Commencal Launch 08

The new Meta 666 marathon DH bike is a serious piece of kit, with the top model featuring a Fox Float RP23 rear shock and Marzocchi 55 fork, along with Commençal's adjustable head tube.

Bike Radar©.

Published: August 23, 2007 at 11:00 pm

>FURIOUS >A Gracia worthy freeride monster

Working closely with Cedric Gracia, Commençal have been developing a freeride rig focused on the rigours and rucks of the huck. Named the Furious, it uses a swing link-activated, single-pivot design with a faux-bar pivot on the seatstay to utilise 180mm (7in) of progressive travel from a Marzocchi Roco shock, matched with a Marzocchi 66 up front. A 1.5in head tube keeps things together with the oversized tubing, while an 83mm bottom bracket shell and 150mm rear axle spacing, plus finishing parts, have all earned their necessary stripes. The frame also features a serious sloping top tube, within which a scallop had to be cut to allow clearance for the piggyback of the shock during its stroke.

blank - Bike Radar©.

>META REWORKED >A new marathon DH rig and modified Metas

The new Meta 666 marathon DH bike is a serious piece of kit, with the top model featuring a Fox Float RP23 rear shock and Marzocchi 55 fork, along with Commençal's adjustable head tube. The range fills the gap between the Meta bikes and the longer travel, burlier Mini DHs. Utilising an all-new hydroformed swingarm with a repositioned front mech mount and rejigged cable routing, Commençal claim to have increased stiffness by eight per cent, saved 150g in weight and extended the life of the bike five-fold. They've also reworked the shock rocker links for increased strength. This design is also used on the Meta 5.5 and 4 lines. All bikes will have 10 or 12mm bolt-on dropouts.

>Commencal 2008 >The rest of the range in brief

- There will be a 24in wheeled version of Commençal's Mini DH rigs for kids, and a titanium frame with adjustable sliding dropouts and Post Mount disc mounts. p The guys at Commençal have also reworked their line of affordable rides: the Combi line features both hardtails and full suspension bikes.

- The full suspension Combi S now uses a Meta 4 frame from 2007, and both the >Combi hardtails - Combi Disc and Combi DeLuxe - enjoy an identical main triangle to the Meta frameset. >