The new wheel sizes have stirred up the bike scene quite a bit during the past few years: our peaceful little world, the stock levels of distributors, the manufacturers’ power to decide, and of course also you guys, the riders!

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Everything used to be easier. One wheel size, no hard choices to make – and if there was a choice to make, it was little more than how to fit a Schraeder valve into a standard rim. This was about the time when the media started to report on new inventions, new bike categories, disciplines, and their fields of application. Diverging according to its rear travel, a bike was allocated to a category. Instead of focusing on the ‘inner values’ and fine points of geometry, the bike’s category was strictly established by outside criteria: 140 mm of travel became categorized as all-mountain, 150 mm clinched the decision for all-mountain plus, 160 mm was an enduro and a 170 mm marked a super enduro bike. In between and above, there were also the categories of freeride-light, freeride, trail, XC, and additional creative creations for bikes that simply were supposed to provide fun on trails.

The sense and nonsense of this categorization is disputable. The fact is that a categorization based on wheel size is difficult and also extremely superfluous! Let’s have a look at Great Britain. Over there, they simply call them ‘trail bikes,’ and that is exactly what enduro stands for. We were invited to Commencal in Andorra to find out how ‘enduro’ can be interpreted in many different ways and why the postulation about the pros and cons of wheel sizes and categorization is pointless.

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A press camp held in an exemplary manner. Little blah blah, lots of riding on nice trails chosen to exploit the bikes’ (and our!) limits. Instead of focusing on only one wheel size, Commencal offers their Meta model in all three sizes. This is, however, not due to a lack of decisiveness, but due to their philosophy of offering the perfect bike with suitable characteristics for every single field of application.

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Over the course of two days, we had the chance to test all three bikes with different wheel sizes – in the bike park, on a mountain top helicopter freeride tour, and on extensive tours with up- and downhill sections.

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Commencal Meta SX

“An enduro with downhill spirit” – Commencal’s definition of the Meta SX makes it clear: this bike wants to ride downhill, with lots of reserves, ready for the rowdiest routes. From the first day – which started off a little drowsily – I knew that the SX would be the ideal bike for the first descents.

Said and done. After a quick setup with the Fox specialists, we headed to Vallord bike park. We took the swift gondola to the middle station and started off with some pedaling power to reach the summit. Despite the super-slack head angle of 65°, the SX is nicely pedaled uphill – not least due to the 73° seating angle, allowing an efficient seating position.

Little effort was needed to keep the bike firmly on course. The rear suspension can be comfortably adjusted via a remote lever that is mounted to the handlebar (climb-mode of the CTD systems). With its 13.7 kg weight (excl. pedals) and 1×10 propulsion, you should not expect a mountain goat for long ascents. As mentioned before, this bike primarily likes to go downhill. And so do we!

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Wealth of experience is a good thing, but always ends in prejudice. Unfortunately, the same happened here: I expected an extremely feisty, joyful, and active bike – not least because of its 26-inch wheels. But what did I really discover? Rough high-speed sections with jumps defined the first section of the descent. The wide cockpit (780 mm handlebar, 50 mm stem) and plush 160 mm chassis offered top-notch control and safety. The rear seemed to stick to the ground and absorbed hits with ease. As we reached a rather narrow and steeper singletrack, the bike felt a little cumbersome. Due to the linear spring rate curve of the rear suspension, it was hard to actively jump. I did not get precise feedback on how the ground conditions were affecting rear travel. The main feeling: the rear wheel stuck to the ground and provided loads of traction.

When it was (truly) steep, I felt a little ‘forward and exposed’ due to the short top tube in combination with the low front, wide cockpit and the 26-inch wheels. Therefore, unload the front and lean towards the back. In narrower trail sections, the wide handlebar caused a few risky situations as we sped along past trees, clearing them by a hair’s breadth! On the whole, the Meta SX presents itself like a mini-downhiller: with an ability to absorb hits and remain stable on jumps, nimble and active characteristics can only be found with a great deal of effort.

COMMENCAL META SX FACTORY Laufradgröße: 26" | Federweg: 160 mm | Gewicht: 13,7 kg | Preis: 5.499 EUR
COMMENCAL META SX FACTORY
Wheel Size: 26″ | Travel: 160 mm | Weight: 13,7 kg | Price: 5.499 EUR

Commencal Meta AM 29

As an extreme contradiction to the 26-inch SX, I finally jumped on the Meta AM 29. The difference could not have been more obvious: larger wheels, higher standover, a higher steering position, less rear travel (130 mm), and very long chainstays (458 mm) highlighted the key data. How would the bike perform on the trail? Surprisingly well. Uphill, 29-inch wheels provide a great deal of traction, and thanks to the long chainstays, the front sticks to the ground. A light front wheel? No chance. In addition, the chassis remains stable without much bobbing.

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The AM 29 cannot deny its strong forward thrust on descents. Despite the reduced rear travel, the Commencal offers lots of safety and tracking stability. All in all, it runs a lot smoother and more controlled than the SX. Why? The larger wheels better manage to overcome small and large obstacles. The superior rollover qualities in combination with the elevated front offer an enormous amount of safety on steep slopes. Superman over the bars? No chance!

Despite the long chainstays, the maneuverability is OK – the hard numbers act as evidence for a possible characteristic, but only an indication, definitely not proof of poor maneuverability. It is all about the entire geometry and the interplay of reach, steering angle, offset, and height of the bottom bracket. As for the Meta AM 29, the bottom bracket is located relatively low in regards to the dropouts at -33 mm. In rough terrain, the 130 mm chassis feels quite wooden, with only a little ability to absorb, definitely tending to be a little stiff – however, the large wheels take on the job of providing traction and riding stability. Especially when the riding is based on vision, when the ideal racing line cannot necessarily be met, in these situations the AM 29 plays its trump card. It allows more riding mistakes and makes use of the momentum on rough ground. In contrast to the SX, the stiff chassis offers lots of feedback and – due to the chassis – more active riding. Wow!

COMMENCAL META AM 29 Laufradgröße: 29" | Federweg: 130 mm | Gewicht: 14,0 kg | Preis: 3.999 EUR
COMMENCAL META AM 29
Wheel Size: 29″ | Travel: 130 mm | Weight: 14,0 kg | Price: 3.999 EUR

Commencal Meta AM 650B

Following these two ‘extremes’, it was the turn of the golden middle ground, the Meta AM 650B. 150 mm of rear travel, 27.5 inch wheels, and a slack head angle of 66.5° all add up to promising fun factors. Commencal promised us an ultimate enduro bike “to race or just shred.” We didn’t hesitate to hit the trails. In a nutshell: you can jump on and feel at home! The AM 650B offers an excellent mix of riding stability and a bump-eating chassis, nevertheless providing feedback and allowing an active riding style. The golden all-rounder, so to speak!

COMMENCAL META AM 650B Laufradgröße: 27.5" | Federweg: 150 mm | Gewicht: 13,6 kg | Preis: 5.499 EUR
COMMENCAL META AM 650B
Wheel Size: 27.5″ | Travel: 150 mm | Weight: 13,6 kg | Price: 2.999 EUR [Update]

The fact is, there are three different wheel sizes on the market at the moment and they will remain on the market in the future. 27.5”/650B is probably going to be the industry’s standard size, as not only the large manufacturers, but also the suppliers and component manufacturers are focusing on the new format. On top of that, different markets require different solutions.

The extremely fast-growing market in Asia requires 27.5” and 26” bikes instead of 29ers due to the average body height. The opposite applies to the US. Correspondingly, the globally targeted manufacturers do not have an easy time creating a suitable bike. And let us not forget that each rider has unique personal preferences and different home trails. Commencal’s home base is in Andorra, and their bikes are aimed at the demanding local terrain, which is noticeable when riding their creations. According to Commencal, a bike must not necessarily be lightweight above all else: sturdiness and a long lifespan mark the company’s philosophy during the manufacturing process – for long-lasting fun in the roughest terrain.

Laufradgrößen hin oder her. Letztenendes geht es um den Spaß am Biken undmit den Kumpels. Und den hatten wir!
No matter what wheel size you prefer.
In the end it’s all about the fun on the trails and with your buddies.
And this is what we had!

Read more stories in our ENDURO issues – free & digital, of course!

Words: Robin Schmitt | Photos: Samuel Decout


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