It's that time of year when manufacturers starting releasing information on their 2010 bike ranges, and in the case of Commencal it's a bunch of "spy shots" which it has "leaked" on its own website (we're pretty sure the very fact that Commencal has released these makes them anything but spy shots, but anyway...).
Carbon features more heavily through the range, following the company's debut into carbon with the Skin hardtail last year. Not wanting to put all that development to waste, there are now two full-sussers that get a carbon fibre overhaul.
The popular Meta 55 now comes in a carbon flavour, which helps it shed a vast amount of weight. We've heard a frame weight of 2.55kg (5.6lb) being bandied about, which seems to pit the Meta Carbon against the likes of Santa Cruz's carbon Blur LT quite nicely. While we're talking about Metas, the Meta 6 gets a carbon swingarm for 2010.
It's carbon too for the Super 4, a bike that Commencal introduced to its range last year. It's aimed squarely at XC and all-day riders, with 100mm of travel and a light weight. A carbon frame should make it even more appealing to the skinny fast legged-riders out there. Expect a 120mm fork to be fitted across the entire Super 4 range this year too.
All-new too is the Absolut SX, a 140mm travel bike designed for the kind of riding that slopestyle dictates. It could be the ideal UK short-course DH bike, we reckon, and for general larking around where you don't need huge stacks of travel and the associated extra weight that oodles of travel necessitates. An integrated and tapered head tube (1 1/8in to 1.5in) provides extra girth up front and dropouts are beefed up, as are the 10mm shock mount bolts.
After a burly hardtail that can handle a long-travel fork up front (along the lines of Dialled Alpine/Genesis Alpitude)? The Ramones is Commencal's answer to that question and should be ideally suited to a bit of aggressive riding both on UK soil or for trips away to some proper mountains. The frame is ready for 10mm, 12mm, 12mm Maxle or Singlespeed hubs.
Dan Atherton has been focusing on 4X success in recent years and Commencal have now made available a production version of his bike, the Absolute VIP Ti. Looks to be available with vertical or horizontal dropouts for going singlespeed or geared, and there's mounts for a chainguide.
More word on specs and prices when we get that info.
www.commencal.com
The Pinkster
