POLYGON SISKIU T7 29"

£1,600 (with £5 GO Outdoors card) Quid-for-quid, one of the best

The Siskiu T7 is an upper-entrylevel bike engineered to balance high-speed control with playful handling. Designed for trail riding and getting a little rowdy, it features modern geometry and some clever spec choices.

THE FRAME

With its chunky hydroformed tubes, neat welds and clean design, the Polygon looks like a much more expensive bike. This 29er version dishes out 135mm of progressive rear-wheel travel, via a linkage-driven single-pivot platform, where the seatstays drive the rear shock. The frame features semi-internal cable routing, through the down tube and then along the chainstays, which splay out to fit a Boost 12x148mm hub. Polygon have installed good frame protection on the driveside stay, plus there’s space for a water bottle inside the front triangle and the BB shell is a user-friendly, BSA-threaded 73mm job.

The geometry is similar to that of more expensive bikes, too. Our medium test bike has a wellproportioned 460mm reach and snappily-short 430mm chainstays. The head tube angle is a versatile 65.5 degrees, and the effective seat tube angle a pedalling-friendly 76.5 degrees. With a 39mm BB drop and 335mm BB height, the bike is low-slung. A short seat tube (400mm on the medium) means you can fit a long dropper post.

THE KIT

Impressively, you get a full 1x12 Shimano Deore drivetrain, with 10-51t cassette. A custom-tuned RockShox Deluxe Select+ shock eats up the bumps out back, paired with a Recon Silver RL fork with 140mm of travel. The Siskiu T7 rolls on Entity XL 2 Disc wheels with a wide 35mm internal rim width, suited to chunkier rubber, such as the aggressive 2.6in VEE Flow Snap Tackee tyres fitted here. Finishing kit includes a 150mm TranzX dropper and a wide bar and short stem from Entity, highlighting Polygon’s intentions to create a rowdy trail ripper.

THE RIDE

The Siskiu T7’s upright position and sticky tyres make it feel a bit like an enduro bike, yet it pedals more efficiently, like a trail bike. That steep seat tube angle puts you in a solid position to grind up short, steep pitches. On mellower climbs, the relatively short effective top tube length (606mm) keeps things comfortable. If needed, you can bring the bar height down a little using the provided stem spacers.

At the rear, the suspension does an admirable balancing act, remaining

active enough to absorb bumps, roots and rocks, while not sinking into its travel to rob you of power. With its burly tyres, the Polygon isn’t the fastest or most efficient bike uphill, but gets the job done without fuss. The 1x12 gearing is a bonus, especially on super-steep ascents, and works well, shifting under load and offering smooth pedalling.

On the descents, the Siskiu T7 feels capable. Its short chainstays, slack head angle and 35mm stem combine to make it a nippy bike through weaving sections of trail, where you can duck and dive around trees full of confidence. Through the corners, the low BB helps it feel planted, but it’s easy to change direction, too, and has a playful feel that makes it fun to throw around. It’s stable enough that we never felt the bike was out of its depth when speeds picked up.

The suspension is measured and offers a supportive ride that does a good job of soaking up the hits. It doesn’t fully isolate you from the terrain, but does provide support in high-load turns and compressions. On rough trails it feels good, but not great. The fork is smooth and plush but has a slight compression spike. It rebounds fast enough to recover from repeated hits, which helps keep the bike balanced.

Polygon have done a great job of creating a versatile bike that can capably tackle a wide variety of trails. The grippy tyres limit the Siskiu T7’s mile-munching ability but make it thrive on the descents and give you plenty of confidence in variable conditions on mixed terrain. With a couple of spec changes the Polygon could quickly transform into a long-distance machine that pedals well and gives plenty of support when the trails get wild.

Impressive geometry and handling make this an excellent bike for riders looking to improve their skills