Pole Voima 190mm Travel EMTB

[jbrown15]

Yeah sounds like the WORKS Components is the one to get.
How tall are you and what size frame did you go with?…guessing you want a longer reach.

I’m trying to figure out which Works Components one to get.

I’m 5’8” and bought a K1 after a lot of contemplating.

 

[BigG]

@jbrown15 I think @Rob Rides EMTB has works reach adjust headset.
I use it on different bike and note that bottom cup adds significant amount of height, so it’s better with 180mm fork on Voima. But it ofc still will work with 190mm too, but will raise front end and change a bit more than just reach.

 

[theklaw]

So… neglected to do a bolt check and the rear axle let go just before a gnarly feature (thankfully).

Ordered replacement parts which arrived today so started fitting them and now have a question.

Am I the only one who tried to torque up a UDH hanger to 25NM as it reads on the bolt?

 

[theklaw]

Will only be able to tell if the swing arm of the Sensei is still straight when I get another replacement and spin the wheel

 

[Alexbn921]

Same experience. Initially very good impression, but my 180mm lyrik rct3 + smashpot + custom tune is better, especially on brake bumps. Still shaky but more controlled and less sore hands. TI handlebars help a lot too.
Still, 2023 zeb ultimate is an impressive factory fork, but doesn’t compare to personally tuned coil, not surprising.

I wish there was a 190mm coil conversion kit, there isn’t one… I might get ext era lt, but later. Zeb is good enough for now, especially for heavy meatsuit.

You can get a hybrid coil kit from Avalanche. It sits on top of his damper. I have one in a Boxxer and it's magical.

 

[Plummet]

What do the Pole frames weigh typically? Guess what I'm asking is what is the weight penalty for the Machined Al frame vs. like a Wild?

Really liking Leo's ethos and geo choices. I wish for a lighter version of his frames, but then he wouldn't be able to crank out a new configuration every other week as it seems he does now.

My e-bike terrain is Blacks, but it's also slow and loose rocks (slippery!) and requires lots of pedaling and doesn't have huge jumps or drops (but plenty of medium stuff). So light and more average travel (I'm on 160/ 160 currently) just seems about right.

For the Voima the penalty is 1.5 to 2kg. Mine weight in at 25kg with pedals. That's after fitting lighter enve carbon mullet wheels and one piece carbon bar/stem combo but adding coil shock. In honesty its about the same penalty as a full fat big travel standard alloy frame

It seems that similar specced carbon bikes roll in at 22.5 to 23kg.

If you don't want or need the extra travel then there's plenty of lighter 160/170mm well geo'd well specced bikes out there to consider. I was really keen on a wild, but the not easily replaceable battery was a deal breaker, I was really really keen on the crestline. But couldnt find a way to get it into NZ without having to become a dentist first.

Apparently the new Onni frame (if you can withstand the looks and exposed motor) is 1kg lighter with lower travel options.

 

[Durrti]

For the Voima the penalty is 1.5 to 2kg. Mine weight in at 25kg with pedals. That's after fitting lighter enve carbon mullet wheels and one piece carbon bar/stem combo but adding coil shock. In honesty its about the same penalty as a full fat big travel standard alloy frame

It seems that similar specced carbon bikes roll in at 22.5 to 23kg.

If you don't want or need the extra travel then there's plenty of lighter 160/170mm well geo'd well specced bikes out there to consider. I was really keen on a wild, but the not easily replaceable battery was a deal breaker, I was really really keen on the crestline. But couldnt find a way to get it into NZ without having to become a dentist first.

Apparently the new Onni frame (if you can withstand the looks and exposed motor) is 1kg lighter with lower travel options.

I just got the Wild and can honestly say it rides like it’s 15# lighter than the Voima, so poppy and nimble.

 

[irie]

I just got the Wild and can honestly say it rides like it’s 15# lighter than the Voima, so poppy and nimble.

Sowwy dahling, it's just not a boutique bike.

 

[Plummet]

I just got the Wild and can honestly say it rides like it’s 15# lighter than the Voima, so poppy and nimble.

I've said it before and ill say it again. Match the bike to the terrain you most enjoy riding.

No point having a 190mm bike if a 160mm bike suits your riding better and vice/versa.
My most enjoyed terrain is the gnar. I'll ride the easier tracks to get to the silly. But im grinning the most on the silly tracks.
Thus the DH bike with a motor.... oops the Voima is now a trail bike,,, Ahembullshitahem....

 

[Sherman]

No point having a 190mm bike if a 160mm bike suits your riding better and vice/versa.

How is that extra 30mm ruining the ride? With emtb you don't have to care about pedalling efficiency. I like Pole's philosophy of having trail and gravity tuned platforms without being too hung up on suspension travel.

 

[Durrti]

How is that extra 30mm ruining the ride? With emtb you don't have to care about pedalling efficiency. I like Pole's philosophy of having trail and gravity tuned platforms without being too hung up on suspension travel.

In my experience longer travel equals longer wheelbase, which for me leads to less agile and slower in tight technical trails. In a straight downhill the Voima is unstoppable, you put in some tight turns and it’s a different story. Just my 2¢

 

[Plummet]

How is that extra 30mm ruining the ride? With emtb you don't have to care about pedalling efficiency. I like Pole's philosophy of having trail and gravity tuned platforms without being too hung up on suspension travel.

I didnt say that it ruins the ride. I said match the the bike to the terrain you most enjoy riding.

You can .most definitely have fun on all terrain. But you can potentially have a better experience if you optimize the bike to the trail.

Now in general terms more travel means slacker more aggressive geo to tackle chunkier stuff.

Voima is dh bike slack and long. There is no geo at all that represents trail bike geo... none.
It pedals sensationally but still rides like a dh bike. It swallows terrain eats up high speed anything. It is freaken awesome at big terrain, super steep and gnarly stuff.

It's not as light, not as nimble not as fast to turn as a lot shorter travel bike actually intended to be a trail bike.

Ride the Voima on green and blue tracks, there's no advantage in the big travel, get into the tight stuff and you have a bit of a challenge. It's still fun, but it does tend to dull the easier trail down because it's so capable.

Now if you jump on actual trail bike in that easier terrain.IIts arguably more fun because it's more reactive more ninble, lighter, you can change direction faster, pop easier and generally be more playfull......but get that trail bike into the gnar
.... it's less fun and therel be a point where its dangerous.

A big travel bike can ride all terrain. So it is more versatile than a shorter travel bike. But if you dont ride the big terrain why have the extra travel weight, extra slackness, extra wheelbase? If you do ride big terrain have at it. Get a Voima you will love it.

Ps, I dont see any tuning of the Voima for trail riding. They say it's less progressive than the onni. But it's still plenty progressive enough to to hit big lines. I'm not blowing through the travel and bottoming it out on big hits.

 

[ebikerider]

I didnt say that it ruins the ride. I said match the the bike to the terrain you most enjoy riding.

You can .most definitely have fun on all terrain. But you can potentially have a better experience if you optimize the bike to the trail.

Now in general terms more travel means slacker more aggressive geo to tackle chunkier stuff.

Voima is dh bike slack and long. There is no geo at all that represents trail bike geo... none.
It pedals sensationally but still rides like a dh bike. It swallows terrain eats up high speed anything. It is freaken awesome at big terrain, super steep and gnarly stuff.

It's not as light, not as nimble not as fast to turn as a lot shorter travel bike actually intended to be a trail bike.

Ride the Voima on green and blue tracks, there's no advantage in the big travel, get into the tight stuff and you have a bit of a challenge. It's still fun, but it does tend to dull the easier trail down because it's so capable.

Now if you jump on actual trail bike in that easier terrain.IIts arguably more fun because it's more reactive more ninble, lighter, you can change direction faster, pop easier and generally be more playfull......but get that trail bike into the gnar
.... it's less fun and therel be a point where its dangerous.

A big travel bike can ride all terrain. So it is more versatile than a shorter travel bike. But if you dont ride the big terrain why have the extra travel weight, extra slackness, extra wheelbase? If you do ride big terrain have at it. Get a Voima you will love it.

Ps, I dont see any tuning of the Voima for trail riding. They say it's less progressive than the onni. But it's still plenty progressive enough to to hit big lines. I'm not blowing through the travel and bottoming it out on big hits.

I just did a great two days of racing on a mix of blue and black trails, first day on the Voima and the second day on a Gen 3 Levo on the same trails so that's a decent comparison of big travel (190/190)vs slightly less (170/165) travel bike that is 3kg lighter too.

Surprisingly I much preferred the Voima on all the tracks. I thought the Levo would be easier/quicker on the blue, twisty, low to mid speed corners but overall the Voima was my pick (and timing confirmed it was faster too). The Levo took a little less force to initiate a turn and to change direction on flick flacks but there was an instability that came with it that the Voima doesn't have.

The Voima also generated more grip as it's more balanced (for my body size and riding technique) which meant I was able to carry more speed mid corner so exit speed was better than the Levo. Conditions were bone dry, loose, rocky with pockets of sand if you were off line (Levo had better tyres on too).

The only real time I found the Levo had a slight advantage is when there was a need to clear an unexpected gap or jump. The Levo is easier to get force thru it and use it to help clear things. Could be the lesser travel making it easier to get to the progressive part of the suspension curve to push against combined with the lesser weight but this is the only real instance the Levo is better for me.

One area Voima riders definitely win is pedal clearance. It took several decent pedal strikes on the second day on the Levo to recalibrate when I could actually pedal compared to the Voima. This added clearance is another big tick in the box.

So I guess in principle I agree with Plummet, it's just that I think you would need a greater travel difference to really highlight the traits...like maybe a 140mm travel bike and at that stage you are looking at lightweight ebike territory which is a different genre altogether.

So..in short. Get a Voima and do some push ups

 

[Plummet]

I just did a great two days of racing on a mix of blue and black trails, first day on the Voima and the second day on a Gen 3 Levo on the same trails so that's a decent comparison of big travel (190/190)vs slightly less (170/165) travel bike that is 3kg lighter too.

Surprisingly I much preferred the Voima on all the tracks. I thought the Levo would be easier/quicker on the blue, twisty, low to mid speed corners but overall the Voima was my pick (and timing confirmed it was faster too). The Levo took a little less force to initiate a turn and to change direction on flick flacks but there was an instability that came with it that the Voima doesn't have.

The Voima also generated more grip as it's more balanced (for my body size and riding technique) which meant I was able to carry more speed mid corner so exit speed was better than the Levo. Conditions were bone dry, loose, rocky with pockets of sand if you were off line (Levo had better tyres on too).

The only real time I found the Levo had a slight advantage is when there was a need to clear an unexpected gap or jump. The Levo is easier to get force thru it and use it to help clear things. Could be the lesser travel making it easier to get to the progressive part of the suspension curve to push against combined with the lesser weight but this is the only real instance the Levo is better for me.

One area Voima riders definitely win is pedal clearance. It took several decent pedal strikes on the second day on the Levo to recalibrate when I could actually pedal compared to the Voima. This added clearance is another big tick in the box.

So I guess in principle I agree with Plummet, it's just that I think you would need a greater travel difference to really highlight the traits...like maybe a 140mm travel bike and at that stage you are looking at lightweight ebike territory which is a different genre altogether.

So..in short. Get a Voima and do some push ups

Fair enough. When I did testing I came to the conclusion that a full fat 160mm travel e bike was pretty pointless for me.
That's why its important to consider your favoured style of riding, frame travel and geo.

One mans glory is another mans pain.

I have a fast racing e enduro mate and he swears by 150/160mm. I want more travel for the same tracks. But I do also push further into bigger lines and tech than he does. So its horses for courses...

Might as well go for big travel. I do like the pedal clearance and i'm running mullet. I am yet to bash pedals.

 

[Onetime]

Fair enough. When I did testing I came to the conclusion that a full fat 160mm travel e bike was pretty pointless for me.
That's why its important to consider your favoured style of riding, frame travel and geo.

One mans glory is another mans pain.

I have a fast racing e enduro mate and he swears by 150/160mm. I want more travel for the same tracks. But I do also push further into bigger lines and tech than he does. So its horses for courses...

Might as well go for big travel. I do like the pedal clearance and i'm running mullet. I am yet to bash pedals.

Just curious, has your fast racing e enduro buddy tried your Voima? I wonder if he might change his mind about the amount of travel he prefers once he’s tried your bike.

 

[Plummet]

Just curious, has your fast racing e enduro buddy tried your Voima? I wonder if he might change his mind about the amount of travel he prefers once he’s tried your bike.

Not yet. Weather has been horrendous.

I doubt he will change his mind knowing how he rides. He's a precision rider that loves to feel the terrain. Too much travel means he looses trail feel. He's a real line whisperer. Its great to follow him and see what lines he's choosing.

As I say different strokes for different folks. I prefer more travel he prefers less. We go a similar speed on our respective bikes. When its fast and flowing he goes a bit faster than me and when its steep and tech I go a bit faster than him.

I've got a few mates like that. I run plush they run firm and we go similar speeds. But the guys with the shorter travel bikes do tap out sooner when the going gets silly.

 

[Christurbo]

Has anyone tested a Voima against the latest Kenevo? Preferably with 29” & suspension upgrades.

I’d be interested in how they compare as travel / geo / power / weight are similar.

 

[MLX John]

I just did a great two days of racing on a mix of blue and black trails, first day on the Voima and the second day on a Gen 3 Levo on the same trails so that's a decent comparison of big travel (190/190)vs slightly less (170/165) travel bike that is 3kg lighter too.

Surprisingly I much preferred the Voima on all the tracks. I thought the Levo would be easier/quicker on the blue, twisty, low to mid speed corners but overall the Voima was my pick (and timing confirmed it was faster too). The Levo took a little less force to initiate a turn and to change direction on flick flacks but there was an instability that came with it that the Voima doesn't have.

The Voima also generated more grip as it's more balanced (for my body size and riding technique) which meant I was able to carry more speed mid corner so exit speed was better than the Levo. Conditions were bone dry, loose, rocky with pockets of sand if you were off line (Levo had better tyres on too).

The only real time I found the Levo had a slight advantage is when there was a need to clear an unexpected gap or jump. The Levo is easier to get force thru it and use it to help clear things. Could be the lesser travel making it easier to get to the progressive part of the suspension curve to push against combined with the lesser weight but this is the only real instance the Levo is better for me.

One area Voima riders definitely win is pedal clearance. It took several decent pedal strikes on the second day on the Levo to recalibrate when I could actually pedal compared to the Voima. This added clearance is another big tick in the box.

So I guess in principle I agree with Plummet, it's just that I think you would need a greater travel difference to really highlight the traits...like maybe a 140mm travel bike and at that stage you are looking at lightweight ebike territory which is a different genre altogether.

So..in short. Get a Voima and do some push ups

What Geo setting were you using on the Levo?

Turbo Levo Geometry App Page | Specialized.com

www.specialized.com

 

[ebikerider]

What Geo setting were you using on the Levo?

Turbo Levo Geometry App Page | Specialized.com

www.specialized.com

Head angle neutral with 170 fork and the chainstay in low but with the cascade long link which raises the bb somewhat.

 

[jbrown15]

Has anyone tested a Voima against the latest Kenevo? Preferably with 29” & suspension upgrades.

I’d be interested in how they compare as travel / geo / power / weight are similar.

I'm not really sure I'd say their geo are similar when you directly compare the two. Weight is about the only common thing that they share.

 

[Onetime]

I’m pretty sure Rob has commented on this previously as he has quite a bit of testing and riding time on both. And I’m pretty sure he said the Voima kicks the Levo’s ass!

 

[Christurbo]

I’m pretty sure Rob has commented on this previously as he has quite a bit of testing and riding time on both. And I’m pretty sure he said the Voima kicks the Levi’s ass!

Levo or Kenevo? I’d guess it would definitely KO the Levo. What about a single crown 29 Kenevo?

 

[Plummet]

Hey, Any other Voima owners riding in the rain/crud/mud?

It's the middle of winter here and pretty much every ride is muddy and wet.
I'm finding the voima Battery compartment sealing to be poor and the vertical charge port lets crap in even when pushed down.

Have any of you guys added additional sealing methods to keep the weather out of the battery and charge ports?
I'm wondering about electrical grease in the charge port. But that will be a nightmare if dirt gets mixed in with the grease.

 

[Onetime]

Hey, Any other Voima owners riding in the rain/crud/mud?

It's the middle of winter here and pretty much every ride is muddy and wet.
I'm finding the voima Battery compartment sealing to be poor and the vertical charge port lets crap in even when pushed down.

Have any of you guys added additional sealing methods to keep the weather out of the battery and charge ports?
I'm wondering about electrical grease in the charge port. But that will be a nightmare if dirt gets mixed in with the grease.

I haven’t personally done anything to mine, but I’ve seen other guys who have put foam weather stripping around the inside lip of the battery cover so it seals it against the frame battery compartment when it’s closed and locked in. I’ve thought about doing that, but I feel like it might trap in the heat from the motor and battery. But in the cold winter months, I think it would be fine And that’s the only time I would need it. So you might want to give that a try. As for the plug cover, I haven’t had any issues with mine, but maybe some duct tape or gaffing tape over it when you’re riding in muddy conditions.

 

[jbrown15]

I just got notification this morning that my Voima race frame shipped, pretty fast turn around from when I placed the order. I'm pretty pumped. Also just picked up my new GX T-type transmission group-set for it too.

 

[Plummet]

I haven’t personally done anything to mine, but I’ve seen other guys who have put foam weather stripping around the inside lip of the battery cover so it seals it against the frame battery compartment when it’s closed and locked in. I’ve thought about doing that, but I feel like it might trap in the heat from the motor and battery. But in the cold winter months, I think it would be fine And that’s the only time I would need it. So you might want to give that a try. As for the plug cover, I haven’t had any issues with mine, but maybe some duct tape or gaffing tape over it when you’re riding in muddy conditions.

I'll be pretty darn offended if I have to gaffer tape the charge cover.

 

[Hiltix]

Hey, Any other Voima owners riding in the rain/crud/mud?

It's the middle of winter here and pretty much every ride is muddy and wet.
I'm finding the voima Battery compartment sealing to be poor and the vertical charge port lets crap in even when pushed down.

Have any of you guys added additional sealing methods to keep the weather out of the battery and charge ports?
I'm wondering about electrical grease in the charge port. But that will be a nightmare if dirt gets mixed in with the grease.

I do ride in wet and muddy. Have not sealed anything so far. But yes, there is always a little dirt inside. After washing I remove the Batterie and clean all out incl. gently blowing out with compressed air. Same on charging Port. Then I spray a little Contactspray on it and blow it out again. Think that should be ok.

So far I haven't had any problems. I think it's also not a big issue because the ancient Bosch plug/contacts ar at least solid.

 

[slickrock]

I just got the Wild and can honestly say it rides like it’s 15# lighter than the Voima, so poppy and nimble.

So big battery or small battery? What Wild model and what was final measured weight?

 

[Durrti]

So big battery or small battery? What Wild model and what was final measured weight?

It’s the 750wh, m20/custom build. Haven’t weighed it yet. Will keep you posted.

 

[Plummet]

I do ride in wet and muddy. Have not sealed anything so far. But yes, there is always a little dirt inside. After washing I remove the Batterie and clean all out incl. gently blowing out with compressed air. Same on charging Port. Then I spray a little Contactspray on it and blow it out again. Think that should be ok.

So far I haven't had any problems. I think it's also not a big issue because the ancient Bosch plug/contacts ar at least solid.

Yeah, in hindsight the next e bike I buy one thr things I'll look for is a vertical mounted charge port. This horizontal mounting is not a good idea for wet and muddy environments.

My daughters orbea rise has a vertical charge port with an o ring sealed socket with a latch. No dirt or moisture in it ever..... a way better design.