29-inch wheels, a massive 180 millimetres of travel at the front, 160 millimetres at the rear, slack geometry with a super steep seat angle and long wheelbase. The frame of the new Pole Machine only looks conventional at first glance. The new bike from the full-throttle specialists from Finland has the successful name "Machine" in several respects and is intended to be the ultimate weapon for all bikers who want to climb the mountain without a lift or shuttle. 100 per cent made in Finland. Chief developer Leo Kokkonen promises no less for his latest creation.
Lighter, more efficient and faster than the competition?
Already the Pole Evolink showed in the BIKE testthat the Finns really mean it when they talk about new, innovative and downhill performance despite uphill qualities. The Pole stormed downhill with extreme smoothness and forgiveness, yet proved to be quite a climber after a short familiarisation phase. Only in slow bends did you have to put a little pressure on the front wheel. But our testers quickly got used to this. The "Machine" should take these qualities to the next level.
The centrepiece of the "Machine": the new frame
And the approach does indeed sound promising. Pole has developed a new manufacturing technique especially for the "Machine", which, together with the progressive geometry, should make it possible to bridge the gap between downhill race downhiller and uphill touring bike. The frame is CNC-machined. That in itself is nothing innovative or new. However, the Finns do not mill the entire frame from a single block, but rather assemble the front and rear frame triangles from three individual parts each, which are joined together with a special adhesive that has been used for this purpose in the automotive and aerospace industries for some time.
The Finns have several arguments in favour of this new production method: Firstly, the wall thickness can be specially adjusted in all areas of the frame and implemented with much greater precision than in the hydroforming process that is normally used to produce aluminium frames. Secondly, quality control is improved as all individual parts can be checked for perfect wall thickness as soon as they come out of the CNC milling machine.
In addition, high-quality 7075 aluminium is used for the "Machine", which has a lower aluminium content in the alloy, but contains higher proportions of copper, magnesium and zinc. It is said to be 1.7 times stronger than normal 6061 aluminium (Here is a small comparison of the two materials). All of this should make a frame possible that is both lighter and stiffer than a conventional aluminium frame. And since the CNC milling machines are located in Finland, the frame is of course also 100 per cent "made in Finland". The clean alternative, so to speak, to the recently carbon project, which was put on hold due to remorse.
Pole Machine: only in "Raw" for the time being
Pole is so proud of the new production technology that the bikes, which are now available for pre-order, will initially only be delivered in "raw". No paint or varnish is intended to conceal the technoid beauty of the CNC-milled frames and emphasise any imperfections in production and especially the absence of such flaws. The fact that the frame will oxidise a little over time is intended to give the new flagship of the Pole range its very own, individual look.
Asymmetrical rear triangle, extremely flat geometry and plenty of tyre clearance
But even apart from the manufacturing method itself, the frame is at the cutting edge: a highly asymmetrical rear triangle enables a long seat tube and thus the use of particularly long Vario seat posts. A total of three bottle cages can be mounted on the frame so that the rider does not dry out even without a rucksack. The rear shock is installed upside down, which should ensure a particularly high standover height so that you don't get caught on the frame during the downhill chase. For the sake of simplicity, the cables are routed externally, but Stealth dropper posts can of course still be used. The tyre clearance is generous: tyres up to three inches wide fit at the rear and at the front, depending on the fork. But even with wide 2.5-inch tyres, you shouldn't have any problems in mud.
The geometry is as extreme as it looks in the pictures. At 63.9 degrees, the head angle is as slack as that of full-grown downhill bikes from a few years ago, while the reach is extremely long at 510 millimetres in frame size L and 480 millimetres in frame size M. The seat angle is 78 degrees (!) and the chainstays measure an impressive 445 millimetres. The seat angle is 78 degrees (!) and the chainstays measure an impressive 445 millimetres. The bottom bracket has been lowered by 20 millimetres and the wheelbase is a mighty 1305 millimetres in frame size M and 1335 millimetres in frame size L. Nevertheless, Pole promises that the "Machine" should be easier to ride than the Evolink. A first test will probably have to show whether this corresponds to reality.
You can already see in the video that the machine demands an active riding style. But then it also seems to iron out fat rocky sections without even batting an eyelid.
Pole Machine: available to order now
The "Machine" is now available for pre-order, but mass production will not start until the beginning of 2018. Delivery of the pre-ordered bikes is planned for March 2018. So far, the "Machine" is only available as a frameset (€ 3450) or as a high-quality complete bike with X01 Eagle groupset, Rockshox suspension consisting of Lyrik RCT3 and Super Deluxe RCT shock as well as EX1501 wheels from DT Swiss (€ 6950). We do not yet have the weight of the complete bike, but the frame is said to weigh 3.2 kilograms with a size M shock. That would only be around 300 grams more than a comparable carbon frame (e.g. Rocky Mountain Slayer: 2560 grams without shock), the complete bike should then weigh between 14 and 15 kilos.
Here are all links to the Website of the manufacturer, to the Geometry, to the Equipment of the complete bike and to the Sales platform.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
