWARD INEFFICIENT PEDALING POSITION Factors contributing to a cramped cockpit are: - virtually no set-back on the seatpost - very limited seat rail adjustment compared to other bikes - A steeper seat-tube angle than most trail bikes also places the rider forward - A small 32mm stem more suited to Trail than XC doesn't help the cockpit space (Reach) which is surprisingly small for this Large bike . The wider handlebars also bring the rider forward. - Fitting a longer stem will not solve the problem of feeling too far forward for efficient pedaling.

The minute I rode this bike I felt awkward pedaling - my knees were too far forward of the pedals and I had to push myself back on the bike seat to get my knees over the pedal on the down-stroke. With very little set-back on the seat post (almost as bad as a dropper post) and very little seat rail adjustment I ended up sitting way back on the rear edge of the seat to get my knees in the 'sweet spot' over the ball of my foot for efficient pedaling. This would not be such a problem if the crank axle was 10-20mm further forward. 29" wheels have more rolling resistance so the poor pedaling efficiency makes it hard going. The deficient gears take too long to change at the low end making it difficult to maintain momentum when climbing.

I am 179cm tall and my inseam (leg length) is 80cm (groin to heal): less than the average 83cm for my height. If I had longer legs my knees would be even further forward of the crank-set making it even more tiresome to pedal.

COMPROMISED FRAME DESIGN Polygon have tried to mimic trail bike geometry with a slack head-tube (67deg compared to a more responsive 69+ for an XC bike ). The Xtrada shifts the rider closer to the front wheel using a combination of steeper seat tube, short stem, wide bars. Shifting the rider forward DOES make the handling more responsive. I feel the Xtrada's 75 degree seat tube angle is unnecessary and places the rider too far forward. Most trail bikes position the seat post further back (my Rocky mountain has a 73 degree seat-tube angle). Placing the riders weight forward is marketed as a benefit for climbing hills - but not if it makes pedaling inefficient. I actually love the Xtrada's slacker head angle and trail geometry - that's why I bought the bike. But the forward positioning comes with a major flaw - the forward riding position makes the pedals feel too far back even with the longer 75mm cranks. I found pedaling awkward and tiring unless I pushed myself back on the seat to get over the pedals - I wished there was more seat adjustment. SOLUTION? A more adjustable seat rail and a larger offset on the seat post would solve this problem. But the Xtrada's small seat-tube diameter (27.2mm ID) does not give the rider many options for choosing an aftermarket seat post (including a dropper post with a set-back saddle clamp). Its almost impossible to find a 27.2mm dropper post and many droppers do not have any set-back. The real solution is a more efficiently designed frame (pedal position) and a more adjustable seat position.

ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED BEFORE RIDING The bike was easy to put together (handlebars and pedals) - it arrived perfectly pre-assembled with a quality tool set and needed only slight adjustment to derailleur cable tensions for smooth gear changes. The wheels were fairly true out of the box. There was a little scraping of the rear brake pads (slight rotor wobble that can be easily straightened). This is normal. So I rotated the rear wheel to the point where the rotor scraped the pad, loosened the brake housing bolts, squeezed the brakes firmly as I re-tightened the bolts - problem solved. I messed around with the handlebar rotation to get it right for me - and re-positioned the brake and gear levers. Then I cleaned the brake rotors with a scouring pad and alcohol, found a steep hill, and broke-in the brakes correctly to avoid problems later on.

SUMMARY I am mostly disappointed with the gearing on this bike. Compatible and proper functioning gears (efficient gearing) would make the inefficient frame design more manageable, especially for climbing. The chain tension/derailleur problem is disgraceful and i do not wonder why manufacturers are phasing out double crank-sets. As cassettes get larger with more gears and larger sprockets the derailleurs are becoming less capable of handling the range of movement (i.e. the range of chain tensions) imposed by multiple chain rings. Polygon should never have fitted this bike with a 'sub-optimal' 2x10 gear set. Inefficient pedal position is caused by a short-sighted frame design. Steepening the seat-tube and pushing the rider forward relative to the crank axle defeats the purpose of making the bike climb easier - it makes it harder to pedal. The lack of seat-post offset and seat-rail adjustment does not help the rider achieve correct knee placement for pedaling efficiency The slack head angle and other Trail Bike design features are positive for the bikes handling and versatility. The Xtrada handled well (for a big 29" wheel bike) on both XC and the small technical trails but lacked the nimbleness and responsiveness of a 27.5" wheel MTB with similar trail-oriented geometry. Overall a big disappointment.