The Power – The Voima

**Stop Press! The Voima has been updated since its launch in June and is now even better. For more information check out the Voima product page here**

More is More™ A principle that we strongly believe in at Pole Bicycles. Our ethos is held firmly in function before form and form follows function. The Pole Voima (meaning Power in Finnish) is all of these principles coming together. 

The idea behind the Voima is simple; Ride up, along, and down faster. We worked hard to create a bike with better pedaling efficiency that had longer travel, the assistance of a motor, and a long-lasting battery range. It’s all about maintaining power transfer from our pedal motion to trail speed mechanically, not only from the assistance of the motor, and with the right suspension kinematics. Our modern suspension design allows us to make the most of pedaling efficiency without a loss of energy. Because of this, the Voima is the ultimate enduro, park bike, long-distance trail rig, and DH play bike all in one. 

The Voima has more power, more travel, and it can cover a greater distance. Sourcing the latest technology, we were able to create a bike that didn’t weigh over the odds and has more range and suspension travel. There are no compromises in terms of suspension kinematics, geometry, or how the bike rides either. Based on a completely new suspension platform – a design that has been tested across both bikes with and without a motor and battery. It has proven to be lively and active but without compromising on pedaling efficiency or suspension dynamics.

The whole point of an e-bike is that you can ride it seated or standing and the suspension remains compliant. An e-bike should also pedal efficiently without sacrificing the suspension sensitivity or feel.

The Voima has been designed as the truest form of what we believe an e-bike should be. We never benchmark against other bikes and the Voima is no exception. It is not based on an existing bike model with an e-bike motor and battery adapted into the original design either. It has been designed and created as an e-bike from the ground up. 

Developed in partnership with Matti Lehikoinen, the Voima has been tested, refined, and adapted over a two-year period. 

We have everything set here. This beast goes around corners like a snake and hucking to flat is just another day at the office. This bike is a fun machine at the local trails and it can keep up with the big boys at the bike park’s – holy crap it’s fast.

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What is More?

With 190mm travel front and rear, the Voima is also the only completely CNC machined and bonded 7075-T6 aluminum-framed e-bike in the world. We’ve also designed the frame to be dual crown compatible. 

Race tested and approved, we already have two e-bike race wins under our belt with the Voima and will soon complete the industry’s toughest EFBE safety testing in Germany. 

The Voima runs a Brose S Mag motor and BMZ V10 725W battery. We chose Brose because of the great power delivery without being overpowered. The motor is set completely inside the frame, sheltered from trail elements, a decision made after extensive testing of weatherability during design and development. As a comparison, we also tested the motor completely uncovered and exposed to the elements to make sure that connections between the battery and the motor lasted over a long period of time. The Brose motor delivers power naturally and effortlessly but still has 90NM of torque when it’s needed.

One of the most common problems we discovered during research and development in most e-bike designs was water penetration into the charging ports or poor connections between the battery and socket. So we’ve integrated a power inlet close to the head tube of the bike, not only to help ease of charging but also to prevent ingress from water and other trail debris.

And, it’s beautiful. Pole’s whole ethos is function before form, and form follows function. If that’s not beautiful, then what is?

SENSEI suspension

We designed the suspension kinematics for bikes that need room for a motor or a gearbox. SENSEI is versatile with different chainring sizes and pedals extremely well due to a virtual pivot point that hovers near the chain line. SENSEI suspension has a falling rate of leverage ratio (progressive) and a falling rate of anti-squat to keep the pedal feedback low. We have reduced the ground feedback significantly and brought more balance to cornering and jumps. The shock is mounted sideways to minimize the stress to the shock bushings and suspension works more effortlessly. The whole 190mm of travel can be used with an air shock or a coil shock and it is versatile for all sized riders.

As a result of our new suspension design, we have improved several things. Our anti-squat value is always ~100% in 30% sSAG with all gears unlike some other suspension designs, where the anti-squat value variation in SAG may vary significantly.

Our leverage ratio is 2.6 in dynamic SAG and that is where most of the shocks are at their best. The leverage ratio is within a falling rate so that we can get a smooth small bump feeling and a good pedaling and cornering platform in the mid-stroke. A falling rate leverage ratio gives a smooth ending-stroke without a harsh bottom out. We have optimized the leverage ratio so that the suspension has less ground feedback and it’s more pleasant to ride seated.

Made In-House in Finland

We’ve all at some point in the last 18 months had first-hand experience of the unique situation the cycle industry is currently in. Whether that is a 365 day lead time on a disc brake or having to wait 6 months for the latest frameset. At Pole Bicycles, we’re no exception to the same supply chain difficulties. The one thing we do have as an advantage is our ability to manufacture in-house, in Finland with our own CNC machinery. This puts us not only in a unique position in terms of developing and manufacturing framesets across our model portfolio, but we can avoid any unnecessary delays in production from a third-party manufacturer.

The Voima in not only its unique design and capabilities but also in the way we move forward in production. 

The Voima will be produced as a frameset only for the time being with complete builds coming later in 2021, early 2022 when the global supply chain levels out.  

We are also changing the way in which we pre-sell. The uncertainty globally has made people wary of putting large deposits against an order for products and we get it!  That’s why a 200 € deposit is all it takes to secure a Voima frameset. The deposit secures the frameset production slots.

In the future, our production lead times will be shorter and manufacturing much more efficient. Our goal is to have framesets available in stock as orders are placed. 

Geometry

A premium product without the Premium Price

Production is due to begin in Autumn, with only K2 and K3 framesets available on a limited basis. 

Framesets will cost an introduction price of 5490 € and complete builds coming in at 8490 € and will arrive in early 2022. The after the introduction price, framesets will be 5990 € and complete builds will be 8990 €.

There will also be an option to purchase BMZ batteries directly from us in the future.

As our experience of CNC machining has developed, expanded, and has been refined, we are now in a position to manufacture the Voima with lower production costs, which in turn can be passed onto the customer in the MSRP.

Order yours here

And E-biking is just another form of cycling. Bikes are fun, and e-bikes are bikes.