EuroBike 2012: Polygon Moves Beyond

Steadily growing numbers of cyclists around the world have led to a surge in demand for bicycles and if this year’s EuroBike trade show was anything to go by, market demand is set to grow even more.

Catching up with International Sales and Marketing Manager Yustian Nimara at EuroBike 2012 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Togoparts gained an insight into the growth of the Polygon brand and its plan to extend its reach beyond Asia.

Mr Nimara observed that internationally, there are now more and more fitness cyclists looking for a suitable first bike, a segment that Polygon as a brand, is looking to provide options for. Having said that, our own experiences with the brand has found that Polygon is more than just about providing entry-level, ‘first’ bikes. Rather, they aim to provide bikes bundled with great value. To cite an example, an earlier review of Polygon’s Spy 6.0 revealed it to be an excellent product kitted out with premium specs like FOX suspension and the full Shimano XT groupset often found in bikes costing 50 percent more.

Taking the production of quality value-for-money bicycles very seriously, Mr Nimara shared that all of Polygon’s products are developed in-house at the brand’s research and development facility in Surabaya, Indonesia. Professional expertise and testing is also undertaken by their team of elite sponsored riders, among them, Singapore’s Tan Hong Chun, our nation’s top downhill cyclist.

When asked about plans to expand beyond Asia, where the brand has been enjoying consistent growth, Mr Nimara shared that while the brand has since expanded into Australia and is making headway into the European market. He adds that while responses have been good and people are taking notice of Polygon’s range of products, breaking into the market is tough but the favourable responses are encouraging.

Polygon’s presence at EuroBike this year is its second and the company is looking to ‘test water’ and gauge the market response at such trade shows. On the business end, it is clear that Polygon is committed to break into the European market as it looks to build a direct distribution network through Zentro Porindis GmbH, a Polygon subsidiary company.

From what we’ve witnessed over at EuroBike 2012, the future looks bright for the Indonesian bike maker. After all, being able to achieve sales figures of over 370,000 units in Indonesia, 10,000 units in Malaysia and over five thousand units in Singapore in 2011 is no fluke. Even Australia, where the brand has just recently made an appearance, sales have crossed the three thousand mark with the target for 2012 set at five thousand.

Look out world, our very own South-east Asian brand is about to pose some serious competition.

Here’s a peek at some upcoming developments for 2013.

Road Bikes Go Aero for 2013

The 2013 Helios Aero A9.0 at EuroBike

As with the current trend of aero road bikes being introduced by most bike companies, Polygon is no exception with its brand new Helios Aero or ‘A’ series. The ‘A’ series road frames are UCI approved and come with an aero seatpost with a wide range of fore and aft adjustments, so it is also possible to use them for short time trials or sprint-distance triathlons. Like many of their counterparts, the new ‘A’ series frames features a full internal cable routing and are Di2 ready.

The new aero frames are UCI approved

Also new for 2013 for the road bike line is the Helios Endurance/Comfort or ‘C’ series, suitable for the increasingly popular Gran Fondo long distance ride events. The ‘C’ series was also introduced based on feedback that many consumers prefer a more comfortable and less stiff bike for recreation and fitness purposes.