2010 Commencal - All Mountain Sneak Peek

July 22nd, 2010 12:26pm

Europe has seen it, now it is our turn. The 2010 Meta 55 from the same company that makes all those fast bikes the Atherton train rides - Commencal. The Meta 55 is an all mountain weapon positioned as an aggressive yet lightweight 5.5 inch travel bike. The first thing you will notice is that it is a carbon frame. Yes, the bleeding edge of frameology has been adopted as the material of choice for this steed. While carbon and the prospect of using it on any type of gravity rig is still voodoo to me, I know that it is just my old school thinking. If the Athertons and other top pros can ride it , then i guess it is strong enough for mere mortals like myself. That being said, Carbon abounds with positives. The first of which is weight. According to the company The Meta 55 could be built to the 22lb pound range with a pro spec build kit and easily to 26 lbs with a mid-level kit. Very light for an all mountain bike. So light in fact that you could race XC with it and be very competitive on weight. Commencal is claiming a 20% reduction in weight over the aluminum frame - almost a full pound just in the frame. The use of carbon also results in a stiffer frame and swingarm (not a rear triangle). Great for tracking and stability on the rough stuff. Commencal is also claiming that the use of carbon in the swing arm has allowed them to shape a better wheel drop out for a better contact point with the rear hub. Until we get to ride one, we won't know exactly how that benefit feels. The company is being pretty quiet about what this monocoque carbon frame wonder bike will cost but word is they are going to offer different levels of build kits on this high end frame to make it more affordable to the masses. With the companies reputation for building fast gravity bikes this bike should be no different.

They have some of the best riders on the planet to make sure the brand continues its march forward and up the podium steps. If you want to get the skinny on this great brand, Spy photos are now available on the companies web site to wet your appetite. Bikes are scheduled to be in your local dealers warm little hands by September/October of this year. So save your pennies, find your local dealer and stay tuned for a real test ride.