2021 Polygon Cascade 4 Mountain Bike 27.5 from BikesOnline 

Donating a bike is a win win for everyone

Well a kevcentral video is the only upside to bring awake at 2.45am in the UK I guess.

The cable routing, straight steerer, and the incorrect size being sent feels a bit strange to me, but them telling you to donate the bike just makes me soooo happy. Small cut in profits, but they told you to do it without hesitation

So wholesome with the donation Kev, you aren't a shredder like Sam Pilgrim but I really appreciate your entry level reviews getting many new people into the sport!

This exact bike was a steal at $429 a month ago. I'm looking forward to your re-review of this bike when you receive the medium sized version. I'm always in anticipation of your next video. Thank you Kev!!!

I'd buy this just for the frame, beautiful with all white components

I bought this bike as a bike path, ride with the kids, guest bike and easy off-road bike trail bike to save miles on my Specialized carbon Enduro. I updated drive train to 1x 11 and love the bike. The only thing holding it back is the forks.

Them having you donate this bike makes me want to do business with this company in general when it’s time to get a new bike

Its like Christmas in March seeing videos every day. 5 in 5 is the best series yet.

The number on the tag is probably the trail rating in how rough of trails it is able to handle

Ahhh polygon! One of my favorite brands! I bought a Siskiu D7, and I absolutely love it! Thanks for reviewing that bike, cause I wouldn’t of known about the brand.

I always thought of this channel since you switched to bikes as a general bike channel and not really a "mountain bike" channel. As a mountain bike, I agree with you about 3x drive trains. That I am aware of, there are no 3x pro-grade mountain bikes. They don't make a whole lot of sense on an actual mountain bike. But a bike designed for paved trails, "light trail use" (by which they mean unpaved, but flat and hard packed dirt with maybe some loose thin gravel) and the street, a well made 3x is not a bad set up. The main negative of a 3x is that on cheap bikes, the front derailleur is inequity to the job and the crankset is heavy. You are obviously having an impact on the industry. I don't really want to see the industry move to 1x for their bikes thinking this is what people want on a general use bicycle. Most people buying these bikes are never going on the trails you go on, even as light as those trails appear to be. I have always thought dept store bikes should not have feature creep, but should concentrate on the features it does offer (but fewer of them) are of good quality. Take them from "mountain bike shaped objects" into bikes.

Hey Kev. I like the bike. It’s nice. However, I do think we are to the point where the bike shop bikes and the direct to consumer bikes in this price range really need a tapered head set. I completely agree with you when you say Schwinn has set the standard in this regard.

Kevcentral, you are killing it with this new series!! Appreciate your work, commitment and insight. Have fun playing with ideas with videos like this!

I bought this bike earlier this year and it’s a value for money . I really recommend people to buy this product .

This is the model of bike that i ride. I did get a size medium frame. It’s been great. A couple hundred miles of trail riding and zero issues. Never has dropped the chain on me.

I live in Indonesia and recently bought this bike here (Polygon is actually an Indonesian brand, not a house brand by bikesonline.com) new from a bike shop fully assembled and tuned for US$250 ... I just couldn't resist it at this price. I'm an old fart and ride easy trails. So, it meets my needs perfectly!

Omg yes! I've been looking forward to this review. Woohoo. Thank you for such great content!

nice review. i’d like to see you review the gravity basecamp 27.5 budget bike.

At first glance it is a quality MTB even if it has small imperfections such as the cables left on the outside, it has quality parts but also a pleasant design and color.

Great job getting these videos out. I love all the content to watch.

That $499 market is pretty competitive. I would think some people looking to start biking may decide to buy local (if available) due to the support of an experienced mechanic for any issues. Still looks like a decent bike to start with.

I have them same bike in L. Changed the front tire to a 27.5x2.5 and the rear to 27.5x2.3 maxxis set up tubeless.

Polygon Cascade series is considered upper tier entry level hardtail here in Indonesia. Polygon has an even lower tier entry level line called Monarch. From Cascade, you will be moving up Xtrada series. That should be next on your list to try because Xtradas have been selling like hotcakes lately.

I bought this bike for $419 2 months ago from bikes online. I have it fully upgraded now. I really enjoy it

One of the Best selling cheap bike in my country

I like the color. It reminds me of the mint green Bianchi uses. Cool paint aside, I would rather have a Schwinn Axum DP.

Yep, Entity is Polygon's house brand. In its home country, this bike is priced around $260.

Kev I think with this specific headtube you could convert it to tapered with a special bottom cup.I think cane creek makes one

Got the cascade 3 back in February and im loving it so far!

I can tell you what the class 3 means. Its 2 things. 1. Polygon's way of rating bikes. Class 1 is city bikes, class 2 is road bikes, class 3 is gravel and beginner mountian bikes with open dropouts, class 4 is 100mm-140mm through axel mountian bikes. Class 5 is 130-180mm full suspension bikes, and class 6 is DH Bikes. 2. It also means the bike category standard. 1 is smooth paths, 2 is dirth paths, 3 is rough dirt paths, 4 is downhill trails under 25mph and under 1m drops. Class 5 is downhill trails over 25mph and over 1m drops. Hope this helps!

Insera Sena the Indonesian manufacturer that owns the Polygon and Marin brands is a huge player in the UK market. They supply many bikes to Halfords in the UK who have about 40% of the UK market by volume for bikes. I think they have made many of the Voodoo (licensed brand in the UK), Boardman and Carrera mountain and hybrid bikes. They seem pretty decent and the Calibre Bossnut is a bike sold by Go Outdoors also supplied by Insera Sena. I think Insera Sena are the best bike manufacturer on a quality vs price ratio currently in the world. I'd have no hesitation buying a Polygon bike. That bike doesn't have my choice of entry level components but is at least a real mountain bike, no crappy freewheel etc, everything there is fit for purpose to get you going properly off-road. Personally I'm too old and stupid to have to think about the chainline on a 3x8 drivetrain. If I'm going off-road my brain needs a 1x setup, nice up and down gearing so my mind is focused on the trail.

i bought an xtrada 5 for my daughter and upgraded it to 1x, epixon fork, KS dropper, funn cockpit, and more. killer bike, so happy with the upgrades. i am biased towards polygon as i have been riding a siskiu T7 since February that i love.

That's awesome bikesonline said to donate it when your done. Commuting by foot at the moment. Can't wait to get a mtb so I can ride! Great review. Good info thanks brother.

Love the color

Decent bike for the price. Semi integrated head tube is adaptable to tapered forks. So it could be a bike to learn on and grow with.

My cousin got this bike for $350 that’s an absolute steal for a bike that’s trail worthy he’s very happy with it. And I am super excited because I just snagged myself a mongoose dolomite alx so as soon as it comes we’re going shredding

my friend got one of these for $349 on sale (although it was an open box one they sometimes sell at bikesonline) and for a while, they were even down to $289. this bike goes on sale all the time, and it is a great bike for anyone who can deal with some of the downsides.

Wow...the fact that it comes with a cassette rather than a freewheel and an 8 speed trigger-shifter is a great game-changer. Should be able to convert to a 1x8...say 32T up front, and 40T or 42T in the rear...all set for $100 or less

In here cascade 4 is $300, an entry level aim for commuting and light trail. It get tourney drivetrain. Those hydraulic brakes were new update, previously was tektro mech brakes. And for the awkward cables maybe due to excess cable length. We brake on the wrong side, left for rear and right for front. and for $499 it will get premier 5 which had 9x2 acera/altus drive train and tektro hydraulic brakes, xcm hlo fork 120mm tv.

I have this bike and while i am about as unexperienced as riders get i have not had any problems with it

The class is referring to ASTM classification. Many serious MTB's companies give a classification to inform what the bike is capable at and intended for.

Nice bike, but i was hoping for a D7 full suspension.......still a great video.....again.....thanks Kev

I would love it if YT would notify when me that Kev uploads a video...I have the bell on, what gives? Anyway, what day are we on in the 5 bikes in 5 days? Good work Kev, it must be hard to bang out 1 video everyday for 5 days!

I was looking at the Polygon bikes on Bikes Online tonight and saw a good deal on a Premier 5 in my size. Came here to my favorite RU-vid bike guru for a potentially positive review of the bike I’m interested in or at least the Polygon brand.

Dope review

I've been waiting for this one

Helped a friend assemble his Siskiu T7, over all the bike seemed ok. Was however disappointed by the sloppy cable routing. Additionally, the bike did seem in some way kind of flimsy , hard to explain like maybe the tubing walls were thin. I think these bikes are a good value but also may be just that value bikes. As a mechanic I recommend having your local bike shop help with the assembly and keep in mind how little you paid if you decide to really push these bikes.

Well, I see it as $599 right now. And I'll find out soon what I think of it. Hard to find much in the way of an available bike out there right now.

Same bike I have, but large frame and a 1x11 with shimano deoure derailleur. I'm very happy with it.

I would prefer my CO-OP DRT 1.1 to this bike, it retails for $50 more, but with an REI coupon we got it for $500, the same price as this bike (fine, fine, $0.01 more if you want to be REALLY nit picky). The DRT 1.1 (27.5") weighs in at a whole 2 pounds lighter than the Polygon, has a SR Suntor XCM fork with pre load adjustment, it's fine for easier trails. Looking at the drivetrain, it's equipped with a 3x7 Shimano tourney, which to be honest, does a poor job on actual trails. My unit has shifting issues, even after having it adjusted a REI 2 times. Tire-wise, the DRT 1.1 come wrapped with Kenda Kadre tires (stole a line there form you Kev), and Tektro hydraulic disk brakes take care of stopping the bike, paired with 180mm rotors in the front, and 160mm in the back. These brakes do a great job at stopping this bike. I like this bike a lot, in my opinon, the biggest downfall of this bike is the drivetrain (at least on my model). Chain slap is abundant, and before the second adjustment, I was dropping chains after 2-3" jumps! However, I made a simple DIY chain tensioner (lots of tutorials on YT for it) out of the rear reflector that came with the bike, and it helps significantly. I think that the DRT 1.1 offers a little bit better value than the Polygon, but they are both great bikes. Also, you just can't beat the paint finish on the DRT 1.1 IMO, it looks gorgeous in person. The light matte blue with the tiniest bit of purple or white has people telling me how good it looks. Thanks you for the great review Kev!

I bought a Polygon S7 last summer. I got a small frame, and my chain was also delivered to long. I forgot how many links I removed from it. My bike came with corroded wheel rims, and spoke nipples. They did replace the wheels, but.. it took some time. (I believe it was most of a month before I got wheels that were in good shape.) That said, I did not pay anything for shipping. The website says the bikes are all assembled and setup before they're shipped.... and I suspect that's not the case. If my bike had been assembled and checked like their website stated I wouldn't have had to do two full turns on the RD, set the trims on the FD, or shorten the chain. Really though, any bike I receive that "I" haven't setup, or I haven't watched the tech set it up, is gonna need most of that. So, enough complaining. The bike was shipped excellently. The packaging was great. And they used real foam blocks, and velcro tie straps. You could, reasonably, re-pack the bike exactly as it came. My bike also came with a tool kit, that included all the tools to assemble it, and even a torque wrench! (that impressed me) I am happy with the bike I have. I'd probably buy from them again.

Compare to the Nishiki 29" Colorado Dick's Sporting Goods used to sell. It was made by GT!

I was curious about what was in the BO box as I got a D5 last December, which I like a lot. I got it with intent to upgrade to 1x10 and air fork (parts are on hand) rather than the D7, since I like the D5 colors better. Plus I caught the upgrade bug from a certain someone. Keep up the good work!

I ride with the 7 speed tourney nad the way I avoid chain drops even through mild technical terrains is by placing the gears up front and back to the largest ring sprocket. it doesn't even slap against the chain stay

Another nice bike, but the Small frame being sent to someone that they KNOW is going to review the bike on RU-vid for thousands of viewers to see...well that makes me wonder how much attention that they actually pay to those kids of details. The cable lengths would also drive me crazy. Other than that, a pretty decent looking bike and a good, solid review. Thanks, looking forward to the rest of the videos in this series.

The class 3 is bicycle category by polygon..its on the brochure i got.. where the class 1 is city bike and kids bike and class 6 is dh bikes or slopestyle bikes..

Hey Kev,I have a Cascade 3 and was wondering what budget fork you would recommend? I do some of the same riding like you do but I don’t know which was to go or even what site to order from..I previously upgraded the crankset and put an oval chainring on it with Wake bars and stem..thank you for the awesome content!

Ive not gotten to ride a Polygon yet but based on reviews and my own personal opinion of price and value Ive steered a lot of people into looking at them. Very common bike to see around too.

Brilliant review, Kev! Had to pause the video to take a closer look at the rims, might want to show that a bit longer. And yeah, tension on that RD cage is inappropriate.

Hey that’s the same bike I have Love that thing even with maxxis minions

That straight head tube is oversized. Not sure why you didn't catch that but you can easily run a tapered fork in it.

iirc the "3" tag indicates that it is rated for jumps up to 2 ft in vertical drop, at it's stated maximum system weight, for a minimum number of cycles.

Upgrade the rear cassette with a 36T if the XT can handle it, if not maybe adding an extension can help or upgraded the derailleur to a long cage.

I would have got the premier 5 but still good bikes

Unfortunately they sent you a small instead of the medium But all and all this is a pretty darn good bike And from what I'm looking at it's actually for the price of it anyways that you mentioned it would be on par if not better actually what can I say it's actually a whole lot better than the GT that my cousin just got for 447 or something like that with a straight tube I think it was a 80 mm front suspension and he's already upgraded the pedals and from what I'm seeing this is actually a lot better

How quick things change. This is $599 now, but the others are up maybe more. I may get one because it's the only thing I've found in stock. LBS are bare

Right now the Cascade 4 2021 model is on sale for $419.00! Contemplating on getting this 2021 model but I already have 5 bikes (not high end) in my stable. Maybe sell 2 then get this one and transform it to a touring/bike packing bike.

That is a good looking bike. Love the color.

Kinda crazy to see how prices inflate. $429 a few months ago, the same bike just not the mint color is now $599

That is a killer bike. Gorgeous bike.

makes the al comp look all that much sweeter!!

Bikes online is a cool company

Great review, Kev. You should start calling out those exposed shifter/break cables too. Its always been such a stupid idea and I wish manufacturers would stop doing it.

I bought the 2020 Cascade 4 (the black/red/green colorway) last spring and I broke the frame a few weeks in. Very small drop, maybe I landed at a bit of an awkward angle, but I don't think there's any excuse for the chainstay and seatstay on the right side to completely snap. Luckily the tire just rubbed against the frame and slowed me down immediately and I wasn't going all that fast. Bikesonline was very helpful with the return but I've been skeptical of polygon's lower level bikes since. I moved on to a gt aggressor pro and avoid riding it too hard. I've been riding bmx a lot lately and i think its time to get on a nice mtb. I'm now saving up for something a little more premium, any recommendations for a 27.5 full suspension trail/all mountain bike under $2000? Love the videos, keep up the great work!

i was subscribed to you but i didnt ring the bell. i fixed that. i jsut bought this bike and i just remembered i have no idea how to put it together lol. also your box is way nicer than mine lol

You don't see that color of frame at the local trails.

Would it be possible for you to review the 2021 Polygon Siskiu D7? From the looks of it, it seems to be an even better bike for the money and it would be interesting to see what you think of it compared to the 2020 model.

looks like it might be able to fit an ec49 or ec44 lower headset cup for a tapered conversion! Great videos as always kev

For me, if it was a large frame bike it was almost be perfect!!! I would switch out the tires with Serfas Drifter. And it would have to be a 29er!!! Now a lot of people are talking trash about the 3x drivetrain. I for one ROYALLY hate the 1x on road rides, when it comes to trails it is ok, BUT NOT ON THE ROADS!!!! IN FACT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A 3X12 DRIVETRAIN SOON!!!!!!!!! YES, 3X12!!!! I SAID IT!!!!!

Looking forward to buy this bike soon

The long awaited

Definitely not shipping mistakes. not getting what it says on the box is illegal the manufacturers could face jail for it. my uncle did to years for liquid sweetener when you were supposed to get granule sweetener real sugar

Great bike for the Price, that derailur works fine as well

29r will provide better experience and handling while offloading

Hi Buddy, hi from India. I was planning to buy Polygon Cascade 2 so just wanted to understand information on a few points. So if you can provide you inputs, that would be great. 1) How do you feel is the gear shift ? 2) How was the performance of suspension on off-roading ? 3) Is the handlebar and saddle stem made of alloy?

Great review. What do you think about Jamis Trail X - A2?

Is that a 44mm headtube? Does the 44mm allow you to run a straight 1 1/8" steerer until you upgrade and then it'll accommodate the tapered 1 1/8" - 1 1/2" standard with just a change of the lower headset? I feel like this is a standard that not many people talk about as being really flexible allowing you to run an older fork if you want or the newer tapered standard. It seems really flexible to me? Thanks for the great review!

I bought this bike (XL size) so far so good for daily use yes its need a chain guard. And further the cables are too long. But overall its a good bike for daily rides..

After watching these videos I’ve realized that buying a used good quality bike is way better than buying these bikes you can get a used specialized rockhopper for 300 with better components

I'm kinda disappointed. If the frame had a tapered headtube and all else remained the same, someone new to mtb and on a budget would've been perfect for this as they could upgrade. But no one's gonna upgrade to another straight steerer fork.

i reallly wanted this bike in october of last year but they were sold out for a while...went with a motobecane instead...couldnt be happier with it, especially after seeing this...but i badly wanted this bike

Waiting for this Bike for the last 3-4 months but stock are unavailable...😑😑 NW It's priced also increased 😭 So do some specifications, but it will be better with internal cable routing & Acera in the back 👍🏽

It would be a good starter bike with an upgrade path to boot. The Walmart bikes are an improvement over previous years, but would be a stretch for someone shorter. I kinda like the color scheme on this bike, most "framesets" are boorish one color schemes.

And he does have to have a small and the tires did come with a 27.5/2.10 3x8

That was awesome They let you donate the bike to your friend thumbs up 👍

Kev, Have you looked at the Huffy Marker? Looks like an interesting bike. Full suspension, tapered headset, front disc brake, etc. I'd love to see a review! I'm not sure if walmart carries them, but my local Meijer (regional target type store) has several. I've seen other retailers start carrying this bike as well.

I'd like to see a review of the Gravity basecamp v7. Only a 7 speed but looks to have potential.

Way to go getting a bike to someone who needs it!

I got one because my old bikd got stolen. It worked great for a quick fix. And good for a start. In Start CT groton.