All Arround MTB

Commencal have a knack of getting frame stiffness just right, and the Meta AM V4.2 is no exception. There’s enough give to prevent it feeling harsh when you’re slapping turns or pummelling through boulder fields but it remains taut under power and surprisingly efficient on the climbs, especially considering its 14.7kg weight. At higher speeds, the suspension balance between the top-end Lyrik fork and Super Deluxe RC3 shock is fantastic, with superb mid and end-stroke support that creates an incredibly stable ride through the wildest sections of trail. It’s quiet too, with no nasty chain slap or cable rattle, so you’ll not need to faff about with mastic tape as soon as the bike lands on your doorstep. The tall 490mm seat tube was the only real issue for some testers, who found they couldn’t slam the saddle low enough on steeper descents. (It’s worth noting that there’s a 50mm difference between the seat tube lengths on the medium and large frames.) If you do have long enough legs t...

If you want this bike, you can go online and buy it. It’ll arrive within a week, and you will have bought a new ride without even having to put your pants on. Commencal is one of a handful of brands choosing to bypass shops and sell bikes direct to consumers–a model that has some retailers up in arms, but for better or worse seems to be working. The Meta AM V4 is the Andorran company’s all-mountain bike and sports 150 millimeters of travel out back and 160 millimeters up front. Factor in a 66-degree head angle and the black-and-yellow bike’s intentions become pretty clear.

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.

Commencal are going from strength to strength at the moment and they’ve taken their tough trail hardtail bang up to date with 650b wheels. With its skinny rims, crankset and fork, the El Camino certainly isn’t perfect and it’s the least hardcore bike here. The handling, smoothness, speed and all-round agility of the basic bike still make it a real blast for technical trail riding though, and it’s a great base for upgrading over time.