Nordic brand debuts with six mountain and two urban models…
“…rather than hiring more engineers, we are keen to hire creative people like musicians…”
Aiming to make simple, affordable bikes, new brand Pole is the child of Leo – a downhill racer and industrial designer – and Patric – a motocross rider and logistics manager. Following an online pre-sale, the company’s first shipment of bicycles is on its way: an impressive six mountain and two commuter models. Though the website shows primarily renderings of the bicycles, the bikes themselves do exist- and feature a design we haven’t seen in quite some time.
The PoleLink design isn’t a proper URT (Unified Rear Triangle)- it’s really just a single pivot centred around the bottom bracket. Just as platform (and advanced-damper) shocks have made designs with a single pivot between BB and rear hub viable, we imagine that they are being put to work across Pole’s full suspension line. Fancy a single speed full suspension (SSFS) bodge? PoleLink’s fixed chainstay length could be a good starting point.
The three 27.5 frames range from trail (125mm Polku) through all-mountain (140mm Laki) to gravity/enduro (153mm Rinne)- all on the short end for their categories but that’s not necessarily a bad thing and the frames are paired with slightly longer-travel forks. Geometries look to be on the progressive end of the spectrum.
The suspension bikes are joined by a pair of steel 29in cross-country Tavail hardtails and the handsome Kulku city bike. Complete Tavial bikes are split between a value-oriented SRAM X5/X7 build and a quite nice looking XX1/X1 build. Full suspension builds are quite nice, heavily featuring SRAM 1×11 drivetrains, DT Swiss wheels, and RockShox suspension.
All Pole bikes will be sold consumer-direct because, well, “with online sales you can get the product cheaper.” Buyers are entitled to a seven-day demo period on their local trails and the company plans on having a 2015 demo fleet available at events across Finland.
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Hardtail is basically a mass-produced BTR Fabrications copy.
29″ wheels (and some curved DTs) but, yes, it certainly looks like they have ‘taken inspiration’ from BTR. What is it they say about imitation?
We (Pole® Bicycle Company) have been working closely with BTR during our prototyping and we wanted that their “fingerprint” can be found from the bike. This image is a rendering of our prototype frame made by BTR. The production Pole Taival frame has bigger tubing and CNC-machined dropouts and the seat tube gusset is changed to a tube. We are using the BTR signature X-gussets in chainstays and in the junction to headtube because they are light and gives some extra stiffness and aesthetics.
Working together with BTR has been beneficial for us both. BTR has a lot of experience working with steel and Tam Hamilton is an suspension engineer. We are using also Taiwanese engineers for the production side. For the full suspension bikes we have been working with Finnish pro rider Matti Lehikoinen. He’s the rider on the video in this article.
The updated design will be on our site during this month. We are now assembling the first production steel bikes at the moment.
As above^
No copying going on here, but good observation nonetheless! 🙂
Cheers