Polygon is a major bike manufacturer based in Indonesia that's expanding its global footprint, with its bikes also available through Go Outdoors in the UK and Bikesonline in the US.
Polygon has been making bikes since 1989 and sells a complete range of road bikes, mountain bikes, gravel bikes, BMXs, dirt jump bikes, urban and electric bikes, and kids’ bikes.
Unlike many better-known bike brands, Polygon still doesn’t contract out its manufacturing.
All of its alloy and steel bikes are made in its state-of-the-art factory in Indonesia.
This means Polygon controls all the steps in bike production, from design to the finished product, and can ensure the highest quality standards.
Many steps in frame production are automated, with robotic machinery cutting cable ports, for example. Polygon’s welders are apprenticed for six or more years to become proficient in assembling its frames.
Polygon looks to reduce its environmental footprint by minimising the use of plastics and ensuring the materials it uses are recyclable. It has installed solar panels to help provide some of the electricity it uses.
Here’s a look at the steps involved in making a Polygon bike.
Building the frame
The first step is to cut the bike’s tubes to size and form them to the shapes needed.
Polygon uses lasers to cut the tubes precisely and more quickly than conventional techniques.
Cut tubing is then matched and chamfered for uniform shaping so that it can be welded together easily.
Cutting leaves the tubes needing to be cleaned and freed of surface oxidation, which could interfere with the welding.
They are next dried, ready to braze on any additional parts such as cable stops.
At this point, the tubing has still not been assembled into a frame. It undergoes another washing stage to ensure there are no surface contaminants.
Only now can the frame tubing be welded together, with the front and rear triangles assembled separately. The alignment of the front triangle is adjusted, because welding can cause slight deformation.
The front and rear triangles are next welded together, then visually checked to catch any defects.
All frames are heat-treated in a tank of liquid at 535°C for 45 minutes. The frame is then rapidly cooled in an electrolyte solution at room temperature to stabilise the frame’s geometry, which is again checked and realigned.
There’s another round of heat processing after this to increase the frame’s stiffness and strength, with frames placed in an oven for four hours at 200°C.
It’s now time to ream the frame and cut threads for bearings.
Polygon uses CNC cutters for precise alignment of full-suspension MTB pivot points.
There’s a final inspection of the finished frames before they are phosphate-treated to help guard against corrosion and ensure a long service life.
Frames may also be chosen at random for additional tests to ensure they meet Polygon’s specifications.
Painting the frame
At this stage, the raw frame is ready to be painted.
Again, Polygon has meticulous, multi-stage processes to ensure this takes place to specification in the paint shop, which is located above the assembly area.
There is then another visual inspection. Here, delicate parts such as dropouts and bottle cage threads are shielded and frames are wiped free of dust, before painting starts.
First, a primer coat is applied. The frame is then baked in an oven to cure this.
The primer coat is sanded and multiple coats of paint are then applied, with gradient colours hand-coated, before another trip to the oven to cure the paint.
Water-transfer decals are applied and then a final layer of clear-coat paint is added, before yet another inspection and a visit to the oven to finish the process.
At this stage, a frame number is applied and the frame is tagged with the bike name and its size.
Building a complete bike
Now Polygon assembles the frames into complete bikes.
It manufactures its own wheels, with the rims bent from extruded tubing, welded and drilled for the spokes and valve.
The wheels are hand-built, but the spokes are tightened by a machine. Another machine checks the wheel is true.
Wheels that pass verification have their rim tape, inner tube and tyre mounted, ready for assembly into a complete bike.
Bikes are assembled on the production line, with other parts such as gears, handlebars and saddles added as the bike passes along the line. They’re then boxed.
But this isn’t the end of the process, because bikes are rechecked by the Polygon Probuild team, who may also need to swap the brakes from left to right for some markets.
All electric bikes are also test-ridden in Polygon’s factory to ensure they're functioning properly. Polygon stores its batteries in a cool room to ensure they don’t get too hot.
Polygon’s meticulously built bikes are shipped worldwide and offer a real alternative to better-known brands for riders looking for a quality ride, whatever their discipline or requirements.
