TESTED: Polygon Collosus N8E enduro e-bike

The all-new Polygon Collosus N8E is Polygon’s long travel top tier e-bike equipped with 160mm of plush suspension travel front and rear. This is a big hitting eMTB that is sold direct via Bikes Online, sitting ahead of the trail oriented Polygon T6E and Polygon T7E models which have a 150/140mm travel setup. Bikes Online say the Poygon Collosus N8E is 'built to shred' and it can 'tame the gnarly backcountry lines'. To do so, Polygon have enlisted Fox suspension and completely redesigned the suspension layout. A 6-bar independent floating suspension platform may look like an elaborate design, but the intent is exactly what a big travel eMTB should offer; creating the ability to eat square edged hits while remaining active under brakes, and when pushing hard on an E-bike you do plenty of braking!

Tester: Ryan Walsch
Riding Experience: Loves life on two wheels, a master mechanic and proficient bike tester.
Generally Rides: Forbidden Druid
Height: 178cm
Weight: 75kg
Bike Test Track: Many local Canberra hangs

Stabilty and high-speed poise is where Polygon have aimed the Collosus, it has drastically longer reach across the size range with a low bottom bracket adding to this new found stability. Add in the generally higher weight of a long-travel eMTB and you know this bike wants to charge (no pun intended). In terms of pedalling support, the Collosus is equipped with Shimano’s latest Gen2 EP801 motor and a generous 630Wh battery. This motor at the core of the Collosus is only 2.7kgs for the motor, and the Shimano STEPS unit is reliable, durable and hugely powerful with 85Nm ot torque and plenty of customisation options via their app.

Despite the busy 6-bar linkage occupying some valuable real estate, there is just room for a 425ml bottle to wet the lips out on the trails, it is however a brutishly powerful E-bike capable of big days out, so a small bum bag can fit a few spares without too much trouble. We are seeing more and more eMTBs make the switch to a Mullet (mixed wheel size) setup but the Polygon Collosus is firmly committed to the fastest wheel size: 29 inch wheels front and rear. However it is possible to equipe the Collosus with a 27.5 + inch rear wheel and run a Mullet setup. Polygon does note that it will significantly drop the bottom bracket height and slacken the head angle. From my experience that will be between 8mm-13mm for the bottom bracket height , while slackening the head angle 0.5-1 degrees depending on tyre width used. This cannot be corrected with the absence on a flipchip.

Sourcing a Polygon Collosus N8E

Polygon Bikes come direct to your door via purchase from Bikes Online's website. While you need to build the bike yourself, not much is required and tools are provided, along with instructions. If in doubt, have your local mechanic build it. If they won't – find another local mechanic. There a few bikes we have reviewed that offer all alloy models in the same category as the Collosus N8E, which sells for $7999. The Merida eOneSixty 9000 has a carbon mainframe and similar parts mix at $8999 and has a mixed wheel setup. The Trek Rail 7 is $9499 with the Bosch system and slightly simpler parts selection. So the Polygon Collosus does represent incredible value in the full-power, big-travel eMTB segment. You can find all our eMTB reviews on our eMTB page.

Initial Impressions

The Polygon Collosus N8E build quality looks great, all linkages and hardware are overbuilt, were correctly torqued and have clearly noted torque readings lazer etched on the bolt heads. This is a simple addition but makes ongoing maintenance a lot simpler in the workshop. The 6 bar independent floating suspension (IFS) sure does look to have a load of things going on but it is all tucked neatly away and behind the swingarms.

The 6 bar IFS feels supple yet supportive with kinematics designed to move out of the way of sharper square edge impacts, pedal efficiently and retain active braking throughout the travel. Currently this is often achieved with a high pivot suspension setup, but some designs really stiffen up under braking, like the Norco Range. So I was interested to see if the extra moving parts would live up to the claims.

Impressively Polygon has specced the N8E with a near full Shimano 12 speed Deore XT groupset, including their popular 4 piston XT brakes with metal sintered pads. The wheels are wrapped with Schwable Magic Mary Super Gravity tyres in the Soft Addix compound. Most brands overlook appropriate brakes, brake pads and tyres for E-bike duty and its great to see at the extremely competitive price of $7999 that these items are specced from new as they almost always need replacing after the first few weeks or months of ownership, well done Polygon!

The Collosus N8E built up very nicely out of the box and we had everything we needed to assemble it to hit the trails. From what I could see the packaging was all recyclable and no damage incurred to the bike whatsoever. Bikes Online and Polygon have done a fantastic job at ensuring bikes make it to customers in great shape.

I did note that the battery cover or mount was not holding or sitting flush which could lead to the safety catch failing. I reached out to Bikes Online who looked into the matter further. They even double-checked all their processes at a factory level and it looks like this bike was a one-off human error. All built up the bike clocked in a little over 26kg, I fitted my pedals, made sure it was charged and got ready to hit the trails.

On The Trail with the Polygon Collosus N8E

The Polygon Collosus N8E is an agile beast on the trail, especially on the climbs. It eats technical climbs up thanks to its not outlandishly slack 64.5 degree head tube angle, which stops the bars and steering flip flopping from side to side. Given an eMTB is designed to help you climb, traits like this should be applauded. The Collosus has a very short rear centre at 435mm making it possible to change direction with ease while retaining stability. The head tube is quite small at 110mm for the size large on review, with the lower front end and sensible head tube angle makes the Collosus steer very precisely and makes tech climbs easier than many larger eMTBs I have reviewed. The linkage remains pretty active too, with pedalling forces and input from the terrain feeling somewhat separate and active.

The size large test bike measures in at 490mm reach on paper, which honestly sounds huge and puts it at the longest reach (size large) I have personally reviewed at my average Joes height of 178cm tall. The 490mm reach Collosus however does not feel that lengthy at all rather the contrary. The shorter 110mm head tube, 77 degree effective seat tube angle, in- house made Entity 35mm length stem and 25mm rise bars make the front of the bike feel more compact than it reads on paper and more manoeuvrable than its 1256.4mm wheelbase suggests.

On the descents the long reach and lower front end does result in heaps of front wheel traction and precise steering which is perfect for choppy and off camber turns. This is perfect for those who want a 160mm travel bike to ride hard and fast. Swinging off the back is one thing, but keeping the front wheel loaded and the fork working is essential when you want to squeeze everything out of the bike and trail – which is what you get an eMTB for anyway! Pressing into turns the bike feels composed and stable, the rear brake remains active under power which is a pleasant surprise. The Collosus had minimal brake jack and felt neutral throughout the 160mm of travel.

In terms of agility, the short 435mm rear centre and low 345mm bottom bracket height make changing direction on the robust 26.20kgs a simple affair requiring less effort than some slacker powered rigs we have reviewed recently. Kudos to Polygon for speccing 160mm cranks as well, meaning there's more ground clearance whether you're pedalling or not.

Riders on the taller side of each size range may be required to run a handlebar with a higher rise to free up some room as the drop to the bars feels a little more than what I am personally used too. This would be an easy enough change to make once you've determined if it is required.

After a lengthy amount of trail time I felt the Collosus excels on the climbs and is an very balanced full powered eMTB. Many bikes are so slack that the handlebars and steering flip flops from side to side on technical climbs, making the front wheel wander and wash out when trying to turn. This makes getting a bigger eMTB uphill harder than it shold be, which is counter intuitive. The Collosus N8E feels much better suited to a broad range of trail and enduro riding styles for those looking for a long-travel eMTB. It excels on climbs while still being very capable on the descents.

The new Shimano EP801 motor has some cool new adjustable parameters, most importantly being able to toggle between 7 assistance levels instead of 3 like its predecessor. There is also a little more fine tuning and the ability to see 10 bars of battery life on the display rather than 5.

There is easy to access information at the rider's fingertips, meaning you don't need to stop to pull out the phone, connect to the bike and use the E-Tube app to find the info you need. In terms of range, the 630Wh Battery was consistently getting me around 1600m of hard vertical climbing in either Trail or Boost mode without complaint, Shimano have done an amazing job at reducing the overall noise when under load, when coasting and lets face it, the whole Di2 plug sytem, interface and display on all Shimano electrical components perform flawlessly and seal out the elements well and for years of off road riding.

I was really impressed with the in-house Entity rims and Schwalbe Magic Mary Super Gravity tyres. No eMTB is easy on wheels or tyres, and neither am I. Both items were impressively solid and have minimal signs of the abuse they have been put through. The Soft Addix compound on the tyres is certainly wearing but the casings have been trouble free with no signs of cutting or delamination.

Our Take

The Polygon Collosus N8E certainly is one of the best value and best equipped 160mm eMTBs that I have reviewed. Beyond coming with a full Shimano Deore XT drivetrain and Fox Performance and Elite suspension, the bike is about more than just a good value spec sheet. The Colossus is overall a very balanced bike that both climbs and descends well without focusing specifically on one discipline – which can be a trap for some brands and some riders alike. It handles high speed descents and jumps well and remains active under brakes.

While it looked like the 6-bar suspension setup could be overly complex, it is actually key to delivering the ride quality that the Collosus provided, being so capable on the descents and efficient on the way up. I was thoroughly impressed at the whole package that Polygon have put together with the Collosus N8E, especially for $7999. While 26.2kg is getting pretty weighty, you may need to spend close to twice as much to make a significant reduction in that weight, and I don't think you'd be having twice the fun I had while testing this bike.

From: Bikes Online

Available Sizes S, M, L (tested), XL
Frame Material ALX Alloy mainframe and swing arms
Fork Fox 38 Performance 29, 160mm
Shock Fox Float Performance X2 Elite, 160mm

Drive Unit Shimano EP801, 85Nm
Battery Shimano E8036 630Wh
Head Unit Shimano SC-EN600-L

Shifter Shimano Deore XT M8100 12sp
Derailleur Shimano Deore XT M8100 12sp
Crank Shimano FCRE80-12 160mm, 34t ring
Chain KMC E12
Cassette Shimano Deore M6100 10-51t 12sp

Wheel set Entity XL3 Tubeless Double wall 35mm rims, Shimano TC500 Boost hubs
Tyres Schwalbe Magic Mary EVO Super Gravity Soft Addix 29in x 2.6”
Brakes Shimano XT M8120

Stem Entity 35mm x 35mm clamp
Handlebars Entity 780mm, 25mm rise, 35mm clamp
Seatpost Tranz X 170mm drop
Saddle Entity Extend