First Impressions Review
The Polygon Collosus T9 Di2 Carbon is an impressively dressed 140mm carbon trail bike. Rocking a full Shimano XTR Di2 drivetrain, RockShox dampers, and adjustable geometry, the 7700 CAD sticker price slices 3K (or more)* off rival rigs sporting a similar spec. Polygon subversively encourages rowdy descending by using a 160mm travel fork. Ándale! This is my kind of trail bike!
*6000 USD is also very competitive
The Collosus arrived right around the time Polygon announced their entry into the Canadian market. I’ll attempt to take a breather from whinging and plummeting, balance my climbing speed better with the downs, and find where the…colossal limits of this champagne chariot lie.
Frame Details
The Collosus carbon frame uses a pared-down version of the 6-bar linkage found on Polygon’s longer travel platforms, delivering 140mm of travel to the rear wheel. The IFS (Independent Floating Suspension) compact layout utilizes two co-rotating alloy links, independently tuning the suspension curve from braking and pedaling forces. A short yoke drives the shock, with sealed bearings living at each pivot. To my eye, the tidy linkage resembles the Yeti SB series rear end, minus the Switch Infinity linkage.
The Collosus T is available in four sizes from Small to XL, with an array of geometry adjustments. A flip chip at the seatstay lets riders choose between 29” and 27.5” rear wheels. An included separate headset cup slackens the HTA from 64.5° to 63.75°, and a secondary flip chip at the front shock mount alters the BB height +/- 4mm.
The Collosus T is designed around a 160mm travel fork, suggesting a focus on descending. Riders are further able to hone their preferences by adding or subtracting 10mm to their fork travel without significantly disrupting the ride quality. The 2026 160mm Lyrik Ultimate is easily reduced to 150mm by swapping air shafts, though we’ll need to ask RS if the new 2027 Lyrik air shaft is backwards compatible to unlock 170mm. It would be convenient for all travel options to be handled by one fork, though we all know a plough-person who would bolt on a 38mm stanchion fork and call it a day.
Flip chips at both ends of the RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ let riders swap between 29” or 27.5” rear wheels, and tune BB height.
The two counter-rotating linkages comprise a distilled version of Polygon’s 6-bar platform.
Moulded rubber bits to prevent debris ingress.
Polygon‘s IFS Compact suspension platform.
The beefy-looking carbon frame is painted a beautiful metallic champagne-like hue. Moulded rubber bits protect the downtube, bb junction, chainstay, and lower pivot junctions. Tube-in-tube moulding routes the rear brake line, with bolted cable ports at each end to eliminate rattling.
Opening the PolyPocket storage door reveals a nylon bag that velcroes to the interior of the downtube. A moulded barrier in front of the BB mitigates migration of stowed gear into the cavernous carbon depths.
The Collosus T is compatible with both air and coil shocks, uses a UDH derailleur hanger, a threaded BB shell, and a 180mm brake mount. Max rear tire width is 2.6”.
Cable ports preload the brake lines, keeping things quiet.
The PolyPocket storage door.
The latch mechanism releases vaguely, we’ll see how it fares over the next few months.
Geometry
On paper, the geometry of the Collosus T is fairly aggressive, sharing similar values with enduro bikes from the covid era. The large size I’m testing has a 485mm reach, 627mm stack height, 64.5° head tube angle (adjustable to 63.75°), and a 77° seat tube angle. The moderate 1248mm wheelbase and 435mm chainstays should encourage spry handling.
Geometry values fit the bill of a heavier-hitting trail bike.
The Build
For 7,600 CAD, the components hanging from the Collosus T9 Di2 leave little to the imagination. RockShox dampers suspend both ends, with a top-spec Lyrik Ultimate fork, and one rung-below-top SuperDeluxe Select+ shock.
A full-bling Shimano XTR Di2 9200 drivetrain handles power delivery, with 4-pot XTR trail brakes and 180mm Ice-tech freeza rotors on stopping duties.
A 160mm RockShox Lyrik Ultimate with Charger 3.1 damper offers high and low speed compression adjustment, along with rebound. Volume spacers tune end-stroke progression.
RS Super Deluxe Select+, full Shimano XTR drivetrain and 4-pot brakes.
The mighty XTR 9200 crankset.
The new trail spec 4-pot Shimano brakes have a better lever feel than the previous generation. The 5° lever blade upsweep, cooked up with input from Bryn Atkinson, is tactilely pleasing.
Shimano finally uses cartridge bearings in their hubs. The 32H XT Centerlock freehub has a pleasant low timbre with 7.2°/50 points of engagement.
Shimano XT centerlock hubs are laced to 32H Polygon alloy rims. The in-house rim profile has a 30mm interior width and an 18mm deep profile – time will reveal their longevity. Previous-gen Maxxis Dissector Exo+ MaxxTerra 2.4” tires roll quickly, but I’d prefer something slightly more aggressive and sticky in the front.
The cockpit features Race Face Chester 35mm rise bars, with a 40mm Aeffect R stem. The Polygon lock-on grips are slim, with a diameter in the ballpark of 30mm. A 170mm Tranz-X cable-actuated dropper post holds up the Xtent saddle (which looks remarkably similar to the Velo Senso Wilson Deniz tested back in September of ’22).
Early Riding Impressions
First off, the Collosus T9 is light! Unfortunately, I didn’t have a scale handy to weigh before this dispatch went out, but I’d estimate around 31lb. Initially, I sneered at the double Dissector MaxxTerra Exo+ tires and 180mm front rotor, wondering if they’d be under-gunned on home terrain. Run what ya brung, right? Fearful of flatting, I pumped the tires to 28 and 30PSI. My snobbery then left the chat. My first ride covered 1,000m of vertical over 16km of riding with a friend and our pooches. Ascending feels lively; the steep seat angle keeps weight directly above the pedals. Leaving the FSR into occasionally loose technical singletrack, rear wheel traction felt high, and energetically moved forward with each pedal stroke, akin to the climbing feel of the Ibis HD6. Engaging the climb switch drastically reduces traction and feels awkward, as if the bike squats down, so I’ve primarily left it open. The Collosus inspires me to clean climbs I routinely walk up, opening doors to a more rounded ride.
I’ve primarily ridden moderately angled dry loam and flow trails, leaving the bike in the low BB setting and steeper HTA. The bike feels alive and hungry. The lethargy/minimum operating speed felt on longer-travel enduro bikes is nowhere to be found. The suspension feels active and fairly plush, with a decent platform to push against, propelling me forward through chatter and undulations. Considering the Goldilocks trail conditions, I’m very impressed with the ride quality and handling. I’m keen to see how the Collosus handles chunkier terrain and medium-sized jumps.
Shimano’s new XTR feels incredible; the gears shift smoothly and quickly. The brakes feel great, with a predictable ramp-up to full power, though I still wish to try a larger rotor up front.
The 170mm dropper doesn’t get completely out of my way on some of the tighter tech moves on steeper terrain, so I’ll try to source one that’s 200+ mm length. The previous-generation double Dissector combo rolls exceptionally fast, brakes well in a straight line, but needs mucho body language to engage the side knobs in corners. I’m also skeptical of how it’ll fare as a front tire, so I’m on the hunt for something more aggressive and sticky.
I’m also curious about running a 27.5″ rear wheel, and working through the geometry adjustments to see what works best. Time will tell, so far, so good!
