Top Vélo is one of France’s most respected cycling publications — a high-end editorial platform dedicated to road and gravel riding, premium equipment testing, and professional cycling coverage.
Their audience is discerning, their reviewers are experienced, and their test routes don’t get more demanding than the slopes of Mont Ventoux. When Top Vélo secured an exclusive first ride on the new Polygon Helios A road bike — tested over more than 200km and 3,000m of cumulative climbing across the Ventoux region — the French cycling community paid close attention.
A New Helios A9: Radical Evolution, Not Incremental Update
The 2025 Helios A isn’t a refresh — it’s a ground-up redesign. Top Vélo was clear on this point. Compared to the previous 2022 generation, the new chassis represents five distinct leaps forward simultaneously: greater stiffness, improved comfort, updated aerodynamics, more versatile geometry, and meaningful weight reduction.
The frame adopts a Forward geometry with 10mm more reach and a 15mm lower stack — a deliberate aerodynamic choice that puts the rider in a more efficient position without sacrificing control. The redesigned Linc cockpit — narrow at the top, wider at the drops, with fully integrated brake routing — cleans up airflow around the front end while maintaining a precise, race-ready feel. A shorter, reinforced head tube sharpens cornering precision and sprint responsiveness.
Gone are the 50-60mm wheel depths of the previous generation. Every model in the 2025 Helios A lineup now runs 45mm carbon wheels — a depth that Top Vélo noted strikes the optimal balance between aerodynamic efficiency and crosswind stability. Tyre clearance opens up to 34c, making the new Helios A genuinely adaptable across a wider range of road conditions and rider preferences.
The T47 threaded bottom bracket anchors the powertrain — eliminating creak, maximising stiffness at the pedalling interface, and ensuring every watt reaches the rear wheel without loss. The Helios A9 tested by Top Vélo carries a full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset with Linc Alpha Carbon 45mm tubeless wheels and Pirelli P Zero Road TLR 28c tyres — all for €6,399.
The Road Verdict: Ventoux at 1h28min Says Everything
Top Vélo’s benchmark for any serious road bicycle is Mont Ventoux by Bédoin — one of cycling’s most mythical climbs and an unforgiving judge of a bike’s power transfer, handling, and rider fatigue. The Helios A9, ridden at over 320W by an 80kg rider, returned a Strava time of 1 hour 28 minutes. Top Vélo’s verdict: excellent.
Beyond the benchmark climb, a 105km group ride averaging 27.5km/h with 1,500m of climbing through the Gorges de la Nesque further validated the bike’s competitive character. On descents, through corners, and in group pace-line efforts, the Helios A9 held its own without reservation — comfortable enough on coarser road surfaces that the reviewer noted no fatigue or discomfort worth mentioning at all.
The bike’s aesthetic also drew attention wherever it went. The tricolour gradient between red and purple, iridescent Helios A lettering on the top tube, and understated brand detailing combined to make it, in Top Vélo’s words, a beautiful unknown — one that turned heads among riders who had never encountered the Polygon name before.
