The Xtrada 6 could be the best budget hardtail, BUT....
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- čas přidán 28. 12. 2021
- This Polygon Xtrada 6 could be the new KING of budget mountain bikes, but there's a few things holding it back...
CORRECTION: The Maxxis Ardent tires are wire bead and not tubeless ready despite what I said in the video.
Links to the parts seen in this video (affiliate links):
Polygon Xtrada 6 - bikesonline-usa.sjv.io/9W6N23
Polygon Siskiu D7 (yellow bike, my main) - bikesonline-usa.sjv.io/b3Bv3k
Vitus Nucleus VR US - tidd.ly/30UnS1c UK - tidd.ly/3rlcXsB
Schwinn Axum - goto.walmart.com/c/2888918/56...
To buy me a cup of coffee & support the channel: www.buymeacoffee.com/evansmtb...
For business inquiries: evansmtbsaga@gmail.com
If you'd like to send me something for a future video idea:
Evan's MTB Saga
PO Box 6498
Goodyear, AZ 85338 - Sport
One tier above is the xtrada 7 with thru axles, air fork, 30mm internal width rims and a 12 speed deore m6100 drivetrain for just $100 more
that sounds like a no brainer, 100$s is very much worth the upgrade
Make sure you're comparing the same year models. A 2022 Xtrada 7 is $200 more than a 2022 Xtrada 6.
@@sporadic29414 still worth it IMO. The 2021 Xtrada 7 is still better than the 2022 xtrada 6
@@miguelfragoso7023 yes, but the 2021 being out of production is not available in all sizes.
@@miguelfragoso7023 agreed
I love your videos! the quality gets better and better. Keep it up man
I've subscribed to this channel because your contents are very wholesome, it's very informative and gives me ideas to what to put on my mtb, I wish good luck on your channel...
I've been looking to buy a new bike lately and this is one of the options, this video helped alot thanks man!
Great video, this is one of my favorite channels to watch.
Your been killing it lately man high quality content hopefully you can make this a job your view count is crazy for mtb content
I have an Xtrada 5 & it has done great on the trails. I added a PNW Coast suspension dropper & it was money well spent!
I followed at 500 its amazing to see that your Is channel growing
Thanks for the review, Arizona too!
I've got an xtrada 5. I've ordered a 180mm front rotor. The grips come off easy with an air compressor and basketball needle. I've tried a couple of new grips. And I got flat alloy pedals, a bottle, underseat toolbag and a downtube protector. I'd like a higher rise bar too but decided to stop spending on it and save for a Siskiu T8.
i see the upsides/downsides. I had a qr axle break on my marlin 5 but i’m glad it comes with a nice drivetrain. seeing the nucleus go up so much in price, i think this is a great deal
i put a box four deraileur on my axum and i ahvent had the chain come off onec it is definitely the best bang for that buck and you are supporting an awesome company
Hey Evan, new subscriber after seeing you on the B1ker bar. Sounds like you really know your stuff. I’m gonna watch some more of your videos. Cheers!
Watched a few vids and I think this channel deserves a sub
Love your videos keep up the good work
I have xtrada 6, and everything has been really good, except wheels. Rear was coming untrue after every ride, but once i trued it and tensioned al spokes, it was all good. Oh, and also, rear freehub. I can't undo rear casette and freehub has play, but I'll be sending it back for a warranty replacement. I also broke my front wheel in a big crash, but i will be replacing it with more sturdy 30mm rims and dt swiss 350 hub that I'll be lacing together. So far, if you don't mind rear hub, bike has been really good. Been on to rocky trails, big drops to flat (1.5m - 4.5 feet) and also hard riding. It has survived everything, and I think it is great value!
Thanks Evan for another great video
Great to see the Rockbros pedals on show, such a bargain! I've got aluminium versions for my bike and they were about the same money! ridiculous!
Yess evan postedd letss goo great content love the vids
For people considering this bike. You can buy the 2021 xtrada 6 in a sand color for 800 while this mint green 2022 is 900. Or you can spend 20 dollars more for the 2021 xtrada 7 which is orgse which has a 12 speed drivetrain, boost thru axles front and rear and a suntour xcr air fork. I would spend that extra 20 bucks and grt an xtrada 7
Great info . Haven’t decided on bike but this helps
Bought one of these for my wife last Christmas. I put a dropper on it from PNW. I put Maxxis tires on it because the Entity tires were junk. I upgraded her pedals and grips right away.
I thought I would want to upgrade the fork but honestly the suntour coil fork is really fine. She ways about 100lbs so doesn't demand a lot from the fork. If I were riding this bike @ 220lbs I'd 100% put a different fork on it.
The one thing I suggest is get the hubs looked at my polygon premier 5 had hubs that were way too tight
Great content! I'm on a gt aggressor pro that I've pretty much maxed out on upgrades at this point cant do too much more to a hardtail that's non tapered and qr. Rip. i don't see too many differences between the xtrada and my upgraded gt outside of me having a Judy (great fork for the money). Great buy and even better gear range on the xtrada. Cant wait to bite the bullet in a year or two and go for a decent full suspension. Great video!
Definitely bite the bullet I went from my maxed out aggressor to a 09 s works enduro and slapped on full modern parts and now I keep up with brand new bikes on the dh. 26” wheels on the climbs suck tho
Quite a few wheel sets either come with or you purchase sepetatly, end caps to support QR axles.
You can also get wheels built up. You don't need to buy off the shelf factory buoy wheels. Call around to a few of your local shops to see what they charge to lace up a wheel set.
Yea. I have a really good report with our local bike shop. He "sponsors" me for races. Hes buily me 2 wheels already for my xtrada 5
Before I was able to procure my Ragley Big Al, I was going to grab one of these BUT the 27.2 is a Deal breaker. I have been running droppers on all my bikes since 2014. I mentioned this to them in 2020 on their IG post and they said they would speak to Polygon about it. But now the new bikes are here and no change. Strange that the FS bikes have the bigger seat tube. Entry level shouldn't mean "dead end".The frame has so many other good things about it. A good frame can be upgraded over time. Same with the Xtrada 7. Even with the thru axle rear, it still suffers from 27.2 seat tube. Great Vid Evan!
PNW Rainier 3 dropper. Problem solved
Happy new year’s
I came across this channel on The Biker Bar podcast. Cheers (subbed)
Upgraded my 6 with a rock shox recon fork and some tubeless maxiss tires. Added a dropper and it’s the bees knees
Nice! I want to do all of that on mine too
I've got an xtrada 5 that I've been pretty happy with, so far just.some cockpit tweaks for fit. The tires that came on mine are Deli Mizt, which have the most flashing left over on them that I've ever seen. Looks like my tires have mohawks. I think the flashing might outlast the knobbies lol
nice..i forgot you have the nucleus vr,i have the vrs its 799 i think when i got it so if i compare it to this bike,the vrs has air fork with 120 travel,deore drivetrain but 1x10..hmmm but now the vrs price just went crazy high…nice ride man and video,cant wait for more videos of you riding this one..
The orbea laufy for its price is extremely good as a beginning / advanced user all round bike. It has room for future upgrades that won't outdate the bike, dropper , room for fork travel changes I think 140-160. Hydro brakes in a decent rotorvsize , decent wheels and drive train etc. Lookingbat it as a long term investment literally all it'd need is your choice of tyres and pedals on n it'd be more than enough for most people
Polygon does really box bikes up well. My Cascade came in a box that FedEx beat up but the bike inside was fine.
👌nice rig for the price, I can't believe decent budget bikes are still coming stock with QR axles, had to upgrade my rear hub on the vitus nucleus, the free hub body is rubbish.
sweet evan! seems like a great hard tail
I bought my son a 24" Polygon Relic Evo and was very impressed with the packing and overall quality of the bike/value.
That is a bummer that the Xtrada has QR wheels as wheel upgrades offer some of the most impressive performance gains. If you did want to upgrade you'd probably have to do a custom wheelset, maybe lace new rims to the OEM hubs. Other than that, if you upgrade to a quality airfork that would be a killer starter hardtail. Under $1K is a great value.
The neucleus vr is actually 1088 bucks with shipping taxes and everything to the USA so you might as well get the 2022 xtrada 7 for 1099 with better drivetrain brakes cranks or get the 2021 model for 920 dollars which is the same as the 2022 as mentioned above
See you riding down Estrella Mountain Competitive Track. But wondering what trail exactly is the Saga Test Loop. Looks fun
Definately deserving 20k subs even 50k!
Nice, like I told @cure cycle, I've been putting my eye on this one, is the HT version of the D6 I had purchased for my wife. But need to sell a couple HT I have to make room for it
I got one of these for my son when he was 10, and it's been great. The 7 wasn't available here.
Straight away he got new alloy pedals and lock-on grips, and a comfier seat out of my spares bin.
Went tubeless somewhere along the way.
After a few months I got him some Judy forks and 180mm discs font and rear, and a wider Minion front tyre.
There's honestly nothing on this bike that would let the average beginner down. I got it knowing there would be a few upgrades along the way, but nothing was unexpected or particularly expensive.
He's absolutely ripping it up now and I can justify something better for him.
Likely a T7, and I'll give him bits off my T8 as I continue to upgrade.
There's no way we'll get rid of the Xtrada though, it's a brilliant wee bike, super light with smooth components and good brakes, perfect for ripping down the shops and running around town.
He's also got heaps of stickers from the local bike shops to make it _way_ faster than stock. And quite a few bits of unnecessary but mandatory anodised bike bling, mostly acid green, and a few bits of gold. Pretty fancy.
0:54 and 0:58 the d7 is just there chilling
As always love it broo,
Just send that to me here in Philippines if you dont want it anymore hahaha
I've had mine for about 4 months now, the bike was great though the rear hub bent within two weeks and the bottom bracket is super noisy. Overall, i have no other complaints and ive had a ton of fun with this bike!
I thought my bottom bracket was super noisy too. But it ended up being my quick release axle in the back. I tried loosening it a little (it was very difficult to undo the quick release). Once I did that and reassembled it, the noise that I thought was coming from the bottom bracket went away. May be worth a try.
I didn't grease it, but I may do that next
I've got the Xtrada 7 and I love it, but with only a $200 difference between the 6 and the 7, and you get thru axles, 30mm internal rims, and an air fork, it seems a little oddly spaced. At that price point to me being so close in price, for those three upgrade points it makes sense to choose the 7 every time over the 6.
At this point though, I've upgraded a lot of the bike:
- Versus Tires front and back
- PNW Handlebar + Loam Grips
- PNW Dropper Post + Lever
- Stan's Flow MK4 Rim (Rear rim taco'd on me, and you can't buy a replacement entity rim)
- Deity Deftrap Pedals
One thing I'll say though is that the saddle is great!
How would this compared to a trek merling 6
Great video, as always! I have the Xtrada 7 and absolutely love it. Mine came with tubeless ready 2.35's and 30mm wide rims. I have since set it up tubeless, put an Manic dropper post on it (the 27.2 post diameter is less than ideal) and I also put a 130mm X-Fusion Trace RC34 fork on it too, which is a welcome upgrade from the factory Suntour, especially on the chunky rock sections. It's a fantastic fork that utilizes my stock 15x100 non-boost front wheel. A boost front wheel would be nice, but for the money I dont mind too much. The Entity branded wheels that came on mine feel very high quality and have taken all the abuse I've thrown at them, so I'm happy.
The Xtrada 6 looks to be a solid bike, but for me I really wanted the thru axle of the 7.
The xtrada 5 is good too
Every time I see a video like this, I appreciate my Voodoo Bizango more.
hell yeah new upload >:)
Honestly really suprised with the weight of this bike especially with a coil fork as stock. Definitely a super solid bike,
also most thru axle hubs can be converted to QR pretty easily and cheaply if the hubs are the correct width
That bike seems like a blatant scam to me, i find it odd that for around half the price i bought my bike in the uk (voodoo hoodoo) with practically the same specs. Is there a reason why bikes are so expensive in America?
@@mazdarx-8rotary.97 well when did you buy your bike and are you going by usd? With the bike shortage right it's really not bad for the spec it comes with
@@purpleRider05 yeah i think my bike was around $600
@@purpleRider05 and by similar specs like they are exactly the same spec wise
@@mazdarx-8rotary.97 like i asked before, are you going bu usd because £600 is equal to about $845 usd
Try a marin, I got one for £700 with internal routing good tyres a 1x 11 nx drivetrain and 120mm air fork rockshox, really good deal
I’m from New England with his tons of granite slabs rocks and crazy roots. It looks so weird to see dry desert with cactuses and she could fall on and be stabbed multiple times with.
I love your videos the quality is 5/5 bueno.
I have the xtrada 7 and it has thru-axles and 30mm wheels. So far my only complaint is the the seat post diameter. I have the PNW Rainier which works great, but I’d prefer more travel.
I like it. Im 6'2 and have a size large frame, with the pnw rainer 125.
You can get a ranier in like 200mm
@@sethhuber25 125mm is max with 27.2mm
Well the thinner rims and 27.2 post diameter is a con, this is a xc oriented bike according to polygons description on the website so those tradeoffs aren't the worst thing in the world. Also xc riders tend to run shorter droppers fully extended so it's not to big of a deal, but I have a 34 inch inseam so it's a big deal for me and many other riders out there.
I have the xtrada 5, and im building it out. I already put rockshox judy rl forks and a pnw rainer dropper on it. I need a new drive train, as i have already wore it out
I have the xtrada 7. Nice frame but the air suntour fork was heavy and bad so I changed it for a Fox34. Changed the brakes to XT and the tires to 2.2 and 2.3 contis (cross king and mountain king). I also added a Rainer dropper post with 125mm of travel.
Dude that sounds like a bad ass bike!! Did you go with the 34s with Kashima?
@@EvansMTBSaga thanks. Originally I planned on getting a RS Reba (so I would not have to change the hub) but instead I got a 34 performance e-bike at Jenson for around 630 dollars and bought an SLX hub. The kashima was way out of my budget. I also changed the handlebar to a race face carbon and the stem to a race face turbine that I got out of my devinci troy. It was supposed to be a budget bike but not anymore hehe. Evidently I also replaced the grips for ODI Rogues.
Now that looks like our kinda bike👍.
Heck yeah you'd love it. Hope you get one soon!!
ay yo is wolftick squad
Nice video Evan but I’m sad because this isn’t a D7 video. I guess there isn’t much more you can do with the D7 upgrade wise. You should do a hub comparison.
Get like 6 hubs and test them out on the nuke proof wheels. You like spoke lacing right?
I'm very sad that the Nucleus has gone up in price so much, plus thr extra shipping, it's almost double the original price not including shipping! The Nucleus was my first pick for my next, bigger bike, because of its good components and very attractive price. I really hope that the price will come down eventually. Now my second vest budget pick is the Giant Talon, the $680 one with the great MicroShift Advent (9 speed 1x), but the biggest, glaring flaw with that bike is the fork. Nowadays, companies are going longer and longer in travel, but in the XS and S frame sizes, you get an 80mm fork. Yes, I repeat, a freaking 80mm travel fork!! Thats 2/3 of the travel of the Nucleus and the above Polygon. But you know me, if I get that bike, it'll get a 10]mm air fork eventually. My current budget hardtail has a SR Suntor XCM, 100mm, so even after a fork upgrade the Giant still would have equal travel to my current bike and less than the 2 other mentioned bikes (going 120mm on the Giant would mess up the geometry and stress the frame too much). Great vid Evan!
The xtrada 6 has boost hub spacing so you can use a through axle wheel converted to quick release
Yeah that is a nice bike... have a great day bro
Dang a chromatic bike? Can’t wait to see the build I’ve always loved chromags. Can’t wait till you hit your mark :)
For little more cash it's the Xtrada 7 with thru axle and better specs. A good experiment could be to install a 140mm good quality fork... 🤩
Your vid’s are great
Thanks Eli! That's my youngest son's name!
Yhe nice things:
Nice shifting Deore cassette, a Deore Rd with clutch tha tcan be disabled,
The nic etching with these brakes is the reach adjustment won't effect the power/how far the piston is pressed, so does not matter if you have short or long fingers you have the same power unline Deore with servoeave if it was you would have usless brakes if you had short fingers and powerful brakes with long fingers, cus piston can't be pressed as far cus there is no freestroke to counter act the servo wave mechanism.
I too would prefer tru axle.
Polygon is nailing it
I've had a pretty bad crash because a quick release axle came loose during a ride (it was tight when i left that day), the wheel flew out if the frame in a fast berm, did not end wel
I've never had a quick release skewer come loose but I tightened mine correctly bu tive worked on other people's bikes, I've seen spring son one side mad eibto a spagetti jammed into the dropout, qr on wrong side, and loose. So defenitly not fool proof. Some also lose the springs. A common mistake is to just spin the qr lever until it stops. But tru axle is easier to get right. For me both are quite easy. But issue sive experienced on bad hubs were loose cones, bearings wear hub axle bends, so you might think wheel is going to fall off, off even if it's not, not cus it's secured properly with the skewer lever. But the hub was a really ba dhub, it was FH-M475 they don't even have seals. So I wish that hub was gone from the market, but I see alot of bikes with these hubs, it's a very common hub, very common compromise. But that's for 135mm drop out bikes.
A compromise many bikes have is the hub, but hub engagement is important, many low budget bikes have so bad engagement it's annoying. But the Nukeproof wheels you got have good engagement.
great vid! ur tunes are always cool too . Can you say the tune ur playing at :56 plz? 🎶
Great video. I'm looking at the xtrada 7 which also has an air fork but I've read that it's not great. Is it going to be an issue upgrading forks on these bikes and wheels?
I think so because it's hard to find a good fork with a quick release. If you're only going to upgrade with a $300 fork, then the Xtrada 6 can work. Any fork costing more than $300 will have a through axle and then you'd have to swap hubs or front wheel
Picked up this bike for my son on first ride realized there's significant amount of travel before engagement from The hub so we're looking for an upgrade that would work with this bike? Or even maybe a new wheel set with a more responsive hub
Could you please review the Rocky mountain Soul 10? I would like to know your thoughts. Thank you :)
Or the Soul 20. I think they are the same frame and almost the same parts
Berm peak and ur vid same day let's go. Is this replacing the nucleus?
I'm thinking to buy the Xtrada 7 this month...
i keep thinking on what frame to look for but i saw a frame that has changable dropouts you can change it from qr to thru axle its mountainpeak ninja 2 i think
Your video are so great keep it up and you will be the new seth bike hack
I want a nice fat tire both in the back and front so there's some cushioning. Do you think I can buy a 2.3 or 2.4 in tire for this bike. I am little worried these tires might be too big for the rims.
I ride xtrada 6 2020. All doing greats.
Vitus , nukeproof , and a couple others are all pretty much owned by Chain reaction / wiggle and Hotlines Europe (all 3 company's owned by being the same company pretty much) they put a lot of prices up due to imports or brexit etc at silly rates like £400-500 per bikes on some ones.
PS: when is the group meet up ride at the saga test loop?
I have a box 4 8spd and I have never had any problems with it
Make a video about marin bobcat trail 5, please, i think is another great entry lvl bike for beginners!
I have an Xtrada 6 2021 and I didn't know that the wheels are tubeless ready, I must try run tubeless. Also the wheels are very weak I already have some dents.
No hablo mucho el inglés pero es entretenido ver tus videos :)
Gracias!!
What Specialized or Trek model is the Xtrada 6 comparable too? I am trying to understand how good a deal this bike is at $900.
i have another color of the xtrada 6 but i'm not sure that the wheels are compatible for tubeless ready but the model of the bike is 2022 and have the maxxis like your bike. do you know something about it?
I have this bike and have had problems with a loose cassette I am also trying to install a dropper post I’m not to sure what to do about the rubber ends on the frame I think they are called grommets I need to get new ones jus above the bottom bracket to route the cable and also a 2 way one so I can route the rear brake cable through the same way any help would be so much appreciated
You shod check out the 2022 Rock rider AM HARDTAIL, as it is £800 and has roxshox forks, 11 speed deore, thru axle front + back, dropper post, and sunringlé wheels. 100% the best budget hardtail
somthing confused me you said you were going to get the 2022 version when you replied to me. are you talking about the 2022 version of the vitus neucleus
The fact you actually got the bike from bikes online is the biggest bonus...
Sometimes shipping gets delayed, I've experienced that a few times. It's a bummer but the bike will eventually show up!
The Vitus Nucleus only has 100mm of travel if you get the 29in version. the 27.5in version has 120mm of travel
5:45 those pedals are only $12 here in Asia :p
FIY Xtrada 7 2021 comes with 30mm rims front n back.
can you do a video about the Canyon Grand Canyon 5 ?
Love it
A ghost nirvana tour base is also an incredible deal, 800$ new, comes with a full sx eagle 12s drivetrain, 120mm xcr air fork, mt200 brakes, a pretty nice frame, mt400 hub..
Hi I am looking to buy my first mtb and am choosing between xtrada 6 and nirvana tour base. How do they compare and which would you say is better
@@franament7075 Depends what you're going to use it for.. The ghost is more of an cross country bike according to the website, but I'd personally buy the xtrada for trail riding
@@ipexity5041 I ride a mix of light trails and road, hit a few jumps here and there
@@franament7075 Alright, I'd pick the xtrada because I prefer Shimano and also the frame and overall just looks better but the choice is on you
@@franament7075 I just noticed the xtrada has a coil fork, get the ghost if you prefer air forks
They make adapters kn amazong to make upgraded wheels quick release, for $20 you can get an adapter and scewer and run any higher end wheels you want
Not true. I just tried a 148 adapter and it doesn't fit 141 QR
My buddy wanted to get into mtb but the nucleus's were all sold out. Biggest issue I saw with the polygon was the 27.2mm seat post. I had the same thing on my 2017 Marin. It just limits you so much on droppers. I can't imagine doing less than 150mm these days.
Man last year the nucleus had a 120mm fork, front thru axle, and lower price. The bike shortage sucks. Shit $950 right now vs $650 last summer. Almost a 50% price increase. Bro $150 shipping?? It used to be $60 and they always had a $20 off code for new customers. That sucks to hear. I love my Mythique and someone in my family has last years nucleus and loves it.
The qr doesn't suck from wheels falling out. It just feels janky. Also if you don't get it to a really similar tension, I've had brake pad rub then you need to re center the rotor. It's like dropper vs standard seat. It's not that the old was bad or didn't work, the new is just all around better and you wouldn't want to go back.
depending on where you are trek might be interesting. I heard that a decent amount of shops in the US have marlins and X-Calibers in stock
@@bobvelting379 I'll keep that in mind for the future. Luckily he was able to find a giant talon in a shop not too far away. Those marlins keep looking better every year.
@@dylan-5287 yup trek is killing it with the budget-friendly and capable bikes this year.
giants are also very nice bikes for the money.
I got a trek top fuel incoming (but bike shortage is bad here in the EU so it will be coming somewhere in 2023)
Any recommendations on upgrading the rear hub to a better one on the nucleus? I wanted something with better engagement and ratcheting style. Can't find any options thats not half the cost of the bike. Thanks:) #sagasquad
I personally don't care for high hub engagement for mountain bikes, and that says a lot because I ran instant, infinite engagement for almost 10 years on my BMX bikes. I just don't think it benefits MTB that much, technique and planning your pedal strokes is more valuable that hub engagement. That might not be the answer you're looking for, but I appreciate the support Jestin!
@@EvansMTBSaga thanks for the fast response man and yeah it makes total sense.
@@BryanKeller724 the problem is my virus being a budget oriented bike seems like there's not much affordable option to upgrade (135x10). It would be nice to get slop out
IMHO, Issue with QR is stiffness, especially on 29er. Then tire clerance QR/142 vs 148mm.
Just wondering about rim inner width to tire width sizing: Would I be able to put 2.4 wide tires on a 25mm rim?
Yeah I'd say that's the maximum
@@EvansMTBSaga thanks