Mick Hannah's Prototype Polygon

Mick Hannah has been spotted on numerous versions of Polygon's downhill bike over the last several months, but as the downhill race season begins in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, he's on another prototype ride that takes the best assets from the previous prototypes and combines them into one svelte sub-32 pound package. The aluminum framed bike can be switched between 26" and 27.5" wheels by swapping out a chip in the rear dropouts, giving Sick Mik the option to choose whichever wheel size he thinks will be quickest on the high speed course. The Hutchinson UR team has wheels and tires in both sizes at the ready, but at the moment it looks like Mick will be running the bike in the 27.5" configuration when race day arrives. There is a slight weight penalty with the larger wheels, bumping the weight up by .6 pounds over the 26" setup, but with how light the bike already is that's a fairly minimal figure.

How was Polygon able to achieve such a low weight? In addition to beginning with an already light frame, the parts selection is closer to what you would expect to find on an enduro race bike rather than a DH machine. All of the frame's hardware has been upgraded to titanium, and a carbon seatpost, a custom e*thirteen TRS crankset, and a prototype Spank stem all help to shave weight, as do the e*13 TRS+ wheels. Although the bike has been built up to be as light as possible, it's not a flimsy, one-race-only set up - the parts group closely mirrors what Mick will be riding for the rest of the season, with the exception of the 180mm rotors - expect to see larger diameter ones bolted on for steeper, more technical tracks.

Polygon was especially proud of the bike's one piece, CNC'd head tube with a gusset along the downtube for additional strength.

The BOS Void rear shock is oriented differently than previous versions, sitting between two aluminum links and passing through the split seat tube design.

Frame Design and Suspension

Previous versions of Polygon's DH bike had the shock mounted vertically underneath the seat tube, but that has changed, and the BOS Void rear shock now passes under the seatube and mounts in a more horizontal position on the downtube. The rear shock is sandwiched between two triangular links, in a floating dual-link layout that's designed to have good square-edged bump absorption while also responding well to the hard pedaling that the Pietermaritzburg course requires. BOS has worked closely with Polygon to tune the suspension to meet Mick's needs, and there are a number of prototype bits inside the rear shock to make it as smooth and supple as possible. Exactly what those prototype bits are remains a mystery, but at the very least it's safe to assume that the shock has a custom tune specifically for the high speed impacts that Mick will be encountering during his race runs with a higher than usual ramp up for the large jumps that punctuate the course.

The rear swingarm has a chip that can be changed depending on what wheelsize Mick decides to run. Notice the 180mm rear rotor - there's not a lot of sustained braking on the Pietermaritzburg track, and running a smaller rotor front and rear for the Formula brakes trims the bike's weight even further. A short cage Shimano XTR rear derailleur moves the chain through a custom 7-speed cassette - there's no need for any easier gears on a course as flat-out as this.

A fresh set of ODI Ruffians with Sik Mik etched into them leaves no doubt about whose bike this is. Intended more for all-mountain and enduro race usage, e*thirteen's TRS+ wheelset has been called into duty for this race to help shave weight without sacrificing too much strength. The bike itself might still be carbon, but there are a few carbon bit sprinkled around, like the headset top cap, seatpost clamp, and even the seatpost itself. For tires, Mick will be running a set of trimmed down Hutchinson Toros, a lower profile, all-conditions tire.

If you were Mick Hannah, this would be the view from your office.