Commencal Meta AM or Canyon Spectral? Or something else??

kingcooper

Hi all,

Having not ridden for quite a while and not bought a new bike for even longer, I’m after a bit of advice....

Looking for a full sus go anywhere do everything type bike, mainly for trail riding, a bit of xc/riverside bridle path riding, and a reasonable amount of road riding to get to local spots, but want something fun rather than fast as I have a habit of looking for jumps and drops even on flat-ish rides!

Given my budget and the offers around on last year’s models I’ve narrowed my search down to

Commencal Meta AM2 650b (2014) - £1850
Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 (2015) - £1700
Lapierre AM 327 (2014) - £1750
Kona Process 134 (2014) - £1500

Also tempted by discounts on Commencal's 2013 models, Meta AM1 for £1850 or shorter 120mm travel Commencal SL1 £1600, both have top components but not sure buying a 26in is currently a good idea given the industry seems to want to move away from them.

The Meta AM 2 650b and Spectral AL 6.0 are currently my first choices, the Meta looks good and seems like it would be a fun option to mess around on but is possibly a bit heavy, the Spectral appears slightly better spec’d and is cheaper so might be a better buy but at 5’10 I’m worried I could be between frame sizes and possibly would have to be a bit compromised either way on the medium or large frame.

So if anyone has experience of either bike, does the Meta or Spectral have any concerning shortcomings, and would anyone strongly favour one over the other? Also if anyone has any other suggestions within a similar price range I’d much appreciate their input.

Many thanks

Paul

Antm81

Giant Tranc 27.5' I've got one and love it but I've not ridden any of the others so can't compare it to them.

rockmonkeysc

Something with a lot less suspension will be much more suitable for the riding you describe, a big enduro bike is going to be heavy and hard work up hills.
Something like a Giant Anthem will be much more suitable.

kingcooper

Whilst my head says shorter travel xc bike is most suitable for 70% of my riding, my heart says more travel equals more fun.

Having had a 80mm full sus about 12 years ago, I often reached it's limits and found it very frustrating at times, whilst I appreciate that short travel bikes have evolved massively since I last owned one I still feel a bit more travel would help take the sting out of rougher trails and add confidence when facing fast downhill sections, plus I like to huck it down a set of steps occasionally!

I'll take a look at the Giant Anthem as it should be easy to demo one locally and the Trance sounds like it fits in well with the other bikes I'd been looking at so I'll investigate a little further.

Thanks for the replies guys

rockmonkeysc

More travel doesn't equal more fun unless you are riding gnarly enough trails to make it worth it.
My current xc bike has 130mm rear travel and is loads more fun than my old bike which had 170mm. All that suspension can take the fun out of trails.
Big bikes have a place but for 90% of uk riding I would stick to 150mm or less.

kingcooper

I'm definitely not considering anything with more than 150mm travel, 120-140mm was the range I'm looking at. I know what you're saying though, I've seen plenty of 150mm+ enduro and DH bikes doing laps of my local trails that I've always been happy riding on a xc hardtail and wondered why they need so much travel when there's barely a hill let alone a mountain to ride down!

Think I'll demo a couple of shorter travel bikes to see how they compare to the 140mm bikes I was looking at. I do already have an ageing Giant xtc carbon ht for doing faster xc and road training rides but really fancy something more comfortable and bouncy for the more challenging rides.

applause

Well there is alot of options out there but I'll try to give you my thoughts as I'm going through the same proces as You. And for the record I'm 5 ft. 11" with a 34" inseam (Long legs, short torso) and therefore sits right between medium and large frames.

A few months ago I decided to buy a new bike. I curently ride a '09 Trek 6700 HT but I'm ripping both it and my body apart when riding the gnarly stuff as I charge at full pace. So I decided for a full sus.
Now I tried out a few short travel XC full sus bikes i.e. Specialized Epic, Giant Anthem and found them too XC if you know what I mean. I like a relaxed position on the bike as it prevents neckpains as I look ahead on the trail and it also allows me to react faster to whats coming. (Just my personal preference)
Anyways I also tried the 2014 Canyon Nerve (M) and the 2014 Canyon Spectral (L) at a XC race event earlier this year. The Nerve was an absolute blast and I set a record time on the lap compared to my old HT. Only 'con' with the Nerve was the very steep HA which didn't inspire confidence on the downhills. Also it lacked a dropperpost which I found very helpful on the Spectral. The Spectral felt kind of sluggish compared to the Nerve but I actually beat my laptime compared to my old HT. I talked to the Canyon tech-guy and he said that the suspension was set up for someone 20kg lighter than me and the tyres were way to beefy for the current terrain. Sort those things and I would get a bike capable of going the same lap times as the Nerve but much more capable on the rough stuff.
Besides the Fox suspension on the Spectral is also known to be quite plush which many people might like but I don't.

Fast forward to present time and I've just ordered a 2015 Canyon Spectral 7.0 EX in size M. I choose the Size M as it's almost the same geometry as last years Size L apart from the steerer tube, which is 120mm on Size M and 145mm on Size L. I found the front end a bit high on the 2014 Spectral so I think I'm home free on the Size M Spectral though I might be "forced" to run a 7 cm stem. It comes with amazing spec like the Rock Shox Pike, Monarch Debon Air, Reverb Stealth dropper post, X1 drivetrain at under 2600 euros.

The question I've been asking my self since the order was placed is: "Do i really need\want a 140mm trailbike for the Danish non-mountain terrain?" Well I certainly don't need it, but I wan't it
The thing is I couldn't find a bike with the same geometry, with similar specs and weight with 120mm travel. Even the new Giant Anthem SX is heavier and have shittier specs - even with the mandatory 15% LBS discount it couldn't compete.

The bike that came closest is the brand new Commencal Meta Trail V4 Essential. It has good specs, spot on geometry and weighs about the same as the Spectral. Only 'con' is that it doesn't have a dropper post which adds 2-300 euros to the price.

This was just my thoughts on the subject. I hope it was useful.

P.S. If some know of a bike with 120mm "good quality travel" (No Fox Evolution please), 68-67 HA, dropper post and sub 13kg at under 2500 euros - please feel free to share

kingcooper

Thanks dude, that's a really helpful response, sounds like you've been in exactly the same position as me. I'm now strongly considering a Spectral or Nerve but sadly trying frame sizes won't really be possible so your evaluation there is extremely helpful as it sounds like a medium Spectral should be fine for me too. Also sounds like you like a similar riding position to me, as I don't like being too stretched out for the same reasons as you - long ride on my hardtail = neck and back pain.

That Spectral 7.0 EX really does look good and the spec would be enough for me to consider increasing my budget just not sure I can wait long enough as the expected availability dates are quite long especially for the black frame. Out of interest, did you favour the EX over the standard 7.0 just because of the Rockshox over Fox or the slight weight saving?

applause

Glad I can help.

There is a number of reasons why I choose the EX version and it's not not only about the weight. The difference in weight is primarily achieved by going with a 1x drivetrain on the EX and thereby removing 3-400 gram of weight in front derailleur, shifter, cables and chainrings. Same could be done on the non-EX version.

The short version: The EX is specced like I want it

The long version:

1. I'd like a 1x drivetrain from day one
2. The Pike fork is currently the best trail\enduro fork on the market at that price range (Or so say all the reviews). It also has 35 mm stantions in contrast to the 32 mm on the Talas. Also due to the fact I'm not going to ride "Enduro" all day, I like a stiff fork that sits high in it's travel and has good mid-travel support i.e. under braking etc. It is my experience that Fox's have a much more plush and non-progressive feel which I don't like. (Sounds odd - I know)
3. If the SRAM X1 drivetrain and the SRAM Guide R brakes are half as good as reviewers claim, they will easily beat the SLX\XT combo on the non-ex. Although I must praise SLX and XT as I've been running those on my currrent bike since I got it back in 2009 and they have never failed me - they are true workhorses.
4. I'm rolling with the Continental Mountain King II on my current bike and they are great. But haven't tried the Maxxis tyres that the EX model comes spec'ed with and I've read their are a blast. So this was an oppotunity to try that out for "free" in contrast to buying them seperatly which is quite expensive.

P.S. I ordered mine a few days after they were put one sale on Canyons homepage so my delivery i set to Week 45 (Hurray)

benpinnick

The EX is definitely the choice bike of the Spectral range, mainly because its got pikes over Fox, but its also just a nicer thought out bike. They've got X1 on there which is a level above XT, and everything just gels properly.

From your choices its really down to whether you choose geometry over value. If geometry is king, get the meta and accept that pretty much every component on it will be below the standard the frame deserves, and put in a long haul upgrade (forks and shock first). If you want to buy and be done, then the canyon probably edges it, but even with the new geo changes for 2015, the M is still too short (IMHO) so the Large is a better bet even if you are on the bottom end of its sizing.

P.S. If some know of a bike with 120mm "good quality travel" (No Fox Evolution please), 68-67 HA, dropper post and sub 13kg at under 2500 euros - please feel free to share

Keep an eye out for a new Bird FS later in 2015 applause... the Aeris will be getting a little brother in 2015 that we're pretty excited about

applause

I'm not giving up my resevation on the Spectral so Bird better be releasing Geo and prices before Week 45
Besides if the medium is to small for me, i.e. if I have to run a long riser stem, spacers, full riser bars and so forth, Canyon has promised to swap the bike for free.

kingcooper

The Spectral EX seems like a cracking deal but the wait time is just way too long for me, so I'm now deciding between a Spectral 6.0 and a Giant Trance 2 (2014 or 2015 model) both of which I can get near enough straightaway.

The Trance is a good fit with medium frame, spec isn't quite as good as Spectral so would probably have to spend a little extra on upgrades but the ability to buy one locally appeals.

Struggling to make my mind up now, anyone favour one over the other?

applause

I tried the Trance 2 the other day at I must admit i felt right at home on it. So if You can ignore the "cheaper" spec on the Trance (although it's very good components) and you like to buy locally, I would go for the Trance. Especially if You can get the mandatory 10-15% LBS discount of the MSRP.
The colorscheme on the Trance 2 is also musch nicer

Be aware though, that the dropper post on the Trance may disapoint you. The one I tried didn't extend all the way when I released the pressure and when I sat on the tip of the saddle, simulating a climb, the saddle dived. The Giant dropper post is a 1 bolt saddle-clamp-option.
Just thought You would like to know.

Happy buying.

Antm81

The trance s a good ride, the 2014 model looks better but the he 2015 model has a marginally higher spec, the dropper isn't standrd on the 2, I've got the giant dropper and also had the original version and the only time I've had real issues is when there's been too much cable tension.