The Right 50 Bikes: Why AMS CERO Grips Are Going OEM With Pole
Some OEM projects are interesting because of the volume.
This one is interesting for almost the opposite reason.
Pole plans to build just 50 bespoke Hiisi frames per year. Each one is CNC-machined in Finland, configured around its rider and positioned very deliberately away from mass production.
And those bikes will use AMS CERO grips.
For us, that makes Pole an excellent first example of where we want to take AMS as an OEM component brand.
Not everywhere.
On the right bikes.
50 Bikes. Built Differently.
Pole has never been a particularly conventional bicycle company.
Founded by Finnish engineer Leo Kokkonen, the brand became known for pushing mountain bike geometry in directions that looked radical before much of the industry eventually moved the same way.
The new Pole Hiisi continues that approach from a different angle.
Rather than trying to create another high-volume e-MTB, Pole is deliberately building very few of them.
Pole describes the Hiisi as a bespoke platform built around the individual rider: CNC-machined in Finland, available with different geometry, wheel and travel configurations, and limited to 50 frames per year.
Pinkbike recently published its first ride of the Hiisi, describing a highly adaptable platform with 152 to 200 mm of rear travel, 29-inch or mixed-wheel configurations and the unusual Maxon Air S motor.
You can read the full Pinkbike First Ride here .
Pole itself puts the philosophy even more simply: this is not mass production.
We like that.
Leo Didn't Choose CERO From a Catalogue
The most interesting part of this project for us is how the grip was selected.
When we first spoke with Leo, we didn't tell him which AMS grip should go on the Hiisi.
We sent him three:
- AMS RISE
- AMS BERM
- AMS CERO
Then he rode them.
CERO was the first model he tested. His initial feedback was that the quality was very good, although its aggressive grip could potentially be more than some riders need with gloves.
He then moved onto BERM, including riding it in Riva del Garda.
Later he raced Trans Madeira using RISE.
Only after testing all three did he make the decision.
“Cero gives the best overall performance.”
— Leo Kokkonen, Founder, Pole Bicycles
That sentence matters to us much more than simply seeing an AMS logo on a bike.
The component was tested, compared and selected by the person designing the bike.
Why CERO Works for the Hiisi
The Hiisi is designed around adaptability.
One platform can move from relatively trail-oriented configurations to long-travel gravity setups. Pole allows riders to configure travel, wheels and components around how they actually ride.
That made Leo's reasoning particularly interesting.
He felt that some of our other grips were more specific to particular riding styles, while CERO gave him the best overall balance for the Hiisi.
AMS CERO uses a dual-pattern, dual-density construction with a combination of diamond and waffle textures designed to create high mechanical grip while retaining comfort and control.
It is also one of the narrower-feeling options in the AMS grip range, making it a particularly direct contact point for riders who want a lot of information through the handlebar.
On a bike designed to cover such a wide spectrum of riding, that versatility became the deciding factor.
Why AMS Is Interested in OEM
This Pole project is small.
Deliberately small.
And that is partly why it represents the type of OEM work that interests us.
AMS is not trying to become an anonymous high-volume component supplier.
We see a different opportunity.
Grips and bar tape are relatively small components in the context of a complete bicycle, but they have an unusually direct influence on how that bicycle feels.
They're where the rider actually touches the bike.
Every second of the ride.
So we think they deserve more consideration than simply being the last black component added to a specification sheet.
Our objective is to work selectively with bicycle brands, designers, teams and builders where an AMS contact point can genuinely add something to the finished bike.
The Right Projects, Not Necessarily the Biggest Ones
The projects we're interested in can take many forms:
- limited-edition bicycles;
- premium production builds;
- new model launches;
- race and team bikes;
- concept bikes;
- custom builds;
- brand collaborations;
- and other special projects where the details matter.
For MTB, that means products from our AMS grip range.
For road and gravel, the same thinking applies to our AMS bar tape collection, including Tessel and Sterrato.
Sometimes the right project could involve thousands of bikes.
Sometimes it could involve fifty.
Volume isn't the only measure of whether a collaboration matters.
OEM as Product Proof
There is another reason we value these projects.
They create a particularly credible form of product validation.
When an engineer, product manager, mechanic or professional rider tests several components and then chooses one for a bike they are putting their own name behind, there is substance behind that association.
That is very different from simply paying for a logo placement.
We want more AMS partnerships to work this way.
Test the product.
Challenge it.
Compare it.
Tell us what doesn't work.
And use it if it earns its place on the bike.
With Pole, Leo tested RISE, BERM and CERO before deciding that CERO was the right grip for the Hiisi.
That makes the partnership useful not only commercially, but as real-world product proof.
The Right 50 Bikes
We're proud to see AMS CERO grips on the new Pole Hiisi.
Not because 50 bikes will transform our business.
Because Pole is exactly the sort of company we want to work with: technically driven, opinionated about bikes and willing to make different decisions when it believes there is a better way.
For AMS, this is the beginning of a broader idea.
We want our grips and bar tapes to become an option for brands creating interesting bikes, special editions and projects where the contact points deserve as much thought as the rest of the specification.
The objective isn't to be on every bike.
It's to be on the right ones.
Pole's 50 bespoke Hiisi builds are a very good place to start.
Working on a Special Bike Project?
AMS works selectively with bicycle brands, teams and builders on OEM and special projects across MTB grips, road and gravel bar tape, and bike protection.
If you're developing a new bike, limited edition, race project or collaboration and think AMS could fit the build, we'd like to hear about it.
Talk to AMS about an OEM project →
Read more about the Pole Hiisi and Pinkbike's First Ride.
