2024 eMTB SHOOTOUT

POLYGON COLLOSUS N8E REVIEW

A LOT OF BANG FOR $5k

Photos by Max Rhulen & Dusten Ryen
Video by Brian Niles / Treeline Cinematic

Polygon is a brand that knows a thing or two about delivering great performance for the money, so we were interested to see how their Collosus N8E would stack up against the four other eBikes below $6k in our 2024 eMTB Shootout. Having enjoyed the performance of the Collosus N8E in the past, we had an inclination that it would fare well, and weren’t disappointed as it comfortably handled the punishment during our time at Howler Bike Park.

2024 EMTB SHOOTOUT SERIES – The Polygon Collosus N8E was one of 14 eBikes that our staff thoroughly tested with absolute objectivity in mind. From different types of riders to terrain, our goal is to present the best and most honest information possible to help you make your best decision. Of course, we’d love to thank Fox Racing and Schwalbe Tires for being invaluable partners to this series and making it happen and to Howler Bike Park for hosting us for our testing.

QUICK HITS

• 160mm IFS 6-Bar Suspension
• 29” Wheels
• Shimano EP801 Motor
• 630Wh Shimano Battery

Price: $4,999 – $5,199

WE DIG

WE DON’T

ABOUT THE POLYGON COLLOSUS N8E

FRAME AND FEATURES | The Collosus N8E is an aggressive Enduro eMTB, featuring the same 160mm travel and 29” wheels on both ends across the size range. Polygon says the Collosus N8E will happily accept a 170mm eMTB rated fork up front if desired. The frame is made with their top-spec ALX aluminum. This combines triple-butted 6061 tubing with complex forgings to minimize weight and keep strength where required, and is heat treated for improved durability.

The 160mm of rear travel is delivered with Polygon’s IFS (Independent Floating Suspension) 6-bar suspension design, which allowed them to tune the axle path, anti rise and anti squat separately. There’s full internal cable routing to give clean looks, with bolt-on ports on the headtube and easy access by removing the battery.

Within the front triangle there’s room for a 450ml water bottle, which Polygon includes. Up at the headtube there are inbuilt bumpers to prevent the fork crown contacting the downtube in a crash, which doubles up as stopping the cables getting damaged from the bars twisting.

DRIVE UNIT AND ELECTRONICS | Polygon opted to go with the latest Shimano EP801 drive unit for the Collosus N8E. This delivers up to 600W peak power with 85Nm torque and tips the scales at a respectable 2.6kg. Power is delivered to the EP801 drive unit by an integrated removable 630Wh battery. This battery is also made by Shimano, ensuring the best dealer support and likelihood of spares availability around the world should you encounter an issue. This integrated battery can be removed along with the attached downtube guard by inserting a 4mm allen key, making for quick battery swaps and easy maintenance.

Shimano’s EN600 switch allows the user to turn the system on and off from the handlebar, avoiding the need to equip the bike with a dedicated button on the frame. The rider can use this to toggle between the different power modes, use the walk assist function, and to cycle between different displays on the E600 display.

GEOMETRY | The majority of the Polygon’s geometry is fairly typical of an enduro eMTB, however there are two figures which stand out. The 435mm rear end is very short for an enduro eBike, and the bottom bracket sits at 35mm below the axles with a low 345mm static height. A short 160mm crank helps to keep the pedals off of the floor for the climbs, but it’s certainly still a low bike once sagged.

BUILD SPECS | Polygon is offering the Collosus eBike in the N8E and N8XE specs, at $4,999 and $5,199 respectively. There’s a notable upgrade to the spec with the extra $200 of the N8XE build, though the N8E build we tested still packs undeniably impressive spec for the price tag.

Suspension duties on the N8E are handled by Fox, with their 38 Performance fork and a Float X2 performance shock. Both are air sprung for easy setup and lighter weight, and feature low speed compression and rebound adjustments to help you get the performance dialed in to your liking.

Taking a look at the drivetrain, there’s a Shimano XT shifter, derailleur and crankset, with a Deore 12 speed cassette featuring Hyperglide + shifting technology. The braking is provided by a pair of Shimano XT 4 pot brakes, with 203mm Ice Tech rotors on both ends.

Polygon opted to use the Trans X dropper post, which uses the very common JD internals. Small and Medium sizes get a 150mm drop unit, whereas the L and XL get a 170mm drop. The cockpit is by Polygon’s in-house brand Entity, with a 35mm diameter alloy bar and stem.

Entity also provides the XL3 double wall alloy rims with a 35mm inner width, laced to Shimano hubs.These were wrapped in a pair of Schwalbe Magic Mary Super Gravity Addix Soft 2.6” tires as standard, however we switched them out to our 2.4” versions of the same that we were using as our control tires for this shootout.

With these 2.4” Schwalbe Magic Mary tires fitted, our Polygon Collosus N8E tipped the scales at a relatively heavy 56.5lbs (25.6kg).

THE DIRT – RIDING THE POLYGON COLLOSUS N8E

SETUP | Polygon gave the Collosus N8E a balanced geometry package with no real outlying numbers to shout about. The size Large tested did have a fairly long reach at 490mm, but with a relatively compact rear end and fairly upright seat tube angle, it proved to be manageable.

Getting the Polygon’s suspension dialed in was an easy task, with 30% sag at the rear shock and a touch more air pressure in the fork than Fox’s recommendations leaving our crew in a happy place. The cockpit was reasonably comfortable, and the only complaint was that we’d love to have seen a longer dropper post to maximize clearance for the steep descents that this bike thrives in.

ELECTRONICS AND INTEGRATION | The Shimano EP801 system was not the most cleanly integrated in the Polygon, similar to the Ari Wire Peak. The aluminum casting used to mount the motor featured some edges that didn’t follow the drive unit shape particularly cleanly, and the non color-matched battery cover stood out against the brown frame. Polygon’s decision to spec Shimano’s EM-600 controller was a wise one, removing the need for a separate power button located on the frame.

The EP801 drive unit was a solid performer, now sitting alongside the Bosch in most aspects. The Polygon felt to run quietly with the frame helping to contain the noise of the drive unit fairly well. With an official 630Wh Shimano battery, replacements for the Polygon should be the most easy to find in a pinch. Shimano’s E-Tube App allowed for the BOOST mode to be turned up to full power quickly, allowing us to create a level playing field.

The 630Wh Shimano battery in the Polygon Collosus N8E offered comparable range to the other batteries in this group with similar capacities. The 630Wh size should offer most riders a comfortable range to ride for 3 to 4 hours, but of course this will depend on a wide variety of factors.

CLIMBING | Compared to the other bikes in the sub-$6k area of this year’s eMTB Shootout, the Polygon was not the most competent climber, but it performed okay. It out-dragged the less powerful EP6 drive unit featured in the Ari Wire Peak, but in technical climbs it could be a handful. The short rear end required very purposeful weight transfer over the bars when the climbs got steep. The pedaling platform was fairly well balanced, giving reasonable traction and comfort without being overly inclined to sink into its travel with every stroke. Combining its fairly high weight with a supple suspension platform, navigating technical steps and performing dynamic movements were more difficult on the Polygon than many.

DESCENDING | When the gradient tipped downwards, the Polygon Collosus N8E started to come into its own. The geometry offered a balanced compromise, with plentiful high-speed stability yet a hint of playfulness retained thanks to the reasonably short chainstays. The suspension platform was quite plush and comfortable, but with some notions of liveliness and agility retained to prevent Polygon’s E-Enduro machine from being reserved to ground-hugging activities only.

Mellower descents were not the Polygon’s strong suit, where pumping didn’t offer quite the same rewards as on some of the more supportive bikes. Similarly, it required more effort to make quick line changes and transition from corner-to-corner.

The spec delivered by Polygon for the cheapest eBike in our 2024 eMTB Shootout were very impressive overall. At right around the $5k mark, receiving a Fox suspension package and Shimano’s XT drivetrain and brakes was much appreciated, and they performed well as expected. The burly 35mm inner width rims provided by Entity held up fairly well, but added notable heft to the bike.

FINISH AND VALUE | As the cheapest bike in this year’s eMTB Shootout, you would be forgiven for expecting the parts spec on the Polygon Collosus N8E to be poor quality, but that was not the case. The frame didn’t offer up the highest quality notions, but when riding it there was little to say that it was in any way cheaply made or of low quality. It ran fairly smoothly and quietly, just with notably increased weight compared with the 4-6lb lighter bikes such as the Pivot Shuttle LT or Orbea Wild. With $5k left in your pocket though, it’s easy to forgive a slightly higher weight overall.

With the Collosus N8E, Polygon once again delivered an impressive bike for the money. If we were looking to buy a Collosus at RRP though, we’d look to save the extra $200 and pick up the even better spec’d N8XE.

The Wolf’s Last Word

If you’re working with a $5k budget and seek a capable and comfortable E-Enduro rig, then the Polygon Collosus is a very solid offering. Aside from minor gripes with the quality of the finish, and a slightly high overall weight, there’s little to complain about from this machine.

WHO’S IT FOR?

E-Enduro riders on a budget. The Polygon Collosus N8E is a solid all-round eBike and offers some impressive performance for its price tag. 

Price: $4,999
Weight: 56.5lbs
Website: polygonbikes.com

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 eMTB SHOOTOUT SPONSORS

Without their support, we would not be able to make this series possible.

FOX RACING

SCHWALBE TIRES

HOWLER BIKE PARK