Commencal geometry and tolerances - is there a Quality Control problem?

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May 22, 2012, 06:05:23 PM

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[iain1775]

Ok so I just got a lovely new frame - a second hand but brand new (it has been used as a display demo at a trade show only apparently) Commencal Flame Titanium Special Edition in what is supposedly a medium
When it came it looked pretty small so I got the tape measure out and consulted the Commie website, thinking the person I bought it off maybe listed it incorrectly

The measurements would seem to indicate it is indeed closer to a medium than a small however several measurements are way out from the quoted dimensions
Quoted dims stated first, (actual dims in brackets) -

Seat tube length - 450mm (430mm) - a difference of -20mm (5%), a small frame is quoted at 400mm so this is almost half way between a med and a small
Head tube length - 120mm (110mm) - a difference of -10mm (10%), again a small is quoted at 105mm so again half way between the med and small
Top tube length - 580mm (570mm) - a difference of -10mm (2%), and again exactly half way between quoted dims for a medium and a small at 560mm 

The only other dimension that varies with frame size - wheelbase, is spot on as a medium (1069mm against 1048mm for a small), all other dimensions head and seat angle and chainstay length are exactly as quoted in the catalogue

So what is going on? Are the dimensions listed on www.commencal.com and in the catalogue correct? If so then Commencal mustn't have very good quality control cause these are some large discrepancies and not at all what you would expect on their top of the range £1400 frame!!

End result, I will build the frame up and see how it fits, I think it may be slightly on the small side for me, (its very slightly smaller than my existing hardtail) and I will have alot of seatpost exposed, a large would have been better however at the price I paid I wasn't going to leave it on the shelf!!

I am not normally one for checking figures or getting hung up on measurements and angles, if a bike rides well thats fine by me, so earlier this year when the magazines (MBR) where slagging off the Meta's angles and questioning how their test bikes differed so much from quoted angles etc I ignored it all and just got on with riding and grinning, this however makes me really wonder if something is amiss at Commie HQ?

[mc]

My suspicion would be that it could be a prototype if it was only used at a trade show...

[vipvip]

I believe I have read somewhere that Commencal makes these frames on request, and that custom sizing is possible.
My suspicion would be that your frame has been custom made for someone, and that person didn't actually buy the frame