{"id":157618,"date":"2026-04-27T13:46:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/?p=157618"},"modified":"2026-04-27T15:43:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T08:43:13","slug":"bend-r9x-2023-gravel-bike-review-by-bicycling-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/bend-r9x-2023-gravel-bike-review-by-bicycling-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Review: Bend R9X 2023 Gravel Bike Review by Bicycling Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Few cycling publications carry the authority of Bicycling Australia Magazine<\/strong>, a long-standing editorial institution in the Australian cycling scene and a trusted benchmark for riders seeking rigorous, real-world bike evaluations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When their team set out to test the 2023 Polygon Bend R9X<\/strong><\/a>, they did it properly: packed a bikepacking bag, caught a bus to collect the bike, and put it through its paces across flat roads, undulating trails, rough fire tracks, and everything in between. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First Impression: A Genuinely Unique Gravel Bike<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the moment Bicycling Australia laid eyes on the Bend R9X<\/strong><\/a>, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a straightforward review. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deep nautical blue hydro-formed alloy frame carries shapes, angles, and a geometry that reads, in the best possible way like a considered mashup of a hardtail mountain bike, a lightweight XC rig, and a cutting-edge gravel bicycle<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add to that an almost countless number of mounting points, a wireless dropper post, a more upright riding position, and touring-influenced finishing kit, and the Bend R9X starts to reveal its true identity: a serious adventure bike built for riders who want to go further, carry more, and explore without limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bicycling Australia noted that Polygon<\/strong><\/a> itself rarely leans on the word “gravel” to describe the Bend, and with good reason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a gravel bike<\/strong><\/a> engineered around the spirit of adventure<\/em>, designed to handle rugged terrain, challenging trails, and long-distance exploration with equal confidence. The R9X is less concerned with fitting a trend and more focused on delivering genuine versatility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How It Feels on the Road and Off It?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The ride quality of the Bend R9X genuinely surprised Bicycling Australia’s reviewer. Despite an all-alloy build and aggressive 44mm VeeTireCo RocketMan rubber, the overall experience was far more comfortable than anticipated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of that comfort comes from deliberate build choices. The bike ships with extra-thick bar tape with additional padding underneath<\/strong>, a small detail that meaningfully improves grip and reduces hand fatigue on long, rough sections. The flared 420mm Entity Expert aluminium bars added both control on technical terrain and a useful tuck position on road descents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real standout, however, was the RockShox XPLR wireless dropper post<\/strong>. Deployed with a simultaneous tap of both brake levers, it dropped approximately 75mm to clear a gnarly rock garden on a local fire trail, proving more than just a premium spec item. It’s a functional tool that genuinely expands what this adventure bike can tackle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Completing the package are Novatec C24 carbon wheels<\/strong>, a surprisingly premium inclusion at the R9X’s price point, with a combined weight of 1,575g and a tubeless-ready factory setup. Bicycling Australia noted these wheels retail at around AUD1,380 independently, underlining just how strong the overall value proposition is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drivetrain, SRAM Rival AXS wireless<\/strong> with a 1x 40T chainring and 12-51T cassette, delivered smooth, reliable shifting across every gradient encountered during testing. Not a setup chasing podium times, but one perfectly calibrated for going long and going anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Product Takeaway<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bicycling Australia’s conclusion was direct: the Bend R9X<\/strong><\/a> is a bike that earns its place in any serious cyclist’s garage as the ultimate go-anywhere touring and adventure companion<\/strong>. Remarkably well-specced, genuinely comfortable, and built with a versatility that few bikes at this price point can match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it’s a gravel bike<\/strong><\/a>, an adventure bike<\/strong><\/a>, or something else entirely, the 2023<\/strong> Polygon Bend R9X<\/strong><\/a> is the kind of machine that makes riders want to load up and head out the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore the full Bend lineup at Polygon Bikes.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n

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    Few cycling publications carry the authority of Bicycling Australia Magazine, a long-standing editorial institution in the Australian cycling scene and a trusted benchmark for riders seeking rigorous, real-world bike evaluations. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2413,"featured_media":157649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3547],"tags":[8379,6721,8539,8540],"acf":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157618"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2413"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157618"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":157919,"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157618\/revisions\/157919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.polygonbikes.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}