Feedback on M9/951/2011 Demo's/Polygon.

R

Rexy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Starting to do some thinking about a new race bike for next season, and weighing up a few options. Chasing some feedback on a few bikes from those that own them, or have spent serious time on them.

Currently riding an 09 Demo medium with a Vivid Air. 575 theoretical TT. 64 HA. 14.5" BB height. 421mm chainstay. I'm back end of Elite pace. Medium sized rider, 70kgs and 5' 10ish. Tend to ride fairly smooth, preload and gap sections a fair bit. Sometimes just hang off the back and plough when needed though.

Loved the Demo, as it gave the ability to just plough through the rocks when needed, but was nice and responsive to pop around and be playful on. BB height was good in that I can get pedals in without smashing the ground too much, and the short back end whipped it through the tight corners we have over here well and made the bike still corner well despite the higher BB. Headangle felt spot on to me at 64, I am not fast enough to need slacker. Pedals pretty well too. Really keen on a Norco Aurum as everything adds up on it, just not sure if I can get my hands on one...other options are an Intense (either M9 or 951), a 2011 Demo or a Polygon.

So M9. I would go for a medium. I like that I could get the CS down a bit shorter to 438. A little bit worried that coming off the super short chainstays on the Demo going to something long in the back end will feel strange. BB is high enough to still pedal a bit, so that is good. Geo seems overall quite good. What I don't like is the adjustability, too many options, I'd prefer something that was already set. Also not sure on the travel, worried that riding something over 8" might feel a bit sluggish...

951 again looks good geo wise. Nice and slack. Back end may be tending towards the long side, but still seems okay. Just concerned with how progressive they apparently are. Will it be too playful, and not feel settled when it gets fast and rough and ploughing is required? How do the things ride?

Polygons seem to be excellent for the dollars spent. Things that worry me are the CS length again getting a bit longer, and the TT length being quite short (556mm on the larger sizing). I ride really over the front, and hate when I don't have enough room, Glorys just give me the absolute shits for this, I bang knees on the forks constantly... Also a bit iffy on the clamp on BB shell in terms of durability, and the pedalling efficiency of a design that pivots around the BB, seems more of a slopestyle suspension design....

Finally the Demo. Its got the TT and CS lengths I desire. It will have a really similar feel to my Demo, which is good. However the BB is scraping along the ground at 13.5". I already bash pedals, crankarms and my chain device a bit running 14.5". Do you just constantly hang up on rocks and go over the hangers if you actually try to pedal the thing?

Thanks in advance for any useful info!
 
rossi

rossi

Likes Bikes
Rexy people in WA owns all these bikes just ask if you can have a pedal on one, just stating the obvious.
 
nic1894

nic1894

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Demo for sure, you will be used to how it rides so you cant waste money on a bike that feels shit to you and you wont have to adjust too much. I doubt you will hit to many more rocks with the lower BB, tonnes of riders seem to be fine with it at the moment so i think you will be fine. Also cost wise they are not to bad at all.
 
MB

MB

Intense Australia
So for some feedback on Intense I am happy to help with some advice...

As an M9 owner I can say first and foremost that it is an amazing racebike. I came across to Intense from a couple of years on Konas, and it took ma a while to get used to the bike. The main problem that I had initially was my misunderstanding of how to set up a VPP bike. Now that I understand it better I am very pleased with the platform. The way VPP moves over bumps is truly impressive, it needs very little compression compared to single pivot type platforms due to the engineering in the design. This relative lack of compression leads to unparalleled small bump compliance. Fortunately you can get a VPP bike to work exactly how you want it to and this factor is pronounced even more so with the adjustability of the M9. Do not be afraid of this with the M9 though, the bike is indeed a tweaker's dream bike, but it is only as complex as you want it to be. Keep it simple and you will have a really rad bike with everything you want in a bike...

For example, the M9 can be a poppy fun bike like a 951 (8.5") that will launch lips like a madman and still smash rocks with VPP ease. You can also make it the uber plough a'la M6 (or V10 for that matter) with a very linear 9.5" of travel that will be the ultimate high speed rough ground bike you can get. Or, do what most people do and run it as an M9 and have it bang in the middle. Trust me it's a weapon, and certainly a fine race bike that can be quite light (my current M9 is 17.1 kg with pedals, and my previous one was 16.6 air sprung).

As for your fears about the progressive nature of the 951, don't be fooled. While yes it is progressive, it can be tuned to be fairly linear with the right settings in an RC4 or CCDB. I would own one no worries.

The V10 is a great bike too, but lacks the adjustability in the shock progressiveness of the M9 and can be a bit of a plough. Don't misunderstand my meaning on the bike, if you want to go fast it's bloody good, and will feel like M9 in linear/big travel mode. Just depends what you want.

The demo is a good rig too, perhaps a little more manic than the longer travel bikes, but a very fast and capable bike nonetheless. If I wasn't on Intense, this would be very high up on my list.

Don't be caught up with fears of a low BB height either, if you look at the different travel options you are looking at, the M9 @ 14" BB will feel very similar to the demo with a 13.5" BB because 35% of sag on a 9" bike will bring the BB to almost the same height as an 8" bike at the same (35%) sag setting. As long as you have a 14 or below BB, 64 deg or thereabouts h/a you are on a winner. The longer chainstay aids stability but reduced manual ability. Take your pick...

Polygon? Don't know anything about it. It really is just another clone out of Taiwan that will never ride like the other bikes you are looking at. It will realistically ride OK due to the horst link, but it will never ride like a specialized or Intense. Here is a link to a thread on the Polygon if you haven't already seen it. http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/sho...Use-this-bike-frame-Updated-with-BIGGER-piccy. FYI I'd ride the Kona Operator in a flash before one of these, it's a great bike with awesome geo that won't break the bank. It's better than a glory too. Easy.

If you are ever in Victoria and want to fang an M9 hit me up, I will gladly hook you up a run on my M9. No sweat.

I hope that the info helps with your choice of bike, one piece of advice would be to aim high, get the most expensive rig you can possibly get your hands on. I know it sounds bad, but high dollar rigs demand the high price tag for a reason, and that is hours of racing R&D + low volume + ideas that are ahead of the curve that bigger companies can't keep up with. Good luck!
 
R

Rexy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
You bet I plan on jumping on as many of them as I can Ross! Always good to get as many perspectives as possible, as I might not be able to jump on the right size, and the setup might be way off for me.

I will never again own a singlepivot, either true or linkage driven! V10 is all well and good, but you don't buy a V10 to run it in the 8" travel mode you know...

Really appreciate the info on the Intenses Moonman. Have you tried yours in the 8.5" mode in the middle or more progressive hole? Whats the ride comparison like compared to a 951, would it be worthwhile jumping over to the M9 still do you think?
 
jrewing

jrewing

Eats Squid
Ill add to the M9. The tame/falt tracks seem to be a bit dull with it, but it just gets better the rougher and steeper the track. Im on a large and it struggles on tight switchbacks but fast corners are awesome and then rough fast corners it just gets better.
Rode the Rotorua Dh track and it was so confident inspiring. It is also pretty low and would suggest 165 cranks as the 170 tap down on sneaky pedals.
 
nexusfish

nexusfish

El Mariachi
jrewing said:
Ill add to the M9. The tame/falt tracks seem to be a bit dull with it, but it just gets better the rougher and steeper the track. Im on a large and it struggles on tight switchbacks but fast corners are awesome and then rough fast corners it just gets better.
Rode the Rotorua Dh track and it was so confident inspiring. It is also pretty low and would suggest 165 cranks as the 170 tap down on sneaky pedals.
Click to expand...
you just described most australian tracks.

go the 951. there is few tracks in Aus that you NEED a bike like an M9
 
MB

MB

Intense Australia
flamshmizer said:
There are few roads in Aus where one would need to own a WRX for, still its pretty damn fun to own one!
Click to expand...
Wise words Flamshmizer!

@ Rexy, yes I have run the M9 in 951 mode, it runs just like a 951. I love the 951, it's an awesome bike that is very well suited to Australian tracks. But when you get to the really fast and rough stuff like Mt Baw Baw or Mt Buller or even Thredbo (even though it isn't that rough) the M9 shines. I run mine in M9 mode most of the time which is halfway between the 951 and the M6 both as far as travel and shock progressiveness goes. It strikes a good balance...
 
jrewing

jrewing

Eats Squid
moonman said:
Wise words Flamshmizer!

@ Rexy, yes I have run the M9 in 951 mode, it runs just like a 951. I love the 951, it's an awesome bike that is very well suited to Australian tracks. But when you get to the really fast and rough stuff like Mt Baw Baw or Mt Buller or even Thredboor Awaba (even though it isn't that rough) the M9 shines. I run mine in M9 mode most of the time which is halfway between the 951 and the M6 both as far as travel and shock progressiveness goes. It strikes a good balance...
Click to expand...
Added one.
 
backdoor

backdoor

Likes Bikes
I have ridden none of the bikes mentioned - therefore any opinion I have is completely null and void.

But Rex, any of those bikes you've mentioned are going to be more than enough bike for anywhere in WA. You'd know that already. Just as well you ride Tom's all the time, cause just on the numbers, that should be the type of track where you think something like an M9 would come alive.
Get a KHS. wait what?
I wouldn't worry too much about dropping the bb down too much. Since going to my tranny I've been loving how much better it corners compared to the glory. I'm going to need to look at 165's and thin profile pedals because I'm clipping rocks so much more than I ever did before. But I reckon the benefits outweigh that neggo.
And plus one for getting a new season demo if they're running DB's. Loving that too mang, happy times.

PS, no more sp's? you've changed man, you've changed...
 
taitt

taitt

Likes Dirt
Also tossing up between the M9 and the 951.

Is the M9 worth the extra $$ to get the adjustability or should I just get the 951? I'm coming from a VP free with geometries i'm not a big fan of, so i'm sure i'll have to get used to either. Not the fastest rider, but getting quicker, so want something that will eventually be best for me. About 85kgs and 6'2.
 
L

L-iam

Likes Bikes
this thread is whats wrong with internet mountain biking.

a bunch of people speculating and talking shit about different designs and a few mm here or there...

get out there and ride, theres plenty of the aforementioned bikes floating around the WA scene, no one ive ever met has bitten my arm off for wanting a ride on there bike. form your own opinions. or just deal with it and ride a bike.
 
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