With a storied history and more checkered flags than we could count, max commencal has been
designing and producing his own line of aggressive mountain bikes since 2000, after max had stepped away from his previous venture, sunn bikes. commencal bikes have been piloted to podiums by the likes of cedric gracia, the athertons, anne caroline chausson and remy absalon to name a few. with a pedigree steeped in european dna and recalling how much fun we had on the supreme dh last season, we were quite excited to pull this mean machine out of the box and see how it handled the steep, rocky southern california terrain.
THE TECH
Choosing to stick with aluminum for both economical and environmental reasons, the Meta AM V4 is made from triple-butted T4 and T6 aluminum that yields a complete bike weight of 30 pounds. The backbone, and namesake, of the V4 frame is Commencal’s Contact System, which is a linkage driven single pivot design with lots of R&D behind it. The goal of the V4 was to improve small bump sensitivity early in the travel while also increasing pedaling effi ciency and maintain a progressive feel at the end of the travel range.
The suspension actuation is driven through the seatstays to the clevis-mounted shock. Commencal claims this helps the damper pivot smoothly and also contributes to the leverage curve being supple off the top and rampy towards the end.
Our Meta AM V4 Race model comes with a dialed spec featuring Rock Shox suspension and a SRAM X1 drivetrain and Guide brakes. The 160 mm Pike RCT3 handled great as usual and the Rock Shox Monarch Plus RC3 Debonair controlled the 150 mm of rear wheel travel throughout the test period.
THE RIDE
Delivering on the promise of improved pedaling effi ciency, the V4 does in fact climb much better than the V3. All three modes on the Rock Shox Monarch came in useful and helped us fi ne tune the amount of platform we wanted for each climb, which made this nearly 30-pound bike climb pretty well on most trails. Some riders noted the 74-degree seat angle was a bit slack on really steep climbs and had us pullin’ wheelies when we were really hoping for traction.
After the obligatory climbs were out of the way we were able to really let the Meta AM loose in its element. Just looking at this bike’s profi le screams speed. The 66-degree head tube angle and long 49.97-inch wheelbase made for a very stable and composed bike at speed and while carving out corners.
Our riders all agreed that the small bump sensitivity on the V4 was impressive. Riding over small undulating terrain riddled with small roots or embedded sandstone, the shock moved smoothly and our rear wheel connected with the terra fi rma below. This impressive sensitivity and liveliness made the bike very fun and easy to pop off jumps or lips. The bike was a lot of fun to jump and stable in the air.
When we focused less on the show, and more on the go we were pleased with the Meta’s cornering prowess. Riders felt confi dent and secure leaning the bike into corners. Only Blake Carney, a 195-lb former USA World’s Team pro with a four-cross corner slashing background was able to get the rear end to fl ex in tightly bermed corners.
While the bike performed well in a number of areas on the trail, it did have some trouble handing sharp, fast hits at speed. We felt that square-edged hits were its kryptonite; this weakness was also exacerbated by hard braking before encountering those big hits. The Meta did suffer from noticeable brake jack. When we’d enter big, chunky rock gardens the initial hit or two would translate a bit of feedback to our rider’s feet and transfer body weight forward as it made the rear wheel feel like it was hanging up briefl y on the obstacle.
OVERALL
For a very competitive price customers are able to get aboard a capable and aggressive bike with a top-shelf build. Everyone at the offi ce agreed that this bike looks mean and ready to hammer. Good looks, solid value and admirable performance mean the Commencal Meta AM V4 is a really good all-around deal in our book. Weight weenies may shudder at the 30-pound weight, but it is durable and ready for action. It may not be the best climber, but with three modes on the Monarch shock, you can get up anything you have the legs for. When it comes time to lose vertical, this bike is stable, fun and encouraging. It does suffer from some brake jack and hangs up a bit on square-edged hits, but overall the progressive feel and off the top sensitivity made this bike a lot of fun to ride.
FRAME: 6066 Aluminum; 150 mm
FORK: Rock Shox Pike RCT3 Solo Air; 160 mm
SHOCK: Rock Shox Monarch + RC3 Debonair
BRAKES: SRAM Guide RS; 180 mm
HANDLEBAR: Alpha alloy; 750 mm
HEADSET: Cane Creek ZS44
SADDLE: Commencal Meta AM
SEATPOST: Rock Shox Reverb Stealth; 125 mm
SHIFTERS: SRAM X1
STEM: Alpha; 60 mm
HUBS: Alpha
RIMS: Alpha Enduro 27.5
TIRES: Maxxis High Roller 2, 2.3˝ (f), Maxxis Ardent 2.25˝ (r)
BOTTOM BRACKET: Race Face BB92
CASSETTE: SRAM XG 1180; 10-42t
CRANKS: Race Face Turbine Cinch; 34t
DERAILLEUR: SRAM X1 Type 2
SIZES: S, M, L (tested), XL
WEIGHT: 29.68-lbs