We've already mentioned the much anticipated launch of the 2010 range from Commencal, or rather the carbon models from the Pyrannean cycle wizards. Well their 2010 range has now been launched, no news on when we'll get our grubby mitts on them for a test ride but the specs are out and they look very nice indeed.
Commencal was started in 2000 by legendary bike designer Max Commencal the man behind the Sunn brand, a company that under Max's guidance collected 70 world championship titles!
With a reputation like that and input from designers like Oliver Bossard (the man behind Bos suspension) it's no wonder that Commencal have got where they are today; and where they are is one of the most respected manufacturers of mountain bikes in the world.
For 2010 they seem to be shifting up a gear. Not merely content with producing some of the best riding mountain bikes around, they have now moved to the same award winning designs in full carbon fibre. This seems to have come along with a general shift towards only producing higher end kit. And why not leave the £300 end of the market to the likes of Specialized and Giant, especially if it leaves Commencal to concentrate on more bling.
So what's new?
First up is the Meta 55 Carbon. The current (aluminium) Meta 55 is arguably the best all round mountain bike available today. Fast enough for any length of trail or ride whilst surefooted enough for more than a bit of silliness, it achieves all this through the great but simple design of their 'contact system' suspension, no faffing with 3 way adjustable travel or 'on-the-fly' geometry changes just a well thought out frame that rides superbly wherever you want to ride.
So what's it like in carbon? Well it's very, very pretty for one. Commencal promise it will be lighter and stiffer than the alloy version, how much lighter is still guess work as they are yet to publish weights. Geometry remains unchanged with a 68 degree head angle and a 571.5mm top tube (size medium) based around a 140mm travel Fox 32 RL fork which comes with a 15mm bolt through axle. The back end bounce is taken care of by Fox's new RP23 XV shock. The rest of the spec comprises the usual suspects like a mix of X9, X0 and XT for the gears, Race Face Deus cranks and stem and DT X430 rims laced to XT hubs. There are also a few nice touches like the carbon I-beam seatpost, Easton monkey lite bars and Formula brakes making a nice change from the Avid juicy's and Elixir's specced on almost everything else.
Next on offer is the Super 4 Carbon, essentially a more race, less mucking about version of the Meta 55, it has a slightly steeper 69.5 degree headtube (still plenty slack enough for scary fast descending without sacrificing climbing ability) and a 585mm top tube (size medium). The back end delivers 100mm of travel via a Fox RPL shock with a Fox 32FRL fork delivering 120mm of travel to help keep things smooth in the technical stuff and make the most of Commencal's legendary handling. The rest of the spec lines up almost the same as the Meta 55. Again a very pretty frame indeed. Hopefully this bike will prove that a shorter travel XC machine needn't be a twitchy ride on all but the smoothest of trails.
Finally there's a couple of bikes to keep real XC whippets happy, the Skin 1 and 2. Their first foray into carbon fibre the Skin looks at first glance to be yet another Uber-light carbon race hardtail but a closer look at the geometry reveals that old obsession of Commencal and that is making bikes that do what all real mountain bikers love and that is ride as fast as possible over genuinely technical terrain. They have achieved this through a slackish (for a race hardtail!) 69.3 degree headtube and a longish 580mm toptube. The result of this is a blisteringly fast race hardtail that also has a real sense of 'chuckaboutability'.
Spec-wise the Skin 1 has some real top drawer race componentry in the shape of Rock Shox Sid race forks, Easton bars and post and the super fly Race Face Next Carbon chainset. Stopping is again taken care of by Formula and going by a mix of X9, X0 and XT. The Skin 2 gets Rock shox Reba SL's, SLX, X0 mix gears and a generally less bling but again well thought out components.
2010 looks like being yet another winning year for Commencal and with bikes like these, their amazingly successful Supreme DH bikes winning world cup downhills left right and centre and their superb range of jump and freeride bikes, it's a well deserved success.
We can't wait to see where they head in the next ten years.
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