Grouptest: EWS Race Bikes – Commencal Meta 27,5 Review
The Meta AM factory is an instant eye-catcher! Its neon-yellow paintjob, internal cable routing, and high-end spec certainly make heads turn. When buying a Commencal Meta AM the customer has the choice of all three wheel sizes. For the test we received the 27.5” model of the bike with 150mm of travel at the back. Several changes had been made to the standard specification. The Meta gets BOS suspension with 160mm travel instead of the standard 150mm at the front and a complete SRAM XX1 groupset. The package is rounded off with grippy tubeless Maxxis Highroller II tires and an E 13 chain guide. The whole thing tips the scales at 13.8 kg.
Due to the vast array of adjustment options, we needed quite a bit of time to get the perfect set-up on the BOS Deville fork and start the first timed run. When riding the Commencal, the rider is positioned centrally on the bike and everything appears balanced and correct.
From the start, the Meta AM is rather slow to accelerate. The high weight of the aluminum frame and the heavy in-house wheels are noticeable. When it gets going, however, there is no stopping the Meta. Thanks to the superb BOS fork, the bike remains glued to the ground and flattens even the smallest bumps smoothly. However, this also means that in some sections there is too little feedback from the ground and the rear end dives steeply in troughs and berms. It could be more progressive so that the rider can maintain more speed out of bends and bumps. The reliable grip allows the bike to be maneuvered easily, and it handles very well. The only things hard to get used to are the cacophony of the rattling cables and the Formula brakes, which have good bite and stability but suffer from a lack of modulation.
The Commencal Meta AM Factory is available for 4.399 EUR.
Conclusion: The Commencal Meta AM offers no surprises. It carries the rider through difficult terrain majestically. However, it could not gain the best time
because of its weight and lack of zip due to the comfortable but overly soft suspension.
Go back to the article: Grouptest: Enduro World Series Bikes
You can read an in-depth feature about the EWS Race Bike test and our conclusions in the ENDURO issue #010! As usual it’s free & only digital for iPad, Android-Tablets and Online-Viewer: Issue #010.
Text & Photos Christoph Bayer
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