Justin_vikkela-first-ride_01

The first customer! Vikkelä has landed in the UK!

A regular racer to grace the steps of the British PMBA Enduro race series, Pole Bicycles customer Justin has just taken delivery of his Vikkelä – the first one in the United Kingdom! We think the summary of his first ride speaks for itself (and his smile!);

“I have the Vikkelä – Initial review
Me – 5’7” (172cm) Enduro Racer and Bike Park Whore…….
ZEB Ultimate 190mm / Super Deluxe Air 190mm – 170mm AXS Dropper with 165mm Cranks.


I just wanted to share my initial thoughts on the Vikkelä.
These are my own thoughts good or bad based on my needs only. I’ll detail the initial order process and findings after three rides.

THE ORDER
My initial order was in November when it went live and we were told mid-December shipping.


Pole was great throughout the whole process and kept me up to date.
The bike was shipped on Friday the 30th of December and delivered on Tuesday the 3rd of January (Not bad with two bank holidays)

I opted for the DHL express service which was more than worth it and super-efficient.

THE BUILD
I’ve gone for the K2 frame, based on my size and my punctilious attention to geometry and riding style. I’m a big hitter with an aggressive style so wheelbase on the tight stuff is not an issue for me. The bike is fitted with Pole Race Axles.

The bike fits me perfectly. The build was no different from any other build and it all went together very easily.

Unique spec – I’ve gone with SQ Labs 12-degree back sweep bars which really put me in the sweet spot and a 35mm length (31.8mm clamp) stem – The feel from these is unreal.

THE RIDE
I set the bike to 28% sag front and rear and set off. The initial riding position was a bit alien being 80% but with a few tweaks, I found the right position.

The K2 feels familiar to my Medium Forbidden Dreadnaught (FD) in terms of cockpit space which is good. Plenty of room to move around. The bike feels planted and solid from the get-go.


CLIMBING 
It is a great position for climbing and yes it goes uphill really well, technical climbing is awesome as the bike makes so much grip. The only negative I can report is flat fire road climbs but that’d due to the amount of sag you run, it’s a bit sluggish and numb here but no drama.


DESCENDING
Wow – The bike just comes alive when you point it downhill.
I was worried about the rear end having come from the FD with the high pivot and rearward axle path, but I’ve not noticed any difference. The bike handles the chunk incredibly well.

The suspension platform is so stable and predictable which is what I like. The Model Year 23 ZEB need a standing ovation they are epic paired with this bike.
The first thing I noticed was the turn-in. Bonkers !!!

Hitting a berm I know well I ended up blowing the corner due to the speed the bike tips in. I literally ended up on a different line than I expected.


After a few more corners I started to understand the handling and adjusted accordingly (recalibrating my brain to work faster) The side-to-side movement is like nothing else I’ve ridden and it makes cornering unbelievably fast. You can pull the bike from side to side so fast, it’s like a fly changing direction. You need to think fast as the bike seems to anticipate what you are about to do, and does it before you normally would if that makes sense.

Hitting chunk, the bike is on another level. You feel absolutely everything but in a good way, you are fully connected to the ground and feel exactly what it’s doing.
I’ve not had this feeling from any other bike, it makes you push into it harder, it’s immense.

I normally run coil shocks as I like the initial supple feels off the top, this bike gives you that feel with the amount of sag it’s running and the kinematics/geo. I can’t see myself fitting a coil as the 23 RS-SDU is epic. I was hitting rough stuff much harder than I normally would but with a huge smile on my face.

The bike is spookily stable and you don’t think for one minute that you’re on a 190/190mm bike uphill or down. It just feels right.

The Pole Race Axles feel just right in terms of compliance, I would not want the bike with any more flex on the rear.

The only thing I will say, and it’s not negative, but noteworthy is the bike likes to be pushed. If you back off it does feel a bit ‘laggy’ but I only have one speed and that’s flat out so the bike suits me perfectly!

As I say, these are my initial thoughts after three rides at my favorite Trail Centre. I can’t wait to get it to some ‘PROPER’ places. I’ll update you when I have.”