Are consumer-direct aero bikes any good? Polygon Helios A8X review

$4,699 - for that price, you can get top of the line aero *framesets* from the big players, or you can get this complete carbon bike with carbon wheels and Shimano Ultegra Di2 12-speed from Polygon in the form of the Helios A8X.

I start with price because that’s the compelling story here. But is it worth it? What do you get, and what are you giving up? In this video, I’ll get into that, talk about how it compares to other bikes, talk about my experience riding it, tell you what irritated me - like the front axle bolt falling out, or the original rim tape bursting when setting it up tubeless. Tell you why this is not the bike for tall people. And tell you about what a hidden cost could be. I’ll also talk about what I like, including the Ultegra group and the plush tires.
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The Ride is supported in 2024 by:

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0:00 intro
1:29 what you get
5:11 what you don't get
7:13 sizing
8:03 hidden hoses (& cost?)
9:18 FasCat Coaching
10:34 things I don't like
13:06 things I like
15:36 conclusions

[brianboschma]

Very well done. I recently built up an Elves Falath bike with Ultegra. Total cost was $2400. All carbon. I am an old recreational rider that likes climbing. I would have never paid for a bike of this weight and ride feel from the bike shop. Prices are north of $5000. Great fun on this frame with integrated cockpit and now beating personal records from 2015.

[nathanwforrest]

I've been riding a Polygon Strattos road bike (more of an endurance geo) for 4 years (deep Covid purchase) and it's been great - no issues whatsoever.

[IsaacAdler]

I love my polygon XC hardtail, but it was a bit of a gamble as the only review are from their website, redditors, nonenglish YouTubers, and very untrustworthy youtube influencers. VERY VERY nice to see you, give an actually credible take on this company.

[DaHerb]

Hi! I ride the POLYGONSTRATOS S8, a really very comfortable bike at a top price. I haven't found anything comparable at this price. I bought this bike in my sports shop in Austria (not AUSTRALIA!!!!) in Styria. So these bikes are fortunately also sold in Europe. I think it stays that way. The other manufacturers have to dress warmly or rethink their pricing policy

[geralddycycling]

Been using the same bike for a year now! I love it so much

[trirobert]

Thanks Ben. You’re great at this. I also love the b-roll. I lived in Louisville for a long time, and really enjoy seeing all of my old training roads. Good times. Keep up the good work over there. :)

[tariqkamil]

Here in Asia (Malaysia) the Polygon is sold at bike shops. Ans I’m told they’re better known for their mtbs

[amitkumar-wjgn]

Interestingly, Polygon is regular in bike shops across India and is a fav among entry road bike enthusiasts since it is one of the few that still sells a range of rim brake bikes. They have also got a sizeable market in the entry level XC bike categories. Quality wise, I have never heard anyone complain about it. And honestly, their full sus bikes are probably the best bang for the buck.

[abdoullahmitiche]

Hey Ben,
Your review will make many people proud here in Indonesia :) I rode a lower specs Helios - Mechanical Ultegra - a couple of years ago and was pleasantly surprised both up and down the mountain

Re. Brand recognition: in the US, I get it, "Poly what?!"; in this part of the world however, it's pretty ubiquitous. PS. TSG, a Malaysian UCI Continental team, rides Polygon Helios, a slightly higher end than what you tested :)

[akpitts]

Well done. I already forwarded this video to my network in Los Angeles. Thank you.

[energylab]

Great bike I've been on one for several months. I have however destroyed the rear novatec hubs. Good reason to buy some new, lighter wheels

[dtolios]

Ex Polygon MTB Siskiu T8 owner that was super happy with, and w/o qualms recommend to newcomers that want a bike that punches way above its price. Now passed it to a good friend who still enjoys it problem-free. If I was in the market for a road bike, I would look into the Helios. Their Strattos S5 Disk is the if not one of the cheapest full 105 with hydro brakes out there and - IMHO - excellent value for those that don't need or are reluctant to pay for a carbon aero bike with Di2, but will spend 1/3rd or 1/4th the price of this top end Helios.

[robbchastain]

I really enjoyed your fireside chat about this bike, Ben. And I think in time with all these new brands and offerings, we will say, cool, another nice bike to consider and that was the case in the '70s with all the new BMX brands which dethroned Schwinn due its lag in finally letting Giant fabricate the Predator in Taiwan in the early '80s. And my first BMX bike was a bike in a box, a CYC Stormer with Skyway Tuff-Wheels, a mail-order bike from a little ad in an issue of a motorcycle magazine, Dirt Bike, in late '75 or early '76. And I will forever be glad I responded to that ad. That bike took a pounding on jumps and stairs and drops. 😀

[Littlefield]

I've had this exact bike for about a year. Sold the stock wheels/tires and put on Winspace Hypers with GP5000 tires. I did that because I wanted to lighten the bike up a bit and just for cool factor. I also had to swap the integrated bar (sold the stock bar) because it had me too stretched out (forward bend in the bars did not help) and it was too wide, but that's not something I wanted to do. Ended up going with a FarSports integrated bar to shorten the stem and narrow the bars down. Love the bike and it's hard to beat the value. If I had to do it all over again I may have gone with Winspace build since you can customize the options as you build it, but it's hard to say.

Also, you can't fit a Garmin 1040 using the outfront mount that comes with the bike b/c there is not enough clearance and I can't find a mount that will work.

[chrisvanbuggenum]

I saw one of these in person a couple months ago and thought it looked pretty good. Looked it up and couldn't believe the price. As I'm broke, if i was in the market i would buy it due to the frame and ultegra di2 12 speed.

[cyclingfreak]

We have a Poly tandem that i retrofitted for racing and light gravel and I’m seriously looking at their gravel bike!

[grvl]

Great video! Polygon has quite the reputation in the MTB world. They seem to make top-tier bikes. The Aeroad comes in 7 sizes, not 4. :) Canyon is one of the few brands selling a 2XL size, because their founder is a really tall guy. Maybe not all sizes are available in the US?

[LukeRichardson]

Not a bad looking bike, and certainly a great deal, but man, as someone who has built his two bikes from bare frames and does all his own maintenance, I would NEVER want to own a bike with fully internal brake hose routing. Sure, it looks cool, but it strikes me as being far more trouble than it's worth both at the time of initial build up and in the long run.

[zypang]

Yeah you hauled pass him, but I love seeing how good of cyclists the average daily commuter is. He's got a backpack on, restrictive heavy jeans on, and he's just cranking up that hill. So many youtube videos about power meters and how to get faster and it's like Jet Li said, if you want to do something, it's repetition. Riding 5 miles 7 days a week is better than riding 35 miles once on Sunday. I tell people just get out there and do it, don't worry about performance, times, what matters is just doing some physical activity that gets the sweat going and HR up.

[AlexssandroPhoto]

Okay, an excellent deal, no doubt. But is the bike fast? What's the bike's temperament? I have a Cannondale Gen 3, after owning a few traditional bikes (Fuji, Specialized) and a Chinese open mold one (Twitter), which, believe it or not, was much faster than my current Cannondale.