Commencal 2011 Sneak Peak

We were lucky enough to be invited to Chatel in the Alpes to visit the guys behind the Commencal brand. We had a good look at the 2011 range which sees the popular hardtail mountain bikes return to the UK, and we even test rode some bikes around the Passportes Du Soleil.

I had a test ride on a Meta 6 having only ridden my Meta 5 and was interested to see how different it felt to ride. Before pointing it downhill, first off it felt familiar to my Meta 5 which made me feel like it wouldn't be much different. I was wrong! The Meta 6 is a very capable bike and commands a different riding style to the Meta 5. It took a couple of runs to figure it out, but its suspension travel feels more progressive and it likes to be pushed hard. Letting the brakes go and giving it that extra few mph it all started to make sense.

On the day of the Passporte Du Soleil my aim was to get up early and be first in the que to bag the Meta 6. I was too slow! I was however given one of the brand new Commencal Supreme 8 bikes which might not have been the best bike for the event, but it was good to have something so burly to throw down the black and red DH trails. It wasn't too long before I started giving it some welly and by the end of the day felt as though I'd got to know it quite well. It's a big rig with lots of potential and I didn't have the skills to really show off what it was capable of, but it's a bike that if you spend time on hitting gaps and drops your confidence would quickly build.

Other highlights new to the range are a chromo version of the Ramones, a 24" Supreme for the younger big hitters, and the new 'Premier' range. The premier range starts with a nice burly entry level hardtail trail bike boasting hydraulic brakes and lockout forks for £529.99 - going up to £1199.99 for the full suspension trail bike.

I went a bit click happy with my camera to show you some of the highlights. I'll post again shortly with every bike and a spec list.