Review - January 31, 2019

Pole Taival Hardtail Review

Finnish company Pole have championed extremely long, low and slack bikes since day one and we were eager to see how the Taival hardtail would ride – would the longest stats in the test deaden the ride?

This bike is part of a group test: The best hardcore hardtail you can buy – 7 bikes in review

The Taival is made from heat treated 4130 cromoly steel and welded into a super clean looking frame with slim tubing and no external gussets. Pole has done everything they can to make the Taival’s rear end as vertically compliant and forgiving as possible: long and skinny seat stays are welded at the end of the top tube, rather than the seat tube which makes the seat stay longer and also gives more welding area for a stronger join with the slim tubing. Both stays are bridged horizontally but only vertically braced on the non-drive stays to prevent the tubes twisting under braking, while keeping things as supple as possible. The frame’s dropouts will work with either 142 mm or 148 mm hubs, great news if you’re building up a frame from your old parts before eventually upgrading, the stays have tonnes of mud clearance and the BB has an ISCG05 guide ready to clamp on your chain device.

Geometry of the Pole TAIVAL

Size	XS	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	420 mm	440 mm	460 mm	480 mm	510 mm
Top tube	587 mm	617 mm	650 mm	680 mm	790 mm
Head tube	135 mm	135 mm	135 mm	145 mm	145 mm
Head angle	64.5°	64.5°	64.5°	64.5°	64.5°
Seat angle	75.5°	75.5°	75.5°	75.5°	75.5°
Chainstay	432 mm	436 mm	440 mm	444 mm	448 mm
BB Drop	60 mm	60 mm	60 mm	60 mm	60 mm
Wheelbase	1189 mm	1223 mm	1261 mm	1295 mm	1319 mm
Reach	420 mm	450 mm	480 mm	510 mm	530 mm
Stack	648 mm	648 mm	657 mm	657 mm	666 mm

Riding the Pole TAIVAL

If you’re used to riding a modern enduro bike, climbing on board the Taival is instantly familiar. Centrally positioned with a stretched reach and long rear end, the Taival can be railed around corners or pointed straight down the fall line and the bike will remain planted and stable regardless of your speed. The roomy cockpit, direct response from a rigid rear end and long stays that stick the front end to the ground make for a bike that really likes to grind away up a fire road, if we could have one wish it would be for an even steeper seat angle to make steep technical ascents and tight switchbacks even more of a doddle. With all this traction and stability, it’s a surprise that it’s as nimble as it is; the front wheel comes off the ground easily and slow speed hops are no issue despite the time difference between wheels.

Both stays are bridged horizontally but only vertically braced on the non-drive stays to prevent the tubes twisting under braking, while keeping things as supple as possible. The frame’s dropouts will work with either 142 mm or 148 mm hubs, great news if you’re building up a frame from your old parts before eventually upgrading, the stays have tonnes of mud clearance and the BB has an ISCG05 guide ready to clamp on your chain device.

Conclusion

There’s no getting around that the Taival is a big bike but the Pole geometry is no longer the crazy outsider that it would have been just a few years ago. It retains the title of longest with a 1295 mm wheelbase but it’s neither the slackest or lowest in the test, the Pipedreams has as much reach, the Orange has longer chainstays and the same stack. Somehow, the Taival is greater than the sum of its parts; the compliant rear end combined with the balanced and stable riding position allows you to forget that you’re on a hardtail and ride lines as you would on your ‘big’ bike. The Pole Taival is the hardcore hardtail for riders who want to ride on the red line at all times.

Price: £600 frame only (£2500 for full-build as tested)

Strengths

Excellent all-rounder
Compliant rear end
Super stable at speeds

Weaknesses

Needs to be ridden fast to get the most out of the geometry

For more info head to: polebicycles.com

All bikes in test

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