jaydubmah profile

Hi there. I spent all of last summer and fall riding a new geo bike and didn't find my upper body getting more fatigued relative to my old bike. (From a size large Ibis HD3 to a size medium Pole Machine). If anything, I had the opposite. As an overall package, the bike just fit better. It felt better for the climbs, and preserved energy for the downs.

As a Canadian customer, I didn't actually pay any duty / taxes to bring my frame in. Just picked it up from Canada Post.

I'm based in Canmore, but have had a chance to put some big days in Vernon, Squamish and Whistler. Cheers!

I've had my Machine for the last 6 weeks and have a ton of rides into it. While it's still early days - I love the bike. 

My previous bike was an Ibis HD3 - so, I was expecting a big change adapting to the wheelsize and geometry. Honestly, it didn't take long to get used to it. For comparisons, I find the Machine to be flat out faster and with the steep STA a superior climber. As far as fun factor - it's a riot. While it's a bit less nimble than the HD3, it's still a lively bike and the added stability opens up other kinds of fun through being faster.

I agree that $5600CDN is eye-wateringly expensive for a frame. I took a chance on the kickstarter, and got my frameset for approx $4100, which is in-line with many carbon options I was looking at. 

Personally, I love how it looks, the machining is gorgeous and having 2 bottle mounts is awesome. In a world where the big manufacturers do small, conservative iterative design changes (the jaded part of me thinks it's planned obsolescence and milking the consumer), I think it's kinda cool that we can get stuff from small players that is more out there.

Like a condom with the tip cut off.  

If you're gonna outsource someone to design your products, at least check if they ride bikes??

@T-Mack: I would have to echo your sentiments on Pole's customer service. Every email I sent them, I got timely candid replies - and ditto, they won my business. When it came to pricing, it wasn't much more than boutique frames from Santa Cruz , etc and I'm willing to take the risk and support something from a small player doing something innovative.

Coming from a mechanical engineering background, I can appreciate (or nerd out) on tons of the design elements here. Material finish and hardness, the multiple bottle mounts, super modern geo, creative shock mount approach, etc. 

From a shock-mount perspective, it's no different than how a wheel is mounted to a Cannondale Lefty fork. I'm not a fan of the Lefty, but I've never heard of a hub / fork interface issue. As for swingarm replacement, etc - it's probably on the same order of cost as carbon, and Pole's customer service seems legit.

After my last few bikes being incrementally better than the prior one, I'm keen to check out a brave leap forward on design and execution.

I'd humbly submit that with your long list of upgrades to improve your bike's descending performance, means that you should gun for the more downhill oriented bike!

I have no idea what you're currently riding, but a lot of these new bikes in the Newmad category may even climb better than what you've got already. 

Also, you mention in your post about being passionate about pinning it on the downs. In a world where we've got to be "responsible" about so many things, I'd rather my bike light my fire when I ride it as opposed to being just "practical". Being overtly rational can be a drag, especially when it comes to guilty pleasures like bikes :)

Thanks for the beta, and I'll check out Cam's thoughts on the Tallboy. Cheers!

Great review Pete! - I appreciate the candour of the learning process getting back on the hard-tail wagon. I'm looking forward to hearing how the primer rolls with 29'er wheels vs the 27.5+. Also, do you, or anyone out there have real-world experience on the Chromag Surface compared to the Primer?

Also - it seems like the Rootdown geometry has been redesigned to match that as the Primer - so, could be a more affordable option at the expense of the gorgeous hand-built frame…

I also throw in support for @tw and the Maffetone method. The other thing (and I know it's not easy) is to cut down on the booze.

When I think of friends who have totally lost their fitness, one of the biggest culprits was pounding da beers with the boys. Go hard liquor if need be instead.