Commencal

Dazzza
Dazzza Posts: 2,364
edited March 2009 in MTB buying advice
What are these frames like im eyeing up the super 4 atm.
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
Giant Anthem X

Comments

  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    I have a Super 4.2 ( the black one) and I am loving it I mainly do XC with with the odd trip to a trail park (Llandegla and the Whinlatter trail mostly) and it is coping with both types of riding really well.

    I bought it because my back is knackered and the pounding from a hardtail was stopping me ride for more than a couple of hours. Been on 3 rides of about 3 hours in the last week and nothing more than a twinge the next morning.

    It climbs really well with none of the wandering you sometimes get with longer travel bikes and it doesnt seem to lose traction going over slippy rock. The Fox RP2 shock has propedal on it but I wont be using it again it seems to stop the back tyre gripping. Pointing down hill is brilliant it doesnt get knocked off line by rocks though you can feel the rocks this isnt a six inch bike and it goes round berms like it was on rails.

    The kit is good apart from the chainset (Truvativ FireEx) which feels really cheap and the X7 shifters feel a bit sloppy. It came witha SDG I beam seat and post which I changed straight away It would have been more comfortable sitting on the top tube but thats just personal prefference.
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • tompug
    tompug Posts: 227
    A low BB/crank might cause you problems in off camber corners or over rocks, I catch my pedals alot. I agree with the SDG saddle comment, bloody awful thing. After 6 months on my combi I couldn't get use to it, they aren't that strong either.

    The bike should be fantastic on uk courses, it's quite a short wheelbase so good for cornering and agility, mine is a bit twitchy at high speed.
  • Dazzza
    Dazzza Posts: 2,364
    Sounds like quite a frame, i'll be going up against well mostly fsr epics so wanted to know if it can hold it's own.

    Video's from what i've seen are very good, they seem to flow very well while other bikes would be twitchy.

    I had a nose at a cannondale rush 3 and trek fuel 6.5 i think, didn't like the dale, despite being carbon and light it felt to me like a 6" travel bike, not what im after, the trek however looked very nice.

    Commencal seem to have quite a following and for the price i really can't argue.

    Trouble is there's sod all places down this way where i can trial such bikes.
    The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
    Giant Anthem X
  • toasty
    toasty Posts: 2,598
    It'll be a bit heavier than an Epic frame, softer feeling travel though. I was very tempted by one myself as well, they're a bit too similar to the Meta sadly though so I went for the Zaskar instead. What is it you want it for primarily just out of interest? XC/marathon/trail etc?
  • Dazzza
    Dazzza Posts: 2,364
    Just general xc really with the odd epic thrown in as i do like my long rides.

    Climbing and no twitchiness are my main concerns trouble is the price, it's much cheaper than the competition which has me wary, i know they have a following so im curious as to what kind of ride they provide more than anything.
    The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
    Giant Anthem X
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    Its not a twitchy race bike its a short travel trail bike in fact it has quite a long wheelbase my large measures 44 inches axle to axle. I find it turns nicely it went up the switchbacks at Penmachno quite easily where as on my On-one Scandal I had to muscle it round the same turns.

    If your riding against an Epic I reckon the racy Epic will gain a few yards on a climb but you are going to race ahead and probably disappear on the down plus you will be more comfy.

    Merlin have got the Super 4.2 for sale £1300 at the moment saving £550 :o crud wish I had waited a couple of weeks
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • rgarner
    rgarner Posts: 77
    Quite interested in this thread as I got my 2008 Epic Comp stolen and am looking for a decent replacement. I'm a bit put off by the lack of decent opinions I can find - is it just too new for reviews?
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    MBR did a review of the Super 4.1 and they liked it not sure which issue but the commencal owners club has a download of the page poor quality though

    http://www.commencalownersclub.com/index.php?action=tpmod;dl=item22
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • rgarner
    rgarner Posts: 77
    Ta stubs, had to register but worth it. So basic summation is: great trail bike, slower on the uphills than, say, the Giant X0 (which presumably applies to the X2 too).
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    Not sure which Giant your talking about but if its the Anthem yes it will be a touch slower uphill but then I think everything else on the trail will be slower up hill than an Anthem :) but when your going downhill and the Anthem rider is bouncing about like a pinball you will be going past him/her and giving them a cheery wave.

    To sum it up
    Its good uphill but slower than an all out XC racer
    its brilliant downhill I was keeping up with a Specialized Pitch Pro at the weekend
    its comfy very important for me I can pedal it 3 hours non stop no problem
    I think it looks like sex on a stick

    Heres another interesting review I just found

    http://www.bikerumor.com/2008/10/13/interbike-2008-commencal-mountain-bikes/
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • rgarner
    rgarner Posts: 77
    stubs, your summing up reads like my next bike wishlist :D:D

    Off to Chorley on Saturday to try one of these out - shame they haven't got a Large in stock, but oh well, I can get some idea from a Medium, right? I've got a Scott Scale 30 in mind as well but I think that somehow even the 1400-odd quid they are at PedalOn is not going to be as much of a bargain as the 4.2 offer at Merlin.
  • Dazzza
    Dazzza Posts: 2,364
    Right then you really have to post what it's like, there is a dealer local but no demo bikes at all, or frames for that matter.

    They do however sound great, i like how the speed 4 climbs good but comes into it's own on the downhills afterall since when is climbing fun!!
    The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
    Giant Anthem X
  • rgarner
    rgarner Posts: 77
    Dazzza wrote:
    Right then you really have to post what it's like, there is a dealer local but no demo bikes at all, or frames for that matter.

    Ok, well, bear in mind this is from someone who's pretty much lost all confidence since an accident last October left me out of work (and pocket) for three weeks, so I'm currently an ultra-cautious rider ;)

    Ok, first off it's an absolutely un-friggin'-believable deal at £1299 from Merlin. There are only two things I don't like about the componentry out of the box: the saddle (which is an XC racer's dream but was my man's bits nightmare) - I replaced this with a Bel-Air SL at the first opportunity - and the Deore front mech, which just doesn't shift so slick. Haven't got round to tuning it yet though - and indeed, even when I do, I won't know what I'm doing ;)

    Everything else I'm loving, though. Great frame, great climber (better than my Epic, which I wasn't prepared for), almost no pedal bob even with ProPedal off, still pretty light, steering is responsive, I'm using the poploc more than I thought I would, Formula Oros are lovely, and I loved the X-9 rear from my much-missed stolen Epic - it's the same shifter/rear mech here. It's slightly spoiled by the clunky shifting of the front, but you can't have everything.

    Like stubs says, this is a *comfy* bike for something that's at the XC end of 'trail'. I get off the thing with no jolts or pains anywhere in wrists or arse and yet I've enjoyed myself thoroughly and thrown it around as much as my fragile confidence will currently allow.

    Will post more next ride, when I hope to have sloughed off some of the confidence issues and ridden at a more breakneck speed :)