Commencal make a big deal out of the fact that they are based in Andorra, a quirky little country based in the middle of the Pyrenees mountains, meaning they have some amazing trails on which to test new bikes. With the Vallnord Bike park a short bike ride away from Commencal HQ they really are spoiled for prototype testing grounds, but what they’ve never mentioned is the fact that once you go slightly off the regular runs the trails bear a striking resemblance to those in the UK.
I’m not talking about the carefully manicured and dare I say sanitized singletrack that more and more UK trail centres are offering up, I mean proper natural trails, with mud (yes they have mud, lots of it!) rocks, off camber roots, pedally sections and steep sharp chutes. The types of trails that develop organically by riders finding new lines not by an army of trail pixies getting busy with the clinometers.
See, they have mud in Andorra. And hungover looking international racers ;-)
On a recent trip to Andorra to watch the Athertons dominate the entire World Cup racing weekend and see the new 09 line up we got a chance to ride with the Commencal development guys on the very trails that the bikes are tested on, most of the trails way “off piste” and all of them completely natural. To top it off, and to make things feel like home (Northern Ireland), it rained, a lot, and the trails were muddy, very muddy.
Commencals flagship suspension design called the Contact System was invented to give their bikes as much grip as possible, the logic being that more grips means you can go faster. After riding their trails, you get the point. Commencal say that whether your riding the new carbon XC race rig the “Skin” hardtail or the new design Supreme DH, ALL their bikes are built to be fast going down. The fact the aforementioned Skin has a “trail friendly” head angle is testament to this ethos. Again, ride their trails and that mentality makes sense.
Commencals are designed for fun. Their top of the line Atherton piloted Supreme DH is designed to get down the mountain fast, devastatingly fast. The CG inspired Furious is built to fly the tabletops and ride out the sketchiest of landings. The carbon on the new Skin is layered up to be stiff, efficient yet comfortable. But above all else, they’re all made for fun. With a Capital F.
Enough chit chat... The bikes....
The New Stuff Pt.1. The SkinCommencal have been interested in carbon for some time, but they knew they didn't have enough experience to go it alone. Some time ago they approached one of the worlds leaders in Carbon frame manufacturing but got knocked back, the factory was too busy. The manufacturer in question rarely works with companies who approach them, they tended to hand pick the brands they work with and approach them. As a world leader with 25 years experience they can pick and choose they're partner brands.
A year on and the carbon specialist had an opening for a new brand, knowing Commencal were interested in carbon they approached them, the first fruits of their collaboration is the Skin. Those in the know knew Commencal had been working with the back stuff for a while now, but most, myself included, thought it was for a top secret 2010 project, so were taken a bit by surprise when pictures of the Skin first leaked out a few weeks ago.
Most people think of a carbon hardtail as a ultra lightweight, stiff and nimble race only hardtail, and whilst the Skin can be all that, it's still a Commencal, and Commencals are built for fun, so the frame has been carefully designed and the carbon laid up to be laterally as stiff as any carbon frame, but also compliant and not beat the hell out of the riders arse, the carefully shaped and tapered rear stays see to that!
"Tube To Tube" technology has been used on the frame opposed to the more common monocoque technique for several reasons: One because it's more compliant but mainly because it's easier to evolve the design. For a company just starting out in carbon design without the big R&D budget of the big brand names this means they can tweak the design without incurring big costs, meaning as riders feedback on the frame, Commencal can react.
Although initial feedback says they may well have hit the sweetspot first time round! In testing several local riders, with no affiliation to Commencal and no previous riding experience of the brand were recruited as testers. The riders had a background in XC race but also rode DH for fun. They were given the bikes to ride and to cut a long story short, they didn't want to return them! They said the bikes rode exactly as you'd expect a carbon framed bike to ride: Fast, light and nimple, but they also couldn't believe how comfortable and staple the bikes were at speed when pointing down. This is down to customary Commencal slack head angle and compliant rear end. A winner then!
The Skin will come as two bikes, one spec'd with a balanced weight to price ratio, the other blinged to the max and priced accordingly. Also a frame only option will be available. Weights are approx. 21lb for the Skin 1, 23lb for the Skin2 and 2.5lb for the frame only.
The New Stuff Pt.2. The Super 4Replacing the Meta 4 in the XC/Enduro category for 2009 is the Super 4. Actually to say it replaces the Meta 4 is a bit unfair as the bike shares almost all the key features, it's more an evolved Meta 4 than a replacement. Whilst the Meta 4 has always been a great bike, many commented that for a XC bike the frame is too bulky and the seat angle was too slack. The Super 4 addresses these issues and offers a few improvements in other places too.
The biggest change is the Contact System: It's still their, but reduced in complexity and so weight, whilst at the same time made stiffer thanks to a new one piece "linkage axle", which for 2009 appears on all the Meta range.
So, how does the Super 4 Contact System differ?
First off the two triangle linkage plates are smaller, quite a lot smaller, about 50%, this obviously saves weight but is also stiffer. The new one peice linkage axle also comes in to play here too. Previous the main linkage system consisted of the two larger trainagle plates and a big cross axle that was held in place by a bolt. Now the trainagle plates and the cross axle are all one piece cleverly locked in place by some fancy joints. All this means less weight and stiffer too. And it don't stop there.
Remember the horse shoe or "U" linkage that connected the rear swingarm to the traingle linkage plates? That's gone too. Now the rear chainstay connects direct to the triangle plates and have small pivots down at the drop outs, a la "faux bar linkage" bikes. This is a really clever move, essentially the chainstays (which can't be done without) replace the Horse shoe linkage, again so saving weight. And thanks to the new one peice traingle plates, the back end remains as stiff as before even with a linkage introduced. Genius.
On a side note, the new Meta 5.5 also gets the new stiffer one peice traingle plates, and the contact system on the 5.5 remians the same in 09 as in 08, meaning they're retro fitable to all existing Meta 4's and 5's, right back to 2005. Cool or what?
The seat tube on the new Super 4 is steeper than the old Meta 4, but the head angle is the same, meaning the bike gets amazing climbing ability yet remains super stable on the downs. To keep things as solid as possible on the downs all Super 4 models come standard with over size bars and stem and custom valued rear shocks. Weights are down compared to the Meta 4's with the Super 4.1 at 26lb, the 4.2 at 27lb, the 4.3 at 29lb and the frame only at 5.5lb.
The New Stuff Pt.3. The SupremeFor 2009 both the Supreme DH and the Supreme Mini DH (now known simply as the "Supreme") have had a major makeover. Photos have been flying around the web for months but info has been thin on the ground...... No more!
Commencal still regard both bikes as DH bikes: One, the Supreme DH for those who ride to race, and race to win, on some of the toughest courses on the planet. With the Supreme (Mini DH) for those who ride to have fun, with maybe the odd local race thrown in. Whilst most will agree with their intended use of the Supreme DH, the Supreme (Mini DH) has never been as easy to pigeon hole. Pictures on the Commencal Owners Club will prove that everyone sees the Supreme (Mini DH) as a different beast. Some have them built up as heavy duty all rounders, with air shocks front and rear, 2 chainrings (or even 3!) and lightish components, whilst others run duel crown forks, coils and full on DH parts.
Commencal recognize this, and have some clever specing cards up their sleeves.
For 2009 both bikes have had their centre of gravity lowered thanks to a redesign and dropping of the Contact System and the rear shock, a positive side effect of this is the seat tube is much longer meaning the Supreme (Mini DH rider can finally say good buy to the telescopic seatpost. Both bikes have also had their travel upped to 160mm and 200mm respectively. Shock ratios have been kept more or less the same thanks to longer strokes: Supreme - 200x57. Supreme DH - 240 x 76.5.
Otherwise the Supreme (Mini DH) remains the awesome machine it always has been, only the head angle has been slacked half a degree. BB size, rear axle spacing and frame weights remains the same. Not so with the Supreme DH, a whole raft of changes have ensured CG and the Athies have the machine to win races.
"Harness brake forces to improve traction and handling"
The biggest innovation on the Supreme DH is the rear brake mounts. You can move the rear brake caliper mount between 3 fixed points, essentially "rotating" the caliper forward of the axle. The forward most position offers most traction under hard braking and also encourages the rear of the bike to "squat". Ideal on descents as it effectively slackens out the angles at a time when you need it most: Hard braking. The rear most position is for smooth and fast tracks that are not too steep. In this position the bike behaves as it always did under braking.
Both the Athies and CG were blown away with this tunable feature. It's a bit complex and does require quite an understanding of how the bike performs in certain conditions and the effects of the rear brake on this performance, but once you've got your head around it, it gives you a clear speed advantage.
Also new for this year on the Supreme DH is a 83mm BB shell, slacker head angle and slightly lower BB. The 150mm rear axle and adjustable head angle remain unchanged.
Both the Supreme and Supreme DH will be available in the usual 2 bike builds and frame only options, with the Supreme also coming as framset including Fox 36 forks, LG1 guide, Thompson seatpost and stem and headset.
And finally......In 2007 Commencal dropped everything that was not mountain bike. In 2009 they're returning to the road in the form of the new Babylon hybrid. No real details exist as yet, other than the fact that if it does see the light of day in the 2009 range it won't be until well into 2009! More as we get it.
Additional infoIn 2009 all frames with come with a headset and Thompson seatpost.
Prices for 2009 are as yet unconfirmed, reading between the lines we're expecting price rises between 10 and 20% over the 2008 equivalent. Final prices will be announced on 16th July.
Full specs will be online soon.
Coming next.....2009 Meta 5.5, Meta 666, Absoluts, Combi's and Normals and all the rest of the new seasons range.
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February 07, 2012, 08:58:38 AM
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