For a trail bike that's bound to get some bruises, I find it tough to swallow the premium for a carbon frame or higher end components. Granted, I have an alloy Stumpjumper Evo that's 38 pounds, so just as heavy and it's fantastic descending. The basic Fox 36 Grip 1 damper found in the Rhythm is perfectly fine and you can find them for $250 - the cost of a new Recon. I run all Deore components with exception of SLX crank and brakes because they simply work. Both trims are similar enough in price, and if I bash a derailleur, break a chain or scuff up a crank arm - who cares. The blingiest component on the bike is the carbon OneUp bar, which honestly at $120 on sale isn't a massive drop and seriously helps with arm fatigue. The Vee Tires are fine - $100 for Maxxis stuff is crazy unless you're racing or honestly hit the limit of the stock rubber - but even then Specialized's tires at $35 sale would like a chat. Back to the weight, reducing weight may end up being a detriment. I mean folks praise e-bikes for their stability downhill because of their weight and low center of gravity.
I'm a Trek guy, my wife wanted to riding MTB with me so I picked up a used hardtail to see if she would like it, which she did. However, she refused to let me spend 3K on a Trek Top Fuel so I did a bunch of research and landed on the Polygon D7...wow! That bike is absolutely perfect for her, Rockshox suspension paired with Shimano drivetrain, hubs, and brakes and it's everything she needs. I changed the seat and grips, put a PNW dropper and lever on it, and I'm still less than $1600 out of pocket. After a year of riding the bike has been flawless.
@@rustychain9518 heck yeah 👍 I started as a Trek guy and still miss my Slash, Gen 5 but ive been so impressed with the Polygons value and performance for the price.
I bought this bike in July and love it. I’ve done some upgrades though. Tubeless, specialized ground control tires,carbon bars,grips,pedals, marzocchi z1 fork. This thing is a beast now! Also I put Shimano SLX brake levers on the tektro stock brakes. It totally works and made the brakes very good!
Yes at the end of the day I believe a bike like this is all we really need. In my opinion, bikes are just so good these days. You take that bike and put it against the same type of bike from even 5 years ago and the geo is so much better as well are the parts. I think the bike market is a bit silly when it comes to the 6000.00+ bikes. At 1500.00 it gives you a very solid foundation on which to do eventual upgrades. On that bike, by the way it looks I would upgrade the hub (that’s crazy terrible stock engagement for sure) likely would do a mid tier aluminum wheel with high engagement and I would do the brakes and tires. Otherwise the biggest thing I noticed when you were riding the chunky sections of trail was how quiet that bike was! I really appreciate a quiet bike. Drivetrain could be upgraded to at least to Deore level or slx when it wears out. I find this type of video topic extremely relevant these days when we live in a world where more is supposed to always be better. It is very good to step back sometimes and realize that we really don’t need all the bells and whistle components. As an average rider, we have to ask ourselves, are we racing professionally? What kinds of gains will we get if we spend x amount on a new fox gold edition fork? The marketing black hole is very deep and very large. Let’s not get sucked in too much! Touch points are always a great place to upgrade because you’re upgrading comfort not performance. Anyway, I digress. Great video.
@@dirtyforksmtb thanks for the amazing comment. Lots of good stuff in there. Agree about the cheap stock wheels. I have a set of Hunt wheels that are a lot better and only cost about $500 so they fit the budget theme of this bike.
I bought my large Polygon Siskiu T7 back in August. I've upgraded to Fifty Fifty 38mm riser 800mm wide bars, replaced the Tektro brake levers with Shimano Deore XT, added Wolf Tooth dropper lever. I have Hunt Trail Wide 30mm wheels and Bontrager Team Issue XR4 2.4" on order and will go tubeless to cut more weight. It's really a great bike out of the box (other than the stock dropper lever) but I'm ready for the wheels and tires to take this bike to the next level.
Is it a great entry bike? Yes, especially for what they cost now. After having this bike since 2020 and dropping $1k in upgrades, I think the question of should you upgrade or get a more expensive bike depends on the type of riding you are doing. If you are a casual rider on simple trails, then the answer is no to either of those options. I have swapped pretty much everything, but the frame and dropper. If you want a faster bike, then focus on those heavy wheels. I was able to cut 1.5# just in rolling weight by swapping to Spank 350s with tubeless Maxxis rubber. If you are hitting larger jumps/drops (5'+) or running through really choppy downhill, then suspension should be considered. The 32mm stanchions on the recon fork are super flexy. I also found the rear shock to be terrible for small bump compliance and harsh bottom outs compared to a properly tuned fox float dps or Marzocchi bomber (coil or air).
Jared! Love the video man. Made laugh when I saw the stickers still on the cranks and pedals. I did the same thing as I swapped mine for SLX cranks, and PNW pedals. The SLX brake levers work well.
Another great video. Personally I would upgrade the rear wheel to a lifetime warranty deal and you got a good bike for the jumps being a bit heavy and because you have upgraded your back wheel it probably weighs the same as the front which will balance the gyroscopic forces.
@@shanereid5663 good idea! I have a set of Hunt Trail wheels that I’ll throw on here which are a good fit for this budget bike. Trying not to spend too much and show what’s possible
I just bought this same bike, Medium in size. 29s and already did a few small upgrades, I would love to see more upgrades/ improvements to this thing. Maybe some more wight reduction focused upgrades.
I think you should keep the pedals as they seem to be quite good in grip department. Longevity of them pedals would be something you could test with time. This bike is absolute steel for this amount of money. Yes, it might start shift harder in about 2000-3000km. Another little issues definitely gonna arise, but for 3th or 4th the price of 4-5k bike - jesus, who cares. I agree only with grips and tubeless upgrades as it's something what makes riding rly bad if too thin or thick. Especially on chattery terrain or with tech climbs. Regarding bottle cage - I think its ok not to come with the bike as it would end up in landfill after owner goes all 'color matching' and replaces it.
@@barfo281 good point, but bike companies should still include one. It wouldn’t cast the bike companies much and most people put a water bottle cage on their bikes.
Wheels and a fork will get that weight way down. As you have pointed out in other videos polygon uses some of the heaviest wheels known to man. And the steel stantions on the recon make it an anchor. A yari or sr suntour aion could be a cool upgrade with the budget theme.
goign tubeless thats about 1.5lbs right there. drop the entity wheels for some hunt trailwides, another 1.5lbs. drop the sunrace cassette - another maybe half pound. and im quite confident dropping the stock fork for say a fox 36 performance or rockshox lyrik will drop at least another pound or so. 4.5 - 5.lbs in weight i assume. more with lighter tires and bars
@@jarchewa85 I’d definitely stick with shimano for the best shifting. I have a Garbaruk cassette on my N9 and wish I would have went with and XT cassettes BUT XT cassettes are so damn expensive 😬 I wonder how much a deore would even save in weight. I have one already so maybe I’ll do a weight comparison in future vids. Sunrace vs. Deore cassette 🤔
@@Cameron00 yeah I noticed that too and just added a little bit more than the recommended PSI and it seemed to work good. You could use a zip tie to make it 🤔 The fork is something I’ll need to address though. It is hold the bike back a bit.
I've seen this exact bike advertised at 15.4 KG (33lbs) on some sites I don't know where they get that from I don't think you can shave 5 pounds from frame sizing lol 😅
@@capoeirabg I have friends who broke Trek frames and Canyon frames. I’ve seen online posts with broken YT frames and other brands as well. All I know is I’ve been riding Polygons for years now: N9, N8E, T9, and now T7… no breaks and no issues. I can only give you my experiences and honest opinion which is… Polygon bikes are AWESOME!
Well I can say that 6 months free rides it sounds very nice 👍but .......Anyway polygon bicycles are one of the best value for your money for riders who are not asking something more
@JaredHoff the truth is I was planning to buy a polygon but after looking over and over more details I bought something better 😉 for a longer period of time more money yes, but also better bicycle and can last longer without spending more money on it
At 38 lbs, it's too heavy for smaller/ lighter riders (less than 150lbs). I see couples where a strong 180 lb guy is riding a carbon 30-32lb trail bike and the woman is 120 lbs riding a low end aluminum bike weighing 35+ lbs. It never ends well.
@@jasonlindquistmedia always good to get feedback and let people know your honest experiences. Unfortunately, all bike manufacturers deal with this from time to time.
@@gfxman14 for sure 👍 I remember years ago when I got my first enduro bike because it felt so sketchy to ride black diamond trails on my 130 trail bike. Sure, bikes got better over the years but my skills increasing has made the biggest difference.
@@davidpisoa5288 I’d be a hypocrite not to agree. I used to spend every penny I had getting the most expensive bike I could afford. Stoked on this budget setup though. It really impressed me. But I’ll do some upgrades over time.
38lbs is a bit heavy for a trail bike but for $1500 it's hard to beat. I bought a Cannondale Habit LT2 and it weighs 36lbs. I'll probably try to lighten it up, the cranks and cassette are pretty heavy. I like the weight for the DH and only really notice the weight on bigger climb days. Great Video.
Any cheap bike is going to feel ok for the first few days, weeks or even a few months. After that is when you start noticing all the 'cheaper' parts. Shifting goes first. haha
For a trail bike that's bound to get some bruises, I find it tough to swallow the premium for a carbon frame or higher end components. Granted, I have an alloy Stumpjumper Evo that's 38 pounds, so just as heavy and it's fantastic descending. The basic Fox 36 Grip 1 damper found in the Rhythm is perfectly fine and you can find them for $250 - the cost of a new Recon. I run all Deore components with exception of SLX crank and brakes because they simply work. Both trims are similar enough in price, and if I bash a derailleur, break a chain or scuff up a crank arm - who cares. The blingiest component on the bike is the carbon OneUp bar, which honestly at $120 on sale isn't a massive drop and seriously helps with arm fatigue. The Vee Tires are fine - $100 for Maxxis stuff is crazy unless you're racing or honestly hit the limit of the stock rubber - but even then Specialized's tires at $35 sale would like a chat.
Back to the weight, reducing weight may end up being a detriment. I mean folks praise e-bikes for their stability downhill because of their weight and low center of gravity.
I'm a Trek guy, my wife wanted to riding MTB with me so I picked up a used hardtail to see if she would like it, which she did. However, she refused to let me spend 3K on a Trek Top Fuel so I did a bunch of research and landed on the Polygon D7...wow! That bike is absolutely perfect for her, Rockshox suspension paired with Shimano drivetrain, hubs, and brakes and it's everything she needs. I changed the seat and grips, put a PNW dropper and lever on it, and I'm still less than $1600 out of pocket. After a year of riding the bike has been flawless.
@@rustychain9518 heck yeah 👍 I started as a Trek guy and still miss my Slash, Gen 5 but ive been so impressed with the Polygons value and performance for the price.
Jared I like the idea of keeping it budget and documenting needs not wants. PS I love my T8
@@sp192x heck yeah! T8 is an amazing MTB
I bought this bike in July and love it. I’ve done some upgrades though.
Tubeless, specialized ground control tires,carbon bars,grips,pedals, marzocchi z1 fork. This thing is a beast now!
Also I put Shimano SLX brake levers on the tektro stock brakes. It totally works and made the brakes very good!
@@a.k.vollmer5200 heck yeah 👍 SLX lever was a great idea. Good to know that works
Thank you for putting this one together, Jared. Enjoy the T7!
@@bikesonline thank you BikesOnline fam!
Just got one in the same color. Love it so far. Mine ended up coming with Maxxis tires instead!
@@ninomarinkovic1904 nice 👍
Yes at the end of the day I believe a bike like this is all we really need. In my opinion, bikes are just so good these days. You take that bike and put it against the same type of bike from even 5 years ago and the geo is so much better as well are the parts. I think the bike market is a bit silly when it comes to the 6000.00+ bikes. At 1500.00 it gives you a very solid foundation on which to do eventual upgrades. On that bike, by the way it looks I would upgrade the hub (that’s crazy terrible stock engagement for sure) likely would do a mid tier aluminum wheel with high engagement and I would do the brakes and tires. Otherwise the biggest thing I noticed when you were riding the chunky sections of trail was how quiet that bike was! I really appreciate a quiet bike. Drivetrain could be upgraded to at least to Deore level or slx when it wears out. I find this type of video topic extremely relevant these days when we live in a world where more is supposed to always be better. It is very good to step back sometimes and realize that we really don’t need all the bells and whistle components. As an average rider, we have to ask ourselves, are we racing professionally? What kinds of gains will we get if we spend x amount on a new fox gold edition fork? The marketing black hole is very deep and very large. Let’s not get sucked in too much! Touch points are always a great place to upgrade because you’re upgrading comfort not performance. Anyway, I digress. Great video.
@@dirtyforksmtb thanks for the amazing comment. Lots of good stuff in there. Agree about the cheap stock wheels. I have a set of Hunt wheels that are a lot better and only cost about $500 so they fit the budget theme of this bike.
I bought my large Polygon Siskiu T7 back in August. I've upgraded to Fifty Fifty 38mm riser 800mm wide bars, replaced the Tektro brake levers with Shimano Deore XT, added Wolf Tooth dropper lever. I have Hunt Trail Wide 30mm wheels and Bontrager Team Issue XR4 2.4" on order and will go tubeless to cut more weight. It's really a great bike out of the box (other than the stock dropper lever) but I'm ready for the wheels and tires to take this bike to the next level.
@@jarchewa85 heck yeah 👍 sounds like you did some great upgrades. I have some Hunt trail wide wheels that I might throw on this in the future.
Is it a great entry bike? Yes, especially for what they cost now. After having this bike since 2020 and dropping $1k in upgrades, I think the question of should you upgrade or get a more expensive bike depends on the type of riding you are doing. If you are a casual rider on simple trails, then the answer is no to either of those options. I have swapped pretty much everything, but the frame and dropper. If you want a faster bike, then focus on those heavy wheels. I was able to cut 1.5# just in rolling weight by swapping to Spank 350s with tubeless Maxxis rubber. If you are hitting larger jumps/drops (5'+) or running through really choppy downhill, then suspension should be considered. The 32mm stanchions on the recon fork are super flexy. I also found the rear shock to be terrible for small bump compliance and harsh bottom outs compared to a properly tuned fox float dps or Marzocchi bomber (coil or air).
@@corycollongues5761 great points 👍 totally agree!
Jared! Love the video man. Made laugh when I saw the stickers still on the cranks and pedals. I did the same thing as I swapped mine for SLX cranks, and PNW pedals. The SLX brake levers work well.
@@bellarogers7202 nice 👍 I can’t wait to do some minor upgrades and take it for a ride
No one needs a more expensive bike. Just like no one needs a more expensive car, house, watch or stereo.
Yeah upgrades are fun
@@jf8534 I agree! Want it, but don’t really need it. Although, there are a couple upgrades I can’t wait to do to this bike lol
We upgrade to make it our own, because we have preferences and enjoy upgrades. Oh and social peer pressure too
If you have the money, why not?
@@brownwhale5518 you are 100% right
Another great video. Personally I would upgrade the rear wheel to a lifetime warranty deal and you got a good bike for the jumps being a bit heavy and because you have upgraded your back wheel it probably weighs the same as the front which will balance the gyroscopic forces.
@@shanereid5663 good idea! I have a set of Hunt Trail wheels that I’ll throw on here which are a good fit for this budget bike. Trying not to spend too much and show what’s possible
I just bought this same bike, Medium in size. 29s and already did a few small upgrades, I would love to see more upgrades/ improvements to this thing. Maybe some more wight reduction focused upgrades.
@@dainperrault585 thanks for the feedback. I’ll make an upgrade video that features some ways to reduce the weight.
I think you should keep the pedals as they seem to be quite good in grip department. Longevity of them pedals would be something you could test with time. This bike is absolute steel for this amount of money. Yes, it might start shift harder in about 2000-3000km. Another little issues definitely gonna arise, but for 3th or 4th the price of 4-5k bike - jesus, who cares.
I agree only with grips and tubeless upgrades as it's something what makes riding rly bad if too thin or thick. Especially on chattery terrain or with tech climbs.
Regarding bottle cage - I think its ok not to come with the bike as it would end up in landfill after owner goes all 'color matching' and replaces it.
@@SergejGrabun good point on the color matching and landfill. I try my best to recycle stuff whenever I can
Curious to see how your build goes. My T8 is arriving today, super stoked
@@jacobmees8040 nice 👍 stoked for you!
Some people ride with a Camelbak or similar backpack hydration system and don't want or need a water bottle cage.
@@barfo281 good point, but bike companies should still include one. It wouldn’t cast the bike companies much and most people put a water bottle cage on their bikes.
Wheels and a fork will get that weight way down. As you have pointed out in other videos polygon uses some of the heaviest wheels known to man. And the steel stantions on the recon make it an anchor.
A yari or sr suntour aion could be a cool upgrade with the budget theme.
@@thatmtbguy9396 thanks for the advice. Definitely want to keep the upgrades affordable
@@JaredHoff I mean if you do baller upgrades then you just have another t9 in a different color.
@ for sure! This T7 color is good looking though
i had a T8 (now have a T7E) and man the T8 was so good i think itd be worth trying to just go for it instead
@@javi3_14 T8 has a good spec 👍 I wanted to try the T7 because the current sale price makes it affordable for so many people
goign tubeless thats about 1.5lbs right there. drop the entity wheels for some hunt trailwides, another 1.5lbs. drop the sunrace cassette - another maybe half pound. and im quite confident dropping the stock fork for say a fox 36 performance or rockshox lyrik will drop at least another pound or so. 4.5 - 5.lbs in weight i assume. more with lighter tires and bars
All that will make your wallet about $1500 lighter.
We're basically doing the same upgrades (shock and fork in the next year or so) but the cassette, what would you purchase? Shimano Deore?
@@ericsproul9420 that exact thought crossed my mind. I’ve already got a set of hunt wheels 🤔
@@jarchewa85 I’d definitely stick with shimano for the best shifting. I have a Garbaruk cassette on my N9 and wish I would have went with and XT cassettes BUT XT cassettes are so damn expensive 😬
I wonder how much a deore would even save in weight. I have one already so maybe I’ll do a weight comparison in future vids. Sunrace vs. Deore cassette 🤔
I recently got mine and my only gripe is that the front fork doesn’t have a ring to calculate sag
@@Cameron00 yeah I noticed that too and just added a little bit more than the recommended PSI and it seemed to work good. You could use a zip tie to make it 🤔 The fork is something I’ll need to address though. It is hold the bike back a bit.
I've seen this exact bike advertised at 15.4 KG (33lbs) on some sites I don't know where they get that from I don't think you can shave 5 pounds from frame sizing lol 😅
These things are so much better than anything Trek is putting out there these days. Stick with Polygon !!
@@323johnnybravo I agree 👍 best bang for your buck. Loving this T7
The first important mod to do is to remove the R and L stickers from the pedals and cranks.
@@barfo281 definitely 😂 I got carried away and should have never rode it like that LOL
Would this bike be a good beginner full suspension bike?
@@keithcollett124 100% yes 👍
Have you experienced cables noise rattling inside the frame of T9?
After 1 year with t7, the noise from the cables has become increasingly noticeable.
@@homwel I didn’t notice that. I would think both bikes share the same cable routing. I’ll have to look into this.
@@JaredHoff thank you. i often adjust the cable. may be just bad adjustment from me.
You will snap it eventually and will understand why you need more reputable brand.
The waiting time for replacements is like couple of months
@@capoeirabg I have friends who broke Trek frames and Canyon frames. I’ve seen online posts with broken YT frames and other brands as well. All I know is I’ve been riding Polygons for years now: N9, N8E, T9, and now T7… no breaks and no issues. I can only give you my experiences and honest opinion which is… Polygon bikes are AWESOME!
Damn! I thought my Niner RIP9 was heavy at 34 lbs. Nice bike though.
@@gregnowak2492 thanks man. I think I can get this size XL down to 35lbs if I upgrade the wheels and tires.
What/ where do you get a 54 or more ratchet for rear hub?
@@radboy58f2 I like the hunt wheels. Great value, lightweight, durable, and good engagement hubs.
Well I can say that 6 months free rides it sounds very nice 👍but .......Anyway polygon bicycles are one of the best value for your money for riders who are not asking something more
@@CrisValakos I’ve was really impressed with how good this T7 handled black diamond trails, but I agree that some people would want more.
@JaredHoff the truth is I was planning to buy a polygon but after looking over and over more details I bought something better 😉 for a longer period of time more money yes, but also better bicycle and can last longer without spending more money on it
@ nice 👍 stoked for you!
At 38 lbs, it's too heavy for smaller/ lighter riders (less than 150lbs). I see couples where a strong 180 lb guy is riding a carbon 30-32lb trail bike and the woman is 120 lbs riding a low end aluminum bike weighing 35+ lbs. It never ends well.
@@newttella1043 it’s a size XL so a smaller rider would have a slightly lighter bike to start with. I could easily get this XL down to 35 lbs.
guy i knew snapped frame on one those, rather spend extra $300 and get a YT capra.
@@jasonlindquistmedia always good to get feedback and let people know your honest experiences. Unfortunately, all bike manufacturers deal with this from time to time.
biking is 90% rider and 10% bike anyways, everyone has enough bike
@@gfxman14 for sure 👍 I remember years ago when I got my first enduro bike because it felt so sketchy to ride black diamond trails on my 130 trail bike. Sure, bikes got better over the years but my skills increasing has made the biggest difference.
You don't need a more expensive bike but if you can then why not 🤷♂️
@@davidpisoa5288 I’d be a hypocrite not to agree. I used to spend every penny I had getting the most expensive bike I could afford. Stoked on this budget setup though. It really impressed me. But I’ll do some upgrades over time.
@JaredHoff we all do 😎
38lbs is a bit heavy for a trail bike but for $1500 it's hard to beat. I bought a Cannondale Habit LT2 and it weighs 36lbs. I'll probably try to lighten it up, the cranks and cassette are pretty heavy. I like the weight for the DH and only really notice the weight on bigger climb days. Great Video.
@@broccolirob8268 thanks! I think I can get the weight down 2-3 pounds with a wheel and tire upgrade.
Any cheap bike is going to feel ok for the first few days, weeks or even a few months. After that is when you start noticing all the 'cheaper' parts. Shifting goes first. haha
@@netposerx I’ll have to cover that in future videos.
hell yeah yet another polygon shill video to make a living
definitely should shed a lil weight….get er down to 35lb….
@@GarySixSixty for sure 👍 removing the tubes will be a good start.
I wonder where all that comes from.